Above the Law

CMS Finalizes Rule To Simplify Payer-Provider Disputes Under No Surprises Act 

Provider groups largely welcomed the reforms — though some industry leaders said additional changes are still needed to address alleged misuse and improve transparency.

Morning Docket: 06.03.26

* In another shadow docket order, Supreme Court allows Alabama to move forward this cycle with new maps that John Roberts thought were too racist until he decided Republicans needed help in the midterms. [CNBC]

* Note that Alabama needed the Supreme Court to bend every rule for them because they missed the deadline because… they were celebrating the birthday of Jefferson Davis, which is a holiday there. [Courthouse News Service]

* Free PACER bill is back! [Law360]

* AI already beginning to unsettle the billable hour. [LA Times]

* Todd Blanche testifies that the “Anti-weaponization fund” is dead. At least the people this decision disappoints have never turned their grievances into violent riots. [PBS]

* Unqualified judicial nominee confirmed. [Reuters]

* Compensation suit against Kasowitz forced into arbitration. [New York Law Journal]

Milbank Bumped Salaries! — See Also

We Love To See The Associate Compensation!: And Milbank loves setting the scale.

We Have A Match!: McDermott Will & Schulte the first to match the Milbank scale!

Todd Blanche Got Mossed: The DOJ’s Comey 86 prosecutions comes up with goose egg.

Law Firms Are Buying Up Real Estate: Remarkable! Not sure why they’ll need all that space with AI adoption, though.

Might As Well Skip Office Hours: Double blind study suggests AI may be more helpful than your professors at answering questions.

Ironclad Founder Jason Boehmig Joins OpenAI To Develop Products For The Legal Sector

The legal industry is turning into a battleground for the two dominant frontier AI companies.

[A]ll [I] Could Ask For

Thoughts on what to do as a practitioner as AI creeps into IP work.

Sidley’s Partnership Promotions Are Off The Charts Thanks To The Firm’s Brand New Nonequity Tier

The firm's embrace of nonequity partners helped produce its largest recent partnership class.

DOJ Just Got Mossed On ’86 47′ Legal Theory

James Comey's legal team gets a W and they didn't even have to work for it.

The Salary Wars Have Begun: First Firm Matches New Biglaw Pay Scale

The raises are officially underway, and associates everywhere are refreshing their inboxes.

Biglaw Office Space Driving Best Real Estate Boom This Century

Law firms are leasing space like it's 1999. Which is all well and good until the robots arrive.

How Day Pitney’s New Managing Partner Is Thinking About Growth, AI, And Leadership

Michael Byrne discusses strategic expansion, AI adoption, firm culture, and what it takes to lead a law firm through a period of rapid change.

The Vulnerability Window Is Shrinking

Law firms do not need to panic every time a new AI-related cybersecurity headline appears, but they do need to be ready to act.

The Wiley Rein Data Breach Lawsuit: Yet Another Cybersecurity Wake-Up Call 

There’s a potential for greater liability and claims.

Massachusetts Attorney General Sues UnitedHealthcare, Alleges $100M MassHealth Fraud

The Massachusetts attorney general sued UnitedHealthcare, alleging the insurer improperly inflated MassHealth members’ health risk scores to secure at least $100 million in excess payments.

Morning Docket: 06.02.26

* Judges increasingly calling out DOJ abuses. [NY Times]

* Texas Supreme Court bans judge from requiring facemasks in courtroom due to her own autoimmune disorder. Because facemasks (and autoimmune disorders) are woke. [ABA Journal]

* Attorneys deny role in Biglaw insider trading scheme. [Law360]

* January 6 slush fund on hold after court ruling. [Reuters]

* Firms have embraced AI as a strategy tool, but have mostly stopped short of trusting its outcome predictions. [Law.com]

* Supreme Court dissents tell the story. The majority has compromised the rule of law for the expediency of imposing policy. [Daily Report]

* Blake Lively seeking punitive damages now. [Courthouse News Service]