DC Pulse


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    Racial, Class Gaps Persist In Strong Year For Law Grad Hiring

    Employment for the class of 2024 reached near-record levels, but graduates from underrepresented backgrounds were less likely to secure attorney positions or judicial clerkships, according to newly released data from the National Association for Law Placement.

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    Baker Donelson Hires CFPB Veteran In DC

    Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC has hired for its Washington, D.C., team a 12-year veteran of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau who brings more than two decades of legal experience working on financial services matters.

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    Former Jack Smith DOJ Leaders Launch DC Boutique

    Two attorneys who supported former special counsel Jack Smith in his criminal prosecutions of Donald Trump have now launched a boutique law firm that will specialize in services such as criminal defense and helping state and local governments handle public corruption investigations.

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    Hinshaw Unveils Rebrand To Show 'Forward Momentum'

    Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP on Wednesday announced a new website and rebranding during what it calls a period of strong financial performance and growth.

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    Arnall Golden Launches Alumni Connect Program

    Arnall Golden Gregory LLP launched a new program this month that aims to foster collaboration between current and former firm attorneys.

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    Kirkland Partner, Ex-Sen. Cornyn Counsel Tapped For US Atty

    A Dallas-based Kirkland & Ellis LLP litigation partner who previously served as U.S. Sen. John Cornyn's chief counsel has been nominated as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

  • La. Justice Faces Questions On Campaigns At Nom Hearing

    Two nominees for Louisiana federal court positions appeared before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, including a state Supreme Court justice who faced Democratic questions about the election process for his current role.

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    16-Year CFTC Atty Joins Orrick's DC Finance Team As Partner

    A veteran Commodity Futures Trading Commission lawyer who most recently served as an associate director has joined Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP in Washington, D.C., as former lawyers from the agency move to new roles months after a round of layoffs.

  • Trump Special Counsel Pick Backs Out Over Lack Of Support

    President Donald Trump's pick to lead the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, the independent agency tasked with safeguarding federal employees, on Tuesday announced he was withdrawing his nomination over a lack of Republican support, following a news report that he sent a series of racist text messages.

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    GrayRobinson Brings On Pair Of Military Vets In Fla., DC

    GrayRobinson PA has picked up two U.S. military judge advocate veterans who are seasoned litigators in Jacksonville, Florida, and Washington, D.C.

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    Companies Report Increasingly Gearing Up For AI Risks

    More than a third of major public companies in a study cite AI as a risk factor in their annual financial filings, and 73% report they are aligning with external cybersecurity standards. Both numbers are significantly higher than last year.

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    Ballard Partners' Quarterly Lobbying Revenue Surges To $25M

    Ballard Partners saw a more than five-fold increase in federal lobbying revenue in the third quarter compared to the same period last year, far outpacing law firms' earnings.

  • Judge Won't Rush Ruling On Proposed Comey 'Filter Team'

    A Virginia federal judge rejected prosecutors' request for him to quickly rule on a proposed "filter team" to review potentially privileged evidence in their case against James Comey on Monday, ruling that the standard 14-day period for the former FBI director's team to fully respond to the proposal balances speed and fairness.

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    What It Takes to Stay Elite As Legal Market Shifts

    The law firm market has undergone unprecedented change in recent years, allowing for more upward mobility for some firms yet presenting risks for the longtime stalwarts of prestige. Here's how law firms navigate those shifting dynamics.

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    The 2025 Law360 Pulse Prestige Leaders

    Check out our Prestige Leaders ranking, analysis and interactive graphics to see which firms stand out for their financial performance, attractiveness to attorneys and law students, ability to secure accolades and positive legal news media representation.

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    Prestige Leaders: The Firms In The Billionaires' Club

    As BigLaw firms continue to post record-breaking revenues, we're highlighting the firms that reported more than $1 billion in gross revenue in the most recent calendar year.

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    These Firms Are The 2025 Prestige Leaders

    Clients gravitate towards firms with sterling reputations, and so does exceptional legal talent. Here are this year's Law360 Pulse Prestige Leaders — the 100 firms the industry recognizes for their prominence, power and distinction.

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    The Key To GCs' Government Relations? Access To DC

    Evolving federal policies and the shifting geopolitical terrain under the Trump administration have underscored the need for companies to have a proactive government relationship strategy, which starts with forming a network in Washington, D.C., a group of attorneys said during a panel Monday.

  • Senate Confirms Fed. Judges For Florida And Alabama

    The U.S. Senate voted on Tuesday to confirm Judge Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe of the Florida Second District Court of Appeal to serve on the Middle District of Florida, along with Harold D. Mooty III, a partner at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, to the Northern District of Alabama.

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    Cleary Adds Proskauer Funds Atty Amid Changing Market

    Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP has hired a new global funds group attorney in Washington, D.C., who is joining the team from Proskauer Rose LLP as retail and private investment markets continue evolving, the firm announced Monday.

  • Trump Picks State Justice, Ex-US Atty For La. Federal Bench

    President Donald Trump announced on social media Monday his intent to nominate a Louisiana Supreme Court justice and a former acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Louisiana to fill vacancies on the Bayou State's federal benches.

  • Ill. Asks Justices To Keep National Guard Out Of Chicago

    Illinois and the city of Chicago implored the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to leave in place a federal judge's order temporarily barring the Trump administration from sending National Guard troops to the Windy City, arguing the evidence on the ground comes nowhere close to supporting the president's deployment order.

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    How GCs Can Keep The 'Essence' Of Their DEI Efforts

    While shifts this year in federal diversity, equity and inclusion guidelines may have changed the way corporate legal teams track and share demographic information — including for their external counsel — a panel of in-house attorneys who spoke Monday said their work on the issue continues.

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    Comey Seeks Dismissal Of Case Brought Out Of 'Spite'

    Lawyers for former FBI Director James Comey asked a Virginia federal court Monday to dismiss charges that he lied to Congress, arguing that his September indictment was ordered by President Donald Trump out of "personal spite," and fired back at claims that his lead attorney needs to be disqualified from the case.

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    Ex-Acting DC US Atty Joins Munger Tolles

    An experienced trial attorney has joined Munger Tolles & Olson LLP's Washington, D.C., office after a short stint as acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, the firm announced Monday.

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Expert Analysis

  • Beyond Billable Hours: The Unseen Labor Of Women In Law Author Photo

    The legal profession has a critical role to play in reducing attrition of women lawyers by addressing the disproportionate burden of the mental load — the often-unseen work of managing tasks and anticipating needs in both personal and professional realms, says Michelle Browning-Coughlin at Northern Kentucky University’s Chase College of Law.

  • 10 Key Strategies For Successful Lateral Partner Integration Author Photo

    To help ensure new partners and practice groups are successfully integrated, firms should embrace specific structured practices that recognize each lateral's distinct value, personalize their integration plans and proactively address transition complexities long after onboarding ends, say Elizabeth Kennedy at NewEdge BD and Erika Steinberg at CMO2Go.

  • How Firms Can Manage DEI Commitments Amid Headwinds Author Photo

    By recalibrating how they structure and communicate their inclusion efforts, law firms can reduce legal exposure and preserve their values, says Angela Vallot at VallotKarp Consulting.

  • Key Ingredients For Effective Law Firm Strategic Planning Author Photo

    As the legal industry faces political turmoil and economic uncertainty, the time is ripe for firms to revisit their strategic plans, ensuring they contain a few essential elements — from accountability systems to broad-based input — to achieve sustainable growth and profitability, says Joe Calve at Calve Communications.

  • AI-Powered Biz Development Can Democratize Rainmaking Author Photo

    As fluency in artificial intelligence becomes a competitive imperative in the legal industry, the next generation of rainmakers likely won’t be defined by their Rolodexes or club memberships, but by their ability to leverage AI business development tools effectively, says Jessica Aries at By Aries.

  • How Law Students Can Effectively Use AI In Their Job Search Author Photo

    Law students can use artificial intelligence tools strategically throughout the job application process to review materials, prepare for interviews and navigate employers’ use of similar tools, but there are several key missteps they should be careful to avoid, says Lauren Wong at University of San Diego School of Law.

  • An After-Placement Plan Maximizes Legal Content's Potential Author Photo

    Before landing a published quote, feature or interview, law firms should articulate the content’s purpose and develop a strategic plan for repurposing it to ensure they’re aligning public relations efforts with measurable business outcomes, says John Hellerman at Hellerman Communications.

  • Ask A Mentor: How Should I Coordinate Pro Bono Projects? Author Photo

    Julie LaEace at Perkins Coie offers tips for attorneys acting as pro bono coordinators, including how to choose appropriate projects, how to encourage participation and why it is important to keep in touch with legal aid partner organizations.

  • 6 Strategies For Navigating Legal Leadership Transitions Author Photo

    Amid uncertainty in the legal job market, attorneys who are considering a transition to a leadership role must fundamentally reimagine their approach to value creation and develop a new set of skills, say Stacy Bratcher at Cottage Health and Michael Watkins at Genesis Advisers.

  • The Augmented Lawyer: Crafting Responsible AI Policies Author Photo

    As the legal industry increasingly looks to impose responsive guardrails for artificial intelligence use, firms and organizations’ internal use policies, outside counsel guidelines and vendor contracts can address confidentiality and data retention concerns in several ways, say attorneys at KXT Law.

  • 6 Ways To Build Pro Bono Culture If You Lack Dedicated Staff Author Photo

    Firms can develop a strong pro bono culture without hiring dedicated professionals through strategies like demonstrating active involvement by leadership, tailoring volunteer tasks to individual professional development needs and building trusted partnerships within the legal aid community, says Stacy Zinken at Paladin.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Extend Your Content's Life Author Photo

    Attorneys often limit the impact of their thought leadership by letting their content languish after initial publication, but through four easy strategies for retooling existing content, they can maximize its reach and further their business development goals, says Jillian McKenna at Verrill Dana.

  • Why Law Firm Leaders Should Care About Student Debt Crisis Author Photo

    ​​​​​​​As the student debt crisis evolves under changing federal policies, firms that proactively address the burden will have significant advantages in recruiting and retaining the best young lawyers, says Brian Kabateck at Kabateck.

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    Talking Mental Health: Encouraging New Attys To Find Joy Author Photo

    Rudene Haynes at Hunton discusses her experiences as a hiring partner, common sources of stress that newer attorneys face and steps that law firms can take to protect their attorneys' mental health and encourage personal life fulfillment.

  • Fla. Bar's Cyber Incident Response Plan Sets Precedent Author Photo

    The incident response plan developed by the Florida Bar's cybersecurity and privacy committee might not seem all that consequential, but it's a long overdue framework that could go a long way toward protecting the highly sensitive data law firms handle — and could even set a model for other professional organizations to follow, says Chris Boehm at Zero Networks.

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