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

With the U.S. Supreme Court’s new term officially under way, we're breaking it all down -- the important cases to watch, the petitions the court could grant, and how this term might differ from last year's whirlwind. Joining us to preview all things SCOTUS is Ian Gershengorn, a former acting U.S. Solicitor General and the current head of Jenner & Block’s appellate practice.

All eyes were on Capitol Hill on Thursday for a pivotal hearing on Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s accusations of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Ford described fearing for her life; Kavanaugh angrily denied the allegations. On this week’s show, we break down the whole chaotic week of news, including Thursday’s bombshell hearing and the latest developments from Friday. Pl...

Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP is again facing scrutiny over its links to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. The elite BigLaw firm has long denied any wrongdoing over its involvement in his shady lobbying for pro-Russian figures, but the plea deal Manafort struck with prosecutors last week seemed to contradict some of those claims. Law360 senior reporter Andrew Strickler, who has...

In honor of the Emmy Awards, we’re presenting our own honors to celebrate achievements in television that focuses on the law. Join us as we hand out awards for key legal moments from “Game of Thrones,” “The Office,” “Breaking Bad” and many more, plus a Lifetime Achievement Award for a certain long-running legal drama. Tune in.

Congress held confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh this week that included drama over documents, protests, and plenty of talk about big issues like abortion and gun control. D.C. reporter Michael Macagnone who was on the scene for the hearings comes on the show to give us an inside look at the action. Also this week, we discuss State Farm’s $250M settlement in a case ove...

State Farm is facing a trial this week over allegations that it spent millions of dollars to get a justice elected to the Illinois Supreme Court who later overturned a billion dollar verdict against the insurance giant. Law360 trials reporter Cara Salvatore, who will be in the courtroom for the trial, stops by to give us all the details. Also this week, we discuss Trump’s efforts to reshape the ju...

Within minutes on Tuesday two of President Trump’s closest confidants -- his former attorney Michael Cohen and the one-time chairman of his presidential campaign Paul Manafort -- became felons. What do you need to know to understand Cohen’s plea agreement and Manafort’s conviction? This week we’re joined by white collar ace and former federal prosecutor Seth Waxman to take a deeper look at what th...

For disabled attorneys, the legal profession can be a lonely place. In the hypercompetitive pursuit of clients and partnership slots, they may feel pressure to downplay their disability out of fear of facing bias and stigma. And while many law firms offer affinity groups for female, minority and LGBTQ attorneys, fewer mention disabilities in their diversity efforts. On this week’s show, we dive in...

West Virginia lawmakers this week took the unprecedented step of launching impeachment proceedings against the entire state Supreme Court, citing more than $3 million the justices spent on office renovations along with other allegations of negligence and corruption. Host Amber McKinney breaks down the judicial chaos unfolding in her home state, while Bill and Alex discuss the insider trading indic...

Universities across the country are facing a flurry of lawsuits that claim they cost workers millions by mismanaging retirement portfolios, but this week, in the first case to reach trial, NYU beat those allegations in court. Law360 senior benefits reporter Emily Brill joins the show to break down how exactly they did it. Also on this week's show, we discuss a BigLaw attorney who suggested his opp...

Michael Cohen didn’t commit a crime under New York law when he secretly recorded conversations with now-President Donald Trump, but the practice strongly suggests a toxic attorney-client relationship and could amount to an ethics breach. Law360’s senior legal ethics reporter provides insight on this week’s show, which also includes a “Trade Law with A-Law” segment and touches on the drugmaker who...

Our main story this week is an unusual lawsuit filed by MGM Resorts against the victims of last year’s mass shooting in Las Vegas -- and the public relations nightmare that followed. We’ll also break down a jury’s billion-dollar verdict against Johnson & Johnson over talcum powder; a judge’s rejection of a labor law settlement for McDonald’s; and a bizarre freedom of the press story that saw a jud...

We’re talking all things Brett Kavanaugh, the 53-year-old judge who President Donald Trump selected this week to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the U.S. Supreme Court. The political battle lines are already forming in Washington D.C, but who is the man himself? With help from Law360 high court reporter Jimmy Hoover, we'll unpack it all — from Kavanaugh's resume, to his biggest rulings, to his...

This week's Pro Say is our Supreme Court special, where we step back and take a look at the lessons from the 2017 term. This term the justices considered some blockbuster cases, but the outcomes weren't exactly what many court watchers expected. Willy Jay, co-chair of Goodwin Procter's appellate litigation practice comes on the show to break down the action, including what to expect now that Justi...

Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement from the U.S. Supreme Court dominated the headlines, but the final week of the term also saw the court uphold President Donald Trump’s travel ban and deal a significant blow to organized labor. Hawaii Lieutenant Governor Doug Chin joins us to discuss his state’s failed challenge of the president’s controversial ban, and Law360 employment reporter Vin Gurrieri s...

Immigrant families have been separated by the thousands along the Southern border under a Trump administration zero-tolerance policy. After intense outcry, President Trump issued an Executive Order, but will that actually fix anything? Nicole Narea, senior immigration reporter, joins us to explain the complex legal dynamics at play. Also this week, we discuss two Supreme Court rulings: one that co...

For years, law firms have had programs aimed at increasing diversity in their attorney ranks. But we’ve got some bad news: It’s not working. Today we’re joined by senior reporter Natalie Rodriguez, who will tell us about the results of our latest survey of diversity at law firms, and what experts say are the things that could actually move the needle on this issue. Also this week, we talk about a...

Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election made headlines a few times this week, so we’re devoting the entire show to breaking it all down. Michael Macagnone, senior Washington DC reporter, joins us to explain the obscure lobbying law that ensnared former Trump campaign director Paul Manafort — and how it’s keeping K Street and BigLaw up at night. We also talk about ne...

BigLaw firm Quinn Emanuel is facing allegations it used ethically-dubious tactics against high-profile partners who left to form a new firm, enforcing an obscure contract provision to dissuade them from poaching associates. To break it all down, we’re joined by senior legal industry reporter Sam Reisman. Also this week, we discuss efforts by San Francisco and Oakland to hold oil giants responsible...

Are you looking around your firm and still seeing a lot of men in leadership? This week we’re discussing Law360’s annual Glass Ceiling Report, which, like last year, found that women are still heavily underrepresented at the country’s law firms, especially in leadership roles. Joining us to discuss the report is senior reporter Natalie Rodriguez, who sat down with female firm leaders to hear their...

The U.S. Supreme Court this week struck down federal restrictions on sports gambling, opening the door for states to legalize betting. Senior sports reporter Zach Zagger joins the show to break down the decision and preview the crazy months ahead. Also this week, we discuss the latest battle in Apple and Samsung’s smartphone patent war; a major effort by law schools to demand answers from BigLaw a...

It’s no secret that the expert witnesses who testify during high-stake trials are usually compensated for their efforts, so why did a lawyer in a huge trial against Johnson & Johnson lie by saying he hadn’t paid the doctors he put on the stand? This week we’re joined by legal ethics reporter Andrew Strickler to unpack the incident, which led an appeals court this month to toss out a $150 million v...

On this week’s show we’re joined by Robert Weaver, one of the prosecutors featured in Netflix’s binge-worthy docuseries “Wild, Wild Country.” Bob gives us the inside story of how members of a free-love cult were eventually charged with immigration fraud, bioterrorism, wiretapping, and attempted assassination. Also this week, we discuss a $100 million pregnancy bias lawsuit against Morrison & Foers...

Big things have been happening at the Supreme Court this week, so we’re spending the entire show breaking down the developments. We dive in to the hot-button moments from the oral argument over President Trump’s immigration travel ban, discuss a beef between Justices Gorsuch and Breyer over the always-controversial Chevron deference, and senior reporters Ryan Davis and Matt Bultman come on the sho...

From a dawn raid by the FBI to a shocking reveal about Sean Hannity, the past two weeks have seen a lot of news about Michael Cohen, President Trump’s longtime personal lawyer. To get you caught up, we're digging into the saga: A recap of all the major events, a look at attorney-client privilege, and a dive into Cohen's connection to a major BigLaw firm. Also this week, a Supreme Court case that c...