Appeals court says a landlord cannot sign away the duty to fix the heat
A three-judge panel held that a lease clause shifting heating repairs to tenants is void. Landlords across the circuit now have to review their forms.
Latest
Marlow Supreme Court will decide whether a text message can form a contract
A dispute over a $240,000 equipment sale turns on a thumbs-up emoji. The justices agreed to hear it and will rule on what counts as acceptance.
Hartwell Quade opens in Austin with 14 partners from three rivals
The firm's new Texas office will start with 31 lawyers. Its leader says it wants energy and technology clients that have outgrown their regional counsel.
Consumer agency finalizes rule limiting debt collectors’ text messages
Collectors may send no more than three texts a week and must honor opt-outs within a day. The rule takes effect in 90 days.
Policy and opinion
Opinion: Law firms should publish their billing rates
Clients can look up a hotel's price before booking. They cannot do the same for a lawyer. That is a failure of the profession, not a feature of it.
Antitrust enforcers sue to block a $3 billion law-publisher deal
The Justice Department of Marlow says the merger of Statute House and Verity Reports would leave lawyers with two real choices for research. The companies say prices are falling.
Practice and tech
What an e-discovery bill looks like when the machine reads first
A mid-sized firm cut its document review costs by 62% on one case by letting software sort the pile first. Lawyers still read what matters.
Inside the bar exam’s new hands-on section
Marlow will replace one multiple-choice session with tasks that look like a first-year associate's week. Test-takers and teachers have mixed feelings.
The Courts
More
Jury awards $41 million to a bakery chain in a supplier dispute
Golden Crumb Bakeries said its flour supplier secretly swapped grades for 14 months. The jury agreed and added damages for concealment.
Tenants’ class action asks a federal judge to rule on junk fees
Renters in four cities say a property manager charged "amenity" and "convenience" fees that were never disclosed. A hearing on certifying the class is set for next month.
Public defenders in Harlan County win a raise after 90 days of empty desks
The county board approved a 22% increase after 11 of 24 lawyer positions sat empty. Cases had begun to be dismissed for lack of counsel.
Opinion
More
Opinion: The billable hour survived because clients like it too
Everyone says the hourly bill is dying. It has been dying for thirty years. The reasons it persists are less flattering than lawyers admit.
Opinion: Judges should explain their recusals in plain English
When a judge steps aside, the order often says only "recused." The public deserves at least a sentence on why.
Careers and firms
More
A Chicago firm tries a four-day week for associates and keeps its billing targets
Cobb & Lindgren let 40 associates work four days for six months. Hours billed dipped slightly, and resignations fell sharply.
The in-house shift: why general counsels are cutting their outside firm lists
Large companies now hire a third fewer firms. The ones that stay face fixed prices.
