Law360's Pro Say - News & Analysis on Law and the Legal Industry

The House of Representatives launched impeachment proceedings this week after explosive accusations that President Trump abused the power of his office by pressuring Ukraine to launch an investigation into Democrat Joe Biden. We’re breaking it all down: How we got here, what we learned this week, and how it all might unfold.

Violence against Native American women in the United States is at epidemic levels, and efforts to hold perpetrators accountable in court can be complicated by a maze of jurisdictional issues. Access to Justice reporter Emma Cueto joins the show this week to explain the difficulties Native Americans face in the justice system. Also this week, the likelihood of prison for parents in the Varsity Blue...

The California state legislature passed a bill this week making it harder for businesses to classify their workers as independent contractors, and it could be especially disruptive for the likes of Uber, Lyft and other so-called gig economy companies. Fisher Phillips employment partner Jim Fessenden joins the show this week to discuss the potential fallout from the bill. Also this week, Purdue Pha...

Former Skadden attorney and ex-White House counsel Gregory Craig was acquitted this week on charges that he lied about work he did for the Ukrainian government. To unpack the thorny trial we're joined by legal ethics reporter Andrew Strickler. Also this week: The White House has to return a Playboy reporter's press pass; a Texas judge is scolded for closing his courtroom to protest Kavanaugh's con...

When a bank robbery suspect's face tattoos didn’t appear in eyewitness descriptions or security camera footage, police edited them out of his mugshot. The incident has sparked outrage from activists, but photoshopped police lineups are surprisingly common. Reporter RJ Vogt joins us this week to explain the controversial practice, why it’s done, and when it goes too far. Also this week: A former Go...

For the first time ever, patent applications have been filed for a pair of inventions that were created by artificial intelligence – a situation that will force patent offices to grapple with thorny questions straight out of science-fiction. Senior intellectual property reporter Ryan Davis joins us this week to break down the issue. Also this week, Jones Day’s ongoing discrimination woes; a judici...

LeClairRyan is no more. After years of losing money and hemorrhaging talent, the once-powerful Virginia firm announced last week that it would close its doors. Legal industry reporter Sam Reisman joins us this week to talk LeClairRyan -- the firm’s quick rise to national prominence, its unusual gamble on legal services, and how those choices ultimately led to its demise. Also this week: A ruling t...

Last week’s mass shooting in El Paso killed eight Mexican citizens, leading Mexico’s government to suggest that it will take the unusual step of seeking to extradite the shooter. To discuss the legal and practical dimensions of the situation, we’re joined this week by John Bellinger, a partner at the law firm Arnold & Porter and a former legal adviser at the U.S. State Department. Also this week:...

This week’s hosts-only show tackles a trio of developments, all with high stakes and big money attached. We discuss a brewing Supreme Court fight over the U.S. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s unusual policy of demanding attorney fees from litigants who challenge agency, regardless of who wins the case. We also share the latest on two big privacy settlements — Equifax paying $700 million to reso...

Immigration lawyers are burnt out. The first two years of the Trump administration have been a whirlwind of abrupt policy decisions, nationwide injunctions and deep uncertainty, and all that chaos is taking its toll on the attorneys in the trenches. Immigration beat reporter Nicole Narea joins us this week to talk about what lawyers are doing to stay sane. Also this week: mass confusion for law st...

John Paul Stevens, a liberal icon who spent more than three decades as a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, died Tuesday at the age of 99. On this week’s show, Supreme Court reporter Jimmy Hoover breaks down the life and legal legacy of the late justice. Also on this week’s show: A ruling upholding New York City’s ban on Uber ads; a novel foray into plaintiff-side work for BigLaw giant Kirkland &...

The Supreme Court term is over, but what will we remember 10 years from now? On this week’s show we’re joined by former acting U.S. Solicitor General Neal Katyal who shares his take on the biggest trends, Trump finally abandoning his plan to add a citizenship question to the census two weeks after the high court ruled, and whether stare decisis is in trouble. Also this week we discuss the arrest a...

The U.S. Supreme Court concluded its term in dramatic fashion on Thursday, issuing a pair of blockbuster opinions on the 2020 census and partisan gerrymandering that will have sweeping implications for American elections. On this week’s show we dive deep into each of those rulings, plus touch on a trio of others from the high court’s big final week, including two important decisions on federal reg...

In a series of events that’s bizarre even by his standards, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones this week accidentally turned over child pornography to people who are suing him for spreading lies about the Sandy Hook shooting, then claimed it had been planted by opposing counsel, and then issued a bounty on those lawyers. We’ll explain how that went over with a judge. Also on this week’s show, the firs...

If there’s one thing that everyone can agree on, it’s that robocalls are an abomination. Last month, Americans received roughly five billion of them -- about 1,700 per second -- and spam calls rank as the top complaint to the Federal Communication Commission. This week, telecom reporter Kelcee Griffis joins us to explain the problem and why it’s taken so long to fix. Also this week, an update on t...

The Supreme Court is about to start a mad dash to the finish, issuing more than two dozen rulings over the next three weeks, including all of the biggest decisions of the term. This week, we count down the most important opinions to watch for, ranging from free speech to gerrymanding to the 2020 census. Also this week, a lawsuit filed by basketball superstar Kawhi Leonard against Nike during the m...

A few weeks ago we were lucky enough to chat with some of the legal luminaries honored at the 2019 Burton Awards, and we asked them to share some of the lessons they’ve learned that helped them excel. In this special bonus episode hear from Second Circuit Chief Judge Robert Katzmann, Oracle General Counsel Dorian Daley and the GC of 3M Ivan Fong on what it takes to be a great lawyer.

For years women have been looking around their law firms and seeing mostly men in leadership. When will things change? This week the show features an all-female panel to discuss Law360’s annual Glass Ceiling Report, which reveals a glacial pace for increased gender parity in the law. Also this week we talk to one prominent female attorney who managed to crack the glass ceiling.

Have you ever wondered what Chief Justice John Roberts thinks about amicus briefs? What about his penchant for including Bob Dylan lyrics in his opinions? This week the Pro Say team went to Washington, D.C. for the Burton Awards that recognize excellence in the law, and we share with you highlights of remarks from Roberts, along with interviews of Burton honorees including Second Circuit Chief Jud...

President Trump’s two Supreme Court appointees have found themselves at odds in a surprising number of cases, most recently in a big ruling backing iPhone owners who want to sue Apple. Reporter Jimmy Hoover joins us this week to discuss both the Apple case and the rift between the court’s two newest justices. Also this week, a $2 billion cancer verdict against Monsanto; a judge who seems skeptical...

A Manhattan federal judge is “deeply troubled” that prosecutors effectively outsourced a criminal probe of Deutsche Bank to BigLaw firm Paul Weiss, saying it could have triggered constitutional violations. Reporter Jody Godoy joins us this week to discuss a tricky situation for white collar law enforcement. Also on this week’s show, a hedge fund exec heads to jail after screaming at a prosecutor d...

A Miami federal judge issued an extraordinary recusal order this week, saying he couldn't preside over a case against UnitedHealthcare because he believes the company's refusal to pay for cancer treatments is “immoral and barbaric." Also on this week's show, we talk about an in-house attorney who's suing after being asked to serve cake because she is a woman; President Trump's lawsuit to block Con...

The Supreme Court agreed this week to decide whether federal sex discrimination laws cover LGBTQ workers, setting the stage for the next landmark civil rights ruling. Vin Gurrieri, Law360's employment law reporter, joins us to explain the case. Also on this week's show, criminal charges against a judge who refused to let federal agents make a courthouse arrest; arguments in a big Supreme Court cas...

Just like everyone else in the country, we’re talking this week about the Mueller report – about the intricacies of bringing an obstruction of justice charge, about the “crazy shit” Don McGahn says President Trump asked him to do, and about the dividing line between the political and legal dimensions of the story. Also on this week’s show, we break down the Supreme Court oral arguments over free s...

Jones Day, one of the most prestigious law firms in the world, prides itself on a secretive pay scale and powerful leadership. But now those structures are at the center of a new lawsuit that says the firm underpays women. Law360’s Brandon Lowrey joins the show this week to talk about Jones Day, its institutions, and the new accusations. Also this week, a new criminal case against a pharma company...