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

In one of the first criminal cases brought against pharma execs over the opioid crisis, officials at a small drug company are standing trial on charges they fueled the epidemic by bribing doctors to prescribe fentanyl. Law360’s Chris Villani has been in the courtroom for all of it, so he joins us to break down the trial and preview the verdict. Also on this week’s show, the latest news in the “Var...

The Beer Wars moved from the barroom to the courtroom this week, as MillerCoors filed a false advertising lawsuit over Bud Light ads that say Miller Lite is made with corn syrup. Those ads might be technically true, but our own Bill Donahue walks us through why that might not matter. Also this week, two big developments in the legal fight over the opioid epidemic; an abrupt reversal from the Trump...

Judicial vacancies are a problem, but a sheer lack of new judgeships is a deeper issue that’s stretching the federal judiciary to the breaking point. In overburdened courthouses across the country, cases languish, judges get burned out and attorneys avoid federal court altogether. Reporter Cara Bayles joins us this week to explain the problem and how we got here. Also this week, a brutal oral argu...

A major college admissions scandal unfolded this week as federal prosecutors charged dozens of people with participating in an elaborate scheme to help children of wealthy parents — including the co-chairman of a powerful BigLaw firm — get into elite universities. Senior white collar crime reporter Jody Godoy joins the show this week to explain the charges. We’ll also touch on a big ruling that al...

Immigrants are facing a growing risk of arrest if they enter a courthouse, as federal officials are increasingly using courts as staging grounds for enforcement actions. On this week’s show, reporter RJ Vogt joins us to discuss the trend, including why officers say it’s necessary and why advocates say it’s a problem. Also this week, a California appeals court rebukes an attorney who referred a fem...

An existential question: Can you fix the wage gap from beyond the grave? The Supreme Court said no this week, nixing a ruling in a gender bias case because the judge who wrote it passed away before it was published. We discuss that weird situation on this week’s show, plus a wave of copyright lawsuits over dance moves in the popular video game Fortnite; new criminal charges over ballot tampering i...

During her acceptance speech at the 2018 Academy Awards, actress Frances McDormand let the world know about inclusion riders, a novel contract provision that improves hiring practices to deepen diversity within an industry like Hollywood. In light of the 2019 Oscars on Sunday, we welcome in Kalpana Kotagal, a civil rights and employment lawyer at Cohen Milstein and a co-author of the inclusion rid...

Roughly one in three Americans have some type of criminal record, and in today’s interconnected world that information is easily accessible and can present a barrier to employment, housing and education. On this week’s episode of Pro Say, reporter RJ Vogt stops by to explain how states are stepping in to help people clear their records, and how that process can still be hard to access. Also this w...

A lawsuit over the huge Equifax data breach is moving forward after a judge ruled that investors can sue the company for bragging that it had top-notch cybersecurity, raising tough questions for other companies about how they tout their own hacking defenses. Ben Kochman, senior cybersecurity reporter, joins us this week to discuss the case and its ramifications. Also this week, a lawsuit aimed at...

As baby boomer attorneys who hung their shingles in small towns around the country retire, fewer and fewer new lawyers are willing to replace them, leaving many residents with limited or even no access to legal help. Jack Karp who wrote about the issue for our Access to Justice newsletter comes on the show to tell us about these legal deserts. Also this week we discuss more than 170 general counse...

BigLaw powerhouse Skadden Arps recently agreed to pay $4.6 million to settle Department of Justice allegations that it failed to register lobbying work it performed on behalf of the Ukrainian government -- work that came to light through Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s indictment of Paul Manafort. Law360 D.C. reporter Jimmy Hoover joins us this week to unravel the saga of how Skadden’s work for U...

This week the Pro Say podcast is live from the New York State Bar Association's annual meeting. We take a look at issues surrounding the #MeToo movement and how women are faring in the legal profession, with special guests Chief Judge of the Southern District of New York Colleen McMahon and NYSBA President Michael Miller. And are you still confused about how the judiciary will fare in the protract...

With the government shutdown nearing three weeks, President Donald Trump threatened this week to declare a national emergency to pay for a border wall that Congress won’t approve. Can he do that? To help answer that question, we’re joined this week by Elizabeth Goitein of the Brennan Center for Justice, the author of a recent study on emergency powers. Also this week, we discuss how long the feder...

Have you ever wondered what Amber, Alex, and Bill look like in person? Come find out when we appear at the New York State Bar Association's annual meeting at the New York Hilton Midtown on Wednesday, January 16 at 11 a.m. We'll be joined by special guests including NYSBA President Michael Miller and Hon. Colleen McMahon, the chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New Y...

2018 had no shortage of huge legal news developments. For our last show of the year, we’re sharing what we think were the three biggest legal stories, including: Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s contentious journey to the High Court; an ongoing cycle where the Trump administration cracks down on immigration only to see their policies challenged in court; and the ever intensifying Mueller probe and crimin...

A bombshell grand jury report in Pennsylvania this summer that priests sexually abused a thousand children has kickstarted an effort to extend the amount of time that victims can sue, but not everyone supports the change. This week reporter Dan Siegal joins us to explain the situation and how similar provisions have worked out in other states. Also this week, we discuss Michael Cohen’s sentencing;...

Can you be held liable for securities fraud if you simply copy-and-paste someone else’s false statements? The U.S. Supreme Court wrangled with that question this week, and reporter Jon Hill joins us to explain the case. Also this week, we discuss President Donald Trump’s bid to collect attorneys' fees from Stormy Daniels after her failed libel suit; rapper Jay-Z’s successful fight for more diversi...

If you’re charged with a crime, can the government just take your stuff? The practice of seizing property from criminal defendants, known as civil forfeiture, has skyrocketed over the past decade, but a new Supreme Court case looks likely to rein it in. To discuss the issue and the case, we’re joined this week by senior reporter Diana Jones. Also on this week’s show, we discuss another of Presiden...

In light of Thanksgiving this week, we’re taking a break from our normal show with a special holiday episode looking back at our favorite offbeat stories of the year. We revisit all the legal drama surrounding the West Virginia Supreme Court; a dine-and-dash dater; an attorney who called his client a “total moron;” a woman who took a toilet tumble at the White House Easter egg roll; and former Jer...

CNN took President Trump to court this week for banning reporter Jim Acosta from the White House, culminating on Friday in a major win for the network. Our own Bill Donahue was covering the case all week and walks us through the details. We’re also joined this week by John B. Bellinger III, one of several prominent conservative attorneys who say President Trump has undermined the rule of law. Also...

President Trump fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions the day after the midterm elections, replacing him with a loyalist named Matthew Whitaker. At the end of a wild week, we’re talking about Sessions’ firing, about Whitaker’s controversial appointment, and about what it all means for Robert Mueller. Also this week, we talk about big votes on criminal justice and marijuana and interview a BigLaw at...

The tension between state and federal cannabis laws was on display this week in Colorado, where a marijuana farm beat accusations that their otherwise legal business amounted to federal racketeering. To break down the case’s big implications for a budding industry, we’re joined by Denver court reporter Diana Novak Jones. Also this week, we discuss Pittsburgh’s failed effort to hide the details of...

The murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the hands of the Saudi Arabian government has put U.S.commercial ties with the Middle Eastern nation under the microscope, and BigLaw is no exception. We’re joined by D.C. reporter Jimmy Hoover to talk about which firms have ties to the Saudis, the one firm that has already backed away, and the many others that have remained silent. Also t...

The Florida Supreme Court ruled this week that Gov. Rick Scott couldn’t pick three new high court justices in his final hours in office, capping off a strange judicial showdown in the Sunshine State. Carolina Bolado, our senior Florida reporter, joins us on the show this week to break it all down. Also this week, we’ll talk about a stinging dissent about criminal sentencing from Sonia Sotomayor; a...

The Supreme Court is once again set to weigh in on the important question of arbitration agreements, and what the justices decide in two big cases could have an impact on millions of workers across many industries. To unpack the new cases and what’s at stake in the term ahead, we’ll be joined by Law360 senior employment reporter Vin Gurrieri. Also on this week’s show, an accusation that a federal...