A federal judge in Pennsylvania sanctioned two attorneys after identifying multiple AI-generated “hallucinations” in a court filing, concluding they violated Rule 11 by submitting false citations without proper verification.

Am Law 200 firms are continuing to expand their New York office footprints heading into 2026, reflecting sustained headcount growth and renewed investment in physical workspaces.

Washington, D.C., is already seeing a surge in lateral law firm hiring as 2026 begins, fueled by a combination of firm mergers, the one-year mark of the Trump administration, and upcoming midterm elections.

In 2026, corporate legal departments face a complex landscape shaped by AI litigation, regulatory shifts, and major antitrust battles.

Sullivan & Cromwell LLP has launched a digital infrastructure practice group to advise on large, complex transactions in the rapidly growing sector, leveraging its multidisciplinary expertise across technology, energy, real estate, finance and corporate law.

Pryor Cashman LLP has added Jason E. Sloan, a former assistant general counsel at the U.S. Copyright Office, as a partner in its litigation and music, IP, and media and entertainment practices…

Crowell & Moring is bucking the Big Law trend of expanding office space by downsizing its Chicago footprint and adopting a modern, collaborative design. The firm moved from 78,000 to 50,000 square feet at 300 N. LaSalle, emphasizing natural light, shared spaces and updated tech.

Milbank will match the latest top-tier Big Law year-end and special bonus scales, reaffirming payouts ranging from $15,000 to $115,000 for associates and $6,000 to $25,000 special bonuses.

Davis Polk & Wardwell announced a new program offering 1L students a $25,000 stipend for completing qualified pro bono or community-focused internships in summer 2026, with the payout delivered if they join the firm as 2L summer associates in 2027.

Davis Polk & Wardwell announced a new program offering 1L students a $25,000 stipend for completing qualified pro bono or community-focused internships in summer 2026, with the payout delivered if they join the firm as 2L summer associates in 2027.

Bloomberg Law data shows that top firms like Kirkland & Ellis, Paul Weiss, Davis Polk, and Paul Hastings are rapidly expanding their litigation teams—each growing headcount by at least 22% since early last year—as demand for high-stakes disputes continues to rise.

Latham & Watkins is capitalizing on Germany’s post-austerity infrastructure boom, seeing a sharp rise in high-value mandates as the country injects €1 trillion into infrastructure and defense under Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Latham & Watkins is capitalizing on Germany’s post-austerity infrastructure boom, seeing a sharp rise in high-value mandates as the country injects €1 trillion into infrastructure and defense under Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

A&O Shearman and Freshfields are advising on Dubizzle’s upcoming IPO on the Dubai Financial Market, which includes both primary and secondary share sales and could value the company at around $2 billion.

Kirkland & Ellis has quietly changed its partner promotion strategy, opting not to issue a public announcement for its 2025 class—a notable departure from its long-standing tradition of publicizing hundreds of promotions each October.

McDermott Will & Schulte, formed by the merger of McDermott Will & Emery and Schulte Roth & Zabel in August, is planning a major London expansion that could more than double its current U.K. headcount of just over 100 lawyers to between 250 and 400.

Sixteen months after Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling finalized their landmark merger, A&O Shearman has made progress toward its vision of combining top-tier work, global reach, and dual U.S./U.K. capabilities, reporting $3.7 billion in revenue and a $2.7 million PEP in fiscal year 2025.

As 2025 nears its end, law firm leaders across the Am Law 200 are cautiously optimistic — and many confident — that the year will be a financial success despite political and economic turbulence. Firms have leaned on billing rate hikes, litigation growth, and quick pivots to offset soft demand and sluggish mid-market deals, with many on pace to beat 2024’s strong results.

Mega M&A deals are making a comeback, with Anglo American’s proposed $53 billion merger with Teck and Union Pacific’s $85 billion bid for Norfolk Southern signaling renewed appetite for large-scale transactions.

Legal AI company Harvey has launched a law school alliance program to integrate its generative AI technology into classrooms at participating schools, including Stanford, NYU, Michigan, UCLA, the University of Texas, and Notre Dame, with more schools invited to join. Read more on our blog.