+ A rare legal malpractice trial.
 

The Afternoon Docket

The Afternoon Docket

A weekly newsletter by Reuters and Westlaw

 

By Caitlin Tremblay

What's going on this week?

The legal industry continues to grapple with questions about power, technology and the future of the profession. The ABA is weighing further diversity-rule changes, a new survey found nearly half of recent law graduates use AI daily, and Columbia students sued Kasowitz over a $6.4 million legal bill.

Plus, your weekly Career Tracker.

Lawyers love footnotes. Judge Boasberg demands a rewrite.

 

U.S. District Court for the District of Washington/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

Footnotes are ubiquitous in legal writing. One well-known judge is mounting a courtroom crusade to stop that, Jenna Greene writes in her latest column. Last week, after striking a 45-page filing because it included 18 footnotes, Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg of Washington, D.C.'s federal court, spoke with Greene about his antipathy toward the legal profession's favorite below-the-line habit. Footnotes are just "a crutch,” he said–placing him squarely in a long and surprisingly passionate debate about legal writing. Read more in On the Case. 

 

Industry updates

  • Lawyers' group seeks White House records tied to Trump's law-firm executive orders
  • Proposed rules call for DOJ disclosure when grand juries reject indictments in Massachusetts
  • JPMorgan cannot stop paying Charlie Javice's legal bills, Delaware judge rules
  • Chicago Mercantile Exchange replaces law firm in lawsuit against CFTC
  • U.S. law firm Blank Rome faces class action over data breach
  • Columbia students sue Kasowitz law firm over $6.4 million legal fee in antisemitism case
  • Legal tech firm ends lawsuit after U.S. restores access to Anthropic models
  • Tennis players association sues former top lawyer over alleged power grab
  • Nearly half of recent law graduates use AI daily, survey finds
  • ABA eyes more rollbacks to law school diversity rules 
  • Legal AI startup Norm Ai hits $1.2 billion valuation after $120 million funding
 
 

Career Tracker

In New York:

Paul Hastings added private credit partner Peter Williams from Cahill Gordon & Reindel … Securities litigation and financial services partner Todd Beaton Jr moved to O’Melveny from McGuireWoods … Real estate partner Anthony Mongone jumped to Kirkland from Ropes & Gray … K&L Gates added asset management and investment funds partner Tamika Bent from Willkie … Willkie added private funds partner Erica Temel from Kirkland … Lowenstein Sandler hired environmental litigation partner Thomas Pearce from Latham … Capital markets partner Andrew Baker left Latham for Sidley … Pryor Cashman added litigation partner David Elbaum from Simpson Thacher … Simpson Thacher added energy and infrastructure tax partner Steven Lorch from Weil. Simpson Thacher also added trial partner Timothy Cameron from Cravath … Sidley hired emerging companies, venture capital and life sciences partner Mayan Katz from Goodwin Procter. Sidley also added finance partners Lee Askenazi and Alistair Dunlop and tax partner James Gouwar from Clifford Chance … Partner Paul Freeman moved to Sheppard's governmental practice from Crowell & Moring. 

In D.C.:

International trade partner Dallas Woodrum returned to Akin from the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control … Pillsbury added IP tech litigation partner Calvin Wingfield from Goodwin Procter … International trade and national security partner Sarah Oliai moved to Foley Hoag from Cooley … Complex commercial litigation partner Meredith Pohl joined King & Spalding from Kirkland … Winston Taylor (formerly Winston & Strawn) added IP litigation partner Clayton Thompson from DLA Piper … DLA Piper added project finance partner André Teixeira from Kirkland …Sidley added finance partners Robert Hagan and Rebecca O'Brien from Clifford Chance.

In San Francisco:

Antitrust trial partner Bonny Sweeney returned to Hausfeld from the DOJ where she was senior litigation counsel … Complex litigation partner Sunita Bali moved to Arnold & Porter from Perkins Coie … Dechert added corporate and securities partner