Above the Law

The Votes Are In! Here Are The 15 Legal Tech Startups Selected For The 2026 Startup Alley At ABA TECHSHOW

These 15 finalists will face off in an opening-night pitch competition that is the opening event of TECHSHOW, where conference attendees will get to vote live to pick the top winners.

3 Questions For A Litigation Funding Startup Founder (Part II)

The decline of trial practice opportunities for litigators of all experience levels is something that should be concerning to all of us.

How Will AI Transform Litigation, And What Should Law Firms Do To Prepare?

Fourteen legal industry experts share some answers in this new white paper.

Rubio Tries To Reassure Europe That US Is Not About To Sever Transatlantic Ties

America’s chief diplomat took aim at what he framed postwar ‘delusion’ in the West and a mass migration ‘crisis’ in Europe, echoing terms found in the National Security Strategy released last year.

Morning Docket: 02.17.26

* Law student convicted over fake bomb threat. [Legal Cheek]

* Jeanine Pirro can’t win a case in D.C., so she’s hoping to win one in New York by suing her hometown for a $250,000 slip and fall. [The Independent]

* Law schools and students worry about new lending cap. [Reuters]

* Attorney disbarred over alleged harassment campaign against “Law by Mike.” [La Jolla Village News]

* NFL discrimination claim will head to court after league effort to force arbitration fails. [Law360]

* Steve Bannon and Boris Epshteyn sued over crypto promotion. [National Law Journal]

* Judge cites Orwell in striking down Trump bid to erase mentions of slavery from historical exhibits. [CNN]

Layoffs, And Mergers, And Epstein, Oh My! — See Generally

Top 10 Biglaw Firm Decides The Future Is Smaller: Hundreds of support staff are out, and leadership cites AI as a key factor. Should lawyers be worried? If AI comes for the attorneys, it’s going to be a matter of the firm’s business model.

You’ll Never Guess Who Ken Starr Called “My Friend, My Brother”: Oh, of course you will… it was Jeffrey Epstein.

Those Kathryn Ruemmler Emails Deserve A Closer Look: The soon-to-be-former Goldman Sachs legal chief tried to downplay her Epstein connections. Here’s why they still mattered.

Biglaw Pumps The Brakes On Early Recruiting: For once, law students may get to finish a semester before firms start treating them like draft picks.

The World’s Richest Law Firm Goes Country: Biglaw’s financial juggernaut joins Nashville market.

Jeanine Pirro’s Office Not Ready For Its Closeup: The latest epic fail from Pirro’s tenure as U.S. Attorney involved bringing one of her old assistants out of retirement to pursue a case while running his dance photography studio.

Perkins Coie Eyes Retention Bonuses As Merger Nerves Set In: Nothing says “we’re excited about this tie-up” like quietly calculating how much it costs to keep partners from bolting.

HBCU Law School Told “Black” Is Off-Limits For Black History Month: In latest culture-war absurdity, administrators thought the safest word is no word at all.

New Beginnings After Nearly 20 Years — See Also

Lowenstein Sandler Gets A New Managing Partner: This should provide more bandwidth for leadership and management of the firm.

Kathryn Ruemmler Resigns From Position At Goldman Sachs: That didn’t take very long.

So Much For Draining The Swamp: DOJ gets angry over expectation that its employees do their jobs well.

Georgetown Law Just Got A New Dean: Great to see the name Liz Magill again!

Taylor Swift Launches Lawsuit Against Bedding Company: Tune in to a high-stakes battle of bad penmanship!

The Alito Retirement Rumor Mill Is Swirling

He's either retiring or he doesn't care about how well his new book sells.

Harvey Opens Brick-And-Mortar Shop In Dallas

Just a short walk (or drive) away!

To Retire Or Not? That Is The Question.

Retirement is not an endpoint but an opportunity to redefine what it means to be a seasoned professional.

The Moment Legal Found Out What ‘Ready’ Really Means

When testing turns into delivery, structure (not speed) decides who holds up.

Hubris Or Poor Judgment? As Epstein Files Loomed, The Clock Was Ticking On Brad Karp’s Power At Paul, Weiss

When the Epstein files were finally made public, Karp's long run at the top was bound to end.

DOJ Flames Judiciary Over Impertinent Demand For Competent US Attorneys

Just for that, Trump will continue to nominate ... no one.

Georgetown Law Hires New Dean With Experience Surviving GOP Witch-Hunt

One university's loss is another's gain.

Taylor Swift Sues Bedding Company For Using Cursive

CANCELLED!