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☆ Italian authorities open manslaughter investigation into superyacht sinking
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-24 | by ( Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Authorities in Italy have opened a manslaughter investigation into the sinking of a superyacht, which killed British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and six others off the coast of Sicily earlier this week. Seven bodies have been recovered over the past four days, with divers working nearly 50 meters (160 feet) underwater to retrieve them. Italian authorities have confirmed who was missing from the Bayesian, but have not yet released a coroner’s report to formally name those found. While the reasons for the sinking of the Bayesian superyacht remain unconfirmed, many believe the yacht was struck by a waterspout — one of several types of tornadoes. The coast guard reported the yacht was struck by a tornado, and a waterspout was reported to the European Severe Weather Database around the same time.

Persons: Mike Lynch, Ambrogio Cartosio, ” Cartosio, “, ”, Hannah, Morgan Stanley, Jonathan Bloomer, Judy Bloomer, Chris Morvilloand, Neda Morvillo, Recaldo Thomas, Raffaele Cammarano Organizations: CNN, Authorities Locations: Italy, British, Sicily, American

☆ Bayesian yacht: Body believed to be that of tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch’s daughter found by divers searching sunken Sicily boat
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-23 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

After retrieving six bodies from the wreck over the past four days, Lynch’s is the final body being searched for by Italian authorities. The body of her father, Mike Lynch, was retrieved and identified on Thursday, an Italian interior ministry official told Reuters. Fifteen people were rescued on Monday and one body was recovered – thought to be that on the onboard chef Recaldo Thomas. Five days on, Italian authorities are still working to understand how the 56-meter (184-foot) yacht sank so quickly. “In just 60 seconds, you can see the ship disappear,” he told Italian outlet ANSA.

Persons: Hannah Lynch, Mike Lynch, –, Lynch’s, Recaldo Thomas, Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Jonathan Bloomer, Judy Bloomer, Chris Morvillo, Neda Morvillo, ” Organizations: Italy CNN, Reuters Locations: Porticello, Italy, Sicily, Italian, American, “

Some of them were alums of Project Veritas, the conservative group known for elaborate sting operations targeting liberal organizations, journalists and unions. The man at the center of the fracas was Michael Spadone, a former Project Veritas field director. In that role he oversaw staffers who used hidden cameras to embarrass people Project Veritas targeted. James O’Keefe, the Project Veritas founder, was ousted from the nonprofit last year. Before Spadone left Project Veritas, he was the subject of a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former administrative assistant.

Persons: Michael Spadone, Spadone, “, ” Spadone, they’d, ”, It’s, James O’Keefe, Jeffrey Lichtman, didn’t, Zachary Glaza, Antonietta Zappier, Amer Zahr, Zahr shrugged, surveil, profanities, you’re, —, You’re, “ You’re, Uber, I’m, ’ ”, they’re Organizations: Veritas, NBC News, Project Veritas, Dearborn Police Department, Local, People’s Conference, Palestine, Henry, NBC Locations: Michigan, Dearborn, America, Palestinian American, American, we’re, Detroit

☆ What we know about Usha Vance's politics
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-17 | by ( Alice Tecotzky | Joshua Nelken-Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewUsha Vance's classmates at Yale Law School didn't know much about her politics. Less obvious, however, is Usha Vance's political orientation and relationship to the newfound national spotlight. In 2022, two colleagues at the firm described Usha Vance as liberal or moderate to The Times. When JD Vance was himself running for Senate, Usha Vance appeared in his very first campaign ad, sitting in front of a bookshelf and talking about their three children. AdvertisementWhile Usha Vance's political orientations and interest in life as a national figure remain foggy, her devotion to her husband has seemed strong since her days at Yale Law School.

Persons: —, Usha Vance's, Yale Law School didn't, Marvin Lim, Usha, Elliot Forhan, Usha Chilukuri, JD Vance, Lim, Usha Vance, Vikram Rao, Gabriel Winant, Vance's spokespeople, Vance, SCOTUS Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Munger, Olson, Blake Masters, Vance hasn't Organizations: Service, Yale Law School, Democrat, Business, New York Times, Times, Yale, Cambridge, The Times, Tolles, GOP, American, Newsmax, Fox & Friends, JD, Republican, Convention Locations: Georgia, Ohio, San Diego, Arizona

☆ Children of ISIS fighters coming of age in detention ask what they’re being punished for
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Brent Swails | Clarissa Ward | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Northeastern Syria CNN —He had had visitors just once before, years ago when he first arrived in prison at 14. According to Amnesty, the estimated 30,000 children currently held in at least 27 detention facilities and two detention camps – Al-Hol and Al-Roj – in northeastern Syria represent the highest concentration of children arbitrarily detained and deprived of their freedom anywhere in the world. CNN was granted extremely rare access inside detention camps and facilities for suspected ISIS fighters and their family members, including Panorama prison. ‘A breeding ground for the next generation of ISIS’At Al-Hol, a sprawling detention camp of faded tents, rusted barbed wire and wind-swept earth, the scale of the problem reveals itself. Hoda Muthana holds hands with her 7-year-old son at the Al-Roj detention camp in northeastern Syria.

Persons: Northeastern Syria CNN —, Stefan Uterloo, Uterloo, ” Uterloo, It’s, We’ve, ”, Roj, Mazloum Abdi, ” Mazloum, Erik Kurilla, Mike Pratt, Hol, Ní, Ní Aoláin, “, you’ve, it’s, Shamil Chakar, doesn’t, ” Shamil, ‘, Brandy Salman, Hoda, She’s, Muthana, Trump, Hoda Muthana, Christina Jump, Scott McWhinnie, Oscar Featherstone, Augusta Anthony , Lou Robinson, Sarah Tilotta, Eliza Mackintosh, Laura Smith Organizations: Northeastern, Northeastern Syria CNN, American, CNN, ISIS, Syrian Democratic Forces, Panorama, Amnesty, United Nations, SDF, UN, US military’s, Command, US, Boys, Twitter, State Department Locations: Northeastern Syria, United States, Suriname, Dutch, South America, Syria, Kurdish, Iraq, Hol, Al, Panorama, Baghouz, Cologne, Germany, Minnesota, American, Alabama, US

☆ The Key Bridge was named after the national anthem’s author.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Jin Yu Young | More About Jin Yu Young | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed after being struck by a cargo ship early Tuesday, was named after the American lawyer who wrote the lyrics of the national anthem. When the bridge opened, The New York Times reported that construction costs had totaled $141 million, which is roughly $735 million in today’s dollars. More than 12.4 million passenger and commercial vehicles crossed the bridge in 2023, according to a Maryland state government report. Francis Scott Key was believed to be near the site of the future bridge in 1814 when he observed the British bombardment of Fort McHenry, where he served as quartermaster, during the War of 1812. After the bridge opened to the public, parts of it underwent renovation several times, including a $14 million project in 1986 to repair damage, improve safety and restore the bridge’s appearance.

Persons: Francis Scott Key Organizations: The New York Times Locations: Baltimore, Maryland, Patapsco, Fort McHenry, Fort M’Henry, British

☆ A doping free-for-all Enhanced Games calls itself the answer to doping in sports. Opponents say it poses a danger to health
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Molly Stazicker | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +23 min

The Enhanced Games is the brainchild of businessman Aron D’Souza. Aron D'Souza is the founder of the Enhanced Games. But that isn’t the only potential legal jeopardy the Enhanced Games faces, according to American lawyer Jim Walden, who represents Russian whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov. “If you look at the Enhanced Games website, it’s almost as though they’re advertising their disregard of the law,” Walden told CNN Sport. If it goes ahead as planned in December 2024, D’Souza insists that the Enhanced Games will unlock the potential of humanity.

Persons: Dr, Grigory Rodchenkov, –, Rodchenkov, Oscar, Aron D’Souza, ”, D’Souza, “, Raphael Faiss, Faiss, WADA, they’re, Aron D'Souza, ” WADA, Travis Tygart, Jim Walden, ” Walden, Alex Wong, ” Rodchenkov, USADA’s Tygart, ” D’Souza, he’d, “ They’re, Ben Johnson, Johnson, Mike Powell, Pierre de Coubertin –, Ben Johnson –, Eugene, Simona Halep, – Faiss, CNN Roxadustat, Michele Verroken, ” Verroken, Verroken, Hamish Coffey, ’, Brett Fraser, ” Fraser, “ I’ve, I’ll, Jess Ennis, Hill, CNN D’Souza, Trevor Painter, ” Painter, John William Devine, ” Devine, don’t, Martial Saugy Organizations: CNN, Olympics, ”, Testing Agency, ITA, International Olympic Committee, Olympic Games, IOC, CNN Sport, Netflix, Doping Agency, Research, University of Lausanne, United, United States Anti, US Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, Sports, Gaming Initiative, “, Games, Seoul, London Games, Bettmann, Athletics Integrity Unit, National Institutes of Health, Sporting Integrity, Australian Olympic, Olympic, United States Patent, Sciences, Swansea University Locations: Paris, United States, Seoul, South Korea, Eugene , Oregon, Cayman Islands, Tokyo, Wales

☆ Erin Mulvaney — Reporter at The Wall Street Journal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Erin Mulvaney | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Erin MulvaneyErin Mulvaney is a national legal affairs reporter with The Wall Street Journal. She covers the legal industry and litigation affecting business and the economy nationwide. She writes about high-profile trials, lawsuits that explore novel questions, and cases that reveal legal tensions for companies, including about mass torts, technology, labor, and antitrust. She previously worked for Bloomberg Industry Group and American Lawyer Media in Washington, specializing in the gig economy, civil rights, and discrimination law. A Texas-native, she wrote about real estate for the Houston Chronicle and state politics for the Dallas Morning News.

Persons: Erin Mulvaney Erin Mulvaney Organizations: Wall Street, Bloomberg Industry Group, American Lawyer Media, Houston Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, University of Texas Locations: Washington, Texas, Austin

☆ Golf simulators, doggy daycare, flexible leases, and free rent: Why now may be the best time to shop for a new office
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Alex Nicoll | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Now may be the time to shop for an office lease. As office vacancies soar to record highs in some markets, office landlords often have no choice but to find new and creative ways to attract new clients. "When you have 55-year-old managing partners of a law firm looking for office space, and they see the golf simulator, they get pretty excited," he said. Long-term leases, which usually feature landlord-financed renovations to the office space, are now being offered with lease-termination options. Office landlords without access to this capital level are often left with only one lever: renting below market price.

Persons: Michael Cohen, Michael Lirtzman, Anthony Tahlier, Andrew Lustgarten, Lirtzman, Sterling, Lustgarten, it's, Matt Petit, Goldman Sachs, Risa Letowsky, Letowsky, Watts, Tishman Speyer, aren't, That's, Cohen, they've, he's, hasn't Organizations: Colliers, Kastle Systems, West Chicago, Sterling Bay's, Century, El, New, Palm, Chase, Wall, JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank, Adler, Stachenfeld, Silverstein, Lawyer Locations: Chicago, Bian, Sterling, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Liberty, Chase Manhattan, Alamo, CBRE, Los Angeles and New York, LA, United States

☆ Why Cubans are fighting for Russia in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Patrick Oppmann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Men like Miguel, who in July traveled to Russia and soon after was on the front lines of the war with Ukraine, his mother Cecilia told CNN. After her son responded to a post on Facebook looking for Cubans to work as cooks and construction workers in Russia, Cecilia said two women reached out to him via WhatsApp. But soon Miguel told his mother that he wanted to return home. Since the war began Cuban officials had increasingly echoed Russian propaganda that NATO aggression was to blame for its invasion of Ukraine. When apprised by CNN of the conflicting statements by Cuban officials, Cecilia responded with a question.

Persons: Cuba CNN —, Miguel, Cecilia, “, ” Cecilia, isn’t, ” Miguel, Mama, ’, ”, Pedro Roberto Camuza Jovas, ” Camuza, Russia Julio Garmendía Peña, Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, fumed, Pedro Freyre Organizations: Cuba CNN, Russia, CNN, Cuba’s Foreign Ministry, Cuban State, Russia’s Ministry of Defense, Cuban, NATO, RIA Novosti, Cuban Foreign Locations: Santa Clara, Cuba, Ukraine, Russia, WhatsApp, Varadero, Moscow, Cuban, Russian, Washington , DC, Havana, China, American

☆ Jennifer Williams-Alvarez — Reporter at The Wall Street Journal
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Jennifer Williams-AlvarezJennifer Williams-Alvarez is a reporter on The Wall Street Journal’s CFO Journal team. Based in New York, she writes about auditing, pensions and corporate finance and governance. Before joining the Journal, she covered public company boards at Agenda, a Financial Times publication. She was previously a reporter at American Lawyer Media’s Corporate Counsel, covering in-house legal departments. Jennifer has been a journalist covering corporate news for 10 years, since she graduated from New York Law School.

Persons: Jennifer Williams, Alvarez Jennifer Williams, Alvarez, Media’s, Jennifer Organizations: Financial Times, New York Law School, M University Locations: New York, Texas

☆ Wells Fargo, a juicy target, sparks lead counsel fight among shareholder firms
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Alison Frankel | Thomson Reuters | Alison Frankel Has Covered High-Stakes Commercial Litigation As A Columnist For Reuters Since A Dartmouth College Graduate | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Meanwhile, yet another plaintiffs' firm, Robbins, is deep into a similar derivative suit against Wells Fargo board members in San Francisco Superior Court. But it’s worth noting that in 2022, Wells Fargo won the dismissal of a previous shareholder derivative suit accusing the board of regulatory compliance failures. Kessler said its complaint, which includes "detailed" and "substantial" references to Wells Fargo internal documents, was more likely to withstand a dismissal motion from the bank. Scott + Scott told Tigar that it had the most up-to-date documents from Wells Fargo because it brought a Section 220 demand after the $3.7 billion CFPB agreement. I would not be surprised to see a rival derivative suit filed in Delaware Chancery Court by one of the shareholder firms spurned by Tigar.

Persons: Cromwell, Wells Fargo, Wells, Robbins Geller Rudman, Dowd, Kessler Topaz Meltzer, Scott, Scott –, They're, Jon Tigar, Robbins, Wells Fargo’s, Kessler Topaz, Kessler, Robbins Geller, Tigar, Robbins Geller didn’t, Randall Baron, board's, Andrew Cheng, Read Organizations: Sullivan, U.S . Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, U.S . Office, Currency, OCC, Wells, U.S, District, San Francisco Superior Court, Tigar, Wells Fargo, San Francisco, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Oakland, Wells Fargo, San Francisco, Wells, San, California, Delaware Chancery

☆ Jan Wolfe — Reporter at The Wall Street Journal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Jan Wolfe | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Jan WolfeJan Wolfe is a Washington, D.C.-based business legal affairs correspondent for The Wall Street Journal. He covers significant legal disputes in federal courts in Washington and around the country, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court. A lawyer by training, Jan graduated from Boston College and Boston College Law School. He joined The Wall Street Journal from Reuters, where he covered the many legal challenges to former President Donald Trump's policies. Jan began his journalism career at American Lawyer, where he covered high-stakes business disputes.

Persons: Jan Wolfe Jan Wolfe, Jan, Donald Trump's Organizations: D.C, Wall Street, U.S, Supreme, Boston College, Boston College Law School, Wall, Reuters, American Lawyer Locations: Washington

☆ Trump’s Alleged Co-Conspirators Challenge Legal Ethics - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Deborah Pearlstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

But at the same time, the key role lawyers played in buttressing the former president’s plans speaks to a troubling crisis in the legal profession. The lawyers he conspired with — whose alleged conduct breached a host of rules of professional ethics, in addition to provisions of criminal law — did not emerge from whole cloth. for the first time demanded that students at any American law school wishing to retain its A.B.A. Members of both parties said they supported the goal: to make sure government lawyers consistently uphold the highest standards of professionalism in the public service. Dozens of other lawyers who represented Mr. Trump in election litigation now face misconduct allegations in state disciplinary proceedings nationwide.

Persons: —, Richard Nixon’s, lawyering, Gerald Ford’s, Eastman, Rudy Giuliani, Trump Organizations: American Bar Association, Washington , D.C Locations: Clarks, California, Washington ,

Dentons, the largest Western law firm in China in terms of staff, said yesterday it would separate from Dacheng, its unit there. The two firms merged in 2015, and Dentons even added Chinese characters to its logo to signal its commitment to the country. That made it impossible to follow legal industry standards and best practice, a person familiar with Dentons’ decision-making told DealBook. “Standards are diverging between China and Western economies,” Eswar Prasad, a trade policy professor at Cornell and a former head of the I.M.F.’s China division, told DealBook. Employees at financial firms operating in China have reportedly been forced to attend lessons in the ideology of President Xi Jinping.

Persons: Dentons, DealBook, Eswar Prasad, “, Xi Jinping Organizations: Cornell Locations: China, Western, ’, Sequoia

☆ SEC punts on whether syndicated loans are securities, in closely watched appeal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Alison Frankel | Thomson Reuters | Alison Frankel Has Covered High-Stakes Commercial Litigation As A Columnist For Reuters Since A Dartmouth College Graduate | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Law firm alerts have gone so far as to call the appeal an “existential threat” to the entire syndicated loan market. The SEC later added to the suspense by requesting two more extensions from the 2nd Circuit, noting the complexity of the issue. On the other hand, any remaining uncertainty will be resolved as soon as the 2nd Circuit issues a ruling. But it’s a good bet that the trustee's lawyers from McKool will urge the 2nd Circuit to read the SEC’s silence as proof of the complexity of the issue. An earlier version incorrectly reported that Judge Michael Park was part of the 2nd Circuit panel that heard oral argument.)

Persons: Cromwell, JPMorgan Chase, Marc Kirschner, Paul Gardephe, Manhattan, Gardephe, McKool Smith, Jose Cabranes, Joseph Bianco, Myrna Perez, ”, Malcolm Stewart, Christopher Johnson, McKool, SEC wouldn’t, Michael Park, Alison Frankel, Leigh Jones Organizations: Sullivan, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, U.S, Circuit, SEC, 2nd, JPMorgan, Millennium, U.S . Justice Department, District, Trading Association, Securities Industry, Financial Markets Association, Justice Department, U.S . Treasury Department, Thomson, Reuters Locations: U.S .

☆ Donald Trump, the Presidential Records Act and ‘Clinton's sock drawer’ defense
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Alison Frankel | Thomson Reuters | Alison Frankel Has Covered High-Stakes Commercial Litigation As A Columnist For Reuters Since A Dartmouth College Graduate | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

“The [Presidential Records Act] does not confer any mandatory or even discretional authority on the archivist,” wrote U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in that 2012 ruling. “These are not presidential records,” he added. The Presidential Records Act, Trump’s brief said, gave Trump the sole authority to decide how to categorize his records. Fitton told me he explained his Presidential Records Act theory to the Washington, D.C., grand jury in the Trump document case last winter. Fitton, for instance, accused the Justice Department of flipping its position on presidential discretion under the Presidential Record Act to go after Trump.

Persons: Donald Trump, Bill Clinton’s, Clinton, Taylor Branch, Clinton “ squirreled, ”, Amy Berman Jackson, Trump, Jason Baron, Bradley Moss, Mark S, Zaid, Moss, Baron, “, Todd Blanche, Tom Fitton, ” Fitton, Fitton, Jack Smith, Margaret Kwoka of Organizations: Reuters, Watch, GQ, Branch, National Archives, Records Administration, Presidential, Judicial, Archives, “, Justice Department, Mar, University of Maryland, Trump, Trump –, Presidential Records, Circuit, Records, D.C, Margaret Kwoka of Ohio State University, Thomson Locations: Mar, United States, U.S, Washington

☆ Kim Kardashian, Floyd Mayweather can’t evade EMax crypto investors’ claims, judge says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Alison Frankel | Thomson Reuters | Alison Frankel Has Covered High-Stakes Commercial Litigation As A Columnist For Reuters Since A Dartmouth College Graduate | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Pierce, who allegedly received nearly $250,000 in EMax tokens as payment for touting the investment, paid $1.4 million in February to settle the SEC’s allegations of deceptive securities promotion. The new ruling, Masson said, should serve as a blueprint for crypto investors who contend they were duped by celebrity promoters. The beefed-up amended complaint convinced the judge that investors had plausibly accused the celebrity influencers of doing just that: exerting influence over their followers by endorsing EMax tokens. Fitzgerald’s previous decision dismissing claims against Kardashian and the other EMax promoters, Masson said, might have created an impression that celebrities can’t be held responsible for allegedly deceptive crypto touting. “You cannot get away with this.”Read more:Kim Kardashian, other celebrities beat EMax crypto investors' lawsuitKim Kardashian pays $1.26 million fine for paid crypto ad, SEC saysOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kim Kardashian, Michael Fitzgerald, Kardashian, Floyd Mayweather, famer Paul Pierce, Mayweather, Pierce “, ”, Fitzgerald, Hyping, you’ve, Scott, “, ” Fitzgerald, Michael Rhodes, Cooley, Pierce, Joel Weiner, Katten Muchin Rosenman, James Sanders, Reed Smith, influencer Logan Paul, Paul, King & Spalding, Sean Masson, Scott —, Kardashian —, EMax, Masson, ’, can’t, ” Masson, ” Read Organizations: District, Los, NBA, famer, U.S . Circuit, Securities, Exchange Commission, King &, SEC, Thomson, Reuters Locations: California, “, Florida

☆ Bankman-Fried hints at blame-the-lawyers defense in criminal case
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Alison Frankel | Thomson Reuters | Alison Frankel Has Covered High-Stakes Commercial Litigation As A Columnist For Reuters Since A Dartmouth College Graduate | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The plaintiffs' lawyer who filed that case, Kerry Miller of Fishman Haygood, told me on Wednesday that he plans to monitor the Bankman-Fried criminal case for any Fenwick & West documents that might boost the class allegations. Companies are typically reluctant to waive privilege for fear that their lawyers’ documents might be used in other cases. That assertion seems to hint that Bankman-Fried will claim that he can personally waive privilege over some Fenwick & West communications. The strongest defense case, Sandick said, would probably feature testimony from a Fenwick & West witness to bolster testimony from Bankman-Fried about his reliance on advice from FTX lawyers. But contradictory testimony from a law firm witness could undermine Bankman-Fried’s advice-of-counsel defense.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Gresser, Fenwick, Fried, West, FTX, “, ”, Bankman, District Judge Lewis Kaplan, Kaplan, Kerry Miller, Fishman Haygood, Cohen, Sullivan, Cromwell, Harry Sandick, Patterson Belknap Webb, Tyler, ” Sandick, Sandick, ‘, ’ ”, Alison Frankel Organizations: Cohen, Fenwick & West, Alameda Research, Silvergate Bank, West, U.S, Prosecutors, Alameda, District, District Judge Lewis Kaplan of, Fenwick &, Manhattan U.S, Companies, Defense, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Fenwick, FTX, Alameda, Manhattan, California, District Judge Lewis Kaplan of Manhattan

☆ Law firms Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling plan merger
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Allen Overy Shearman Sterling, which will be called A&O Shearman for short, "will be the only global firm with U.S. law, English law and local law capabilities in equal measure," the two firms said in a joint statement. They said the deal will give Allen & Overy greater access to the U.S. corporate client base of Shearman & Sterling, which in turn would benefit from A&O's global reach. The planned merger comes just months after Shearman & Sterling abandoned talks over a tie-up with transatlantic firm Hogan Lovells. Shearman & Sterling announced in February it was laying off attorneys and business professionals in the United States. Adam Hakki, senior partner at Shearman & Sterling, said "merging with Allen & Overy will dramatically accelerate our ability to meet (clients') needs in an increasingly complex environment."

☆ Windfall tax seizure case in Michigan deepens appellate split on class standing issue
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Alison Frankel | Thomson Reuters | Alison Frankel Has Covered High-Stakes Commercial Litigation As A Columnist For Reuters Since A Dartmouth College Graduate | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The county auctioned Fox's property for about $25,000 — and kept the $22,000 difference between the sale price and Fox's tax obligation. But Fox’s class action did not name only Gratiot County as a defendant. Circuit Court disagreed. The 6th Circuit in the Fox case agreed with the 2nd Circuit's holding that trial courts must consider constitutional standing issues ahead of class certification. The Michigan counties that challenged class certification were represented at the 6th Circuit by Douglas Curlew of Cummings, McClorey, Davis & Acho.

Wells Fargo's Legal Specialty Group reported a 1.5% drop in demand, calculated as the number of hours lawyers billed. Firms among the 50 highest-grossing U.S. law firms saw a 2% drop compared to the first quarter of 2022, the report said. The average number of hours lawyers billed in the first quarter of 2023 was down 6% from the same period last year, from 1,634 to 1,536 hours, Wells Fargo found. The survey included 66 of the top 100 U.S. law firms by revenue as identified by The American Lawyer. Owen Burman, a senior consultant in the Wells Fargo unit, said it was surprising to see any growth at all.

☆ Coinbase, crypto industry hope new Supreme Court doctrine is silver bullet
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Alison Frankel | Thomson Reuters | Alison Frankel Has Covered High-Stakes Commercial Litigation As A Columnist For Reuters Since A Dartmouth College Graduate | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

But the agency will have to provide a more detailed response if Ripple, Coinbase or crypto groups that have filed friend-of-the-court briefs pushing major questions doctrine arguments manage to pique a judge’s interest. Former Coinbase manager Ishan Wahi expanded on the major questions theory last February in his motion to dismiss the SEC’s insider trading case. Under the major questions doctrine, they said, the SEC does not have the requisite Congressional authority to regulate digital assets. Coinbase’s contention in that paper, released last Thursday, is all-encompassing: The major questions doctrine, according to Coinbase counsel at Sullivan & Cromwell, “forecloses” regulation of the trillion-dollar crypto industry. But if the SEC moves ahead with a case against Coinbase, the major questions doctrine could turn out to be, well, a major question.

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: & & '

☆ American Lawyer Pleads Guilty Over Work for Sanctioned Russian Oligarch
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Dylan Tokar | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg was blacklisted by the U.S. in 2018. Photo: Sergei Bobylev/Zuma PressA New York lawyer has pleaded guilty to criminal charges stemming from payments he made for Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg , the latest in a crackdown on the white-collar professionals who federal prosecutors say are key enablers of the Kremlin’s sanctions-evasion efforts. The lawyer, Robert Wise , helped Mr. Vekselberg make about $3.8 million in payments to maintain six properties in New York and Florida owned by the Russian billionaire, prosecutors say. The Pelham, N.Y., resident pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court Tuesday to one count of conspiring to commit international money laundering and agreed to pay $210,000.

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