Above the Law

Morning Docket: 12.12.25

* DOJ flops in third effort to properly indict Tish James. Only two more and the DOJ gets a free sandwich! (A ham sandwich… obviously)[National Law Journal]

* Winston & Strawn talking merger with Taylor Wessing. [Law.com International]

* Court orders release of Abrego Garcia with blistering opinion noting, among other things, that the supposed 2019 removal order that this is all about… never existed! [NBC News]

* Lawyer hospitalized after being bodyslammed at courthouse. Don’t these people realize only ICE is allowed to arbitrarily beat people in courthouses? [ABA Journal]

* Trump issues executive order banning state AI regulation. Remember when these cared about states’ rights? [CNBC]

* The president also pardoned Tina Peters, who was convicted of state crimes rendering the pardon entirely useless. [The Hill]

* David Lat talks about data centers from the perspective of Biglaw lawyers working on the deals and — hopefully — getting paid before the bubble bursts. [Original Jurisdiction]

* “Lawyer serves up ‘council estate dinner’ of chicken dippers and Sunny D.” Look, it could be worse… it could’ve been the purple stuff. [Roll on Friday]

So Much Bonus Money! — See Also

Boutiques Are Sharing The Wealth: Perry Law, Pallas Partners, and Ross Aronstam & Moritz!

As Are Biglaw Firms!: Freshfields and Sullivan & Cromwell!

Latham Gets Honored As A Pro Bono Innovator: They somehow forgot to mention the pro bono payola.

Lawsuit Aims To Know What Work The Trump-Cowering Firms Are Up To: American Oversight wants answers.

Mind The Deadline!: Apply for the Startup Alley Competition at ABA Techshow!

Morning At AI Summit: Tech Debt, Cultural Debt, Whack-A-Mole, And The Benefits Of ‘I Don’t Know’

Be flexible. Look at AI and what it can do holistically. Deal with not knowing the future by admitting that you don’t.

Incident Response Has Become A Law Firm Survival Skill

Cyber incidents are no longer unexpected events. They are statistically inevitable.

Latham Honored As ‘Pro Bono Innovator,’ Without Mentioning That ‘$125 Million Trump Extortion’ Thing

The rehabilitation tour is in full swing.

Top 25 Biglaw Firm Promises Happy Holidays For Associates With Bonus Cheer

Associates at this firm will be able to spread joy with cold, hard cash!

My Chatbot For Young Lawyers: ‘Ask Frank’

Lawyers can ‘Ask Frank’ questions about the profession, their careers, and the practice.

Boutique Firm Joins The Bonus Stampede At Full Market Rate

It’s a match!

Don’t Forget: Deadline Is Nearing To Apply For The Startup Alley Competition At ABA Techshow

Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on Friday, Dec. 26, 2025.

Mark Cuban: Employers Are Unknowingly Profiting From Sick Workers’ Drug Costs

Mark Cuban warned that many employers are collecting drug rebate money funded by their sick employees — a practice that can violate fiduciary duties under ERISA.

Rep. Adam Smith Criticizes National Security Strategy, Golden Dome Uncertainty

The House Armed Services Committee's top Democrat says the NSS is an ‘unprincipled’ plan with an outdated view of the world.

Morning Docket: 12.11.25

* Citi preaches positive outlook for law firms next year. In fairness, bankruptcy work still counts as demand. [Yahoo Finance]

* Law firms sprucing up their offices to sweeten deal of calling everyone back in. [American Lawyer]

* Lawsuit seeks to block Trump from plastering his face on national park passes like he’s Stalin or something. [Law360]

* Trial set to begin for Wisconsin judge charged with obstructing immigration officials by not letting them commandeer her courtroom. [ABC News]

* Ethics expert says senior DOJ leadership declaring “war” on judges is not good for the rule of law. [New York Law Journal]

* Paralegal for prosecutors who snuck a look at her boyfriend’s case file receives suspended sentence. [Legal Cheek]

* Legal tech year in review. A lot has happened… but mostly AI. [ABA Journal]

$300K Bonuses?! — See Also

These Firms Are Really Giving Back To Their Associates!: Great time to work at Boies Schiller or Kellogg Hansen!

Another Boutique Putting The Market To Shame: Dunn Isaacson Rhee is paying out some major coin!

The Gift That Keeps On Taking: Economists say Trump’s tariffs will cost families thousands.

Federal Judges Aren’t Supposed To Be Politicking: Did Emil Bove not get the message?

Even ‘The Future Of American Warfare’ Thinks It Was A War Crime: Hegseth’s bold call to integrate GenAi.mil is already backfiring.

Free Speech On Trial: Professor sues school for retaliating over a Facebook comment.

Is Protégé Next Up?: LexisNexis just dropped a huge AI expansion pack.

Letitia James’s Biglaw Hire

The NYAG will get 18% and 23% discounts on the firm’s standard rates.

Professor Files Federal Lawsuit After Charlie Kirk Comment Retaliation

Can't even comment on Facebook anymore without the government getting involved.