Above the Law

Is It Time To Change The Independent Dispute Resolution Process Of The No Surprises Act?

The No Surprises Act protected patients from surprise bills, but its Independent Dispute Resolution process has become controversial as insurers accuse some providers of exploiting it at scale.

Morning Docket: 02.02.26

* Biglaw grapples with Epstein list cameos. [NY Post]

* Delaware Supreme Court rewrites settlement to give Elon Musk the kind of personal party he desperately kept asking Jeffrey Epstein for. [Delaware Business Court Insider]

* Oh, right, here’s the background on that quip. [Daily Beast]

* Trump’s election law pronouncement blocked. [Courthouse News Service]

* State Supreme Court cool with law school renaming. [ABA Journal]

* In the UK, Supreme Court chief warns of AI deciding cases, replacing time-honored system of relying on inbred nobles. [LegalCheek]

* Cristina Rodríguez begins tenure as Yale Law dean. [Yale Daily News]

Whole New Meaning To Judicial Restraint — See Generally

Judge Learns Handcuffing Lawyers Is Frowned Upon: Texas judge charged after allegedly cuffing an attorney mid-hearing.

Disbar Them All: Lawyers have to come together as a profession and make sure the Trump administration’s lawyers never practice again.

Judge Skeptical That Trump Can Unilaterally Blow Up Historic Buildings: The East Wing is gone, but the legal fight continues.

Tip For Professor Richard Epstein… Shutting Up Is Still Free: Law professor who faceplanted on COVID insists now declares he’s figured out that everyone has been wrong about the Fourteenth Amendment for a century or so. He is incorrect.

Law School Merger Mania: Regional institution is exploring long-distance merger.

Stroock Calls It After 150 Years: The storied firm dissolves, reminding everyone that nothing is forever.

Law Firm Jet Crash Leaves No Survivors: Tragically, a firm-owned plane went down with no survivors.

Judge Charged For Handcuffing Attorney — See Also

Didn’t Teach The Lesson You Intended To: Not a smart move from a judge.

Nothing Says Fighting The KKK Like Arresting Black Journalists: The Don Lemon arrest is just the tip of the iceberg.

Trump Sues IRS For $10B: You can just make up whatever numbers you want when you’re president.

The FTC Is Coming For The Mansfield Rule: They’re trying to turn hiring minorities in to a Sherman Act violation.

Death Is Off The Table: Luigi Mangione scores huge legal win.

Epic vs. Health Gorilla: Inside The Battle Over Who Controls Your Medical Records

Epic’s lawsuit against Health Gorilla is less about one alleged data misuse scheme and more about a deeper fault line in healthcare interoperability.

Economic Resilience For Law Firms Starts With How You Operate Day To Day

Economic conditions are reshaping how law firms operate, plan, and grow. Rising costs, shifting client expectations, and longer decision cycles mean firms are approaching financial planning with greater care and intention.

Building A Modern Solo Practice: How AI Is Changing What’s Possible For Lawyers

One lawyer's experience moving from Biglaw environments into solo practice offers a grounded perspective, on this episode of ‘Be That Lawyer.’

Lawyers Frequently Lie To Their Adversaries

Trust, but verify.

On-Demand Webinar: What Winning Expert Testimony Looks Like

Video excerpts from our recent panel exploring all things expert testimony in 2026. CLE-credit is available.

Want To Know What Keeps Your Clients Up At Night? Spoiler Alert: It’s Cybersecurity And AI

Want to be valued by your client? Learn and understand those concerns. Help them sleep better at night.

Stat(s) Of The Week: Fight The Power

In the last year, plaintiffs have filed hundreds of lawsuits challenging Trump administration policies.

Transatlantic Biglaw Merger One Step Closer To Reality

Winston & Strawn + Taylor Wessing is just good business sense.

The ‘Social Media Addiction’ Narrative May Be More Harmful Than Social Media Itself

From the we're-addicted-to-calling-habits-addictions dept

Morning Docket: 01.30.26

* Trump suing the IRS for $10 billion over leaking of the tax documents that he promised repeatedly he was going to release and never did. Surely Pam Bondi will fight this case zealously to protect taxpayers! [CNN]

* Someone tried to free Luigi using a pizza cutter. [Reuters]

* Deputy AG Todd Blanche apparently held six figures worth of crypto investments while using his job to shut down crypto investigations. [ProPublica]

* California Chief Justice wants limits on ICE presence in courthouses. [The Recorder]

* Proposed judiciary AI rule may come away from criticism stronger than ever. [Law360]

* Study finds jurors perform just as well in person as they do online. [ABA Journal]

* Senate may repeal law that allowed colleagues to sue the government over federal investigations. [Politico]

Poor Judgment, Judge — See Also

“Super Drunk” Judge Finds Himself On Other End Of The Gavel: Judge Thomas L. Ludington faces misdemeanor DUI charges.

Louisiana’s Solicitor General Glazes Alito’s Well, Everything: Just kiss already.

Judge Schiltz Reminds ICE That They Have To Follow The Law Too: Someone has to do it.

Boston University To Offer AI Certificate: Great time investment or waste of time? Who knows!

Nobody Likes A Bully: Second Circuit Judge accused of bullying her law clerks.

This Week On Thinking Like A Lawyer: Extra caramelization on Trump’s Cook case.