Leaving Wachtell wasn't an easy decision - it's one of the great law firms in the world, and I learned an enormous amount there. But it wasn't about leaving something behind; it was about being intentional about what came next.
Top US lawyer Brad Karp has resigned from Union College's board of trustees as he faces scrutiny from his ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Karp has been removed from the list of trustees on his alma mater's website, from which he graduated in 1981. Union College's board chair Julie Greifer Swidler could not be reached for immediate comment. In a statement to local media, Greifer Swidler said Karp had resigned from the board.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) issued a precedential decision on Tuesday, January 20, concluding that a district court abused its discretion in granting motions to exclude two of Dr. Mark A. Barry's experts and granting judgment as a matter of law (JMOL) to DePuy Synthes Companies. The panel included Judges Stark, Taranto and Prost and Judge Stark dissented.
The single biggest need I see is for firms to focus on nurturing, valuing and hiring meaningful trial talent. There is a growing generational divide in the profession. When I came of age as a litigator, my mentors were seasoned trial lawyers who had come through the ranks trying dozens of cases a year. The industry has changed and those opportunities have dwindled.
A Virtuous Cycle If a legal tech solution has a high degree of adaptability, customers can start small and gradually secure buy-in and expansion. Initial wins create a virtuous cycle, where success leads to growth, and this growth leads to more success. A Cleary Gottlieb team that includes members of its Knowledge Management and Business Development groups has implemented such a cycle at that firm.
Prominent litigator Randy Mastro, who most recently served as former Mayor Eric Adams' top deputy, is returning to private practice with a partnership at global law firm Dechert. Mastro, a former aide to former Mayor Rudy Giuliani who is known for employing an aggressive style in both City Hall and the courtroom, joins the roughly 900-lawyer Dechert as co-chair of the firm's securities and complex litigation practice.
They don't drive it. They don't manage it. They don't control it. They let it control them. And then one day, they look up and realize discovery closed last week, the client is asking why nobody has taken the key depo, the adjuster wants a status report "by the end of the day," and the partner is asking the question that makes your stomach drop: "Where are we on this file?"
You're getting ready to make a document production to the other side. You're worried though that the other side may use GenAI tools on the documents that don't ensure they are protected from public disclosure. You ask to see the other side's policies just to be sure. They refuse. You ask the judge for a protective order since some of your documents contain trade secrets.
From law firms to in-house legal teams, the rules of value are being rewritten. The question is: Who's ready to lead the change? In the first episode of 2026 for the UpLevel View podcast, Stephanie Corey and Ken Callander sit down with Rita Gunther McGrath, Columbia Business School professor and Wall Street Journal columnist, to talk about how AI is forcing professional services to price outcomes instead of hours.
At Above the Law, we know that in the legal world, information isn't just power; it's a competitive advantage. But with the sheer volume of news breaking every hour, the most important insights can sometimes get buried under a mountain of generic search results. Google has introduced a way for you to change that. With their Preferred Sources feature, you can take the steering wheel from the algorithm and tell Google exactly which voices you trust.
With so many options out there, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and confused about where to begin. To help you make sense of it all, "Adventures in Legal Tech" welcomed Jess Birkin, a solo attorney who gets a heck of a lot done in her unique practice niche by leveraging AI and business planning. Goals Versus Themes It's been a decade of upheaval. For lawyers, this reality complicates setting specific goals, because they are likely to be upended by outside events.
