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.
I'm incredibly proud of the firm and what we've accomplished in the last year. We had certainly, the year before, a historic year financially, and this year was also historic in being one of our best financial years in history.
For patents to be born strong, and the public to have confidence that they are, we must ensure strict adherence to USPTO's ethical standards and avoid (real or apparent) conflicts of interest.
Kathryn Ruemmler's legal career is noteworthy by any measure. The former White House counsel under President Barack Obama, she was a partner at Latham & Watkins and co-chair of its white-collar defense group. In 2020 Ruemmler left Biglaw for the in-house world at Goldman Sachs, where she currently serves as Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel. But her relationship with Epstein has put quite the spotlight on her.
When she took over in 2014 as the firm's first female chair, it wasn't just a milestone for Morgan Lewis, it was a signal to the rest of Biglaw that the 'boys club' at the top wasn't inevitable.
"While not the basis of today's decision, I note that inter partes review may be discretionarily denied on the basis that a petitioner is a sovereign." - USPTO Director John Squires U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Director John Squires on January 15 issued a Director Review decision, which he then designated as informative on January 16, in favor of Micron Technologies, vacating two Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) decisions granting institution of inter partes review (IPR) for Yangtze Memory Technologies.
In PacifiCorp v. Birchtech Corp., IPR2025-00687, Paper 40 (P.T.A.B. Jan. 12, 2026), the Director vacated institution decisions in four inter partes review proceedings where petitioners had filed two petitions against each of two patents. The petitions divided their invalidity arguments according to two separate invalidity theories: (a) pre-priority-date prior art and (b) intervening art that required challenging the patent's priority claim. Director Squires held that this parallel-petition strategy was not justified because petitioners had ample room in each petition to present alternative arguments.
The firm's incoming senior partner, Damien Crossley, emphasised that the new office is not intended as a step towards competing with its relationship firms, such as Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, or any other firm in its "good friends" network. Crossley believes the launch will "help our European clients navigate the U.S.", adding that the office is not intended as a referral office, but rather will serve firm-originated clients.
Our partnership is proud to have stood firm on behalf of its clients. The DOJ's decision to withdraw its appeals makes permanent the rulings of four federal judges that the executive orders targeting law firms were unconstitutional.
Leading legal departments are shifting from reactive negotiation to proactive pricing design, setting guardrails before rates are proposed rather than responding after the fact. This approach enables departments to establish parameters and expectations upfront, fundamentally changing the negotiation dynamic and improving outcomes.
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.
"The lateral partner market has gotten more and more active, and we always felt it was a matter of time before it reached the very elite tier of firms. The gloves are off and virtually no one is untouchable anymore. People should get used to seeing that at firms that historically lost very few partners."
A long-time client has asked Kinney to help identify a private equity/finance attorney to join as a partner in the firm's lucrative group. No book required. The client is a top Am Law firm.
Perkins Coie Implements Data-Driven Forecasting When working together, two Litera solutions - Foundation Scoping (formerly known as Clocktimizer) and Foundation - can offer critical insights into pricing trends so that firms can increase revenue and profitability while also improving client service. Before GenAI was a household term, there was Foundation Scoping, which uses natural language processing to identify, categorize and analyze timecard data, providing useful insights for scoping and matter management.
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.
