Molly McPherson joins Legal Speak co-host Patrick Smith during the General Counsel Conference East in New York.

       

Todd DuChene had been poised to obliterate the current record, held by former Splunk legal chief Scott Morgan.

       

Lower-ranked firms continue to use hybrid work flexibility as a recruiting tool, but some firms that want more attendance may not have the leverage to demand it.

       

AI-assisted artwork poses a simple question: When can an artist using AI tools copyright their work? Early this year, the Copyright Office addressed this issue and rejected the proposition that only prompting an AI model can create a copyrightable work. But their analysis missed that “randomness for a computer means something entirely different than we generally think, ultimately underselling the amount of control someone can have over the model's output.

       

“[C]rypto firms don't always make the smartest move in these situations; too often, they lack the structures and business experience required to police pregnancy discrimination in the workplace, said Ann Olivarius, a senior partner at McAllister Olivarius who is not involved in the matter.

       

This webcast explores how AI-powered collaboration is helping law firms overcome fragmented systems, enhance client engagement, and scale expertise—while maintaining security, compliance, and quality.

       

This year has seen a wave of proposed bills in state legislatures across the United States aimed at regulating foreign-influenced political activity at the state level. While stylized to mirror portions of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), in reality, many of these laws are broader than FARA and lack the core exemptions that companies may have grown accustomed to relying upon.

       

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned down a petition to reconsider its landmark Obergefell ruling from ex-Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, who made national news for refusing to issue same-sex marriage certificates.        

Calculating and allocating origination credit within firms is more complicated because there's “immense consolidation of talent among top firms, especially in private equity, noted one recruiter.

       

A sharp spike in demand helped law firms rise to “new heights during the third quarter, even as expenses continued to climb, according to a new report.

       

"My advice: don't hesitate to step up and embrace the challenge. Leadership is built on embracing balance, adaptability and the willingness to voice your ideas, especially when you're not sure they'll be accepted. For women and diverse attorneys, balancing career, family and firm expectations can feel daunting, but those experiences also provide unique insights and strengths. Rely on your support system and don't be afraid to ask for help; great leadership is about empowering your team and sharing responsibility."

       

What do Cadwalader, Alston & Bird, Kirkland, Paul Weiss, Freshfields and most of Big Law have in common? They're not putting much focus beyond the U.S. and U.K., writes the Global Lawyer.

       

“This has been an incredibly painful and difficult year for our firm and for me, personally, the most challenging year in my life, Paul Weiss managing partner Brad Karp said during his keynote speech.

       

U.S. District Judge Jessica Clarke of the Southern District of New York sent the jurors home after they delivered a note stating they wished to be adjourned after three days of deliberating the fates of Anton and James Peraire-Bueno. Despite many sleepless nights and a session where half of the jury broke down crying, they "are not making any progress," said the note, which was signed by all members of the 12-person jury.

       

Dovel & Luner partners Christin Cho and Rick Lyon were sanctioned by U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner in the Central District of California for pursuing a class action despite knowing the lead plaintiff was subject to arbitration.

       

“So, this document could turn out to be relatively benign, or it could turn out to be the beginning of major change in disruption, and, you know, potentially harm to the students at UVA, a law professor, who is a member of the executive council, told Law.com.

       

The case was the first enforcement action under Connecticut's Student Data Privacy Law and California's K-12 Pupil Online Personal Information Protection Act. Along with New York, all three states' student privacy laws require online educational providers to have adequate protections and security measures for education data.

       

"Context matters. The activity in dispute was not a display at a random location in the United States; it was not at a normal moment in time; and it was not a generic message for equal rights or employee protection," Judge James B. Loken wrote. "Home Depot's restriction on how employees may display messages surrounding the movement shows only that it 'did not want to allow the mass expression of a controversial message by employees in their stores."        

I came to realize that law schools do not tell their students, much less teach them about, at least three important facts that every future lawyer should know to succeed in the profession to which they are committing themselves. For better or for worse, lawyers are also salesmen, teachers, and bill collectors.

       

The suit may help set the terms of engagement for AI agents as they take on more of the shopping tasks currently handled by human beings.