Pennsylvania Pulse


  • Pa. Supreme Court Says Judge's Side Job Sinks Tax Rulings

    A Pennsylvania state judge who held a side job on a Philadelphia tax appeals board had nullified rulings he made on a local hospital's tax cases, the state's Supreme Court said Tuesday, reasoning that holding both jobs was a "constitutionally impermissible conflict of duties."

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    Fisher Phillips Remains Steady With 25-Atty Partnership Class

    International labor and employment law firm Fisher Phillips announced Tuesday that it has promoted 25 attorneys to partner effective Jan. 1, about the same number as in previous years.

  • Faegre Drinker Promotes 26 To Partner For 2025

    More than two dozen Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP attorneys have been selected this week to move up to the partner level at the start of the new year.

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    Pa. Atty Suspended Following Client Theft Charges

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has temporarily suspended a western Pennsylvania attorney from the bar following his arrest last month on charges that he allegedly stole more than $30,000 from a jailed elderly woman and used the money for trips to a casino.

  • Circuit-By-Circuit Guide To 2024's Most Memorable Moments

    One judge said a litigant's position would cause "an effing nightmare," and another decried the legal community's silence amid "illegitimate aspersions." Public officials literally trashed one court's opinion, and fateful rulings dealt with controversial politicians, social media and decades of environmental policy. Those were just a few appellate highlights in 2024, a year teeming with memorable moments both substantive and sensational.

  • UnitedHealthcare Shooting Suspect Hires Ex-NYC Prosecutor

    Karen Friedman Agnifilo, a former veteran prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, has been retained to represent the man accused of killing the CEO of UnitedHealthcare outside a hotel in midtown Manhattan earlier this month, a spokesperson for Agnifilo's firm said Monday.

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    Battle Over Atty Speech Raises First Amendment Concerns

    An attorney is challenging a local rule used to gag him in the Middle District of Tennessee, saying it goes too far in restricting lawyers from speaking to the press about their cases.

  • Marshall Dennehey Elects 10 Attys To Shareholder

    Marshall Dennehey has matched last year's partner promotion number, announcing plans to elevate 10 attorneys to shareholder in the new year.

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    Pennsylvania Debtors Law Firm Hits Ch. 11 With $1.9M Debt

    A small Pennsylvania law firm specializing in defending debtors from their creditors said in a recent Chapter 11 declaration that it's facing $1.9 million in debt of its own, most of it from a secured bank loan, and court records show the firm was recently sued by a lender.

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    Elsberg Baker, Quinn Emanuel Roll Out Bonus Scales

    Elsberg Baker & Maruri PC, a boutique trial firm opened earlier this year by a group of former BigLaw attorneys, is exceeding Milbank LLP's year-end and special bonuses, according to a Monday memo obtained by Law360 Pulse.

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    3rd Circ. Nominee Decries 'Broken' Confirmation Process

    Adeel Mangi, the nominee for the Third Circuit who would have been the first federal Muslim appellate judge if confirmed, sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Monday saying the selection process for federal judges is "broken."

  • Philly Atty Gets Harsher Discipline In NJ For Pill Mill Conviction

    The New Jersey Supreme Court has suspended an attorney for three years following his conviction for filling fraudulent opioid prescriptions in his side job as a part-time pharmacist, according to a recently filed order.

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    Magic Circle, Boutiques Join 2024 Bonuses Wave

    Bonus announcements continued late Thursday and into Friday, with law firms across the spectrum — from the U.K. Magic Circle to midsize and boutique firms — following Milbank LLP's lead on 2024 associate bonuses, according to memos shared with Law360 Pulse and media reports.

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    New Philly Bar Chancellor On Giving Back To Her Community

    Giving back to her community is a core value Cozen O'Connor shareholder Katayun Jaffari has fostered her entire life, and it's one she says holds especially true as she prepares to start her one-year term as the Philadelphia Bar Association's chancellor next month.

  • No New Evidence To Challenge Pa. Atty Text Ban, Judge Says

    A Pennsylvania federal judge said Friday he will not reverse his rejection of a preliminary injunction on the state disciplinary board's new rule banning text message solicitation by attorneys, saying a legal marketing company did not present enough new evidence to warrant reconsideration.

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    Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Sidley Austin LLP led this week's Legal Lions for representing Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a $13.5 billion cash purchase of AssuredPartners in what its private equity seller, GTCR, called the largest sale of a U.S. insurance broker to a strategic acquirer in the industry's history.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    This was another action-packed week for the legal industry as BigLaw firms recruited new talent and announced raises for associates. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

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    Sullivan Matches, Selendy Exceeds Milbank Bonus Scale

    Sullivan & Cromwell LLP is the latest firm to match Milbank LLP's year-end and special bonus scale, according to a report Thursday, while New York boutique Selendy Gay PLLC said it is exceeding the prevailing scale for its associates.

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    AI Terms, 'Coffee Badging' Among Top New Words In Law

    Burton's Legal Thesaurus recently announced this year's top new words in law, with entries like "coffee badging" and "hot-tubbing" joining the echelons of 2022's "meme stock" and 2023's "hallucination" as the thesaurus brings to light some of the most novel terms and talking points for lawyers in 2024.

  • Saul Ewing Named In Wage Class Reps' Hidden-Asset Suit

    A Pittsburgh-based home health care company and its counsel from Saul Ewing LLP are improperly shuffling assets in order to avoid paying future judgments, according to a lawsuit by representatives of a proposed wage class seeking $12.2 million.

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    Pietragallo Expands Philly Office With Ex-DOJ Attorney

    A former trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice has left his post at the DOJ's main office in Washington, D.C., after nearly 10 years to go into private practice at Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti LLP's Philadelphia office.

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    Jury Clears Blank Rome Attys In Malicious Suit Case

    Three Blank Rome attorneys and an aviation company have been cleared by a Pennsylvania federal jury of claims that they maliciously pursued litigation over alleged misuse of confidential information against a lawyer who formerly represented the company and switched to plaintiffs work.

  • Winston & Strawn Matches Bonuses, Top Billers Get Extra

    Winston & Strawn LLP is the latest firm to match the 2024 associate bonus first put forward by Milbank LLP, with adjustments for associates who fall short of the minimum hours threshold while offering extra bonuses for those who "substantially" exceed their productivity goals.

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    Growing Workloads Have More In-House Teams Turning To AI

    Corporate law departments are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence tools as they face pressure to control costs and meet growing demands for legal services amid flat headcount, according to survey results released Wednesday.

  • Blank Rome Partner Promotions Hold Steady At 12

    Blank Rome LLP scored a three-peat with its recent attorney promotions after announcing this week it will elevate 12 attorneys to partner for the third year in a row when the new year starts.

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Expert Analysis

  • Why Firms Should Help Associates Do More Pro Bono Work Author Photo

    Associates may hesitate to take on the added commitment of pro bono matters, but such work has tangible skill-building benefits, so firms should consider compensation and leadership strategies to encourage participation, says Rasmeet Chahil at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Confronting The Stigma Of Alcohol Abuse In Legal Industry Author Photo

    The pandemic has likely exacerbated the prevalence of problem drinking in the legal profession, making it critical for lawyers and educators to address alcohol abuse and the associated stigma through issue-specific education, supportive assistance and alcohol-free professional events, says Erica Grigg at the Texas Lawyers' Assistance Program.

  • Opinion

    Lawyers Have Duty To Push For Immigration Court Reform Author Photo

    Attorneys must use their collective voice to urge federal lawmakers to create an Article I immigration court outside executive branch control, helping address the conflicts of interest, political influence and lack of adjudication consistency that prevent migrants from achieving true justice, say Elia Diaz-Yaeger and Carlos Bollar at the Hispanic National Bar Association.

  • Series

    ​​​​​​​Ask A Mentor: How Can 1st-Year Attys Manage Remote Work? Author Photo

    First-year associates can have a hard time building relationships with colleagues, setting boundaries and prioritizing work-life balance in a remote work environment, so they must be sure to lean on their firms' support systems and practice good time management, say Jenny Lee and Christopher Fernandez at Kirkland.

  • 5 Ways To Lead Lawyer Teams Toward Better Mental Health Author Photo

    Attorney team leaders have a duty to attend to the mental well-being of their subordinates with intention, thought and candor — starting with ensuring their own mental health is in order, says Liam Montgomery at Williams & Connolly.

  • How Your Summer Associate Events Can Convey Inclusivity Author Photo

    As law firms begin planning next year's summer associate events, they should carefully examine how choice of venue, activity, theme, attendees and formality can create feelings of exclusion for minority associates, and consider changing the status quo to create multiculturally inclusive events, says Sharon Jones at Jones Diversity.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Do I Negotiate Long-Term Flex Work? Author Photo

    Though the pandemic has shown the value of remote work, many firms are still reluctant to embrace flexible working arrangements when offices reopen, so attorneys should use several negotiating tactics to secure a long-term remote or hybrid work setup that also protects their potential for career advancement, says Elaine Spector at Harrity & Harrity.

  • What I Wish Law Schools Taught Women About Legal Careers Author Photo

    Instead of spending an entire semester on 19th century hunting rights, I wish law schools would facilitate honest discussions about what it’s like to navigate life as an attorney, woman and mother, and offer lessons on business marketing that transcend golf outings and social mixers, says Daphne Delvaux at Gruenberg Law.

  • 4 Ways To Break Down Barriers For Women Of Color In Law Author Photo

    Female lawyers belonging to minority groups continue to be paid less and promoted less than their male counterparts, so law firms and corporate legal departments must stop treating women as a monolithic group and create initiatives that address the unique barriers women of color face, say Daphne Turpin Forbes at Microsoft and Linda Chanow at the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession.

  • Opinion

    We Need More Professional Diversity In The Federal Judiciary Author Photo

    With the current overrepresentation of former corporate lawyers on the federal bench, the Biden administration must prioritize professional diversity in judicial nominations and consider lawyers who have represented workers, consumers and patients, says Navan Ward, president of the American Association for Justice.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Do I Retire Without Creating Chaos? Author Photo

    Retired attorney Vernon Winters explains how lawyers can thoughtfully transition into retirement while protecting their firms’ interests and allaying clients' fears, with varying approaches that turn on the nature of one's practice, client relationships and law firm management.

  • Why I Went From Litigator To Law Firm Diversity Officer Author Photo

    Narges Kakalia at Mintz recounts her journey from litigation partner to director of diversity, equity and inclusion at the firm, explaining how the challenges she faced as a female lawyer of color shaped her transition and why attorneys’ unique skill sets make them well suited for diversity leadership roles.

  • For Asian American Lawyers, Good Mentorship Is Crucial Author Photo

    Navigating the legal world as an Asian American lawyer comes with unique challenges — from cultural stereotypes to a perceived lack of leadership skills — but finding good mentors and treating mentorship as a two-way street can help junior lawyers overcome some of the hurdles and excel, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

  • Coping With Secondary Trauma From Pro Bono Work Author Photo

    As the need for pro bono services continues to grow in tandem with the pandemic, attorneys should assess their mental well-being and look for symptoms of secondary traumatic stress, while law firms must carefully manage their public service programs and provide robust mental health services to employees, says William Silverman at Proskauer.

  • How Firms Can Benefit From Creating Their Own ALSPs Author Photo

    As more law firms develop their own legal services centers to serve as both a source of flexible personnel and technological innovation, they can further enhance the effectiveness by fostering a consistent and cohesive team and allowing for experimentation with new technologies from an established baseline, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

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