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OCC Conditionally Grants 5 Crypto-Focused Trust Charters

By Aislinn Keely

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on Friday gave five crypto-focused firms a preliminary nod to operate as national trust banks, clearing the way for crypto to integrate further into the banking system despite pushback from banking lobbyists.

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Merchant Orgs. Fight Latest Visa, Mastercard Swipe-Fee Deal

By Katryna Perera

The National Association of College Stores, Energy Markets of America and other industry groups objected Friday to a proposed new settlement between Visa, Mastercard and a class of potentially millions of merchants to resolve two decades of antitrust litigation, claiming the deal "does not come close to fixing the swipe fee challenges" faced by merchants.

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Ex-Rabobank Exec Will Press For Fees From OCC At 9th Circ.

By Katryna Perera

A former Rabobank compliance official will make another attempt to force the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to pick up the tab for her legal fees for the office's now-abandoned enforcement proceeding, which she says cost her millions of dollars to defend.

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Squires Institutes 7 AIA Reviews, Denies 12 Other Petitions

By Ryan Davis

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires has instituted seven America Invents Act reviews in the second round of cases where he has found that patent challenges warrant consideration since taking over the institution process.

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Oppenheimer Fined $1.2M In SEC Muni Bond Disclosure Case

By Sarah Jarvis

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. has agreed to pay the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission $1.2 million for allegedly skirting municipal bond disclosure requirements, the regulator announced Friday.

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Analysis

4 Big ERISA Litigation Developments From 2025's 2nd Half

By Kellie Mejdrich

The Eleventh Circuit signaled it may be willing to change its precedent to make it easier for federal benefits lawsuits to get to the courthouse door, while the Second Circuit shut down a challenge to a union pension plan's private equity investment emphasis. Here's a look back at these and two other significant Employee Retirement Income Security Act litigation developments from the latter half of 2025 that benefits attorneys should have on their radar.

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Ex-Fiserv CEO Accused Of Insider Trading In New Suit

By Emilie Ruscoe

The top brass of payments company Fiserv Inc., including ex-CEO and Social Security Administration head Frank Bisignano, face shareholder derivative claims that they misled investors about a flagship product's declining sales and used the resulting inflated share prices to justify $7.9 billion in stock buybacks as Bisignano and another officer made proceeds of over $600 million selling off their Fiserv shares.

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Roundup

UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

By Laura Stewart Liberty

This past week in London has seen Shell hit with a climate change claim from 100 survivors of a typhoon in the Philippines, London Stock Exchange-listed Oxford Nanopore bring legal action against its co-founder, and the editors of Pink News sue the BBC for defamation following its investigation into alleged sexual misconduct at the news site.

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First Brands Seeks Access To $250M As DIP Loans Drop

By Alex Wittenberg

Struggling auto parts maker First Brands said on Friday it needs quick access to $250 million in cash that's being held by customers or stuck in segregated accounts, telling a Texas bankruptcy judge a decline in the trading prices of its Chapter 11 loans has sparked "unfounded concerns" about its health.

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PrimaLend's Parent Co. Files Ch. 11 With Equity Holder OK

By Hilary Russ

PCAP Holdings LP, the parent company of bankrupt auto dealership lender PrimaLend Capital Partners, itself filed for Chapter 11 protection on Friday after PrimaLend's noteholders complained that the parent was not also included in the initial bankruptcy case.

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The SEC Whistleblower Program A Year Into 2nd Trump Admin

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's whistleblower program continues to operate as designed, but its internal cadence, scrutiny of claims and operational structure reflect a period of recalibration, with precision mattering more than ever, say attorneys Scott Silver and David Chase.

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Receivership Law May Streamline Real Estate Sales In Illinois

The Illinois Receivership Act, which goes into effect Jan. 1, provides much-needed clarity on the issue of receivers' sales of commercial real estate and will make the process easier for parties including receivers, special servicers and commercial real estate lenders, say attorneys at Troutman.

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Opinion

Supreme Court Term Limits Would Carry Hidden Risk

While proposals for limiting the terms of U.S. Supreme Court justices are popular, a steady stream of relatively young, highly marketable ex-justices with unique knowledge and influence entering the marketplace of law and politics could create new problems, say Michael Broyde at Emory University and Hayden Hall at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

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Former DLA Piper Associate Alleges Ex-Partner Raped Her

By Lynn LaRowe

A former Boston-based DLA Piper associate on Monday launched a state lawsuit alleging she was raped at the firm's Delaware office by a former partner purportedly known for heavy drinking and inappropriate workplace conduct toward female subordinates.

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Bonus Spotlight

Elsberg Baker Exceeds, Cohen Ziffer Matches Atty Bonuses

By Tracey Read

Trial boutique Elsberg Baker & Maruri PLLC announced Monday that its associates will earn up to $226,250 in extra cash this year.

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'Hardworking' 9th Circ. Senior Judge Sandra Ikuta Dies At 71

By Hailey Konnath

Senior U.S. Circuit Judge Sandra Segal Ikuta of the Ninth Circuit, who has been semi-retired since early November, died on Dec. 7 at the age of 71, exactly one month after assuming senior status, according to the Federal Judicial Center.

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ABA Flags AI Fears: Making Attys 'Worse At Their Jobs'

By Steven Lerner

The erosion of skills for junior associates, deepfakes as evidence in court and the lack of technical knowledge in law firms were among the top fears and challenges listed by the American Bar Association in a new report about artificial intelligence in the legal profession.

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Ex-US Attys Say Pardons, Loyalty Demands Hurt Rule Of Law

By Adrian Cruz

A bipartisan group of former U.S. attorneys spoke publicly Monday on their concerns regarding the direction the U.S. justice system has taken since the start of the second Trump administration and the potential risks that may pose to the rule of law.

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Arbitration Ruling Stands In Morgan & Morgan Class Action

By Chart Riggall

A Georgia federal judge said Monday she won't backtrack on her decision to send a malpractice lawsuit from a former client of Morgan & Morgan PA to arbitration, once again rejecting his arguments that his proposed class claims were exempt from an agreement to arbitrate disputes.

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Atty Seeks To Block Law Banning Fee-Sharing With ABS Firms

By Emily Sawicki

The attorney challenging a California law that blocks fee-sharing with out-of-state law firms owned by nonlawyers has petitioned for enforcement of the law to be suspended before it is set to go into effect on Jan. 1.

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Judge Won't Boot Bondi-Appointed Prosecutor In LA

By Emily Sawicki

A federal judge has refused to reconsider his ruling disqualifying Bill Essayli from holding the role of U.S. attorney but allowing him to serve as the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, finding that Essayli's appointment by U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi is valid.

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Judge Willing To Take 'Heat' For Blocking ICE Arrest, Jury Told

By Nate Beck

A Wisconsin judge was willing to "take the heat" for using a staff hallway to usher an unauthorized immigrant out of her courtroom, a federal jury heard Monday, as a defense attorney argued she can't be found guilty by association just because someone in her courtroom tried to flee immigration agents.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jeff Montgomery

Litigation in Delaware's Court of Chancery sprawled from a dispute over control of banana plantations along Africa's Congo River to a fight over the late musician Prince's estate last week. Along the way, a court ruling rejected a motion for a quick decision favoring Blue Bell Creameries director and officer calls for liability releases in a tainted ice cream saga that dates to 2015.

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