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☆ Live Updates: Michael Cohen, Trump’s Ex-Fixer and His Nemesis, to Testify at His Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Jonah E. Bromwich | Ben Protess | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +18 min

This week, however, Mr. Cohen is poised to unfix Mr. Trump’s life. And, on occasion, Mr. Cohen has said, Mr. Trump put Mr. Cohen on the phone with his wife, Melania, to reassure her that he hadn’t been unfaithful. Mr. Cohen was no longer a Trump Organization employee, and Mr. Trump had excluded him from a job in Washington. When one of Mr. Trump’s friends asked Mr. Trump why he kept Mr. Cohen so close, Mr. Trump replied, “He has his purpose.”Image In 2016, Mr. Cohen campaigned for Mr. Trump, but he did not get a job in the administration. At that meeting, Mr. Cohen has said, he and Mr. Trump confirmed their plan to falsify the records.

Persons: Michael D, Cohen, Donald J, Trump, litigators, Cohen’s, Trump’s, Stormy Daniels, Mr, lackey, ”, Jim Cole, —, Donny Deutsch, ” Mr, Deutsch, “ Donald, Trump’s “, “, ” ‘, T.J . Kirkpatrick, ” Jeffrey McConney, dryly, Roy M, Cohn, Joseph McCarthy, Rosie O’Donnell, John Taggart, Barron, Donald Trump Jr, hadn’t, Black, Karen McDougal, Daniels, Jonathan Ernst, Cohen puttered, Lanny J, Davis, doesn’t revel, Omarosa Manigault Newman, Michael, Jim Lo Scalzo, You’re, ’, Alina Habba, perjured, isn’t, Habba, Ms, “ You’re, Hope Hicks, scoffed, “ Michael Cohen Organizations: York, Prosecutors, Mr, Trump, Associated, The New York Times, Trump Organization, CNBC, Communist, National Enquirer, Playboy, Credit, Nike, “ Fox & Friends, Democratic, Federal Bureau of Prisons, White, New Locations: Manhattan, New York, Long, Trump’s New York, Trump, Miami, Moscow, Iowa, Washington, Otisville

Donald J. Trump has always surrounded himself with lawyers — all types of lawyers. And then there was the singular Michael D. Cohen, lawyer by trade and enforcer by nature. With the loyalty of a surrogate son, he kept Mr. Trump’s secrets and cleaned up his messes. This week, however, Mr. Cohen is poised to unfix Mr. Trump’s life. When he takes the stand as a vital witness at Mr. Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan, Mr. Cohen will unearth some of the secrets he buried, revealing a mess that prosecutors say his former boss was desperate to hide.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, litigators, Michael D, Cohen Locations: Manhattan

☆ GOP leaders pursue new lawsuits over 2024 election rules – including attacking methods of voting they want supporters to use
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Fredreka Schouten | Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

“What he has said is that we would like ultimately there to only be voting on Election Day. Republican attorneys have filed an assortment of lawsuits across the county that vary in both what types of election rules they target and how seriously election law experts believe the case should be taken. The legal fight against mail voting has taken GOP lawyers to states beyond the typical presidential battlegrounds. In addition to the case targeting Mississippi’s post-election day mail ballot receipt deadline, Republicans filed a lawsuit challenging the major expansion of mail voting enacted by New York lawmakers last year. To arrive at the claim that the states’ voter rolls are bloated, Republicans are using a formula that has previously been rebuked in federal court.

Persons: Donald Trump, baselessly, Trump, Mike Johnson, “, ” Michael Whatley, that’s, ” Whatley, Whatley –, –, Rick Hasen, don’t, ” Hasen, Derek Muller, ” Muller, litigators don’t, ”, Justin Levitt, Muller, CNN’s Ariel Edwards, Levy, David Wright Organizations: CNN, Republican, Republican National Committee, Mississippi Republican Party, Magnolia, GOP, Republicans, Democrats, Trump, Trump’s, Fox News, Republican Party, RNC, University of Notre Dame, Fox, New, National Conference of State Legislatures, Pew Research Center, Democratic, Pew, The New, The New York City Council, Vermont, Loyola Law School, Biden White Locations: Magnolia State, Pennsylvania, Ohio , Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Wisconsin, “, California, Colorado, Hawaii , Nevada , Oregon , Utah , Vermont, Washington, Mississippi, New York, Michigan , Wisconsin , Ohio, Arizona, New York City, United States, The New York, – Nevada, Michigan, Nevada

☆ Trump wins rare court victory as Georgia judge dismisses 3 criminal counts against him
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewFormer President Donald Trump got a rare bit of good news on Wednesday as the judge overseeing his criminal case in Georgia dismissed three of the counts against him. And the judge did not dismiss the vast majority of the counts in the indictment, dismissing six out of 41 counts overall. So far, 10 criminal counts against Trump remain. Trump himself pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" 11,780 votes that would flip the election results in his favor. He wrote that prosecutors didn't sufficiently explain how public officials would have violated their oaths of office if they allowed Trump a victory.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Trump, Scott McAfee, Fani Willis, Trump's, Joe Biden's, Brad Raffensperger, McAfee's, didn't, litigators, McAfee, Willis, Jean Carroll Organizations: Service, Business, Trump, United, Prosecutors, New York Attorney, Trump Organization Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, United States, Atlanta, Manhattan

BOSTON (AP) — At a moment of record visibility and influence for Black attorneys in the United States, debates over race, criminal justice and democracy are increasingly at the center of the public conversation. In wide-ranging interviews with The Associated Press, six sitting Black attorneys general discussed the challenges and opportunities of serving as the top law enforcement officer in their respective states. Here are some of the biggest takeaways from the conversations:Black attorneys general are at the forefront of criminal justice reform effortsBlack attorneys general have emerged as some of the most prominent advocates of reform to the criminal justice system. Trump has lashed out at James, Bragg and Willis with language often evoking racist and stereotypical tropes, such as using terms like “animal” and “rabid.”Black Democratic attorneys general learn from and collaborate with one anotherThe interviewed attorneys general confirmed that they frequently call, text and communicate with one another. They also borrow tactics and policies from each other, several of the attorneys general said.

Persons: litigators, Black, Andrea Campbell, Campbell, Keith Ellison, Derek Chauvin, George Floyd, Ellison, ’ ” Ellison, we’ve, Donald Trump, Aaron Ford, ” Trump, Letitia James, James, Trump, ’, Fani Willis, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Bragg, Willis, ”, “, ” Ellison, General Anthony Brown, Brown, Anthony Brown’s, Kwame Raoul, ” Ford, ____ Matt Brown, Jonathan Logan Organizations: BOSTON, White, Associated Press, Black, New York, The Trump Organization, Manhattan, Attorney, Trump, Democratic, Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, AP Locations: United States, Minneapolis, Nevada, Fulton County, Georgia, New York, James, Maryland, Illinois

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried faces over 100 years in prison at sentencing. Experts weigh in on how much time he'll actually get
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A jury of twelve found FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried guilty of all seven criminal charges brought against him. The question of how long he'll remain in prison, however, is one that Judge Lewis Kaplan will spend the next few months deliberating by himself. "So I should preface this by saying I'm not a lawyer," Bankman-Fried began one answer. After several dozen of these instances, the government often presented evidence that would either directly refute the defendant's testimony or offer an answer to the question Bankman-Fried had dodged. So now, the question of prison time goes to Judge Kaplan.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Lewis Kaplan, Kaplan, Judge Kaplan, I'm, Fried, FTX, Danielle Sassoon, wasn't Organizations: Southern, of, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, CNBC Locations: of New York, Manhattan, Alameda, FTX

[1/3] Chief Executive Officer of Credit Suisse, Thomas Gottstein, speaks during the fourth annual Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, January 27, 2021. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri/File PhotoZURICH, June 22 (Reuters) - A group of Credit Suisse AT1 bondholders has filed a class action suit accusing former executives at the Swiss bank, including three past chief CEOs, of being responsible for the bank's downfall. "Credit Suisse’s directors and senior executives, and the rotten culture they instilled and fostered, destroyed trust in the bank, which led to its collapse," the lawsuit said. The lawsuit also accused executives of "creating and perpetuating a culture at Credit Suisse that placed profits, excessive risk-taking, and self-dealing over sound risk management and compliance with the law." Last month, Switzerland’s Federal Administrative Court said it has received 230 claims against the country’s financial regulator FINMA after it wrote off the value of Credit Suisse’s AT1 bonds.

Persons: Thomas Gottstein, Ahmed Yosri, Tidjane Thiam, Brady Dougan, litigators, Noele, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Credit Suisse, Investment, REUTERS, UBS, Court, Thomson Locations: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, ZURICH, Swiss, New York, Switzerland’s Federal

☆ GC Agenda: May 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Practical Law The Journal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +23 min

Clawback Listing StandardsPublic companies should be aware that proposed NYSE and Nasdaq clawback listing standards may be in place earlier than expected. Organizations may use biometric data in a variety of ways, including when:tracking employee time; restricting access to physical and digital assets; monitoring consumer shopping behavior; and integrating biometric data into consumer products and services. Consider whether the organization’s current policies and procedures meet applicable biometric data handling requirements, including notice, consent, retention, storage, and security obligations. Review applicable laws and obligations when contracting with service providers that handle biometric data and continuously monitor their performance. In February 2023, the NYSE and Nasdaq filed proposed new listing standards, which contemplated that they could become effective as early as April 27, 2023.

☆ ChatGPT, Generative AI, and LLMs for Litigators
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +23 min

What are the basics litigators should know about how generative AI and LLMs work? Generative AI is a type of AI that generates new content or data in response to a prompt, or question, by a user. LLMs are an advanced form of generative AI that are the basis for generative pre-trained transformer (GPT) platforms, such as ChatGPT. What are the primary ethical pitfalls of using generative AI and LLMs, and how can litigators avoid them? What types of procedural and substantive issues are likely to arise in litigation stemming from the use of generative AI and LLMs?

The Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison partner is well-known for representing blue chip clients like Amazon in cases with millions or even billions of dollars on the line. "Widely considered one of the most preeminent litigators of his generation," is how his Paul Weiss bio puts it. Average profits per partner at Paul Weiss last year were $5.73 million, according to The American Lawyer. The case made national headlines, and the ex-judge, Roy Pearson Jr, was subsequently sanctioned by the D.C. Court of Appeals. In a statement filed with the court, Isaacson and McCrocklin's lawyer said the two sides' positions "are both extremely well-known to each other and seemingly very entrenched."

Organizations: & & '

☆ Credit Suisse bondholders sue Swiss authorities
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Investors representing more than 4.5 billion Swiss francs ($5 billion) of Credit Suisse bonds have sued the Swiss financial regulator over its decision to wipe out their investments during last month’s emergency government-orchestrated takeover. Law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, which is representing the bondholders, said Friday the move was the first in a series of steps to seek redress for clients it said had been unlawfully deprived of their property rights during the takeover of Credit Suisse (CS) by bigger rival UBS (UBS). The appeal against FINMA, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority, which ordered the writedown, was filed on April 18 in the Federal Administrative Court in St Gallen, north-east Switzerland. “FINMA’s decision undermines international confidence in the legal certainty and reliability of the Swiss financial center,” said Thomas Werlen, Quinn Emanuel’s Swiss managing partner. The Federal Administrative Court said it was still receiving complaints but declined to name claimants or comment on how many had been lodged by bondholders or their lawyers.

It is the first major lawsuit in the public domain to be filed over the Swiss decision to wipe out around $18 billion of Credit Suisse's Additional Tier 1 (AT1) debt during the 3 billion Swiss franc all-share rescue deal last month, which stunned markets and alerted litigators. The appeal against FINMA, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority that ordered the writedown, was filed on April 18 in the Federal Administrative Court in St Gallen, north east Switzerland. "FINMA's decision undermines international confidence in the legal certainty and reliability of the Swiss financial center," said Thomas Werlen, Quinn Emanuel's Swiss managing partner. FINMA declined to comment and Credit Suisse did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. ($1 = 0.8941 Swiss francs)Reporting by Jahnavi Nidumolu in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'SouzaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Former Trump AG Bill Barr joins new business lobbying group that aims to target Biden regulations
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Former Attorney General Bill Barr will help to lead a new group formed by a business lobbying organization that aims to be an alternative to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the massive advocacy group that has fallen out of favor with some Republicans. Barr will be chair of an advisory board for a project called the Center for Legal Action, he told CNBC in an interview. The group is part of the American Free Enterprise Chamber of Commerce, the business lobbying group that launched last year as a possible rival to the chamber. The business lobbying behemoth moved away from predominantly supporting Republicans in recent years after former president Donald Trump embraced trade protectionism, bashed certain companies for their social stances and tried to overturn the 2020 election. The new group aims aims to challenge — at times in court — regulations put in place by the Biden administration.

☆ Inside a shake-up at the world's 'most feared law firm'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Casey Sullivan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +30 min

It's been a tumultuous period for Quinn and the storied law firm he built over the past 37 years — now the world's largest litigation firm with hourly rates that can be north of $2,000. But behind the scenes, a shift at QE has been the talk of elite law firm circles. Indeed, the firm – known as a singular, even freewheeling, institution that brands itself as the "#1 Most Feared Law Firm in the World" — may appear to be less in the image of its founder as a generational shift brings changes. "We all thought it was important that the world understands this is not a one generation law firm." One former firm partner in California says he believes Quinn's inner circle generally got better deals.

Apple has said that it embraces competition on the App Store, including when apps compete directly with iPhone and other Apple products. The Justice Department has ramped up work in recent months on drafting a potential antitrust complaint against Apple Inc., according to people familiar with the matter. The investigation into whether Apple has monopoly power that it abuses began in 2019, but enforcers have escalated their efforts in recent months, with more litigators now assigned to the case and new requests for documents and consultations with companies involved, the people said.

☆ U.S. Justice Department escalates Apple probe - WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department has in recent months escalated its antitrust probe on Apple Inc (AAPL.O), the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday citing people familiar with the matter. Reuters had previously reported the Justice Department opened an antitrust probe into Apple in 2019. The Wall Street Journal report said more litigators have now been assigned, while new requests for documents and consultations have been made with all the companies involved. The probe will also look at whether Apple's mobile operating system, iOS, is anti-competitive, favoring its own products over those of outside developers, the report added. The DoJ declined to comment, while Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

☆ DOJ reportedly accelerates Apple antitrust investigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Department of Justice has accelerated its antitrust investigation into Apple , The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. Politico reported in August that the DOJ was in the "early stages" of drafting a potential complaint against the company. It's still unclear what role DOJ antitrust chief Jonathan Kanter will play in the investigation or any potential enforcement action. The Justice Department has two ongoing antitrust lawsuits against Google , with the first expected to go to trial in September. Read the full report at The Wall Street Journal.

☆ Stephen King makes for unlikely antitrust hero
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Jennifer Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A U.S. judge blocked Penguin Random House’s $2.2 billion acquisition of rival Simon & Schuster on Monday after the Department of Justice argued it would unfairly limit pay for top authors such as Stephen King. Adding Simon & Schuster would give it 70% of the literary nonfiction market, according to NPD Book Scan. The Department of Justice drew a line in its challenge to Penguin, distinguishing highly paid writers from the rest. Follow @jennifersaba on TwitterloadingCONTEXT NEWSA U.S. judge on Oct. 31 ruled that a planned $2.2 billion merger of Penguin Random House and rival Simon & Schuster cannot go forward. German media group Bertelsmann, the owner of Penguin, agreed to buy Simon & Schuster from Paramount Global in 2020.

“He may be forced to live a subsistence type of life,” said Richard Signorelli, a New York attorney and former federal prosecutor. Jones and his companies today are worth $135 million to $270 million, forensic economist Bernard Pettingill testified in August at another defamation trial for Jones in Texas. The amount eventually paid out by Jones may be less, according to Ryan O’Neill, a defamation lawyer and professor at Quinnipiac University School of Law. If it is found to be dischargeable, Jones would be required to make disclosures about his finances, Gessin said. “I don’t think he’s going to be able to escape this judgment,” he said.

☆ The Most Honorable Character in Twitter v. Elon Musk
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Ben Cohen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Days before the wildest business saga of the year would begin, a Delaware judge explained to a room full of lawyers how she viewed her job. Kathaleen McCormick , the chancellor of the state’s Court of Chancery, said that her goal was to be a “gracious judge” who listened to complex arguments and offered constructive feedback when these corporate litigators brought the country’s biggest deals to her courtroom.

☆ One Place Where the Rules Actually Apply to Elon Musk
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Ben Cohen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Elon Musk could be facing up to $100 million in personal legal fees after renewing his offer to buy Twitter. Both Twitter and Musk employed over 50 lawyers in the months leading up to the trial. A lot of the cost, of course, is going straight to the lawyers and major firms Musk and Twitter employed. He added that hourly billing is unlikely to be how Musk and Twitter were solely charged in this case. Are you legal professional involved in Musk vs. Twitter or someone with insight to share?

☆ From Jay-Z to Elon Musk: Inside the rise of Quinn Emanuel partner Alex Spiro, one of the lawyers helping the billionaire break out of his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Elon Musk has fired many lawyers but hired Alex Spiro for at least five cases, with a mixed record. But there's at least one lawyer who Musk seems to get along with: Alex Spiro. Spiro had been working behind the scenes for the billionaire when he was trying to buy Twitter. But they are hardly the "hardcore street fighters" Musk wants in a lawyer, according to a recent tweet of his. It's not clear how Spiro and Musk connected in the first place, but they seem to operate on the same wavelength.

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