 //sli.reutersmedia.net/imp?s=126591700&li=&e=gjjtuyu768@gmail.com&p=31987144&stpe=pixel” width=”2″ height=”6″ border=”0″ /> |
//sli.reutersmedia.net/imp?s=126591701&li=&e=gjjtuyu768@gmail.com&p=31987144&stpe=pixel” width=”2″ height=”6″ border=”0″ /> |
//sli.reutersmedia.net/imp?s=126591702&li=&e=gjjtuyu768@gmail.com&p=31987144&stpe=pixel” width=”2″ height=”6″ border=”0″ /> |
//sli.reutersmedia.net/imp?s=126591703&li=&e=gjjtuyu768@gmail.com&p=31987144&stpe=pixel” width=”2″ height=”6″ border=”0″ /> |
//sli.reutersmedia.net/imp?s=126591704&li=&e=gjjtuyu768@gmail.com&p=31987144&stpe=pixel” width=”2″ height=”6″ border=”0″ /> |
|
|
|
| //sli.reutersmedia.net/imp?s=874768&li=&e=gjjtuyu768@gmail.com&p=31987144&stpe=static” border=”0″ style=”max-height:12px;” /> |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Good morning. A new report shows law firm interest in mergers “remains high,” as the mid-year number of tie-ups eclipsed the same period in the last two years. Plus, Harvard was hit with a complaint from civil rights groups claiming the school’s preferences for “legacy” applicants violates federal law. The Biden White House just nominated two Republican FTC members; Apple will take on Epic Games at SCOTUS; and Twitter is accused of stalling its former workers’ lawsuits. The legal fireworks are still booming. Let’s go!
Were you forwarded this email? Subscribe here.
|
Law firms’ interest in mergers “remains high,” according to a new report from legal consultancy Fairfax Associates, with deal activity during the second half of 2023 and into 2024 expected to be solid.
The latest Fairfax Associates report showed more law firm mergers — 28 — took effect in the first half of 2023 than in the same period in 2022 and 2021, reporter Sara Merken writes.
The largest merger completed in the second quarter was the tie-up between Alabama-based Maynard Cooper & Gale and Carolinas-based Nexsen Pruet. The firms merged to become a 550-lawyer firm called Maynard Nexsen. Other deals that took effect in Q2 included Armstrong Teasdale’s combination with litigation firm Novack and Macey; and Hinshaw & Culbertson’s deal with aviation-focused civil litigation firm Adler Murphy & McQuillen.
Law firm mergers are rebounding after deals dropped off during the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, the 28 mergers of 2023 are below the historical first-half average over the past 10 years, which Fairfax said is 32 combinations.
|
|
|
|
- The Biden White House nominated Virginia Solicitor General Andrew Ferguson and Utah Solicitor General Melissa Holyoak to serve as Republican FTC commissioners. Ferguson formerly practiced at Bancroft and was a clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas. Holyoak previously was president and general counsel of the D.C.-based public interest firm Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute. (Reuters)
- Two PGA Tour officials will testify before a U.S. Senate panel next week about the tour’s merger with Saudi-backed LIV Golf, but LIV officials declined to appear, lawmakers said. Ron Price, chief operating officer of the PGA Tour, and board member Jimmy Dunne agreed to testify before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations on July 11. (Reuters)
- U.S. Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings jumped 68% in the first half of 2023 from a year earlier, Epiq Bankruptcy, a provider of U.S. bankruptcy filing data, said. A total of 2,973 commercial Chapter 11 bankruptcies were filed in the first six months of 2023, compared to 1,766 in the same period last year. (Reuters)
- Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner and Oreo maker Mondelez are facing lawsuits in Chicago federal court over a data-breach at the law firm that allegedly exposed personal information about tens of thousands of former employees of the snack industry giant. The law firm is a defendant in at least two suits, including one filed last week. BCLP declined to comment, and Chicago-based Mondelez said it “took appropriate steps once we were notified about this situation.”
|
That’s how many arbitration cases Twitter has allegedly blocked by not paying initial arbitration fees, despite requiring laid-off workers to sign agreements to arbitrate legal disputes in exchange for severance pay. Plaintiffs’ firm Lichten & Liss-Riordan this week sued the social media company in California federal court, asserting it had refused to proceed with nearly 900 arbitration cases filed by ex-employees who were laid off or quit after Elon Musk acquired the social media company last year. Twitter faces other suits over its move to reduce its workforce.
|
The U.S. Supreme Court may have opened a Pandora’s box with its ruling for a Colorado graphics designer who does not want to create websites for same-sex weddings. In a 6-3 decision in 303 Creative LLC v. Aubrey Elenis, the court’s conservatives ruled that Colorado website designer Lorie Smith has a First Amendment right to refuse to design wedding websites for same-sex couples, despite the state’s law barring discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, among other factors. The court agreed with Smith and her lawyers at the Alliance Defending Freedom that the state cannot compel Smith to express a view she opposes via a website she has created. Alison Frankel writes that the court’s broad conclusions about Smith’s right to control her business’ expressions is expected to embolden other companies to challenge anti-discrimination laws — and not just in the context of LGBT weddings.
|
“Richard needs to show he’s not a ruthless, tax-evading billionaire.“
|
—A public relations adviser, remarking in an email about British billionaire and Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, accused of damaging his company’s reputation by residing in a tax haven while UK-based airline Virgin Atlantic sought a pandemic-era bailout. The internal emails were cited in a $250 million London lawsuit by lawyers for U.S. train operator Brightline, sued by the Virgin Group after canceling a deal to use the Virgin brand in 2020. Brightline says it canceled the deal because the Virgin brand had been hit by negative press coverage. Virgin argues its brand was not materially damaged by the group’s handling of COVID-19.
|
|
|
|
- Lawyers for two former Georgia election workers suing Rudy Giuliani and others are expected to submit a filing to U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell in D.C. detailing the costs and fees they are seeking after she sanctioned the former New York mayor last month for failing to search for and turn over records in the litigation. Howell ordered Giuliani to pay attorney fees and costs associated with the plaintiffs’ effort to force Giuliani to search for documents. The plaintiffs’ legal team includes lawyers from Willkie Farr.
- A New York city regulation that restricts employers’ use of AI tools in hiring and promotion decisions will take effect. The law bars certain automated tools to screen candidates unless certain requirements are met. Those rules include a mandate that the tool has been audited for bias. An advisory from law firm Morgan Lewis said the law could “serve as a framework for other local and state legislatures across the United States.” Management-side labor firm Littler said the final regulations “go a long way toward clarifying the requirements of a short and broadly written law.” The firm called the legal and technical criteria “complex.”
|
Court calendars are subject to last-minute docket changes.
|
- U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty in Louisiana issued an order on Tuesday restricting some agencies and Biden administration officials from meeting and communicating with social media companies to moderate their content. Doughty’s injunction came in response to a lawsuit brought by Republican attorneys general who alleged U.S. officials went too far in efforts to encourage social media companies to address posts they worried could contribute to vaccine hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic or upend elections. (Reuters)
- Skittles candy maker Wrigley settled a lawsuit accusing cannabis-related merchandise seller Terphogz of trademark infringement for marketing products under the “ZKITTLEZ” name. Terphogz said it would stop using slogans such as “Taste the Z Train” and “Taste the Strain Bro,” which Wrigley found too similar to Skittles’ longtime slogan “Taste the Rainbow.” (Reuters)
- U.S. securities enforcers charged View, maker of “smart” windows whose tinted panes adjust with the sun, and its former chief financial officer for understating the costs of replacing defective windows. View, represented by Munger Tolles, won’t have to pay a fine because it reported the error, took remedial action and cooperated with the SEC. The company did not admit or deny wrongdoing. A Morrison & Foerster attorney for former View CFO Vidul Prakash said “we look forward to vindicating him in court.” (Reuters)
- South Korea’s Samsung Display sued BOE Technology in Texas federal court, accusing the Chinese rival of infringing on five of its patents for displays used in mobile devices, including Apple’s iPhone 12. Samsung Display, a unit of Samsung Electronics, is seeking damages for alleged infringement regarding organic light emitting diode displays supplied by BOE. (Reuters)
|
|
|
Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletter or other Reuters news content.
Get Reuters News App
Want to stop receiving this newsletter? Unsubscribe here.
To manage which newsletters you’re subscribed to, click here.
|
|
|
|
