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While for many the new year begins with resolutions to slim down, several firms across the U.S. have started 2025 either a little bit larger or with plans to get bigger.
Bonus news continued over the holiday week, with several law firms announcing they'll follow or exceed Milbank LLP's lead on 2024 associate bonuses, and others reversing their stance on special bonuses, according to memos shared with Law360 Pulse and media reports.
The popularity of U.S. law firm combinations surged in 2024, with announcements increasing by about a dozen year-over-year and approaching historic heights, according to data collected by Law360 Pulse, but law firm merger consultants say a robust pipeline of deal talks could mean a busier 2025.
As the new year begins, Harris Beach PLLC and Murtha Cullina LLP are starting a new chapter — their combination is complete, and the two firms are now operating as Harris Beach Murtha.
Mid-Law leaders entering 2025 say that they are optimistic about the new year but also focused on potential challenges, such as the rise of generative artificial intelligence tools, succession planning and ensuring that any growth they are experiencing is sustainable.
The $15 billion U.S. litigation finance industry has come a long way in recent years, but demands for more transparency from pro-business groups and the defense bar could present a significant challenge in the year ahead.
After an eventful 2024, industry experts are looking ahead to what might be the big topics in legal ethics in the new year, including the ethics implications of artificial intelligence and ethics opinions that may be relevant to attorneys in the incoming second Trump administration.
Law firms have experienced rapid change and growth in recent years, and 2025 will likely be no different. Firm leaders told Law360 Pulse they are bracing to respond quickly to a number of different opportunities likely to arise in the new year.
Public confidence in state courts seems to be rising at the same time that trust in the federal courts and overall judicial system is plummeting, according to recent surveys that paint drastically divergent pictures of people's faith in state and national judicial systems.
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP and Alston & Bird LLP told associates Monday they'd be receiving year-end bonuses that meet the prevailing scale for large law firms set by Milbank LLP in November — as long as they meet certain billable hours requirements, according to media reports.
Supply chain finance company Orbian Corp. filed a federal suit in Massachusetts Friday against defunct law firm Burns & Levinson LLP and a former partner accusing the firm of helping swindle payments from Orbian to its now-former general counsel.
Plaintiffs seeking restitution from Thompson Coburn LLP over a data breach filled a motion Friday to consolidate the group's eight proposed class actions, as well as appoint three attorneys to interim class counsel over the potential master case.
McElroy Deutsch Mulvaney & Carpenter LLP got a claim for malicious prosecution against it dismissed without prejudice in litigation against its former business development director, who the firm accused of embezzling millions from it.
Katya Cronin, a professor at George Washington University Law School and former BigLaw attorney, argued in a recent academic paper that law schools need to do more to encourage students to examine their personal values and pursue legal careers in line with them.
Michael Long, Lowenstein Sandler LLP's newest partner and the former head of the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General’s Division of Law, joined Law360 Pulse to reflect on his time leading the 500-attorney division and his plans at the firm.
The recent growth of Stevens & Lee's wealth planning and estates practice has attracted a pair of veteran attorneys who joined the firm's offices in Pennsylvania to be part of the practice's expansion.
You're a rock star associate in your fourth or fifth year trying to make partner, and you just got an average review after previously receiving high marks. Although it's tempting to panic, experts say it's possible to come back after such setbacks by being proactive.
Generative artificial intelligence remained the top issue for legal tech in 2024, as vendors continued rolling out generative AI tools while law firms tested them and trained their attorneys on the underlying technology.
Jurists weighed the benefits of partisan elections, praised innovations in telehearings and worried about the future of the profession in nearly a dozen interviews with Law360 this year.
The fate of Lowenstein Sandler LLP's battle over nearly $800,000 in unpaid legal fees with a cannabis dispensary could hinge on how a judge interprets an ellipsis in a legal brief.
A Florida federal judge this week denied preliminary approval of an $8.5 million settlement in a data breach class action against Gunster and demanded more information on payouts, the plaintiffs' standing in the case and a historical breakdown of settlement rates.
Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres LLC announced a seven-attorney team, including many from Sidley Austin LLP, have joined the firm's Chicago office from a local litigation boutique.
FisherBroyles LLP has hired a longtime Stein Sperling Bennett De Jong Driscoll PC attorney and a former Workday director and privacy counsel, who are joining the firm's teams in Washington, D.C., and Palo Alto, California, as partners, the firm has announced.
Freeman Mathis & Gary LLP announced Friday that it will launch an office in Denver by taking on a 12-attorney team from litigation and commercial law firm Treece Alfrey Musat PC on Jan. 1.
U.S. law firms are set to close out 2024 with near-record increases in revenue and profits, according to industry surveys. Here, a look at how seven law firm leaders are planning to reinvest the windfall.
Many legal technology vendors now sell artificial intelligence and machine learning tools at a premium price tag, but law firms must take the time to properly evaluate them as not all offerings generate process efficiencies or even use the technologies advertised, says Steven Magnuson at Ballard Spahr.
While chief legal officers are increasingly involved in creating corporate diversity, inclusion and anti-bigotry policies, all lawyers have a responsibility to be discrimination busters and bias interrupters regardless of the title they hold, says Veta T. Richardson at the Association of Corporate Counsel.
Every lawyer can begin incorporating aspects of software development in their day-to-day practice with little to no changes in their existing tools or workflow, and legal organizations that take steps to encourage this exploration of programming can transform into tech incubators, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.
As junior associates increasingly report burnout, work-life conflict and loneliness during the pandemic, law firms should take tangible actions to reduce the stigma around seeking help, and to model desired well-being behaviors from the top down, say Stacey Whiteley at the New York State Bar Association and Robin Belleau at Kirkland.
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Ask A Mentor: Should My Law Firm Take On An Apprentice?Mentoring a law student who is preparing for the bar exam without attending law school is an arduous process that is not for everyone, but there are also several benefits for law firms hosting apprenticeship programs, says Jessica Jackson, the lawyer guiding Kim Kardashian West's legal education.
As clients increasingly want law firms to serve as innovation platforms, firms must understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach — the key is a nimble innovation function focused on listening and knowledge sharing, says Mark Brennan at Hogan Lovells.
In addition to establishing their brand from scratch, women who start their own law firms must overcome inherent bias against female lawyers and convince prospective clients to put aside big-firm preferences, says Joel Stern at the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms.
Jane Jeong at Cooley shares how grueling BigLaw schedules and her own perfectionism emotionally bankrupted her, and why attorneys struggling with burnout should consider making small changes to everyday habits.
Black Americans make up a disproportionate percentage of the incarcerated population but are underrepresented among elected prosecutors, so the legal community — from law schools to prosecutor offices — must commit to addressing these disappointing demographics, says Erika Gilliam-Booker at the National Black Prosecutors Association.
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Ask A Mentor: How Can Associates Deal With Overload?Young lawyers overwhelmed with a crushing workload must tackle the problem on two fronts — learning how to say no, and understanding how to break down projects into manageable parts, says Jay Harrington at Harrington Communications.
Law firms could combine industrial organizational psychology and machine learning to study prospective hires' analytical thinking, stress response and similar attributes — which could lead to recruiting from a more diverse candidate pool, say Ali Shahidi and Bess Sully at Sheppard Mullin.
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Ask A Mentor: How Can Associates Seek More Assignments?In the first installment of Law360 Pulse's career advice guest column, Meela Gill at Weil offers insights on how associates can ask for meaningful work opportunities at their firms without sounding like they are begging.
In order to improve access to justice for those who cannot afford a lawyer, states should consider regulatory innovations, such as allowing new forms of law firm ownership and permitting nonlawyers to provide certain legal services, says Patricia Lee Refo, president of the American Bar Association.