The patent world is at a moment of change. The incentives for obtaining and aggressively monetizing patents are increasing. In contrast, defending a patent litigation is becoming more difficult and the stakes are higher. Companies that take steps now to navigate these changes may be rewarded with significant competitive advantages.

       

Law firms are juggling high-stakes Gulf data centre deals. Kirkland & Ellis helped close two mega-deals in October alone, including a $40 billion deal to acquire Aligned Data Centers and a Blackstone-backed AirTrunk deal on a $3 billion partnership with Saudi AI HUMAIN.

       

AZB & Partners has dominated M&A deals in the financial services space while CAM, SAM, Trilegal and JSA fight for market share.

       

The government claimed the district courts' rulings were attempts to "inject the federal courts into the political branchs' closing efforts to end this shutdown."

       

Among those accepting clemency was Rudy Giuliani, the former U.S. attorney in Manhattan and New York City mayor who was disbarred in 2024. He said in a statement that his bar license should be reinstated "immediately." Observers say that is unlikely, as the Appellate Division, First Department disbarred him for making false statements.

       

If approved, the settlement calls for Visa and Mastercard to reduce their swipe fees by 0.1% for five years. But trade groups have already come out against the deal, arguing the proposed changes are insubstantial.

       

Citi's Q3 report was the latest indication that law firms will likely have a stellar 2025 financial year. But rising expenses may dampen the profit picture, while firms are seeking to scale up through mergers.

       

Court watchers say most of President Donald Trump's judicial selections thus far have credentials in line with his first-term nominees—involvement with the conservative Federalist Society and prestigious clerkships with Republican-appointed U.S. Supreme Court justices.

       

Prosecutors with the U.S. Department of Justice wrote that the United States has a substantial interest in protecting the power of the Office of the President.

       

"What I would love to see is some major company just saying, 'No, we're not caving on something. We are willing to go to court and follow through on that,'" said Daniel Farber, a Berkeley Law professor.

       

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.