Above the Law

Report: Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Costs Jumped In 2024, Outpacing Inflation

Employer-sponsored health insurance costs rose faster than inflation from 2023 to 2024, with higher premiums and deductibles making coverage less affordable for employers and workers, a recent analysis found.

Morning Docket: 01.07.26

* Judge demands to know why Lindsey Halligan is still listed as “U.S. Attorney” when she is most definitely not a “U.S. Attorney.” [Law360]

* Could law firms be on the brink of a financial downturn? [Reuters]

* McGlinchey Stafford will close down. Which might go a ways toward answering the prior question. [American Lawyer]

* “Mid-market legal powerhouse” launches. Which might go a ways toward further complicating that question. [ABA Journal]

* Texas Supreme Court decides to break with ABA and do its own law school accrediting. So now would be a very good time to start a shady correspondence law school with a vaguely religious name. [Texas Lawyer]

* University considers suing player who announced intention to transfer. [Yahoo]

Third Amendment Jawboning!? — See Also

This Administration Keeps Knocking At The Third Amendment: And at the doors of Hilton, no less!

K-9s Are One Thing, But Give Me A Break: AI model claims officer morphed into frog.

George Conway Is Running For Congress: The former partner wants to represent you!

Judge Resigns After Obstruction Conviction: She says Milwaukee Branch 31 deserves to start the year with a judge on the bench.

Cast Your Vote!: Who deserves to be crowned Lawyer Of The Year?

Henry Dicker, Longtime Leader Of ALM’s LegalTech Conferences, Joins Masters LegalAI

In his new role, Dicker will focus on strengthening Masters LegalAI’s position as a leading legal industry organization.

3 Questions For A Patent Litigator Turned Legal Recruiter (Part I)

Khurram Naik was a major contributor to one of the IP success stories of 2025.

Bad Service, Lost Clients: What Restaurants Teach Us About Law Firm Client Service

Are you the restaurant patron who will never give a restaurant a second chance?

Above The Law’s 2025 Lawyer Of The Year Contest: The Finalists!

From distinguished to despicable, who should be Above the Law’s Lawyer of the Year for 2025?

An AI Proctor For Remote Depositions: Has Its Time Come?

With more depositions being taken remotely and more proceedings being conducted online, it stands to reason that more witnesses will cheat.

AI And The Future Of Legal Work: Augmentation, Not Automation

The real risk for lawyers is not that AI will take their jobs. It is that other lawyers will use AI better than they do.

Police Wonder If AI Bodycam Reports Are Accurate After Model Transforms Officer Into A Frog

At least when attorneys cite fake cases, someone checks their work.

Rising Costs & Medicare Advantage Flaws To Drive Healthcare Reform Talks In 2026

Potential policy changes could focus on improving affordability in the ACA market and fixing distorted incentives in Medicare Advantage.

Morning Docket: 01.06.26

* Maduro’s legal team anchored by Julian Assange’s lawyer. [NY Law Journal]

* Meanwhile, the DOJ just dropped its claims that Maduro ran the “Cartel de los Soles” after acknowledging that it’s not even a real group. Exactly the sort of airtight prosecution you’d expect to see before killing 40-80 people to make an arrest. [NY Times]

* Chamber of Commerce will get an expedited appeal on challenge to Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee. [Law360]

* Alan Dershowitz wants the Supreme Court to overturn Sullivan to bail out his case against CNN. [Reuters]

* Florida Supreme Court kills proposal to let state government lawyers practice without taking the bar exam. [ABA Journal]

* George Conway announces congressional bid. [ABC News]

* Marc Elias writes the encapsulation of 2025 in “Big Law Walks Away From Democracy.” [Democracy Docket]

You Can Say Whatever You Want When You’re The Chief Justice — See Also

Chief Justice Roberts Invents Thomas Paine Legacy From New Cloth: If only he were here to defend himself.

Steven Banks Takes Helm As Corporate Counsel: New York is in good hands!

Law Students Call On ABA To Tell Biglaw To Chill Out On Recruitment Speeds: As it stands, everybody is stressed out.

Timing Matters: The DOJ’s attention to detail is lacking in the DC Pipe Bomb case.

Thrice As Nice!: Lowenstein Sandler takes our 17th annual Holiday Card Contest!

‘Old-School’ Judge Tapped For Maduro Case

He's no stranger to high-profile cases.

Law Students Make Hail Mary Plea For ABA To Curb Law Firm Recruitment Timelines

‘Do something! Please and thanks.’ - The students, basically.