Jurisdiction
U.S.
Add to my areasNinth Circuit keeps California's captive audience meeting ban on hold
A Ninth Circuit panel affirmed a preliminary injunction blocking California's SB 399, which bars employers from disciplining workers who skip mandatory meetings about religious or political matters. Judge Richard Tallman wrote that the law applies only when employers express opinions at those meetings, so it regulates speech based on content. The court found the business groups likely to succeed on their First Amendment claim and did not decide federal labor-law preemption.
Order (Courthouse News Service) → · Law360
Harvey acquires AI sales platform Aida, its fifth acquisition of 2026
Legal AI company Harvey has acquired Aida, an AI sales execution platform founded in 2024 by Glean co-founder Piyush Prahladka and former Patreon engineering leader Atish Das Sarma. Aida's search and machine-learning team joins Harvey's product and engineering organization to help law firms build their own ontologies and a context layer for AI agents. Terms were not disclosed. The deal follows Harvey's purchases of Benchmark in July and Guardails in September.
Announcement (Artificial Lawyer) → · Legaltech News
Rulings this week
- UK · EWHC Spares 5,000 late-served Dieselgate claims but makes claimants share costs
- 9TH CIR. Keeps California's captive audience meeting ban on hold
- CANADA Ontario Court of Appeal says licensed paralegals can negotiate accident benefits settlements for parties under disability
- UK · UKSC Backs insurer against Spain and France in Prestige oil spill arbitration case
Everlaw unveils Omni agentic AI suite and Workflows review management tool
Ediscovery platform Everlaw announced Omni, an agentic AI investigation suite, and Workflows, a review management tool, at its Everlaw Summit in San Francisco. Omni builds on Deep Dive with an agent that runs multistep tasks across a matter's evidence and a Case Memory fact library. Workflows, which lets review managers route documents through rule-based stages, arrives in November at no extra cost; Omni is due in early 2027 as a premium offering.
Announcement (Legaltech News) → · eDiscovery Today
Anthropic adds prebuilt legal Artifacts to Claude for Legal, including tools from Harvey, Goodwin and Foley
Anthropic has launched Claude for Legal Artifacts, a gallery of prebuilt, editable legal workflows such as cite checking, jurisdiction surveys, playbook deviation boards and regulatory horizon scans. Partner-built Artifacts include Harvey Intake, Goodwin's AI Governance Benchmark and Foley & Lardner's Obligations Checker. The company also announced an access-to-justice program and a Legal Ambassadors Program for builders, extending the Claude for Legal offering it launched in May.
Announcement (Artificial Lawyer) → · Legaltech News, The Economic Times (Reuters)
Former DOJ antitrust chiefs Kanter and Mekki launch AI litigation startup FluxCap
Jonathan Kanter and Doha Mekki, who led the Justice Department's Antitrust Division under President Biden, have launched FluxCap, an AI platform for complex litigation that starts with antitrust work. The co-CEOs say the tool reviews documents, conducts research and helps lawyers develop strategy, spot evidence gaps and anticipate opposing arguments. It has raised $6.4 million in seed funding from investors including Y Combinator and Burford Capital.
Announcement (ABC News) → · The Legal Wire
Racial remarks to lawyer triggered misconduct probe of Dallas federal judge Ada Brown
A misconduct complaint against U.S. District Judge Ada Brown of the Northern District of Texas followed an April 2026 sanctions hearing in Dallas at which she repeatedly called attorney Ezra Young, who is Latino, white and accused him of mistreating Black lawyers, according to a hearing transcript reported by Bloomberg Law. The complaint helped launch a Fifth Circuit investigation; Brown temporarily lost her docket and a special committee ordered a psychiatric examination. Brown denies wrongdoing.
Report (Bloomberg Law) → · ABA Journal
Judge rules Bill Essayli is unlawfully serving as de facto U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, bars him from two cases
Senior U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright ruled on Tuesday, October 27, that Bill Essayli is unlawfully serving as Los Angeles' top federal prosecutor and disqualified him from overseeing two criminal cases. Seabright found the Justice Department's revised delegation made no meaningful difference after a Ninth Circuit ruling on Nevada's Sigal Chattah. He declined to dismiss the indictments and delayed the disqualifications pending an expected stay request.
Order (Bloomberg Law) → · Los Angeles Times
Baker McKenzie and Troutman Pepper Locke disclose social engineering data breaches
Baker McKenzie and Troutman Pepper Locke have filed data breach notices with state attorneys general after social engineering attacks in August. Baker McKenzie said a threat actor deceived two users on August 14 and 17 and obtained a limited number of files. At Troutman, an employee targeted on August 7 sent documents to an unauthorized person. Both firms said their systems were not otherwise accessed and are offering 24 months of credit monitoring.
Report (Law360 Pulse) → · California Attorney General
Casepoint launches AI Investigator agent for government and corporate investigations
E-discovery provider Casepoint has launched AI Investigator, a new agent in its Casepoint IQ suite aimed at government and corporate investigators. Announced October 27, 2026, the tool narrows large document sets to evidence that supports or refutes allegations, extracts facts cited to source documents and links them to investigative themes. It will be generally available in November inside Casepoint eDiscovery.
Announcement (Law.com) → · eDiscovery Today
Latham partners with Harvey to build AI fund formation product
Latham & Watkins is working with Harvey to develop an AI-enabled fund formation product that will sit as a separate offering within Harvey's suite, the firm said on October 27, 2026. Targeting side letters, subscription documents and limited partnership agreements, the tool could later be marketed to other firms, though without Latham's market intelligence. There is no release date.
Announcement (Law.com) → · Legal Business
Fourth Circuit strikes down West Virginia Daniel's Law in suits against Thomson Reuters, LexisNexis
The Fourth Circuit affirmed a ruling that West Virginia's Daniel's Law, which restricts publishing the home addresses and phone numbers of judicial and law enforcement officials, violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments. A former state law enforcement officer had sued Thomson Reuters America, LexisNexis Risk Solutions and other people-search providers under the law. The court said the statute's lack of a notice requirement, which similar laws include, was fatal.
Order (Bloomberg Law) → · National Law Journal, Law360
LexisNexis expands Lexis+ with Protégé with Lex Machina data and Custom Skills Builder
LexisNexis on October 27, 2026, expanded Lexis+ with Protégé so the AI platform can draw on Lex Machina analytics, Intelligize disclosures, CourtLink dockets and Law360 reporting alongside firm documents. The update adds a no-code Custom Skills Builder, 100 new legal skills, a larger Vault and broader Shepard's Verify citation checks. It is rolling out to U.S. customers this month, with global availability to follow.
Clio asks Virginia federal court to declare it need not renew Ross Intelligence data feed
Clio has asked a federal court in Virginia to declare that it does not have to renew a case-law data feed it once shared with Ross Intelligence, the AI legal research platform. Clio says the agreement became inactive after Ross stopped making its $50,000 annual payments in 2020, shortly before Ross shut down its platform. The case is in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Filing (Law360) → · The Legal Wire
Tyler Technologies agrees to $1.5 million settlement over North Carolina eCourts arrests
Tyler Technologies, the vendor behind North Carolina's eCourts court records system, has agreed to pay up to $1.5 million to settle a federal class action by people allegedly wrongly arrested or held too long because of software problems. Plaintiffs asked the Middle District of North Carolina on October 26, 2026, to approve the deal, which needs preliminary and final court approval.
Filing (The Assembly) → · Carolina Journal
Clio merges its products into one AI platform and adds agentic workflows
Clio said at ClioCon 2026 in Boston on October 26, 2026, that it is consolidating Clio Grow, Clio Manage and Clio Work into a single interface with one login, starting in November. The company also introduced a platform-wide AI assistant, agentic workflows that carry out multistep legal tasks, a built-in phone system, a document management system and an automatic timekeeping beta.
Announcement (Legaltech News) → · LawSites
Judge rules Justice Department unlawfully fired prosecutor Maurene Comey
U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman ruled on October 26, 2026, that the Justice Department illegally fired Maurene Comey, a federal prosecutor in Manhattan and the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, because the firing violated civil service protections and her due process rights. He rejected the government's argument that presidential removal power covered the firing and said Comey is entitled to reinstatement and back pay. The department said it would appeal.
Order (Bloomberg Law) → · NPR
Eighth Circuit upholds vacatur of Federal Reserve's debit card swipe fee cap
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit on October 26, 2026, affirmed a ruling that struck down the Federal Reserve's 21-cent cap on debit card interchange fees, finding the Fed improperly let banks count costs not tied to individual transactions, such as fraud prevention. The Fed must now write a fee structure that reflects the incremental-cost standard Congress set in the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act.
Order (Bloomberg Law) → · American Banker
Anthropic files publicly for IPO with Wilson Sonsini and Freshfields as lead counsel
Anthropic publicly filed its registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 26, 2026, for a Nasdaq listing under the ticker ANT. The filing shows first-half 2026 revenue of $16.3 billion. Wilson Sonsini is counsel to Anthropic and Freshfields advises the underwriters, with Cravath, Orrick and Cleary Gottlieb also advising on governance and compensation matters.
Announcement (TechCrunch) → · Law.com, Legal Business
Clio acquires AI regulatory monitoring platform Page
Clio has acquired Page, a Kitchener-Waterloo startup whose AI monitors bills, regulations and government hearings, and will build its horizon-scanning technology into the Vincent legal research platform over the coming months. Clio announced the deal at the opening keynote of ClioCon 2026 in Boston on October 26, 2026. Financial terms were not disclosed. It is Clio's ninth acquisition, and Page's 12-person team is joining the company.
Announcement (BetaKit) → · Legaltech News, LawSites
Elvis Presley rightsholders sue Anthropic over training Claude on 274 songs
Companies that control Elvis Presley's music, led by a unit of Authentic Brands Group, sued Anthropic on October 23, 2026, alleging it trained its Claude models on 274 of Presley's copyrighted songs without permission and that Claude produces unlicensed derivative works. The suit, ABE EPE LLC v. Anthropic, seeks up to $150,000 per song, or roughly $41 million. Anthropic did not immediately comment.
Filing (Billboard) → · Rolling Stone
En banc Fifth Circuit rules detained unadmitted immigrants have no right to bond hearings
The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled 10-7 on October 23, 2026 that immigrants who entered the country without being admitted have no constitutional right to a bond hearing while detained during deportation proceedings, even if they are long-term residents. The decision in Sosnava Rodriguez v. Vergara reverses habeas rulings that freed three Texas men and backs the administration's no-bond detention policy in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Order (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit) → · The Texas Tribune
Ninth Circuit rules Trump lacked authority to federalize California National Guard in Los Angeles
A split Ninth Circuit panel on October 23, 2026, affirmed a preliminary injunction against President Trump's June 2025 federalization of the California National Guard in Los Angeles. Judge Jennifer Sung, joined by Judge Eric Miller, held that the deployment exceeded the president's statutory authority and rejected claims of a rebellion, relying on the Supreme Court's Trump v. Illinois ruling. Judge Mark Bennett dissented.
Order (Courthouse News Service) → · Bloomberg Law, Law360
Proclamation reshapes Canadian products subject to 50 percent section 338 duties, effective October 30, 2026
A presidential proclamation signed October 23, 2026 further modified the scope of Canadian products subject to the 50 percent additional duties imposed under Proclamation 11048 pursuant to section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930. Annex I removed listed products, including plywood sheets and certain paper and machinery lines, and added others, including specified valves and carpets. The changes apply to goods entered on or after October 30, 2026.
Justice Department moves to disqualify two Minnesota federal judges from immigration cases
Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward has moved to disqualify Judges Patrick Schiltz and John Tunheim of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota from two immigration cases, questioning their impartiality over comments in a New York Times article last month. Both judges had raised concerns about the Trump administration's handling of cases tied to this year's immigration crackdown in Minnesota.
Filing (ABA Journal) → · MPR News
Fifth Circuit vacates Mississippi anti-DEI injunction and reassigns case after AI-tainted rulings
A Fifth Circuit panel on October 22, 2026, vacated U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate's preliminary injunction against Mississippi's ban on diversity, equity and inclusion programs in public schools and universities, and ordered the case reassigned on remand. Writing for the panel, Judge Jerry Smith cited AI hallucinations in Wingate's temporary restraining order and said the court misapplied the Supreme Court's facial-challenge standard.
Order (Law.com) → · Bloomberg Law, Courthouse News Service
Goodwin launches subscription AI governance program aimed at private equity and venture portfolios
Goodwin has launched an AI governance program for companies, built by its lawyers and in-house AI product team. It has three tiers: a free Health Check, Readiness modules that can be bought singly or as a suite, and an AI Decision Desk sold as an annual subscription that answers client questions and tracks AI regulation, enforcement and market practice. The firm says it is tailored for private equity and venture capital portfolios and boards.
Announcement (Business Wire) → · Law360 Pulse
8am data: hourly billing still outnumbers flat fees nearly 5 to 1 at small firms
Firms billing only by the hour outnumber those billing only by flat fee by nearly 5 to 1, according to the 8am SMB Law Billing and Payments Report released October 22, 2026. The report draws on aggregate data from more than 60,000 mostly US firms using MyCase and LawPay, comparing the first half of 2026 with the first half of 2025.
Paper (LawSites) → · ABA Journal
United States requires FCC satellite emergency-alert rules under Mystic Alerts Act
The Mystic Alerts Act (H.R. 7022) was signed into law on October 22, 2026. It requires the Federal Communications Commission to publish a proposed satellite emergency-alert rule within six months and a final rule within eighteen months, in consultation with Homeland Security and FEMA. Covered mobile providers then file elections on satellite alert transmission within sixty days after the final rule takes effect.
Enrolled text (govinfo.gov) → · The White House
FLRA upholds telework award against HHS and finds most citations in agency's brief faulty
The Federal Labor Relations Authority has denied every exception HHS filed against an arbitration award finding that its return-to-office directive violated its contract with the National Treasury Employees Union. The authority said 35 of 42 citations in the agency's brief were fictitious, erroneous or irrelevant, said HHS may have used a generative AI tool, and warned parties using AI to verify their filings.
Order (Bloomberg Law) → · Federal News Network, Above the Law, Federal Labor Relations Authority
Fifth Circuit special committee orders Judge Ada Brown to explain sharing sealed documents
An October 20, 2026, order from the special committee investigating U.S. District Judge Ada Brown of the Northern District of Texas for the Fifth Circuit judicial council says Brown emailed confidential investigation materials and sealed court documents to approximately 140 judges, lawyers and journalists. The order directs Brown to answer three written questions by October 27 and urges her to reconsider her refusal to take part in the misconduct proceedings.
Order (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit) → · ABA Journal
Supreme Court refuses to let Bureau of Prisons enforce policy ending transgender inmates' care
The Supreme Court on October 21, 2026, denied the Trump administration's request to pause a federal judge's order barring the Bureau of Prisons from enforcing its February 2026 policy on health care for transgender inmates. The policy would have stopped inmates from obtaining hormone therapy and social accommodations such as makeup and wigs. Justices Alito and Thomas would have granted the request.
Order (SCOTUSblog) → · ABA Journal (The Washington Post)
Everlaw survey finds most in-house teams are cutting work sent to outside counsel
Everlaw's In-House Innovation Report, published October 20, 2026, found that 54% of in-house legal teams have already reduced the work they send to outside counsel because of AI, and another 44% plan to start within a year. The survey of 300 in-house attorneys and legal operations professionals was conducted with Wakefield Research.
Paper (ABA Journal) → · eDiscovery Today
Legora raises $550 million Series E at $8.8 billion valuation
Swedish legal AI company Legora said on October 21, 2026, that it raised a $550 million Series E round at an $8.8 billion valuation, led by Atreides Management. The company said annual recurring revenue has passed $200 million and that it will use the money to expand in the U.S. and develop Legora aOS, its agentic AI operating system.
Announcement (TechCrunch) → · Legaltech News, Legal Business, The Lawyer
Judge orders Meta to identify who approved torrenting shadow libraries for AI training
A federal magistrate judge in San Francisco on October 19, 2026, ordered Meta to identify each person who made, authorized or approved decisions to obtain shadow-library datasets such as LibGen and Anna's Archive, including by BitTorrent. Magistrate Judge Thomas S. Hixson's order covers the authors' class action led by Richard Kadrey and suits by publishers including Entrepreneur Media that accuse Meta of training AI on pirated works.
Order (Digital Music News) → · Ars Technica
Womble Bond Dickinson launches in-house AI Labs to build tools for the firm and its clients
Womble Bond Dickinson on October 20, 2026, launched Womble AI Labs, an in-house unit that will build AI tools for the transatlantic firm and its clients. Led by Chief AI and Technology Officer Chad Ergun and embedded in the firm's IT function, the lab will start with structured, repeatable legal and administrative tasks such as regulatory monitoring, document generation and contract review.
Announcement (Artificial Lawyer) → · Legaltech News, The Lawyer
United States directs Commerce study of critical infrastructure manufacturing within one year
The president signed H.R. 1721, the Critical Infrastructure Manufacturing Feasibility Act, on October 20, 2026. The Act directs the Secretary of Commerce to conduct, within one year after enactment, a study identifying high-demand products in each critical infrastructure sector that are imported because of a manufacturing, material, or supply chain constraint in the United States.
Enrolled text (U.S. Government Publishing Office) → · The White House
United States opens Social Security revocation window for clergy in 2029 and 2030
The president signed H.R. 227, the Clergy Act, on October 20, 2026. The Act permits a minister, a member of a religious order, or a Christian Science practitioner whose Social Security exemption is effective for 2026 to revoke that exemption by application to the Internal Revenue Service. A revocation applies to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2028.
Enrolled text (U.S. Government Publishing Office) → · House Committee on Ways and Means
United States requires dating services to send fraud ban notices within 24 hours
The president signed H.R. 2481, the Romance Scam Prevention Act, on October 20, 2026. The Act requires an online dating service provider to notify a member who received a message from a member subject to a fraud ban. Section 2 takes effect one year after enactment, on October 20, 2027, and the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general enforce it.
Enrolled text (U.S. Government Publishing Office) → · The White House
United States requires Labor Department trafficking training within 180 days
The president signed H.R. 4307, the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act, on October 20, 2026. The Act directs the Secretary of Labor to implement, within 180 days after enactment, a training and periodic continuing-education program for Department of Labor employees selected by reference to their official duties, including referral of potential trafficking cases to the Department of Justice.
Enrolled text (U.S. Government Publishing Office) → · The White House
United States extends BLM drilling permit fee authority through 2037
The License to Drill Act, H.R. 7831, was signed into law on October 20, 2026, amending section 35(d) of the Mineral Leasing Act. The act extends the Interior Secretary's duty to collect a fee for each new application for a permit to drill from 2026 through 2037, and directs that all fees collected for fiscal years 2027 through 2037 are transferred to the BLM Permit Processing Improvement Fund.
Enrolled text (govinfo.gov) → · The White House
Weil Gotshal is negotiating a merger with an unnamed firm, Bloomberg Law and Law.com report
Weil, Gotshal & Manges is in talks to merge with another law firm and is negotiating a memorandum of understanding, Bloomberg Law reported on October 19, 2026, citing two people familiar with the matter. An announcement could come as early as this week, though the talks could still fail. Law.com, citing several sources, also reported that the firm plans to merge. Weil did not immediately comment.
Announcement (Bloomberg Law) → · Law.com (The American Lawyer)
Eleventh Circuit: Escambia school board members can be deposed over library book removal votes
A divided Eleventh Circuit panel on October 19, 2026, held that Escambia County, Florida, school board members cannot use legislative privilege to avoid depositions about why they voted to remove specific library books. Judge Andrew Brasher, joined by Judge Jill Pryor, ruled the votes applied existing policy and were administrative acts. Chief Judge William Pryor dissented. PEN America, Penguin Random House, authors and parents allege First Amendment violations.
Order (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit) → · Courthouse News Service
Charlesbank invests in Wood Smith Henning & Berman's new back-office services company
Insurance defense firm Wood Smith Henning & Berman on October 19, 2026, formed WSHB Support Services, a management services organization that will run non-legal operations for the firm, backed by an investment from private equity firm Charlesbank Capital Partners. The law firm says it remains independent, with its lawyers keeping sole authority over legal practice and client matters. Terms were not disclosed.
Announcement (Reuters (via TradingView)) → · Law360 Pulse, Above the Law
California reaches $6 million settlement with former 23andMe over 2023 data breach
California Attorney General Rob Bonta on October 19, 2026, announced a $6 million settlement with Chrome Holding Co., formerly 23andMe, resolving state claims that the genetic testing company failed to protect customers' personal and genetic data before a 2023 breach affecting nearly 7 million people, including more than 855,000 Californians. The settlement was filed in federal bankruptcy court in Missouri and awaits approval.
Filing (California Department of Justice) → · CTV News (Reuters), Bloomberg Law
Harvey adds Midpage connector for U.S. case law and statute research inside Harvey Assistant
Legal AI platform Harvey on October 19, 2026, added a connector to Midpage, an AI legal research service covering U.S. case law, statutes, regulations and agency materials. Built on the Model Context Protocol, it lets joint customers run Midpage searches from Harvey Assistant threads and receive cited sources in the final output. The connector is in Harvey's Connector Library and requires a Midpage subscription.
Announcement (LawSites) → · Artificial Lawyer
Executive order creates NIH Women's Health Division and White House task force, revokes 2024 order
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on October 19, 2026 titled Advancing Women's Health to Improve Outcomes in All Phases of Life. The order directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the NIH Director, to establish a Women's Health Division within 90 days, creates a White House Women's Health Task Force, and revokes Executive Order 14120 of March 18, 2024 and a November 13, 2023 presidential memorandum.
Text (The White House) → · U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Fifth Circuit Judicial Council makes public misconduct orders against Judge Ada Brown
The Judicial Council of the Fifth Circuit on October 19, 2026, made public orders in misconduct proceedings against U.S. District Judge Ada Brown of the Northern District of Texas. It acted after Brown emailed the confidential materials to others, including reporters, on October 17. A September 29 order temporarily reassigned her cases and removed her from new assignments for three months.
Order (Judicial Council of the Fifth Circuit) → · ABA Journal, The Texas Lawbook
Supreme Court will hear Asian-American parents' challenge to Maryland magnet school lottery
The U.S. Supreme Court on October 19, 2026, agreed to hear Association for Education Fairness v. Montgomery County Board of Education, a challenge by mostly Asian-American parents to admissions for four selective magnet middle schools in Montgomery County, Maryland. The justices limited review to whether a plaintiff attacking a facially neutral admissions policy as racially discriminatory must show aggregate disparate impact relative to the group's share of applicants.
Order (Supreme Court of the United States) → · NBC News, SCOTUSblog
Supreme Court lacks quorum in BMG v. Vetter after four justices with Penguin Random House book deals sit out
The U.S. Supreme Court on October 19, 2026, affirmed by default a Fifth Circuit ruling that songwriter Cyril Vetter's U.S. copyright termination recaptured worldwide rights to "Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love)." Justices Sotomayor, Gorsuch, Barrett and Jackson took no part, leaving five justices, short of the six-justice quorum. BMG's parent, Bertelsmann, also owns Penguin Random House, which has published books by all four.
Order (Supreme Court of the United States) → · Bloomberg Law, Courthouse News Service, ABA Journal
Supreme Court declines Hastings descendants' challenge to UC Law San Francisco renaming
The U.S. Supreme Court on October 19, 2026, denied review in Hastings College Conservation Committee v. California, No. 25-1231, leaving in place California's 2023 law removing Serranus C. Hastings' name from the San Francisco law school. Six descendants and a group of alumni argued that the 1878 founding statute was a binding contract, but California courts held it was an ordinary law the Legislature could repeal.
Order (Supreme Court of the United States) → · San Francisco Chronicle, ABA Journal
Supreme Court agrees to decide whether 1868 federal ban on home distilling is constitutional
The U.S. Supreme Court on October 19, 2026, granted the federal government's petition in Department of Justice v. McNutt, agreeing to decide whether an 1868 law banning the production of distilled spirits at home is a valid exercise of Congress's taxing power. The Fifth Circuit struck the ban down in a suit by the Hobby Distillers Association, while the Sixth Circuit upheld it in a separate case.
Order (Supreme Court of the United States) → · CBS News, SCOTUSblog
Supreme Court turns away 9/11 defendants' bid to revive scrapped plea deals
The Supreme Court on October 19, 2026, declined to hear appeals from Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, Walid bin 'Atash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi seeking to enforce 2024 plea agreements that would have spared them the death penalty in exchange for life sentences. The denial leaves in place a D.C. Circuit ruling that then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin validly withdrew the deals. Justice Brett Kavanaugh did not participate in Mohammad's case.
Order (Supreme Court of the United States) → · NBC News, CBS News, SCOTUSblog
Supreme Court turns away fired NLRB member Gwynne Wilcox, leaving at-will removal ruling in place
The U.S. Supreme Court on October 19, 2026, declined to hear Wilcox v. Trump, the challenge by former National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox to President Trump's decision to fire her in early 2025. The denial leaves in place a December 2025 D.C. Circuit ruling that the statute letting presidents remove board members only for neglect of duty or malfeasance violates the separation of powers.
Order (Supreme Court of the United States) → · Bloomberg Law, SCOTUSblog
DHS bars DeepSeek AI products from federal civilian agency systems and purchases
The Department of Homeland Security has ordered federal civilian agencies to remove products from Chinese AI developer Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co. and its affiliates from their IT systems and barred agencies from buying them, under a notice made public October 19, 2026, and published in the Federal Register on October 20. The order, dated July 24, also covers third-party products built on DeepSeek.
Text (Federal Register (Public Inspection)) → · CNBC, Bloomberg Law
Legora adds Blue J tax research to its platform through MCP integration
Legora and Toronto-based tax research company Blue J on October 19, 2026, launched an integration that lets customers who subscribe to both products query Blue J from inside Legora and get answers with inline citations to Blue J sources. Built on the Model Context Protocol, it opens first to selected joint customers in early access, with general availability planned for November. Legora said it is not moving into tax.
Announcement (Artificial Lawyer) → · LawSites
OPM final rule amends administrative leave rules for workforce realignment and deferred resignations
Justice Department moves to disqualify Judge Ana Reyes from East Potomac golf course case
Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. on October 16, 2026, asked U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes to recuse herself from the D.C. Preservation League's challenge to the administration's East Potomac golf course work, alleging hostility toward the government. The motion came days after Reyes issued a restraining order halting tree removal and sharply criticized government lawyers for failing to give promised notice.
Filing (The Washington Post) → · Bloomberg Law, The Washington Sun
Executive order waives Graham Act sanctions, restrictions and duties on Russia before October 18 start
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on October 16, 2026 implementing the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 and waiving its duties, sanctions and restrictions. The order stated duty increases of 500 percent on Russian goods and 100 percent on goods from top importers of Russian oil and gas and top sanctions-evasion facilitators, then waived those duties under section 115 after certifying the waiver was in the national interests of the United States.
Text (The White House) → · Okay News, New Kerala
Judge rejects DOJ bid to disqualify Susman Godfrey as ABA counsel in law firm executive order suit
Judge Amir H. Ali of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on October 16, 2026, denied the Justice Department's motion to disqualify Susman Godfrey from representing the American Bar Association in its suit challenging the administration's executive orders against law firms. The government called the firm a central player, but conceded it could not identify any Susman lawyer likely to be a necessary witness at trial.
Order (Bloomberg Law) → · U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (CourtListener RECAP)
Fourth Circuit rules Catholic Relief Services violated Title VII by ending same-sex spouse's coverage
A divided Fourth Circuit on October 16, 2026, affirmed that Catholic Relief Services violated Title VII and Maryland law by terminating a gay employee's husband's health coverage. The 2-1 panel held Title VII's religious-organization exemption covers only religion-based employment decisions, not sex discrimination motivated by religious belief, and rejected the group's RFRA, church autonomy and Free Exercise defenses.
Order (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit) → · Bloomberg Law, Law360 Employment Authority
Democratic lawmakers renew Kirkland records request with October 29 deadline
Representative Jamie Raskin and Senators Richard Blumenthal and Adam Schiff renewed requests for records concerning Kirkland & Ellis’s $125 million pro bono agreement with President Donald Trump. In a letter released October 16, they alleged the firm had produced no responsive documents and set an October 29 deadline.
Text (U.S. House Judiciary Committee Democrats) → · Jamie Raskin, Richard Blumenthal and Adam Schiff
Cyber incident at contractor BAE Systems halts federal bankruptcy court notices
A cybersecurity incident affecting BAE Systems, which runs the Bankruptcy Noticing Center for the federal judiciary, has halted production and delivery of bankruptcy notices nationwide, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts said on October 15, 2026. Center websites and the National Creditor Registration Service are unavailable, and SecurityWeek reported that notices issued through the center since October 9 have not been delivered.
Report (SecurityWeek) → · ABA Journal
Cities ask Supreme Court to pause Texas-DOJ judgment wiping out immigration administrative closure
Baltimore, New Haven, Columbus and Centro Legal de la Raza have asked the Supreme Court to stay a consent judgment between Texas and the Justice Department that threw out a 2024 EOIR administrative-closure rule, SCOTUSblog reported on October 15, 2026. The application, docketed as 26A500 on October 15, calls the judgment collusive and says it bypassed notice-and-comment rescission. Justice Alito called for a response by October 22.
Filing (SCOTUSblog) → · Supreme Court of the United States
DOJ sues California over more than 20,000 registrants it says are likely noncitizens
The Justice Department sued California on October 15, 2026, seeking to stop tabulation of vote-by-mail ballots from more than 20,000 people it says are likely noncitizens after comparing state voter rolls with federal immigration data. Voting-rights groups warned the suit may conflict with an October 9, 2026, D.C. court order vacating DOJ's voter-roll purge policy, Above the Law and Democracy Docket reported.
Filing (U.S. Department of Justice) → · Democracy Docket, Above the Law
Ex-Big Law associate charged with insider trading seeks subpoenas to his former firms
Nicolo Nourafchan, a former Big Law associate charged in a federal insider trading case, filed a motion on October 14, 2026, in Massachusetts federal court seeking subpoenas to three law firms where he previously worked, Bloomberg Law and Law.com reported. The motion redacts the firms' names; both outlets identified them as Sidley Austin, Latham & Watkins and Goodwin Procter.
Filing (Bloomberg Law) → · Law.com, The Lawyer
NALP: 2025 law graduates of color trailed white peers in employment, gap widest for attorney jobs
White members of the law school class of 2025 had a 94.4% employment rate about ten months after graduation, compared with 90.8% for graduates of color, the National Association for Law Placement said in its Jobs & JDs release on October 14, 2026, reported by the ABA Journal. Black graduates had the lowest rate, 87%, down from nearly 90% for the class of 2024. The overall employment rate was 92.8%.
Paper (National Association for Law Placement) → · ABA Journal, Above the Law
Former New Orleans lawyer Danny Keating gets 32 months in staged truck crash scheme
U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown of the Eastern District of Louisiana on October 15, 2026, sentenced former personal injury lawyer Danny Patrick Keating Jr. to 32 months in prison and about $657,000 in restitution for his role in Operation Sideswipe, a scheme to stage crashes with 18-wheelers for insurance payouts. Keating pleaded guilty in 2021 and testified against convicted lawyers Vanessa Motta and Jason Giles.
Order (WDSU) → · The Times-Picayune | nola.com, Fox 8 WVUE, ABA Journal +1
Microsoft launches Copilot for Legal with more than 20 legal skills in Word and Cowork
Microsoft launched Copilot for Legal on October 15, 2026, adding more than 20 legal-specific skills to Microsoft Copilot for contract review, drafting, obligations tracking and case chronologies in Word and its agentic Cowork workspace. Plugins from more than two dozen legal technology partners, including Harvey, Legora, iManage and Relativity, begin rolling out through Microsoft's plugin registry.
Announcement (Artificial Lawyer) → · The Lawyer, LawSites
EOIR establishes Privacy Act records system for immigration fraud and unauthorized-practice complaints
The Executive Office for Immigration Review on October 15, 2026 published a Privacy Act system of records notice for JUSTICE/EOIR-006, covering Fraud and Abuse Prevention Program records on suspected immigration fraud, abuse and unauthorized practice of immigration law. A companion proposed rule would exempt the system from certain Privacy Act access provisions. Comments on routine uses are due by November 16, 2026.
California sues ICE to end civil immigration arrests at state courthouses
California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on October 15, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California to stop civil immigration arrests at state courthouses. The suit, which Bonta's office called the state's 100th against the administration, says arrests continued after a federal court vacated ICE's courthouse enforcement directive in June 2026, deterring victims, witnesses and defendants from appearing in court.
Filing (California Department of Justice) → · Bloomberg Law
Control Risks to spin off eDiscovery and forensics units into Beringer Capital-owned company
Control Risks agreed to spin off its Discovery + Data Insights and Forensics businesses into a stand-alone company owned by private equity firm Beringer Capital, LawSites and Legaltech News reported October 15, 2026. The business will initially operate as Control Risks – Compliance, Investigations & eDiscovery, with Control Risks keeping an equity stake and a strategic partnership. The deal is expected to close by year-end.
Announcement (LawSites) → · Legaltech News
Federal law restructures Crow Tribe water settlement funding into an MR&I Projects Account
President Trump signed S. 240, the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2025, into law on October 15, 2026, the White House said. The Act amends the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-291), repealing the municipal, rural and industrial water system provisions, creating an MR&I Projects Account in the Crow Settlement Fund that the Tribe uses for water infrastructure on its Montana reservation, and extending the Yellowtail Dam period to 20 years.
Enrolled text (Congress.gov) → · Northern Broadcasting System, GovInfo, The White House
Federal law defines adequate consideration for closely held ESOP stock under ERISA
President Trump signed S. 2403, the Retire through Ownership Act, into law on October 15, 2026, the White House said. The Act amends section 3(18) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. 1002(18)) to provide that an employee stock ownership plan fiduciary may rely in good faith on a valuation by an independent valuation expert or business appraiser using the principles and methodologies of IRS Revenue Ruling 59-60 in determining fair market value.
Enrolled text (Congress.gov) → · Business Wire, GovInfo, The White House
Federal law requires a chemical-analysis methodology to identify seafood country of origin
S. 283, the Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act, was signed into law on October 15, 2026, the White House said. The Act requires the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to jointly develop a standard methodology, based on chemical analysis, for identifying the country of origin of seafood, to support enforcement against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.
Enrolled text (Congress.gov) → · U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation, GovInfo, The White House
Supreme Court pauses Fourth Circuit order forcing FCC to rule fast on party ad rates
The Supreme Court on October 14, 2026 granted the FCC's request to stay a Fourth Circuit order directing the agency to rule within 48 hours on Democratic candidates' challenge to discounted political advertising rates for parties and joint fundraising committees. The unsigned opinion said the FCC may set its own schedule, so it need not decide before the November election.
Order (Supreme Court of the United States) → · SCOTUSblog
Eleventh Circuit lets Florida enforce social media limits for children under 14
A three-judge Eleventh Circuit panel on October 14, 2026 reversed and vacated a preliminary injunction against Florida's HB 3, holding the law likely constitutional as applied to members of the Computer & Communications Industry Association. The panel said HB 3 is likely content-neutral and survives intermediate scrutiny. HB 3 bars children under 14 from opening accounts on platforms with certain addictive features and requires parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds.
Order (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit) → · Florida Phoenix, NetChoice
Thomson Reuters adds Multinational Profile to CoCounsel Legal for cross-border research
Thomson Reuters introduced a Multinational Profile for CoCounsel Legal that pulls legal and regulatory content from more than 100 countries and territories into one research workflow, LegalTech.ca reported October 14, 2026. The company said users can compare requirements across markets, flag issues needing local counsel and inspect underlying sources. Broader next-generation CoCounsel Legal availability is planned across more markets through late October 2026.
Announcement (LegalTech.ca) → · TechNode Global
eDiscovery provider Lineal acquires Swiss digital forensics and cyber firm Forentec
U.S. eDiscovery and legal technology provider Lineal acquired Forentec, a Dübendorf, Switzerland, firm offering digital forensics, eDiscovery, cyber security and open-source intelligence services, finews.ch and Inside IT reported October 14, 2026. The deal gives Lineal a Swiss operating base as it expands across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Terms were not disclosed.
Announcement (finews.ch) → · Inside IT
Legora launches integration ecosystem linking more than 30 legal tech and business systems
Legora launched an integration ecosystem on October 14, 2026 that connects its agentic AI platform to more than 30 systems, including iManage, NetDocuments, Everlaw, Intapp, Docusign and Ironclad. Lawyers can work on documents held in those platforms without downloading and re-uploading files, while existing permissions and ethical walls govern what Legora can retrieve.
Announcement (Legora) → · Artificial Lawyer
Regulatory intelligence startup SCOREalytics names former Kirkland partner Jennie Morawetz CEO
SCOREalytics, which sells an AI-assisted regulatory intelligence platform to law firms, corporations and private equity funds, named Jennie Morawetz chief executive on October 14, 2026. Morawetz, a former Kirkland & Ellis partner, had served as the company's chief strategy officer and general counsel since joining as a founding executive in 2025.
Federal government finalizes immigration civil penalty procedures, adds mail-delay appeal exception
The Departments of Homeland Security and Justice published a final rule on October 14, 2026, finalizing the June 2025 interim procedures for imposing civil penalties for failure to depart, failure to comply with voluntary departure, and improper entry. The rule makes one change, permitting acceptance of late appeals where documented mail delays beyond the alien’s control caused the delay. It takes effect October 14, 2026.
Text (Federal Register) → · Public Justice
Legora launches Intake, a Slack-based agentic front door for in-house legal requests
Legora launched Intake, a front door for in-house legal teams built around the Legora Agent and available now in Slack, Artificial Lawyer and Legal IT Insider reported October 13, 2026. Intake turns business requests into tracked work and can prepare first drafts using the legal team's own Skills and playbooks; Legora plans to extend it to Microsoft Teams, email and MCP.
Announcement (Artificial Lawyer) → · Legal IT Insider
Goodwin expands Microsoft partnership, moving its Regina OS legal AI platform onto Microsoft Foundry
Goodwin expanded its relationship with Microsoft, making Microsoft Foundry the enterprise AI platform for its proprietary Regina OS legal operating system and widening Microsoft Copilot access firmwide, the firm announced October 13, 2026. Law360 Pulse reported the expansion October 14. Regina OS combines matter context, firm knowledge and AI tools in one platform.
Announcement (Goodwin) → · Law360 Pulse
DLA Piper hires Latham trio led by Jesse Sheff for capital solutions push
DLA Piper is hiring Latham & Watkins partner Jesse Sheff and counsel Seung-Ju Paik and Preeta Paragash to expand its capital solutions business as it pushes into private credit, Bloomberg Law reported October 12, 2026, citing people with knowledge of the matter. Sheff, who spent 16 years at Latham and has advised asset managers including Apollo and BlackRock, will lead the group.
Announcement (Bloomberg Law) → · Private Equity Wire
Leela exits stealth with $4.6M seed for agentic AI compliance in regulated finance
Compliance startup Leela launched its agentic AI platform for U.S.-regulated financial businesses out of stealth on October 12, 2026, alongside a $4.6 million seed round co-led by Array Ventures and Female Founders Fund, Legaltech News and PYMNTS reported. Founder and CEO Preeti Krishnan, a former Davis Polk attorney, said the platform turns regulations and policies into executable workflows while keeping humans responsible for consequential decisions.
Announcement (PYMNTS) → · Legaltech News
D.C. judge vacates DOJ voter roll policy as unauthorized, arbitrary and capricious, and contrary to Privacy Act and Paperwork Reduction Act
U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan vacated the Justice Department's Voter List Maintenance Policy on Oct. 9. She held that the Civil Rights Act of 1960, the NVRA and HAVA did not authorize it, and found it arbitrary and capricious under the APA and contrary to the Privacy Act and the Paperwork Reduction Act. The court granted partial summary judgment to Common Cause and individual voters.
Opinion (Democracy Docket) → · The Hill, Courthouse News Service
iDealLegal.ai pitches multi-model Word add-in contract review for small firms
iDealLegal.ai, a bootstrapped startup registered in Wyoming as S&O LEGAL LLC and founded in January 2026 by transactional lawyer Sergey Ovcharov, offers a Word add-in on Microsoft AppSource that runs GPT, Claude and Gemini against lawyer-vetted playbooks and flags model disagreements for human review. In a Legal IT Insider Startup Corner Q&A, the company said it targets firms of 1–20 lawyers and small in-house teams, offers zero data retention on paid plans and has no outside funding.
Announcement (Legal IT Insider) → · Pivot News
U.S. sanctions the International Criminal Court as an institution
On October 9, 2026, Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control added the International Criminal Court itself to the Specially Designated Nationals list under Executive Order 14203, blocking the court's property in U.S. jurisdiction and barring U.S. persons from dealing with it without a license. OFAC issued four general licenses, including General License 13, which authorizes transactions to maintain or wind down court operations through April 7, 2027. The ICC rejected the sanctions the same day.
Text (Office of Foreign Assets Control) → · International Criminal Court
OFAC authorizes Russian-origin diesel transactions through April 2027 under General License 135
On October 9, 2026, Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued Russia-related General License 135, authorizing transactions otherwise prohibited by the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations and the Ukraine-/Russia-Related Sanctions Regulations that relate to the sale, delivery, offloading or importation of Russian-origin diesel fuel, including into the United States. The authorization runs through 12:01 a.m. EDT on April 7, 2027, and excludes debits to U.S. accounts of Russia's central bank, National Wealth Fund or Ministry of Finance.
Text (Office of Foreign Assets Control) → · Indian Economic Observer
ArentFox Schiff retires AFSChat chatbot after adopting Harvey and Copilot
ArentFox Schiff has decommissioned AFSChat, its internally developed generative AI chatbot, after concluding it had become redundant, according to Legaltech News and LegalTech Digest. The firm concluded third-party tools Harvey and Microsoft Copilot better met its standards. AI work continues under FoxAI, a framework the firm announced in August that combines proprietary tools and licensed third-party platforms.
Announcement (Legaltech News) → · LegalTech Digest, ArentFox Schiff
Court of International Trade certifies class of importers seeking refunds of invalidated IEEPA tariffs
Senior Judge Richard K. Eaton of the Court of International Trade on October 8, 2026 certified a Rule 23(b)(2) class in Freestyle World v. CBP. It covers all importers of record that paid IEEPA duties between February 1, 2025 and February 19, 2026, excluding entities that filed separate refund actions. The class seeks an injunction directing liquidation or reliquidation without the duties. Barnes Richardson and Lieff Cabraser were appointed class counsel.
Opinion (U.S. Court of International Trade) → · InsideTrade.com, Law360, GEODIS
Holland & Knight reports data breach to Vermont attorney general after social-engineering attack
Holland & Knight reported a data breach to the Vermont Attorney General on October 8, 2026, listing Social Security numbers and one Vermont resident, Cybernews and Law360 reported. The firm said in September that an attacker used social engineering to gain unauthorized remote access to a firm computer and obtained a small number of files affecting 14 clients, who were notified.
Report (Cybernews) → · Law360, Nonbillable
Ropes & Gray lets 1,000-plus associates credit 100 hours of AI experiments to billables
Ropes & Gray is expanding AI training credits so more than 1,000 associates and counsel can count up to 100 hours of AI experimentation and training toward annual billable-hour requirements, Reuters reported in its Billable Hours column; ABA Journal and Above the Law also covered it. The firm said it has invested more than 35,000 associate hours in AI time this year; Akerman has separately credited AI projects since April.
Announcement (Reuters) → · ABA Journal, Above the Law
Litera promotes Priyanka Singh to president and Adam Ryan to chief product and marketing officer
Litera has promoted Priyanka Singh, formerly EVP of operations and CFO, to president overseeing company-wide operations and execution, and expanded Chief Product Officer Adam Ryan's role to chief product and marketing officer. CEO Avaneesh Marwaha said the expanded roles strengthen Litera's ability to deliver its legal AI products reliably and drive customer adoption.
Announcement (Law360 Pulse) → · LawSites
DocuSign adds desktop PDF Editor to Intelligent Agreement Management platform
DocuSign has introduced a desktop PDF Editor that lets users edit, redact, annotate, combine, and convert PDFs, then send them for signature inside its Intelligent Agreement Management platform with an auditable agreement history. The app goes on sale to IAM and eSignature customers on November 2, 2026, initially in six languages.
Announcement (SiliconANGLE) → · PR Newswire
States seek approval of $1.05M generic drug price-fixing settlements with Ascend, Mayne and Citron
Forty-eight states and territories asked the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut on Oct. 8 to preliminarily approve generic drug price-fixing settlements with Ascend Laboratories, Mayne Pharma and Citron Pharma, according to the states' motion. Ascend will pay $400,000 and Mayne $650,000; Citron, which ceased operations, agreed to non-monetary injunctive and cooperation terms. Connecticut's attorney general said the first trial is set for February 2027 in Hartford.
Motion (Connecticut Office of the Attorney General) → · Law360, WABI TV
FTC sues Greenway Automotive over hidden dealer fees and fake prize mailers, files stipulated order requiring total-price disclosure
The Federal Trade Commission sued Greenway Automotive, its management company and five Florida Kia and Hyundai dealerships in the Middle District of Florida on October 8, alleging deceptive pricing and fake prize mailers, and filed a stipulated order settling the case. The FTC alleged more than 92% of consumers at the Kia dealerships paid on average over $3,350 above advertised prices. The proposed order requires total-price disclosure and includes no monetary payment.
Filing (Federal Trade Commission) → · Hudson Cook, The Dealership Guy
Ironclad launches Ironclad Agent and Contract Knowledge Graph for context-aware contracting
Ironclad has launched Ironclad Agent, a natural-language front door for searching contracts and orchestrating specialized contracting agents, powered by a Contract Knowledge Graph built from each customer's contracts, approved positions, and past negotiation decisions. The release also adds Policy-Based Access Control and a Workflow Designer Agent; Law.com Legaltech News included the launch in its October 9 rundown.
Announcement (PR Newswire) → · Law.com Legaltech News
Squire Patton Boggs reports breach of client-held personal data including Social Security numbers
Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP reported a data breach to the Vermont Attorney General on October 8, 2026, listing Social Security numbers and two Vermont residents, Cybernews and Law360 reported. The firm's consumer notice, filed with Massachusetts regulators, says files affected by a cybersecurity incident contained personal information it held for a client, which it confirmed on September 25, 2026.
Report (Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation) → · Cybernews, Law360
Leak of alleged Silent Ransom Group data points to millions in law firm extortion payments
An unknown party this week published "The Luna Moth Files," alleged internal data from Silent Ransom Group, the extortion crew the FBI says steals data from law firms. Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis said some leaked cryptocurrency addresses sit downstream of millions of dollars in ransom payments, including one it already tracked tied to a $10 million victim payment in mid-2026. Reuters said it could not immediately verify the data.
Report (New Straits Times (Reuters)) → · Silicon UK
Kirkland & Ellis to stop disclosing financial results to the media
Kirkland & Ellis told The American Lawyer that 2026 would be its final year providing financial information to publications, Bloomberg Law reported after reviewing the firm’s letter. The report said the decision covers other legal media, including Bloomberg Law, and ends the firm’s voluntary disclosure of revenue and profits.
Report (Bloomberg Law) → · ABA Journal
Wordsmith partners with Goodlawyer to equip embedded counsel with legal AI
Legal AI platform Wordsmith has partnered with Calgary-based Goodlawyer so the network’s embedded and fractional in-house lawyers can use Wordsmith for intake, playbook contract review, drafting and research, with matters requiring judgment escalated to counsel. Wordsmith says it serves more than 500 in-house teams; Goodlawyer’s network supports legal teams including Uber, Cohere and Ferrero.
Announcement (LegalTech.ca) → · Artificial Lawyer
Peyton AI launches medical-negligence triage platform with Merit Score engine
Peyton AI has launched an AI triage platform for medical negligence claims aimed at law firms, malpractice insurers, and hospital risk teams, scoring cases on duty, breach, causation, and damages and flagging missing evidence. Artificial Lawyer noted the launch in its October 9 wrap; the company says a validation study of more than 1,000 closed cases recorded no fabricated citations.
Announcement (Artificial Lawyer) → · Business Wire (via City A.M.)
Harvey and LexisNexis launch co-developed agentic motion-to-dismiss workflow
Harvey has released a Motion to Dismiss drafting workflow co-developed with LexisNexis that plans dismissal grounds, researches U.S. primary law through LexisNexis and Shepard's Citations, and drafts a fully cited motion after lawyer approval of the strategy. Harvey says the work commonly takes associates 40 to 50 or more hours; a Motion for Summary Judgment workflow is planned next.
Announcement (Harvey) → · Artificial Lawyer
Trump signs law giving identity-theft victims a single Social Security contact
President Donald Trump signed H.R. 5345, the Improving Social Security's Service to Victims of Identity Theft Act, on Oct. 7. The law requires the Social Security Administration to provide individuals whose Social Security number is misused or card is lost with a single point of contact — trained employees — that tracks the case through resolution and coordinates with other SSA units. The bill passed Ways and Means 39-1, the House by voice vote, and the Senate unanimously.
Enrolled text (GovInfo) → · The White House, FedScoop, House Ways and Means Committee +1
New law requires annual report on federal projects $1 billion over budget or five years late
President Donald Trump signed S. 766, the Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act of 2025, on Oct. 7. The law requires the Office of Management and Budget to issue guidance within a year directing covered agencies to submit annual information on projects more than five years behind schedule or at least $1 billion over the original cost estimate. OMB must compile the submissions into an annual report to Congress and post it online.
Enrolled text (GovInfo) → · The White House, FEDweek, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks +1
Sotomayor warns judges after Alabama juror was arrested in front of jury pool
Justice Sonia Sotomayor on October 5, 2026, criticized an Alabama trial judge who had a prospective juror arrested in front of the jury pool for arriving late, warning that such conduct can intimidate jurors. She wrote in a statement concurring in the Supreme Court's denial of review in Steven Mulkey's capital murder case, noting his lawyers had not objected at trial.
Order (Law360) → · ABA Journal
Federal judge rejects Justice Department challenge to Virginia in-state tuition laws for noncitizen students
A federal judge in the Eastern District of Virginia on October 5, 2026, dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuit challenging two Virginia laws that it said improperly gave in-state tuition rates to noncitizen students. Judge Robert E. Payne granted Virginia's motion for summary judgment and denied the federal government's, holding that neither the Domicile Pathway nor the Tuition Equity Pathway is preempted by federal law.
Order (Bloomberg Law) → · Courthouse News Service
Latham hires Baker Botts' Lisa Kattan as ITC practice co-chair in Washington
Latham & Watkins said on October 5, 2026, that Lisa Kattan has joined its Washington, D.C., office from Baker Botts as a partner in its intellectual property litigation practice and co-chair of its International Trade Commission practice. Kattan represents technology and life sciences companies in Section 337 investigations and related patent disputes and earlier spent five years at the ITC as a senior investigative attorney.
Announcement (Bloomberg Law) → · PR Newswire
Dechert hires former CFTC official Carl Kennedy to lead commodities and derivatives
Dechert said on October 5, 2026, that Carl Kennedy has joined as a partner and head of commodities and derivatives in its financial services group in New York. Kennedy, who joins from Katten Muchin Rosenman, represents swap dealers, futures commission merchants, and market infrastructure clients, advises prediction market platforms, and previously served as senior counsel and policy advisor at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Announcement (PR Newswire) → · Bloomberg Law
O'Melveny hires SEC enforcement lawyer D. Mark Cave as Washington partner
O'Melveny & Myers said on October 5, 2026, that D. Mark Cave has joined its white collar defense and corporate investigations practice as a partner in Washington, D.C., from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's enforcement staff. Cave advises corporations, financial institutions, investment advisers, broker-dealers, executives, and boards in SEC enforcement proceedings and related regulatory matters.
Announcement (Bloomberg Law) → · Law360 Pulse
Supreme Court declines to hear Corporate Transparency Act challenges
The U.S. Supreme Court on October 5, 2026, declined to hear two cases challenging the constitutionality of the Corporate Transparency Act, the federal beneficial ownership reporting law. The petitions argued the law violates the Fourth Amendment and exceeds Congress's commerce power; the denials came in the order list on the first day of the court's 2026 term.
Order (Bloomberg Law) → · MLex, Law360 Tax Authority, National Law Journal
Supreme Court vacates rulings on Washington legislative map, orders Ninth Circuit review under Callais
The Supreme Court granted certiorari in Garcia v. Hobbs and Trevino v. Hobbs, vacated the judgments and remanded both cases to the Ninth Circuit for further consideration in light of Louisiana v. Callais. The challengers, including a Republican state lawmaker, had argued that Washington's court-drawn Yakima Valley legislative map was a racial gerrymander after a 2023 ruling found the prior map violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
Order (Supreme Court of the United States) → · Courthouse News Service, Democracy Docket, Campaign Legal Center
Supreme Court declines Maine lobstermen's Fourth Amendment challenge to boat tracking
The U.S. Supreme Court on October 5, 2026, declined to review a challenge by Maine lobstermen to a state Department of Marine Resources rule requiring continuous tracking of vessels that hold federal lobster permits. The denial leaves in place a First Circuit ruling that the rule does not violate the Fourth Amendment's protection against warrantless searches because commercial fishing is a closely regulated industry.
Order (Bloomberg Law) → · Law360
Baker McKenzie hires Kirkland's Allison Murphy to co-lead congressional investigations
Kirkland & Ellis partner Allison Murphy joined Baker McKenzie on October 5, 2026, to co-lead its congressional investigations practice with former Justice Department official Rod Rosenstein. The hire comes weeks before midterm elections that will decide the balance of power in Congress, as large firms build out their congressional investigations benches.
Announcement (Bloomberg Law) → · Law360 Pulse, Law.com
Trump order directs Treasury to weigh diesel tax deferral and waive dyed-diesel highway penalties
President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14435 on Oct. 5, directing the Treasury secretary to decide within five days whether 26 U.S.C. 7508A allows deferring certain diesel fuel taxes incurred Oct. 5 through Dec. 31, 2026, without penalties or interest, and to have the IRS announce it will not impose penalties for highway use of dyed diesel in that period. The order also asks Treasury to explore eliminating the deferred tax.
Text (Federal Register) → · The White House, TheTrucker.com
Ninth Circuit pauses reinstatement of fired Seattle U.S. attorney Roger Rogoff
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on October 4, 2026, granted the Justice Department an administrative stay of a district court's October 1 order reinstating Roger Rogoff as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington, in Rogoff v. Trump, No. 26-6445. The unsigned order keeps Rogoff out of the post while the court considers the government's emergency motion for a stay pending appeal and does not decide the merits.
Order (Bloomberg Law) → · Reuters, Lynnwood Times
Federal law roundup, week ending October 2, 2026: 2 developments
Two federal rules published September 29, 2026. The National Marine Fisheries Service added omitted inseason sablefish trip limits for West Coast groundfish fisheries, and the Environmental Protection Agency set a residue tolerance for the sodium salt of acifluorfen on sugar beet, with objections due November 30, 2026. Each item links to its Federal Register notice.
Pennsylvania federal court denies Starbucks bid to dismiss, transfer or stay union trademark suit
U.S. District Judge Michael Baylson on October 2 denied Starbucks' motion to dismiss a declaratory judgment lawsuit brought by Workers United in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The union seeks a ruling that its name and raised-fist logo do not infringe or dilute Starbucks trademarks or infringe its copyrights. The court held that a 2024 memorandum of understanding did not end the live controversy and declined Starbucks' alternative request to transfer or stay the case.
Order (U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania) → · Reuters, USA Herald, Hoodline
FTC settles Robinson-Patman Act price discrimination suit against Southern Glazer's
The Federal Trade Commission on October 2 filed a proposed stipulated consent decree resolving its Robinson-Patman Act price discrimination lawsuit against Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits in the Central District of California. The decree carries no civil penalty or admission of wrongdoing. For six years, an independent monitor will oversee whether Southern Glazer's charges independent retailers significantly more than its five largest chain customers in 26 states, with payments owed to harmed retailers.
Filing (Federal Trade Commission) → · Reuters, Associated Press, Global Competition Review
Twenty-one states, DC and five cities ask First Circuit to review NHTSA fuel-economy rollback
Twenty-one states, the District of Columbia and five cities, including California and New York, petitioned the First Circuit on October 2, 2026, to review NHTSA's SAFE Vehicles Rule III, which sets a fleetwide average of 34.9 miles per gallon by 2031, down from 50.4 under the Biden-era rule. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the rule violates the requirement that standards be set at the maximum feasible level, Reuters reported.
Filing (California Department of Justice) → · Reuters, Courthouse News Service, Spectrum News +1
Harvey partners with Legalscape to put Japanese law research on its AI platform
Nikkei Asia reported on October 2, 2026, that Japanese legal-tech company Legalscape will make its proprietary Japanese law research tool available on Harvey's AI platform. The tool lets Harvey users query Japanese statutes, case law and licensed legal publications, with summaries tied to source references. LegalTech Digest reported that Legalscape works with more than 40 publishers and serves more than 3,000 clients.
Announcement (Nikkei Asia) → · LegalTech Digest
Federal Reserve finalizes averaging of stress-test results to set capital buffer requirement
The Federal Reserve Board adopted a final rule (91 FR 62636) changing how it sets the stress capital buffer for large bank holding companies, savings and loan holding companies, U.S. intermediate holding companies of foreign banks and supervised nonbank financial companies. The buffer will use the average of the maximum common equity tier 1 declines projected in the Board's prior two annual stress tests, and its annual effective date moves from Oct. 1 to Jan. 1.
Text (Federal Register) → · ABA Banking Journal
Federal Reserve finalizes stress-test transparency rule requiring annual public comment on models and scenarios
The Federal Reserve Board on Sept. 30 adopted a final rule amending Regulations Y, LL and YY to open its annual bank stress tests to public comment. The Board will publish its stress-test models and scenarios each year, invite comment on material model changes, and respond to substantive comments before implementing them. The rule takes effect Nov. 2, 2026, under 91 FR 62870 (Oct. 2, 2026).
Text (Federal Register) → · ABA Banking Journal
SEC rewrites quorum rule so one commissioner can act when all others are disqualified
The Securities and Exchange Commission amended its quorum rule, 17 CFR 200.41, so that a single commissioner constitutes a quorum for a matter when every other commissioner in office is disqualified from it. Three commissioners otherwise remain a quorum. The SEC adopted the change without notice and comment as an agency-management rule, and it took effect Oct. 2, 2026 (91 FR 62654).
Text (Federal Register) → · CoinDesk
Proposed class sues Thomson Reuters over Casetext 'killer acquisition' into Westlaw
Bloomberg Law and the ABA Journal reported on October 2, 2026, that Carlsbad's Rubin Law Office filed a putative antitrust class action in the Northern District of California accusing Thomson Reuters of buying Casetext for $650 million and folding it into Westlaw to eliminate a lower-priced competitor. The complaint seeks class certification, treble damages, and an order to divest or restore Casetext; Thomson Reuters said it had not been served and declined comment until review.
Filing (Bloomberg Law) → · ABA Journal, Law360
DOJ sues University of Delaware over in-state tuition for undocumented students
The Justice Department sued the University of Delaware and its Board of Trustees in federal court in Delaware on October 1 over a residency policy that gives in-state tuition to students without lawful immigration status. The complaint alleges Section VII of the policy violates 8 U.S.C. 1623 by denying the same rates to U.S. citizens from other states, and 8 U.S.C. 1621(d) because no state law authorizes the benefit.
Filing (U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware) → · U.S. Department of Justice, Inside Higher Ed, Border Report
DOJ sues Maryland and two counties over law enforcement mask ban and ID rules
The Justice Department sued Maryland, its attorney general, the state police training commission and Prince George's and Montgomery counties on October 1, seeking to invalidate state and county laws that bar law enforcement officers, including federal agents, from wearing masks and require them to show identification. The complaint alleges Maryland's SB 1 and the two county ordinances directly regulate federal officers and violate the Supremacy Clause and intergovernmental immunity.
Filing (U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland) → · U.S. Department of Justice, The Daily Record
Ivo open-sources Sage contract model and makes Collaborate generally available
Ivo said on October 1, 2026, that it released Ivo Sage, a free open-source model post-trained with River AI on DeepSeek V4 Flash for long-horizon contract work, and that reinforcement learning lifted its Legal Agent Benchmark Contracts score from 70% to 91%. The company also made its Collaborate contract workflow product generally available. Legaltech News reported the Sage release on October 2.
Announcement (GlobeNewswire) → · Legaltech News
FCC sets Oct. 15 effective date for revised network-change disclosure rules
The FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau announced at 91 FR 62334 on Oct. 1, 2026, that OMB approved the information collections in Report and Order FCC 26-19, so the revised network-change disclosure and service-discontinuance rules in 47 CFR parts 51 and 63 take effect Oct. 15, 2026. From then, incumbent local exchange carriers no longer file network-change disclosures with the FCC and instead give notice through publicly accessible methods.
Text (Federal Register) → · NECA
State removes Syria from ITAR policy-of-denial list
The State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls issued a final rule Oct. 1, 2026, removing Syria from the ITAR section 126.1 list of countries subject to a U.S. policy of denial for defense-article licenses and approvals. Future license requests for Syria will be reviewed case by case. The change follows the August rescission of Syria's state-sponsor-of-terrorism designation and took effect Oct. 1, 2026 (91 FR 62313).
Text (Federal Register) → · Associated Press, LexBlog
USDA moves REAP grants to post-completion, performance-validated model
USDA's Rural Business-Cooperative Service published a final rule Oct. 1, 2026, restructuring the Rural Energy for America Program into a post-completion, performance-validated model. Projects must be fully built and operational before applying, with 12 months of pre-installation data and 12 months of production data. Ground-mounted solar and wind systems on certified cropland become ineligible. The rule (91 FR 62600) takes effect Oct. 16, 2026, with a 30-day comment period.
Text (Federal Register) → · Solar Power World, Michigan Farm News
Justice Department files judicial misconduct complaint against Minnesota federal judges over press interviews
The Justice Department filed a judicial misconduct complaint with Eighth Circuit Chief Judge Steven Colloton against Minnesota federal judges who spoke to the New York Times about immigration enforcement cases. Signed by Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter and Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, it accuses Senior Judges Patrick Schiltz and John Tunheim and anonymous colleagues of violating the judicial code of conduct and asks that they be required to recuse from Homeland Security cases.
Filing (U.S. Department of Justice) → · Reuters, Bloomberg Law, CNBC
SEC settles action against Travel + Leisure over timeshare loan portfolio disclosure omissions
The Securities and Exchange Commission filed a settled civil action in the Southern District of Florida against timeshare operator Travel + Leisure Co. over undisclosed loan rescission projects. The SEC alleges that between 2019 and 2021 the company removed more than 2,900 delinquent and defaulted timeshare loans totaling about $77 million to meet its loan loss provision guidance. Without admitting the allegations, Travel + Leisure agreed to pay a $975,000 civil penalty, subject to court approval.
Filing (U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida) → · U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Bloomberg Law, TradingView
McDermott and former associate stipulate to dismissal of discrimination lawsuit
McDermott Will & Schulte and a former associate stipulated to dismiss with prejudice a lawsuit alleging racial discrimination and retaliation, according to a September 30 filing in Chicago federal court. Reuters reported that the parties had resolved the dispute; neither the filing nor the report disclosed financial terms.
SEC sues Meyer Global Management and its CEO, alleging fraud on retail investors in pre-IPO SpaceX funds
The Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil enforcement action in Manhattan federal court against private fund adviser Meyer Global Management LLC and its chief executive Owen Meyer. The complaint alleges defendants raised $18.5 million from retail investors seeking pre-IPO exposure to SpaceX and OpenAI, while misappropriating $1.27 million for personal expenses and causing a managed fund to forfeit a nearly $3 million SpaceX investment after failing to meet capital calls.
Filing (U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York) → · U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Reuters, Fortune
Treasury and IRS issue temporary Trump Accounts regulations with automatic enrollment
The Treasury Department and the IRS issued temporary regulations (T.D. 10056), effective Sept. 30, for Trump Accounts, the tax-favored savings accounts for children under section 530A. On or about Oct. 1, Treasury will elect to open 'auto accounts' for eligible children who lack one, held in a master group trust until a guardian claims them. The rules also set requirements for qualified general contributions, including gifts of publicly traded stock.
Text (Federal Register) → · Thomson Reuters Tax & Accounting, Journal of Accountancy, Wealth Strategies Journal
NHTSA finalizes SAFE Vehicles Rule III resetting fuel-economy standards for model years 2022-2031
NHTSA published a final rule on Sept. 30 recalibrating Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks for model years 2022 through 2031. NHTSA estimates the standards correspond to a fleetwide average of roughly 34.9 mpg in model year 2031. The rule ends trading of credits earned in model year 2028 and later and applies updated vehicle classification definitions from model year 2030. It takes effect Nov. 30.
Text (Federal Register) → · CollisionWeek, GM Authority, Business Fleet
OFAC issues new Cuba Sanctions Regulations implementing May executive order
OFAC published a final rule on Sept. 30 establishing new Cuba Sanctions Regulations at 31 CFR Part 516 to implement Executive Order 14404 of May 1, 2026, on repression in Cuba. The regulations prohibit all transactions barred by the order and authorize sanctions against foreign financial institutions that conduct or facilitate significant transactions for blocked persons. OFAC issued the part in abbreviated form for immediate guidance and plans a fuller set of regulations with interpretive guidance, definitions, and general licenses.
Text (Federal Register) → · Thompson Hine SmarTrade, Office of Foreign Assets Control
OFAC amends Cuban Assets Control Regulations to restrict travel and block entrepreneur accounts
OFAC published a final rule (91 FR 61741) on Sept. 30, 2026, amending the Cuban Assets Control Regulations at 31 CFR Part 515, effective that day. U.S. persons may no longer engage in indirect financial transactions with entities on the Cuba Restricted List or travel to Cuba for professional meetings or group educational trips. The rule revokes the authorization for bank accounts of independent Cuban entrepreneurs, and banks must block those funds.
Text (Federal Register) → · Thompson Hine SmarTrade, Cuba Headlines, Office of Foreign Assets Control
OFAC writes 2020 Iran sectors order into sanctions regulations, with humanitarian exemption
OFAC published a final rule on September 30, 2026 (91 FR 61759), effective that day, amending the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations at 31 CFR part 560 to implement Executive Order 13902 of January 10, 2020. New section 560.211(c)(1)(iii) adds the order's blocking authority over persons in specified Iranian economic sectors, with exemptions for agricultural commodities, food, medicine and medical devices and for United Nations official business.
Text (Federal Register) → · Office of Foreign Assets Control
Treasury sets procedures for reviewing state stablecoin regimes under GENIUS Act
The Treasury Department, on behalf of the Stablecoin Certification Review Committee, issued an interim final rule on Sept. 30 setting the process and forms for state payment stablecoin regulators to certify their regimes under section 4(c) of the GENIUS Act. The committee, chaired by the Treasury Secretary with the Federal Reserve and FDIC chairs, will approve or deny certifications. None will be accepted until the information collection receives Paperwork Reduction Act approval. Comments are due Nov. 30.
Text (Federal Register) → · Forkast
USCIS finalizes EB-5 fee rule more than doubling investor petition charges
USCIS published a final rule on Sept. 30 that resets EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program fees for filings postmarked on or after Nov. 30. The Form I-526 standalone investor petition fee becomes $7,615 and the initial Form I-526E regional-center petition $7,850, each with a $75 technology fee. The rule creates Form I-527 for certain legacy investors at $10,330 and codifies provisions of the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022.
Text (Federal Register) → · USCIS, Erickson Immigration Group, The Hindu BusinessLine
Manhattan federal judge enjoins New York ban on algorithmic rent-setting software on First Amendment grounds
U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni preliminarily enjoined New York from enforcing Section 3 of General Business Law 340-B, the state's ban on algorithmic rent-setting tools, and denied Attorney General Letitia James's motion to dismiss RealPage's suit. In a 27-page opinion filed September 29, she called it a close call but found RealPage marginally likely to show the law restricts speech protected by the First Amendment.
Opinion (U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York) → · Reuters, Law360, MLex
Third Circuit affirms Thomson Reuters win over ROSS on Westlaw headnotes and AI training
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on September 29, 2026, affirmed a Delaware federal judgment that ROSS Intelligence infringed Thomson Reuters Westlaw headnotes and could not claim fair use for using them to train a competing AI legal research tool, Bloomberg Law and Copyright Lately reported. The precedential opinion, filed under temporary seal on September 29, is now public on the court's website.
Order (Bloomberg Law) → · Copyright Lately, LawSites, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit +1
SEC files twin Manhattan fraud lawsuits over alleged $15M WhatsApp AI trading schemes
The Securities and Exchange Commission filed two civil fraud actions in Manhattan federal court against Cryptoaiml and TSAI Pro entities, alleging they took more than $15 million from retail investors. The SEC alleges the defendants lured investors through WhatsApp and other platforms with fake AI trading programs, displayed fictitious profits, froze withdrawals to demand further payments, and filed Form D notices listing fictitious officers with forged notarizations.
Filing (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) → · Bloomberg, The Defiant, FX News Group
Colorado sues Department of Homeland Security over $500M Hudson immigrant detention facility contract
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security challenging a five-year contract exceeding $500 million with The GEO Group to operate a 1,200-bed immigration detention center in Hudson. The complaint alleges federal officials violated the National Environmental Policy Act, the Administrative Procedure Act and the Immigration and Nationality Act by awarding the contract without the required environmental review.
Filing (U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado) → · Colorado Attorney General, Courthouse News Service, The Denver Post
Steno appoints LegalZoom co-founder Brian Lee to its board of directors
Court reporting and litigation support company Steno appointed LegalZoom co-founder Brian Lee to its board of directors, the company said on September 29, 2026, and Artificial Lawyer reported the same day. Steno said Lee grew LegalZoom revenue past $300 million before its public offering. CEO Prabhdeep Singh said Lee understands how to build market-defining legal service companies. The appointment follows Steno's $49 million Series C earlier in 2026.
Announcement (Steno) → · Artificial Lawyer
Morae launches MorAI Legal Intelligence Platform with AI spend module
Morae unveiled its Legal Intelligence Platform and first module, MorAI Spend Intelligence, Legal IT Insider reported on September 29, 2026. The managed offering pairs billing-trained AI with Morae expert review to connect ELM, matter management, and law firm billing data into a single decision layer for outside counsel spend. In an early insurance-company deployment, Morae said savings rose from 8.5% to 18% while cutting 14,000 hours of manual invoice review.
Announcement (Legal IT Insider) → · GlobeNewswire / Morae
Sullivan & Cromwell details OpenAI engineering work and internal use of Agreement Analyzer
Sullivan & Cromwell worked with OpenAI engineers to refine its Agreement Analyzer after partner John Savva built an initial version, Bloomberg Law reported. Savva told the outlet the tool would initially be used only within the firm and that development used hypothetical agreements and draft playbooks rather than client documents.
Announcement (Bloomberg Law) → · Sullivan & Cromwell
Education Department repeals 2024 Title IX rule and recodifies prior text
The Education Department published a final rule repealing its 2024 Title IX regulations and recodifying the text that existed before the 2024 rulemaking at 34 CFR part 106. The department said the 2024 rule was vacated nationwide and had not been enforced for over a year and a half. The rule omits four obsolete provisions, including a sentence vacated by Victim Rights Law Center v. Cardona. It took effect September 29, 2026.
SBA removes affirmative action and disparate-impact provisions from Title VI rules
The Small Business Administration published a final rule rescinding provisions of its Title VI regulations (13 CFR part 112) that authorized or required affirmative action by SBA program applicants and recipients. The rule also removes references to employment practices and drops disparate-impact coverage, stating the regulations prohibit only intentional discrimination. SBA cited a December 2025 DOJ Title VI revision and Executive Order 14281. The rule took effect September 29, 2026.
Law roundup: seven FAA airworthiness directives, IRS and HUD fee changes, Nebraska harvest weight relief
Sixteen federal rules and notices published September 24 to 28, plus one Nebraska executive order. They include seven FAA airworthiness directives and new IFR altitudes, an IRS estate tax closing letter fee rising from $56 to $76, a 1.05% HUD Section 108 guarantee fee for fiscal 2027, PHMSA's adoption of ASME Section XII for transport tanks, FTC rules of practice changes, and Nebraska's 90-day, permit-free 25% weight allowance for harvest haulers.
Entries (State of Nebraska, Office of the Governor) → · Federal Register
Federal law roundup: softwood lumber assessment, NHTSA target waiver, Access Board FOIA rules
Three federal final rules were published September 22 and 23. USDA clarified that the softwood lumber assessment of $0.41 per thousand board feet applies on a nominal count and added a U.S. South seat to the Softwood Lumber Board, effective October 22. NHTSA waived, for fiscal year 2027 only, the requirement that states' common highway safety targets match FHWA's. The Access Board replaced its FOIA regulations with a new 36 CFR part 1120.
Massachusetts federal court rejects challenge to Trader Joe's 401(k) forfeitures but orders $1.2M fee award
U.S. District Judge William Young issued findings of fact and rulings of law following a six-day bench trial in an ERISA class action against Trader Joe's. The court rejected claims that Trader Joe's unlawfully used forfeited retirement funds to offset employer contributions and a claim over a poorly performing fund, but ruled for participants on claims that fiduciaries failed to monitor recordkeeping fees, awarding $1,187,221 in damages and interest.
Order (U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts) → · Reuters, Law360
California federal judge denies class certification in Energizer and Walmart battery price-fixing lawsuits
A California federal court denied class certification to three putative purchaser classes accusing Energizer Holdings and Walmart of conspiring to inflate disposable battery prices through wholesale distribution agreements. U.S. District Judge P. Casey Pitts held that the plaintiffs failed to establish commonality and antitrust impact on a classwide basis, finding that their economists' difference-in-differences regression models did not satisfy the foundational parallel trends assumption.
Order (U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California) → · Reuters, VitalLaw, Hoodline
Corteva and Inari settle Delaware seed patent dispute days into jury trial
Corteva Agriscience and gene-editing company Inari Agriculture settled their patent and plant variety protection litigation days into a jury trial in Delaware federal court over Inari's use of Corteva's patented corn and soybean seed deposits. Under a stipulated order of dismissal with prejudice signed by Judge John F. Murphy on September 28, Inari must destroy all Corteva biological materials within 30 days, assign its edited versions of Corteva traits to Corteva, and negotiate licensing agreements; other terms are confidential.
Filing (U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware) → · Reuters, The Patent Lawyer Magazine, Corteva Agriscience
Delaware federal court denies Pfizer and Moderna bids to dismiss Bayer COVID-19 vaccine mRNA patent lawsuits
U.S. Circuit Judge William Bryson, sitting by designation in Delaware federal court, denied motions to dismiss filed by Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna in patent infringement litigation brought by Bayer over messenger RNA technology. The court held that Bayer's asserted claims are not directed to patent-ineligible natural laws under Section 101 and that Bayer plausibly pled infringement under Section 271.
Opinion (U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware) → · Reuters, Law360, GuruFocus
DISCO survey finds legal AI adoption up while consumption pricing worries grow
A DISCO-sponsored survey of 104 legal professionals by Ari Kaplan Advisors found more legal teams using AI in routine work, Above the Law reported on September 28, 2026. Fifty-eight percent said they had folded AI into routine processes, up from 35 percent a year earlier, and 72 percent said they were confident using it for document review. Legaltech News reported growing concern about consumption-based pricing.
Paper (Above the Law) → · Legaltech News
Boston sues Transportation Department over cancellation of $20M RAISE grant for Roxbury street project citing EV chargers
The City of Boston sued Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in Massachusetts federal court over the withdrawal of a $20 million RAISE grant awarded in 2022 for the Roxbury Resilient Corridors project. Boston alleges the department lacked authority under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to cancel the grant because the project included electric vehicle chargers, and that the rescission violated the Administrative Procedure Act and separation-of-powers principles.
Filing (U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts) → · Reuters, Law360, Boston 25 News +1
Mitratech acquires BotDojo to add agentic AI and MCP support to ARIES
Legal, compliance and HR software provider Mitratech acquired AI agent startup BotDojo to integrate agent infrastructure into its ARIES legal, compliance, and HR platform, Legaltech News reported on September 28, 2026. Financial terms were not disclosed. Mitratech said the deal will enable two-way Model Context Protocol support so authorized agents can access matter, spend, and document data under governed permissions, with initial agent workflows planned for intake triage, invoice review, contract turnaround, and matter reporting.
Announcement (Legaltech News) → · THE D*AI*LY BRIEF
Fifteen states and Harris County petition Second Circuit to vacate FAA environmental review for commercial drone deliveries
A coalition of 15 states and Harris County, Texas, petitioned the Second Circuit to review and set aside the Federal Aviation Administration's nationwide environmental review for commercial drone package deliveries. The petitioners contend the agency violated the National Environmental Policy Act by approving nationwide operations without adequately analyzing safety risks and environmental impacts, including noise from delivery hubs. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the assessment falls far short of proper analysis.
Filing (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit) → · Reuters, Bloomberg Law, Law Commentary +1
FAA stops single-pilot exemptions for two-pilot Cessna Citation CE-500 jets
The Federal Aviation Administration said it would stop issuing exemptions that let certain Cessna Citation CE-500 aircraft certified for two-pilot crews operate with a single pilot, citing safety concerns and widespread non-compliance found in a review. Current exemption holders face rescission by separate action, and pilots holding logbook endorsements from exempted providers must now fly two-pilot configurations. The policy statement takes effect September 29, 2026.
Text (Federal Register) → · NBAA
Repario acquires UnitedLex from CVC to build AI-led legal services platform
JLL Partners-backed e-discovery and managed review provider Repario acquired alternative legal services provider UnitedLex from CVC Capital Partners, LawSites and Legaltech News reported on September 28, 2026. Financial terms were not disclosed. The combined company, led by Repario CEO David Moran, will pair Repario's e-discovery, infrastructure-as-a-service, and managed review with UnitedLex's litigation, contracts, legal operations, intellectual property, AI advisory, and incident response services across the United States, Mexico, India, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.
Announcement (LawSites) → · Legaltech News, UnitedLex
San Diego jury awards Taction $5.7 billion against Apple over haptic patents
A federal jury in San Diego on September 25, 2026 found Apple infringed two Taction Technology haptics patents covering vibration technology used in iPhone and Apple Watch Taptic Engine products and awarded about $5.72 billion, Bloomberg Law and Reuters reported. Jurors found the infringement was not willful. Apple said it does not use Taction’s technology and will appeal; the Federal Circuit had revived the case in 2025 after a 2023 noninfringement summary judgment.
Filing (Bloomberg Law) → · Reuters, Patent Litigator, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit +2
Trump administration settles union suit over shutdown mass-layoff authority
The Trump administration agreed on September 25, 2026 to rescind guidance authorizing federal agencies to initiate reductions in force during appropriations lapses, settling American Federation of Government Employees v. Office of Management and Budget in the Northern District of California, Bloomberg Law, Reuters and Government Executive reported. Agencies must strip blanket RIF authorization from shutdown contingency plans and give plaintiff unions 30 days’ notice before restoring such language. The suit challenged mass layoff notices issued during the 2025 government shutdown.
Filing (Bloomberg Law) → · Reuters, Government Executive
Sixth Circuit rules states can regulate Kalshi sports event contracts, finding CEA does not preempt state gambling laws
A unanimous Sixth Circuit panel ruled that state regulators in Ohio and Tennessee can enforce gambling laws against Kalshi's sports prediction markets. Judge Gibbons wrote that Kalshi failed to prove event contracts are statutory swaps under CFTC exclusive jurisdiction, and alternatively held the Commodity Exchange Act does not preempt state gaming statutes. The court affirmed denial of an Ohio injunction and vacated Tennessee injunctive relief.
Order (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit) → · Courthouse News Service, CoinDesk, Unchained
Oregon federal judge vacates CFPB defunding decisions, declaring Vought funding cutoff unlawful
U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken granted partial summary judgment on Friday to twenty-two state attorneys general challenging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's refusal to request operating funds from the Federal Reserve. The court held that former Acting Director Russell Vought's decision to defund the agency violated the Dodd-Frank Act and the separation of powers. Judge Aiken vacated the defunding decisions and declared the Federal Reserve must transfer the funds the director deems necessary, declining injunctive relief for fiscal 2026.
Opinion (U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon) → · Courthouse News Service, State of California - Department of Justice - Office of the Attorney General, Law360
Supreme Court stays Eighth Circuit order requiring Missouri to use 2025 congressional redistricting map
The Supreme Court of the United States granted an emergency application for a stay in People Not Politicians v. Onder, blocking lower federal court orders that required Missouri to use a 2025 congressional redistricting map in the 2026 elections. The per curiam order held under the Purcell principle that federal courts cannot alter election rules while voting is actively underway, and reaffirmed that the state must conduct elections under its 2022 map.
Order (Supreme Court of the United States) → · SCOTUSblog, NPR, Democracy Docket
Supreme Court stays block on modified SAVE voter citizenship database
The Supreme Court on September 25, 2026 stayed a District of Columbia federal court order that had vacated DHS’s modified Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program used to help states verify voter citizenship. The unsigned majority said challengers likely have standing but are unlikely to succeed on Social Security Act, Privacy Act and APA claims, citing 8 U.S.C. §1373. Justices Jackson, Sotomayor and Kagan dissented.
Order (SCOTUSblog) → · Supreme Court of the United States, BBC News, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
D.C. Circuit upholds Pentagon designation of Anthropic as supply-chain risk over autonomous weapons limits
A divided D.C. Circuit panel denied Anthropic PBC's petitions challenging the Department of War's exclusion of Claude from the military supply chain under the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act. Judge Katsas, joined by Judge Rao, held the Secretary reasonably found Anthropic's contractual limits on autonomous lethal warfare and domestic surveillance a supply-chain risk, and rejected Anthropic's notice, due process and First Amendment claims. Judge Henderson dissented on the statute's definition of supply chain risk.
Order (U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit) → · Courthouse News Service, CNBC, WIRED +1
Epiq acquires breach-response software provider Canopy
Legal technology and services provider Epiq acquired data breach response and privacy software company Canopy on September 25, 2026, Legaltech News and Legal IT Insider reported. Financial terms were not disclosed. Epiq said Canopy’s platform, which identifies and reviews sensitive exposed data, will be integrated into Epiq AI and made available through Epiq Service Cloud, moving breach-response tech from a partnership model in-house.
Announcement (Legaltech News) → · Legal IT Insider
Trump signs Hydropower Licensing Transparency Act requiring annual FERC reports
President Trump signed the Hydropower Licensing Transparency Act (H.R. 3657) on September 25, 2026. The law requires the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to report to Congress within 180 days, and annually thereafter, on pending hydropower license applications for which applicants gave at least three years’ notice of intent to apply, listing each docket, its status and the anticipated issuance date. Sponsored by Rep. Kim Schrier, the bipartisan bill took effect on signing; no public law number had yet been assigned.
Enrolled text (GovInfo (U.S. Government Publishing Office)) → · The White House, Congress.gov, Renewable Energy World
Trump signs MAPOceans Act requiring public database of offshore recreation restrictions
President Trump signed the Modernizing Access to Our Public Oceans Act (S. 759) on September 25, 2026. The Secretary of Commerce, through NOAA, must set data standards within 31 months and, within four years, publish on a public website geospatial data identifying U.S. exclusive economic zone areas subject to restrictions on fishing, boating and other recreation, refreshed at least twice a year. The act took effect on signing; no public law number had yet been assigned.
Enrolled text (GovInfo (U.S. Government Publishing Office)) → · The White House, Congress.gov
Justice Department moves to intervene in EU court backing X Corp and Elon Musk against €120M fine
The United States Justice Department filed an application in the General Court of the European Union to intervene in lawsuits brought by X Corp and Elon Musk challenging a €120 million Digital Services Act fine. Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate argued the European Commission exceeded its extraterritorial authority and improperly pierced corporate veils by attributing turnover across unrelated Musk-owned companies.
Filing (U.S. Department of Justice) → · ABC News, CBC News, MLex
Weil rehires Willkie restructuring co-chair Debra Sinclair as partner
Weil, Gotshal & Manges is bringing back Debra M. Sinclair as a partner in its U.S. restructuring practice, the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg Law reported on September 24, 2026. Sinclair, co-chair of Willkie Farr & Gallagher’s strategic capital and restructuring department, began her career at Weil in 2013 and is expected to return in the coming weeks. At Willkie she led matters including the Saks Global chapter 11 restructuring, WSJ said, amid leadership changes at both firms.
Announcement (The Wall Street Journal) → · Bloomberg Law
Education Department panel declines to recommend on ABA law-school accreditation renewal
The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity voted on September 24, 2026 not to recommend whether the Education Department should renew the American Bar Association council’s federal recognition as a law-school accreditor, after deadlocking the prior day. The matter now goes to Under Secretary Nicholas Kent, who has up to 90 days to decide. The department last month signaled it plans not to renew the ABA’s status.
Text (Bloomberg Law) → · Law360, Inside Higher Ed
O'Melveny hires Linklaters restructuring partner Penelope Jensen in New York
O'Melveny & Myers hired Penelope Jensen as a New York bankruptcy and restructuring partner from Linklaters, Bloomberg Law and the New York Law Journal reported on September 24, 2026. Jensen advises creditors and lenders in chapter 11, chapter 15 and out-of-court restructurings. She is O'Melveny’s second New York restructuring partner addition in September after David Botter joined from Cleary Gottlieb.
Announcement (Bloomberg Law) → · New York Law Journal
Ontario Teachers’ invests $50M in Harvey, extending round to $600M
Teachers’ Venture Growth of Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan invested US$50 million in legal AI company Harvey on September 24, 2026, The Globe and Mail and Canadian Lawyer reported. The tranche extends Harvey’s Diffusion and Lightspeed round from US$550 million to US$600 million at the prior US$15.5 billion valuation. Harvey said it works with more than 100 Canadian law firms and legal teams and will grow its Toronto staff.
Announcement (CNW/PR Newswire) → · Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, The Globe and Mail, Canadian Lawyer +1
New York sues Polymarket alleging unlicensed gambling while company countersues in federal court
New York Attorney General Letitia James and Governor Kathy Hochul filed an enforcement petition in Manhattan state court on Thursday against QCX LLC, operating as Polymarket US, alleging the prediction market ran an unlicensed gambling business that offered sports event wagers to individuals under twenty-one. Polymarket countersued James and state gaming officials in Manhattan federal court several hours later, asserting that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission holds exclusive regulatory jurisdiction over federally registered event contracts and derivatives exchanges.
Filing (Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York) → · Office of the New York State Attorney General, Reuters, CNBC
Seyfarth faces proposed class action over August employee-account incident
A proposed class action filed in Illinois federal court on September 24 accused Seyfarth Shaw of failing to safeguard personal information exposed in an August incident, Reuters reported. The plaintiff, a former employee of a Seyfarth client, says the breach affected more than 56,000 people. Seyfarth said in a statement that its network and systems were not breached and that someone impersonating its IT help desk targeted a single employee.
Akerman launches PineWest Data Intelligence for litigation, privacy, and governance data work
Akerman LLP announced on September 23, 2026 the launch of PineWest Data Intelligence, a service division extending its e-discovery practice into data services for litigation, privacy, governance, and transactions, Law360 Pulse reported. The firm said the division, led by managing director Elan Hersh, grows out of its eDiscovery practice and covers information governance consulting, e-discovery and litigation data services, privacy and data-subject-request fulfillment, and transactional data diligence.
Announcement (Law360 Pulse) → · Akerman
Former DOJ health-care fraud lawyer Augustine Ripa to join Whistleblower Law Collaborative in Boston
Augustine Ripa is joining Whistleblower Law Collaborative as a Boston partner in its False Claims Act practice from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bloomberg Law reported on September 23, 2026; the firm said the move takes effect on September 28. His practice focuses on health-care FCA matters including pharmaceutical pricing, Anti-Kickback Statute issues, and FDA and regulatory-approval fraud theories.
Announcement (Bloomberg Law) → · Whistleblower Law Collaborative
8am launches MyCase Claude MCP connector, IQ tools, and 8am Capital at Kaleidoscope
At its Kaleidoscope conference in Las Vegas on September 23, 2026, 8am announced a Claude MCP connector for MyCase with 73 actions, new 8am IQ Firm Agent and IQ Draft features headed to beta in October, plus Smart Spend Intelligence and 8am Capital lending inside LawPay, LawSites and Law.com Legaltech News reported. The AI releases apply to MyCase among 8am’s practice-management brands.
Announcement (LawSites) → · Law.com Legaltech News
District of Minnesota approves settlement ending state usury suit against online lender Plain Green
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey M. Bryan approved a settlement agreement between Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and officials of tribal online lender Plain Green on September 23, 2026. The order resolves federal litigation alleging Plain Green charged Minnesota borrowers annual interest rates approaching seven hundred percent, exceeding state rate caps. Plain Green cancelled all interest on existing loans, credited prior payments toward principal, and agreed to stop marketing or making loans in Minnesota unless it complies with state lending law.
Order (U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota) → · Minnesota Attorney General's Office, Red Lake Nation News, Ingstad Media +1
Spellbook names Meltem Kuran-Berkowitz its first chief marketing officer
Legal contract AI vendor Spellbook appointed Meltem Kuran-Berkowitz as its first chief marketing officer on September 23, 2026, Business Insider and Legal IT Insider reported, after she led marketing on an interim basis. She previously spent five and a half years as head of growth at Deel as that company scaled past $1 billion in ARR, and will lead growth and marketing as Spellbook expands Autonomous Contract Management and Review for in-house teams.
Announcement (Business Insider) → · Business Wire via Financial Post, Legal IT Insider
Duane Morris and former partner report an individual settlement in pay lawsuit
Duane Morris and a former partner notified a California federal court that they had agreed to settle the plaintiff’s claims individually after private mediation. Reuters reported the notice on September 24. The lawsuit challenged the treatment of non-equity partners; the firm had previously denied wrongdoing.
HHS pauses Exchange registration for new agents and brokers through February 2027
The Department of Health and Human Services published an interim final rule on September 23, 2026 (91 FR 60317, CMS-9872-IFC) codifying CMS authority to impose temporary moratoria on Exchange agent and broker registration, and immediately paused Plan Year 2027 registration on the federally facilitated Exchanges for agents and brokers without Plan Year 2026 agreements. The moratorium took effect September 22, 2026 and runs through February 1, 2027 unless CMS lifts, extends or modifies it; comments are due November 21, 2026.
Text (Federal Register) → · Federal Register (full text)
Trump tells the UN that US documents will say 'super intelligence' and that the Justice Department will watch AI
President Trump told the 81st United Nations General Assembly on September 22, 2026 that United States documents will use the term "super intelligence" in place of "artificial intelligence," and that the administration will watch the sector through the Justice Department rather than new regulation. No executive order, memorandum or Federal Register document had made the change as of that evening.
Text (UN Web TV) → · Reuters, The Hill, PBS News +5
Western District of Michigan dismisses Michigan’s antitrust suit against oil majors for lack of antitrust standing
U.S. District Judge Jane M. Beckering dismissed Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s antitrust suit against BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell, and the American Petroleum Institute on September 22, 2026. The court held Michigan lacked antitrust standing under the Sherman and Clayton Acts: the alleged decades-long conspiracy was not plausibly pleaded to have proximately caused retail energy overcharges, and Illinois Brick bars most indirect-purchaser overcharge damages. Beckering dismissed the federal claim with prejudice and declined supplemental jurisdiction over the state claim.
Opinion (U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan) → · Reuters, Legal Newsline, The Seattle Times
California and Energy Commission sue Trump administration over $111 million Morro Bay offshore wind lease buyout
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the California Energy Commission sued the Department of the Interior, federal officials, and Invenergy California Offshore in federal court on Tuesday. The fifty-four-page complaint challenges a June 2026 agreement paying Invenergy over $111 million to surrender its two-gigawatt Morro Bay offshore wind lease. California alleges the buyout violates the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, and constitutional spending limits while requiring fossil-fuel investments.
Filing (U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California) → · Associated Press, The Morning Call, California Department of Justice +1
Eight states sue Trump administration and Bluepoint Wind over $765 million offshore wind lease buyout
New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of eight states sued the Department of the Interior, federal officials, and Bluepoint Wind in Brooklyn federal court on Tuesday. The eighty-one-page complaint challenges a $765 million Judgment Fund settlement that canceled Bluepoint's 2.4-gigawatt New York Bight offshore wind lease. The states allege the agreement illegally diverts taxpayer funds to a liquefied natural gas project, violating federal energy and environmental statutes.
Filing (U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York) → · Associated Press, The Morning Call, Office of the New York State Attorney General
Husch Blackwell hires Cross River Bank AGC Kavitha Subramanian for consumer fintech practice
Kavitha Subramanian joined Husch Blackwell’s Consumer Financial Services practice as a member of The Link, Bloomberg Law reported on September 22, 2026. She most recently was associate general counsel at Cross River Bank and previously held chief compliance and privacy roles at Theorem and Jackson Hewitt.
Announcement (Bloomberg Law) → · Husch Blackwell
Morrison Foerster hires ex-Associate Deputy AG Paul Perkins to chair False Claims Act practice in DC
Paul Perkins joined Morrison Foerster as a Washington, D.C. partner in Investigations + White Collar Defense and chair of the False Claims Act practice, Bloomberg Law and the firm reported on September 22, 2026. He most recently served as Associate Deputy Attorney General after senior Civil Fraud Section roles at the U.S. Department of Justice.
Announcement (Bloomberg Law) → · Morrison Foerster
Harvey launches US, UK, and Australia pro bono program with major-firm design partners
Harvey launched a dedicated pro bono program in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia on September 22, 2026, Artificial Lawyer and LawSites reported. First-phase design partners are senior pro bono leaders at Ashurst Perkins Coie, DLA Piper, and Nelson Mullins; Harvey will build custom agents for high-volume casework, dedicate legal engineering support in the US and UK, and plans a later free-access pilot for frontline legal services organizations.
Announcement (Artificial Lawyer) → · LawSites
Mayer Brown hires Alston & Bird investigations partner Albert BJ Stieglitz in Washington
Albert "BJ" Stieglitz joined Mayer Brown as a partner in its Global Investigations & White Collar Defense practice in Washington, D.C., Bloomberg Law and the firm reported on September 22, 2026. He joins from Alston & Bird after nearly 13 years at the U.S. Department of Justice, where he led fraud and FCPA investigations in the Criminal Division Fraud Section and served a dual secondment to the UK Serious Fraud Office and Financial Conduct Authority.
Announcement (Bloomberg Law) → · Mayer Brown
Fiserv CLO Adam Rosman joins Nvidia-backed Nscale as chief legal officer ahead of IPO
Adam Rosman, chief legal and administrative officer of Fiserv, will become chief legal officer of Nvidia-backed AI infrastructure company Nscale as it pursues a New York IPO, Law.com Corporate Counsel reported on 22–September 23, 2026. A company release said he starts October 1, 2026 and will oversee legal, regulatory, and governance functions alongside Frank Slootman’s board appointment.
Announcement (Law.com Corporate Counsel) → · PR Newswire
Bessent says OpenAI management, not AI agents, is responsible for the Hugging Face intrusion
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on CNBC on September 21, 2026 that the Hugging Face intrusion is "the responsibility of the OpenAI management, not a bunch of agents," and that the administration will not take liability off AI labs' hands. OpenAI already faces an Alabama subpoena under the state's Deceptive Trade Practices Act, a 15-state preservation demand, and congressional inquiries, with documents due to Senator Josh Hawley by October 1.
Report (CNBC) → · OpenAI, Hugging Face, Alabama Attorney General +4
Crowell & Moring adds former EPA counsel Michele Knorr in D.C. environment group
Crowell & Moring announced on September 22, 2026 that Michele Knorr, a former attorney in the U.S. EPA Office of General Counsel, joined as senior counsel in its Environment & Natural Resources Group in Washington, D.C., Law360 Pulse reported the following day. Knorr will advise on agricultural technology and chemical regulatory issues, including FIFRA and crop-protection matters.
Announcement (Crowell & Moring) → · Law360 Pulse
British Columbia and school board sue OpenAI over failure to report school-shooting threats
The Province of British Columbia and School District 59 sued OpenAI and Chief Executive Sam Altman in California federal court on Monday, alleging the company failed to alert police to ChatGPT conversations planning a February 2026 school shooting. The complaint asserts OpenAI identified the user as an imminent threat in June 2025 but deactivated the account without notifying Canadian authorities. British Columbia seeks reimbursement for reconstructing Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, psychiatric services, punitive damages, and injunctive safety mandates.
Filing (BC Gov News) → · CityNews Kitchener, Reuters, BBC News
Twelve states file proposed consent decree settling antitrust challenge to Paramount-Warner Bros merger
A twelve-state coalition led by California submitted a proposed consent decree in California federal court on Monday, settling antitrust litigation against Paramount Skydance's planned acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery. Under the thirty-two-page agreement, Paramount agreed to divest cable networks including Comedy Central and BET, maintain theatrical film quotas for five years, increase domestic production spending by $300 million annually, and establish independent editorial oversight boards for CBS News and CNN.
Filing (Office of the New York State Attorney General) → · Reuters, Deadline, ABC7 Chicago
CNN, MS NOW, and Politico sue Trump in federal court over White House press access ban
CNN, MS NOW, and Politico filed a joint lawsuit against President Donald Trump and senior administration officials in Washington federal court on September 21, 2026, challenging the revocation of press credentials. The twenty-seven-page complaint alleges the administration violated the First Amendment by imposing viewpoint-discriminatory exclusions based on editorial coverage and violated Fifth Amendment due process by banning journalists without notice, hearing, or published standards.
Filing (U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia) → · NPR, Bloomberg Law, Journal Record
Mayer Brown hires former Fed senior special counsel Andrew Hartlage for DC public policy practice
Andrew Hartlage joined Mayer Brown as a partner in its Public Policy, Regulatory & Government Affairs practice in Washington, D.C., the firm announced on September 21, 2026. He brings more than 13 years of financial services policy experience, most recently as senior special counsel in the Federal Reserve Board Legal Division, and was lately on assignment to the House Financial Services Committee staff.
Announcement (Pulse2) → · Mayer Brown
DEA places diphenidine in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act
The Drug Enforcement Administration placed diphenidine (1-(1,2-diphenylethyl)piperidine), including its salts, isomers, and salts of isomers, in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act by final rule published September 21, 2026 (91 FR 59695, FR Doc. 2026-19231), effective October 21, 2026. Anyone who manufactures, distributes, imports, exports, researches or possesses the substance becomes subject to Schedule I registration, security and recordkeeping requirements and to administrative, civil and criminal sanctions. The rule implements US obligations under the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances.
State Department rewrites its FOIA and public-access-to-information rules
The Department of State revised its public-access-to-information regulations at 22 CFR part 171, effective October 21, 2026 (FR Doc. 2026-19223), reflecting organizational and procedural changes and the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016. Electronic FOIA and Privacy Act requests for the Information Access Programs Directorate and the Directorate for Passport Services are accepted only via FOIA.gov or the Department's FOIA website. The rule simplifies procedures for describing records sought and points requesters to current component contact information.
Boies Schiller adds Womble AI and patent partner Christian Mammen in San Francisco
Boies Schiller Flexner hired Christian Mammen as an intellectual property partner in San Francisco, Law.com reported on September 21, 2026. Mammen joins from Womble Bond Dickinson, where he was office managing partner for San Francisco and Walnut Creek and co-founded the firm’s AI practice.
Announcement (Law.com / The Recorder) → · Boies Schiller Flexner
Debevoise hires Freshfields global secondaries co-head Mary Lavelle in London
Debevoise & Plimpton hired Mary Lavelle, Freshfields’ global co-head of private funds and secondaries, as a London partner in its Private Fund Transactions and Investment Management groups, the firm said on September 21, 2026. Law.com, Real Deals, and Nonbillable reported she will advise on continuation vehicles, LP portfolio sales, co-investments, and recapitalizations after joining Freshfields from Akin in 2024.
Announcement (Debevoise & Plimpton) → · Law.com International, Real Deals, Nonbillable +1
Trump signs Graham sanctions act authorizing up to 500% tariffs on Russian imports
President Donald Trump signed H.R. 5334, the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, on September 18. The law authorizes tariffs of up to 500% on Russian goods and up to 100% on goods from leading buyers of Russian oil and gas, bans U.S. purchases of Russian sovereign debt, and extends the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 to 2031, with tariff decisions due 30 days after enactment.
Enrolled text (GovInfo (U.S. Government Publishing Office)) → · The White House, New York Post, The Fuse +1
Consumers sue Anthropic, OpenAI, SpaceXAI, and Google alleging antitrust pact to slow AI development
Subscribers to paid artificial intelligence services sued Anthropic, OpenAI, SpaceXAI, and Google in the Northern District of California on September 18, 2026, alleging the companies formed an illegal horizontal agreement to slow frontier model improvements. The complaint claims public statements endorsing coordinated development pacing, presented as AI safety measures, constitute an unlawful restraint on output and product quality under Section 1 of the Sherman Act, depriving consumers of faster competitive innovations.
Corrected . An earlier version of this piece misquoted the complaint. It attributed to paragraphs 111 and 112 a sentence the complaint does not contain; the complaint's words, in paragraph 112, are now quoted. It quoted Sam Altman as writing "OpenAI will do the same"; the complaint quotes "will do the same." It placed quotation marks around several passages the complaint paraphrases, gave some paragraph numbers incorrectly, and said each plaintiff subscribed to one defendant's product; three plaintiffs allege subscriptions to all four. It also quoted Dario Amodei's essay beyond what the complaint quotes. The piece now links the desk's copy of the complaint as filed.
Filing (U.S. District Court, N.D. Cal. (ECF No. 1, LexRegister copy)) → · Bloomberg Law, Politico, The Hill +1
Weil Gotshal weighs strategic options including a possible merger after partner exits
Weil, Gotshal & Manges is considering options for its future, including a potential combination with a rival, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg, as the firm absorbs a wave of senior departures. Firm leaders have held informal discussions to gauge interest and have been canvassing partners while also studying lateral hires and promotions; a spokesperson said Weil is not engaged in merger discussions with any firm and could remain independent.
Announcement (Bloomberg) → · Bloomberg Law, Reuters
CourtListener ships ChatGPT Enterprise plugin for grounded case-law and PACER research
Free Law Project made a CourtListener plugin available in ChatGPT Enterprise, connecting the assistant to case law, RECAP/PACER filings, citation networks, oral-argument transcripts, and alerts with links back to primary sources. LawSites independently reported the CourtListener plugin on September 18, 2026; Free Law Project also said it was doubling CourtListener API rate limits through October 1, 2026.
Announcement (LawSites) → · Free Law Project, Artificial Lawyer
Federal rules roundup, week to September 18, 2026: 16 Federal Register actions
This week’s roundup gathers 16 federal rules published in the Federal Register on 17 and September 18, 2026: nine FAA actions (six airworthiness directives, two instrument-procedure amendments, one airspace change), two Coast Guard temporary zones, a USDA milk-pricing correction, DHS domestic-sourcing rules for protective equipment, a DOE notice voiding its 2022 manufactured-housing standards, and two State Department ITAR rules, one adding Saudi Arabia and Peru to the major non-NATO ally list. Each item links to its Federal Register entry.
Definely brings contract review MCP tools into ChatGPT Enterprise for OpenAI for Law
Definely on September 18, 2026 said its Model Context Protocol tools for structured contract review are available inside ChatGPT Enterprise as an OpenAI for Law launch partner, letting lawyers run defined-term checks, precedent comparison, structural proofreading, and issues-list generation without leaving ChatGPT. Pulse2 independently reported the partnership on September 19.
Announcement (Definely) → · Pulse2
Leah launches Leah Contracting on Maestro agentic harness for enterprise contracts
Leah launched Leah Contracting, an agentic contracting product run by its Leah Maestro harness that covers intake, review, negotiation, approval, signature, obligations and renewal, the company said on September 18, 2026. Specialist agents apply company playbooks, assess risk, draft and redline, and hand work between stages, with irreversible actions gated for human approval, the release said. Legaltech News led its September 18 Legaltech Rundown with the launch.
Announcement (SalesTechStar) → · Legaltech News
Litera brings Foundation Firm AI Search into ChatGPT Enterprise
Litera on September 17, 2026 made Foundation Firm AI Search available as a ChatGPT Enterprise plugin for eligible Foundation Cloud customers, letting lawyers query firm experience, relationships, and expertise with natural-language prompts grounded in permissioned Foundation records. LawFuel and LawSites reported the plugin; Litera said Foundation is already used by more than 300 law firms.
Announcement (LawFuel) → · LawSites
Northern District of Texas denies OpenAI motion to compel confidential Apple settlement in AI antitrust suit
U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman denied OpenAI's emergency motion to compel production of a confidential settlement agreement between Apple, X Corp, and SpaceXAI in an antitrust lawsuit over artificial intelligence integration. Following an in camera inspection, the court held that the agreement contains no information relevant to summary judgment or trial issues. The court cited federal policy protecting confidential settlements to encourage compromise, noting discovery had closed on July 31, 2026.
Order (U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas) → · Politico, 9to5Mac, MLex
US Judicial Conference AI task force plans fresh generative AI guidance within a year
U.S. Circuit Judge Sidney Thomas said on September 17, 2026 that a 24-member federal judiciary AI task force is preparing further generative AI recommendations for judges within the next year after the Judicial Conference met in Washington. The Administrative Office separately said interim guidance already cautions courts not to delegate core judicial functions to AI and holds users accountable for AI-assisted work.
Text (Reuters) → · U.S. Courts, Law360
Clio makes Vincent available as a Codex MCP plugin for grounded legal work
Clio on September 17, 2026 announced that Vincent is available in OpenAI’s Codex through a Model Context Protocol plugin, letting lawyers bring Clio legal content and matter context into Codex workflows while keeping sources connected. Clio said the foundation combines Clio Library and Docket Alarm; LawSites highlighted the Vincent Codex plugin among vendor integrations following OpenAI’s legal launch on September 18.
Announcement (Clio) → · LawSites
NetDocuments lists ChatGPT Enterprise plugin in OpenAI library for governed DMS access
NetDocuments on September 17, 2026 said its ChatGPT plugin is now available through the OpenAI plugin library, extending its Model Context Protocol ecosystem so legal professionals can discover and activate governed NetDocuments content inside ChatGPT while preserving firm permissions and security controls. LawSites listed the NetDocuments plugin among independent vendor ChatGPT integrations the next day.
Announcement (NetDocuments) → · LawSites
OpenAI launches Astra for Law with legal search index and Trusted Access
OpenAI on September 17, 2026 released Astra for Law, a GPT-6 Astra configuration with legal analysis instructions, a U.S. Legal Search Index covering more than 230 million URLs, and partner plugins for law firms and legal technology vendors. Selected Am Law 200 firms receive Trusted Access through ChatGPT and Codex with zero data retention on the API, while API access for builders including Harvey and Legora was said to follow soon.
Announcement (OpenAI) → · Legal IT Insider, Business Insider, LawSites +2
Relativity connects Relativity aiR to ChatGPT Enterprise via Model Context Protocol
Relativity on September 17, 2026 said Relativity aiR now integrates with ChatGPT Enterprise through the Model Context Protocol, letting legal teams use natural language in ChatGPT to stand up matters, align workspaces to their data, and manage access and workflows while keeping Relativity permissions and substantive analysis inside the platform. LawSites independently listed the Relativity plugin among vendor ChatGPT integrations on September 18.
Announcement (PR Newswire) → · LawSites
NYT plaintiffs unseal OpenAI and Microsoft quotes attacking fair-use defense
News plaintiffs led by The New York Times on September 17, 2026 made public previously redacted portions of a Southern District of New York summary-judgment filing against OpenAI and Microsoft. The filing quotes OpenAI and Microsoft executives describing chatbot products as largely substitutive for journalism and characterizing mass scraping of news for training as an unprecedented theft of labor, which the outlets say undercuts the companies' fair-use defense.
Filing (CourtListener RECAP) → · TechCrunch, Ars Technica
Trump signs Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act directing national BOP assault standards
President Donald Trump signed the Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act (S. 307) into law on September 16, 2026. The law requires the Bureau of Prisons to fully implement within 90 days the recommendations from a 2023 Justice Department inspector general report on inmate sexual harassment and assault of staff. It then directs the inspector general to analyze fiscal 2022–2025 incident data and the attorney general to issue national prevention, reduction, and punishment standards by rule.
Enrolled text (GovInfo (enrolled bill text)) → · The White House
Salesforce adopts Legora across global Legal and Corporate Affairs teams
Legora said Salesforce has rolled out its agentic legal platform across Legal and Corporate Affairs teams in North America, EMEA, and APAC, alongside Slack and Agentforce. Salesforce VP of Legal Innovation Erica Swainson said the tools will support research, drafting, and other workflows so lawyers can focus on judgment-intensive work. Legora CEO Max Junestrand framed the adoption as part of a broader shift by in-house teams toward agentic AI infrastructure.
Announcement (Artificial Lawyer) → · Legora
Relativity renames RelativityOne cloud platform as Relativity aiR
On September 16, 2026 Relativity said it renamed RelativityOne, its cloud e-discovery platform, as Relativity aiR to unify the product with its agentic AI suite. LawSites and a company PR Newswire release reported the change. CEO Phil Saunders framed AI as transformative as the cloud shift; president Chris Brown said more than half of new matters on the platform are not litigation. Agentic tools remain included in 2026 platform pricing.
Announcement (PR Newswire) → · LawSites
Checkbox launches First Pass AI agent for contracts, invoices, and legal requests
On September 16, 2026 legal front-door vendor Checkbox launched First Pass, a context-aware AI agent that reviews incoming contracts, LEDES invoices, and legal requests before they reach lawyers. Artificial Lawyer and Pulse2 reported the product, which scores contracts against playbooks, checks invoices against billing guidelines, and routes work by workload. Early access is open now, with broader capabilities planned for Q1 2027.
Announcement (Artificial Lawyer) → · Pulse2
LinkSquares adds Workflow Builder Agent and Workflow Blueprints to agentic CLM
On September 16, 2026 LinkSquares introduced Workflow Builder Agent and Workflow Blueprints on its agentic contract lifecycle management platform. A PR Newswire release and Pulse2 reported that teams can describe contracting processes in plain English or start from buy-side and sell-side templates, then edit and govern workflows before publishing. The company said it serves more than 1,200 customers including DraftKings, ProPharma, and TIME.
Announcement (PR Newswire) → · Pulse2
Clio names Bridget McCormack general manager of judiciary push
On September 16, 2026 Clio said former Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget McCormack, currently president and CEO of the American Arbitration Association, will join as general manager, judiciary, starting in October. She will lead market and commercial strategy for Clio’s courts business alongside Pablo Arredondo, who joined as senior vice president, judiciary. Legaltech News, LawSites, and Legal IT Insider reported the appointment.
Announcement (Legaltech News) → · LawSites, Legal IT Insider
Michael Best combines with Kane Kessler to open New York office
Am Law 200 firm Michael Best & Friedrich completed a strategic combination with New York midsize firm Kane Kessler, establishing Michael Best’s New York presence. Kane Kessler brings roughly 40 attorneys and practices including corporate, securities, capital markets, M&A, litigation, IP, and real estate. Kane Kessler managing partner Rob Lawrence will lead the New York office; Michael Best now reports nearly 400 attorneys across 19 U.S. offices.
Announcement (New York Law Journal) → · Above the Law, Law360
Litem (Deposely) files Form D after selling $6.17M in equity
On September 15, 2026 Deposely, Inc., which markets litigation AI as Litem, filed an SEC Form D showing $6,173,982 sold of a $6,673,982 Rule 506(b) equity offering, with first sale on September 9. The Bellevue, Washington company said the total includes new cash plus converted debt and convertibles. Runtime Wire reported the filing on 15–September 16 as Litem expands beyond deposition tools.
Announcement (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) → · Runtime Wire
Wolters Kluwer adds Outside Counsel Management Agent to TyMetrix 360°
On September 15, 2026 Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory’s ELM Solutions business launched an AI-powered Outside Counsel Management capability inside TyMetrix 360°. The agent helps in-house teams compare panel firms on cost, staffing, billing-guideline compliance, and market rates, drawing on LegalVIEW invoice data.
Announcement (Legaltech News) → · Wolters Kluwer
EnforceShield raises €1.7M seed for AI IP enforcement platform
On September 15, 2026 Lithuanian legaltech EnforceShield said it raised €1.7 million in seed funding led by Vendep Capital with FIRSTPICK VC participating. The Vilnius-based company automates online intellectual-property enforcement workflows and plans US commercial expansion and broader IP lifecycle tooling.
Announcement (Tech.eu) → · FinSMEs, Legaltech News
EPA finalizes repeal of 2024 carbon pollution standards for coal and gas power plants
The Environmental Protection Agency published a final rule on September 17, 2026 repealing most of the 2024 Carbon Pollution Standards for fossil fuel-fired power plants, effective November 16, 2026. The repeal removes emission guidelines for existing steam units and the carbon capture-based standards for modified coal units and new base load gas turbines. Administrator Lee Zeldin announced it in Houston on September 14, projecting $310 billion in savings; EPA also proposed rescinding all remaining power-sector greenhouse gas standards.
Enrolled text (Federal Register) → · EPA, CNN, NPR Illinois
X Corp and SpaceXAI move to dismiss antitrust claims against Apple in Texas AI monopoly suit
Elon Musk's X Corp and SpaceXAI LLC moved to dismiss with prejudice their antitrust claims against Apple in Texas federal court on September 14, resolving allegations that Apple conspired with OpenAI to monopolize smartphone and generative AI markets. Plaintiffs stated the dismissal does not affect their ongoing antitrust claims against OpenAI entities. The filing did not disclose settlement terms. OpenAI stated it was not party to the agreement and requested disclosure of its terms.
Motion (U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas) → · Reuters, CNBC, Al Jazeera +1
Morgan & Morgan pledges $1bn over 10 years for tech and AI; unveils MX2 platform
On September 14, 2026 U.S. plaintiffs firm Morgan & Morgan said it will spend at least $1 billion on legal technology and AI over the next decade and formally unveiled MX2, its proprietary AI platform. Artificial Lawyer and Legal IT Insider reported the pledge and product modules; a Reuters dispatch the same day said the firm plans to offer MX2 to other law firms on an invitation-only basis by the end of 2027.
Announcement (Artificial Lawyer) → · Legal IT Insider, Reuters (via Boursorama)
Trump signs Stop Secret Spending Act requiring other-transaction awards on USAspending.gov
President Trump signed the Stop Secret Spending Act of 2025 (H.R. 2069) on September 11, 2026. The law amends the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (31 U.S.C. 6101 note) to add other transaction agreements to the federal awards agencies must report on USAspending.gov, gives agencies up to three years to transmit that data automatically, and requires an annual posting of the total federal award spending withheld from the site and the reasons for withholding it.
Enrolled text (GovInfo (enrolled bill text)) → · The White House, Congressman Jimmy Panetta
Trump signs disaster tax relief act on casualty losses and wildfire payments
President Trump signed the Doug LaMalfa Federal Disaster Tax Relief Certainty Act (H.R. 5366) on September 11, 2026. The law adds Internal Revenue Code section 165(h)(6), letting taxpayers deduct qualified disaster-related personal casualty losses from major disasters declared from December 28, 2019 through 2026 without itemizing, subject to a $500 per-casualty floor, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2024. New section 139M excludes qualified wildfire relief payments from gross income for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025.
Enrolled text (GovInfo (enrolled bill text)) → · The White House, Congressman Jimmy Panetta
CFTC finalizes 30% whistleblower award presumption for awards up to $5 million
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission approved a final rule on September 11, 2026 establishing a rebuttable presumption that whistleblower awards of $5 million or less will be 30 percent of the monetary sanctions collected. The presumption is subject to Commission discretion and its analysis of the relevant factors. The rule, published September 16, 2026 at 91 FR 58576, takes effect October 16, 2026.
Enrolled text (GovInfo (Federal Register)) → · Crowdfund Insider
Xapien raises $56M Series B led by Spectrum Equity for AI due diligence
Xapien, a London-based AI background-check and due diligence company, raised $56 million in Series B funding led by Spectrum Equity, CEO Chris Green told Axios Pro on September 10, 2026. Green said the platform returns third-party risk reports faster than manual teams. Axios reported the United States now accounts for about half of Xapien's revenue after recent expansion.
Announcement (Axios) → · Legal IT Insider
ACC sues The L Suite over Lloyd AI use of ACC materials and trademarks
On September 10, 2026 the Association of Corporate Counsel sued The Suite, Inc. (d/b/a The L Suite) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. The complaint alleges Lloyd, The L Suite's in-house counsel chatbot, used ACC copyrighted benchmarking materials and ACC trademarks without authorization. ACC seeks an injunction and damages in the jury-demand complaint.
Filing (U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware (via CourtListener)) → · Delaware Business Court Insider (Law.com)
FCC finalizes Covered List equipment rule with online marketplace FCC-ID duties
The Federal Communications Commission's equipment-authorization rule expanding its Covered List national-security restrictions was published in the Federal Register on September 11, 2026 (91 FR 57798), and takes effect October 13, 2026. The rule closes a component-part loophole by denying authorization to devices incorporating logic-bearing hardware components from Covered List entities. It also extends marketing rules to online marketplaces and requires them to display devices' FCC IDs at the online point of sale, with limited exceptions.
Casepoint launches Casepoint IQ AI framework with relevance and issue-coding agents
Casepoint on September 9, 2026 introduced Casepoint IQ, a platform-wide AI framework spanning agentic AI, IQ Assist, CaseAssist predictive coding and the Casepoint MCP Server under shared governance. The first two agents handle relevance determination and issue coding and are in alpha with a beta due before year end. Casepoint said IQ is live in early access with select customers; LawSites reported it as generally available.
Announcement (PR Newswire) → · Casepoint, LawSites
Harvey raises $550M at $15.5B valuation and buys Guardrails AI
Harvey announced a $550 million funding round at a $15.5 billion valuation on September 9, 2026, co-led by new investors Diffusion and Lightspeed Venture Partners. Existing backers including Sequoia, Kleiner Perkins and a16z participated, alongside new investors Sapphire Ventures and Whale Rock. Harvey also said it acquired San Francisco agent-security startup Guardrails AI, its fourth acquisition of 2026, on undisclosed terms.
Announcement (Harvey) → · Reuters, Artificial Lawyer, Legal IT Insider +1
Litigation AI startup Concorda raises $3.8M seed led by Sazze Partners
Concorda announced on September 8, 2026 a $3.8 million seed round led by Sazze Partners, with Amino Ventures, Gaingels, G2C Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Service Provider Capital and Andreessen Horowitz's a16z speedrun accelerator participating. The startup said the funds will expand engineering hiring and customer acquisition for its platform, which combines litigation research, matter management and generative drafting across a matter from intake to settlement or trial.
Announcement (Legaltech News) → · Law360 Pulse
Latitude Legal names Alex Su president as flexible talent provider expands
Latitude Legal promoted chief revenue officer Alex Su to president on September 8, 2026, with co-founder and chief executive Ross Booher handing over day-to-day operational control while remaining CEO. The Nashville-headquartered flexible legal talent provider said it has opened nine offices and added 243 corporate and 120 law firm clients since Su became CRO, and grew new client acquisition 52% in the first half of 2026.
Announcement (Business Wire) → · Legal IT Insider, Above the Law
Seattle Times and Newsday sue OpenAI and Microsoft over AI copying and trademark dilution
The Seattle Times Company and Newsday LLC sued OpenAI entities and Microsoft in Manhattan federal court on September 4, alleging unauthorized copying of their journalism to train and operate AI products. The complaint asserted direct and vicarious copyright infringement, removal of copyright-management information, distribution of works stripped of that information, and federal and state trademark dilution. The publishers sought damages, an injunction and destruction of models and datasets incorporating their works.
Filing (U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York) → · Reuters, GeekWire
Filevine launches citator and anti-hallucination tools in LOIS Legal Research
Filevine said on September 1, 2026 it had launched a citator and anti-hallucination capabilities inside LOIS Legal Research. The company said the citator reads case law to surface whether holdings remain good law and the checker verifies every citation, quotation and supporting proposition in a brief. The tools assign a status to each citation and flag unverified authorities before filing.
Announcement (Filevine) → · LawSites, Law.com
Google's $10 million bid for Spirit Airlines' de-identified data draws union objections, a privacy ombudsman's report and a rival micro1 bid; hearing moved to September 16
Spirit Airlines' bankruptcy sale of de-identified internal data to Google for $10 million, won at an August 14 auction over Mercor's $7.5 million, faces limited objections from the flight attendants', pilots' and machinists' unions, a consumer privacy ombudsman's report, and micro1's notice of a competing bid. Judge Sean Lane's approval hearing in the Southern District of New York, adjourned twice, is now set for September 16, with replies due September 14.
Filing (U.S. Bankruptcy Court, S.D.N.Y. (via Epiq)) → · Epiq (claims agent docket), Reuters, Bloomberg Law +2