Firm Wire
Announcements by law firms about themselves, summarized in the desk's words and labelled as announcements, each with the firm named as its source. RSS
Firm Wire items are announcements made by the firms themselves. The desk confirms that the announcement was published and reproduces its factual content. It does not verify the claims in it, and publication is not an endorsement.
Mishcon de Reya said Ben Drury, chief executive and co-founder of Yoto, appears on its Jazz Shapers programme on Jazz FM, hosted by Elliot Moss, airing Saturday at 9am with Monday playback. The firm described Yoto as a screen-free, ad-free audio platform for children using physical audio cards, founded with Filip Denker in 2015 and named one of TIME’s best inventions of 2020.
Gibson Dunn said it published its Derivatives Legislative and Regulatory Weekly Update for September 25 covering CFTC FAQ revisions on tokenized customer-fund investments and blockchain recordkeeping, a September 22 CFTC advisory on event contracts tied to whether individuals mention words or attend events, the CFTC’s whistleblower award presumption rule, ESMA’s new supervisory priority on AI and tokenisation from 2027, and ISDA analysis of the move to mandatory U.S. Treasury clearing.
Gibson Dunn said it published its September Supreme Court Round-Up, led by Miguel Estrada, recapping the October 2025 term, in which the firm said the Court heard 64 arguments and issued 56 opinions, and previewing the October 2026 term, for which it said 25 petitions have been granted for 24 arguments. The firm said the publication also tracks the Office of the Solicitor General.
Schwabe published an analysis of proposed changes to the definition of waters of the United States for landowners and developers. The firm’s article, by Lindsay Thane, Trevor Gruwell and Rosalyn DiLillo Knock, examines proposed standards for tributaries and wetlands and possible implications for permitting.
Gibson Dunn said it is advising Solaris Energy Infrastructure on an offering of $1.25 billion in senior notes and $200 million of additional revolving credit commitments. The firm’s announcement identifies separate capital markets, financing and tax teams supporting the transaction and the revolving credit facility.
Sidley Austin said it is representing Rexel in its $1.4 billion acquisition of GCG from Audax Private Equity. The firm said the proposed transaction is expected to expand Rexel’s North American operations and increase its exposure to infrastructure markets, including data centers and power networks.
Ogletree Deakins said it published its September 25 Beltway Buzz by James Plunkett, covering the NLRB’s 3-1 decision abandoning the 2023 Lion Elastomers II standard and reinstating the 2020 test that lets employers discipline abusive conduct during protected activity if they would have acted regardless, and the President’s extension of the $100,000 H-1B fee through September 21, 2027 with an executive order directing agencies to weigh employer layoffs in H-1B adjudications.
Hinckley Allen said labor and employment chair Lisa Zaccardelli spoke with the Hartford Business Journal about using artificial intelligence in employment decisions. The firm said her comments emphasized human review, manager training and the need to evaluate recommendations in their particular workplace context.
McDermott Will & Schulte said partner David Saunders spoke with StateScoop about the prospects for comprehensive federal privacy legislation. The firm said his interview addressed competing congressional priorities, state concerns about preemption and the possibility that artificial intelligence could prompt renewed attention to privacy issues.
Michael Best said David Ferguson joined its Los Angeles office as senior counsel in the transactional practice. The firm said he advises nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations, founders and donors, with work spanning corporate governance, tax compliance and the deployment of philanthropic capital.
Bernstein Shur said Ann Freeman, Matt Tarasevich and Paige Eggleston will present a payroll procedures workshop for the Maine Municipal Tax Collectors’ and Treasurers’ Association on September 30. The firm said the full-day program will address payroll and wage-and-hour questions faced by public sector employers.
Foley & Lardner said partner Peter Stockburger participated in a San Diego Business Journal discussion about adopting artificial intelligence across businesses. The firm said his remarks addressed balancing experimentation with governance, including the challenges of putting generative AI systems into use at scale.
McDermott Will & Schulte said it advised healthcare investor 1315 Capital on a growth investment in Velentium Medical. The firm described Velentium as a developer and manufacturer of medical technologies specializing in active Class II wearable devices and Class III implantable devices.
Sidley Austin said it represented Star51 Capital in its investment in UltraSight’s $24 million Series B2 financing. The firm described UltraSight as a developer of AI-guided cardiac workflows and said the financing would support U.S. commercial expansion and further development of its platform.
Foley & Lardner said it published an analysis by Charles Gass and Roger Strode of the Stop Corporate Takeovers of Physicians Act, introduced September 16 by Senators Warren, Wyden and Merkley and three House members. The firm said the bill would create a federal corporate-practice-of-medicine prohibition, require licensee majority ownership and control of practices, bar management services organizations from governance and clinical or billing control, void most physician non-competes and take effect one year after enactment.
Bernstein Shur said it published an immigration update by Michael Murray and Olivia Shaw on three developments: a September 14 district court order in Presidents’ Alliance v. DHS halting the proposed end of duration-of-status admission for F and J visa holders; the $100,000 H-1B entry fee announced September 18, not in effect after a circuit court denied a stay in State of California v. Mullin; and a DHS proposal to end the 60-day grace period for nonimmigrant workers.
Sidley Austin said it advised Certares on closing a single-asset continuation fund that extends its investment partnership with Guardian Alarm. The firm said the transaction gave existing shareholders a liquidity option while committing additional capital for Guardian’s acquisition strategy and continued business growth.
Michael Best said Amanda Wait, managing partner of its Washington office and antitrust sub-group leader, will speak with FTI Consulting’s Kristy Piccinini in a PLI webinar, Rural Hospitals on the Brink, on October 1 from 1 to 2 p.m. Eastern. The firm said the program will cover federal Medicaid cuts and expiring ACA tax credits, merger and affiliation options and antitrust and regulatory issues, and is eligible for one CLE credit.
Hinckley Allen said partner Kelley Jordan-Price was featured in the New England Real Estate Journal’s 2026 Women in Commercial Real Estate spotlight. The firm said the profile discussed her career path and her advice to remain open to unexpected professional interests and opportunities.
Sidley Austin said it received the Best Law Firm: Private Markets honor at the 2026 U.S. Hedge Fund Services Awards. The firm said the awards, presented by With Intelligence and S&P Global, recognize service providers supporting the U.S. private funds industry.
Sidley Austin said it won two honors at the 2026 Benchmark Europe Awards, receiving recognition for its sanctions and trade disputes work and for London partner Jonathan Lafferty. The firm said the awards followed research into litigation and arbitration matters across Europe.
Michael Best said it published a guide by Virginia Cronin and Megan Demeny on parental leave and pregnancy-related employment obligations for churches. The firm said the guide separates FMLA employer coverage from employee eligibility, covers the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, the PUMP Act and Title VII, notes that the ministerial exception turns on an employee’s actual role rather than title, flags state programs in Minnesota, New York and Illinois, and recommends coordinated policies and supervisor training.
Akin said it will serve as a Gold Sponsor of Infocast’s PowerUp Data Centers investment conference in McLean, Virginia, on October 27–29. The firm said projects and energy transition partners Brad Warner and Vanessa Wilson will moderate panels at the event.
Mishcon de Reya said Charlie Sosna commented to Bloomberg, The Telegraph and GB News about HMRC’s approach to very wealthy taxpayers. The firm said his remarks focused on understanding the scope of information requests and obtaining advice before deciding how to respond.
Troutman Pepper Locke said it published an article by Genna Garver and David Madrazo on agency action on digital assets after the Senate rejected cloture on the CLARITY Act (H.R. 3633) 49-50 on September 15. The firm said the SEC’s proposed Regulation Crypto Assets and the CFTC’s pre-rule on crypto asset markets cannot supply what only Congress can: spot-market licensing authority, a Bankruptcy Code customer-property priority and a statutory Bank Secrecy Act classification for crypto platforms.
Troutman Pepper Locke said Kade Cullefer, director of state affairs at its Troutman Strategies subsidiary and executive director of Georgians for Lawsuit Reform, was quoted in a September 24 Law360 article on the first appellate test of Georgia’s tort reform laws, S.B. 68 and S.B. 69. The firm said Cullefer noted the Court of Appeals found it proper for a jury to decide fault separately from damages, leaving courts to settle how much injury detail belongs in the fault phase.
Jackson Walker said partner Robert Soza will receive the 2026 C. Lee Cusenbary Ethical Life and Leadership Award from the Association of Corporate Counsel’s San Antonio chapter and The Texas Lawbook. The firm said the award recognizes ethical conduct and leadership in legal practice.
Michael Best said it published an update on the NLRB’s September 23 decision in Lion Elastomers LLC (375 NLRB No. 41), which the firm said restores the Wright Line causation test from General Motors (2020) for discipline over employee outbursts during protected activity and overrules the 2023 Lion Elastomers II standard. The firm said employers should apply conduct rules consistently and document discipline, and flagged handbook rules, election procedures and severance agreements as precedents to watch.
Mishcon de Reya said it published the second of two articles on reputation protection in the AI era, by Sophie Hollander and Isabella Piasecka, surveying the legal levers for AI-driven reputational harm. The firm said the article covers the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 for bot campaigns, defamation and consumer protection law for fake recordings and reviews, UK GDPR, misuse of private information, Norwich Pharmacal disclosure orders against platforms, and Online Safety Act 2023 duties on illegal content and deepfakes.
Mishcon de Reya said it responded to the Department for Business and Trade’s consultation on competition redress, regulatory appeals and enforcement. The firm said its submission focused on the opt-out collective actions regime and supported targeted changes, including allowing damages-based agreements alongside third-party litigation funding.