Sara Merken

A U.S. appeals court has asked to hear arguments over whether a lower court judge in Mississippi should be reassigned from a ​case after he issued an order containing errors stemming from the use ‌of AI.

COURTS

U.S. law firm leasing boomed in the first half of 2026, with activity centered in New York, Chicago and other major markets and buoyed by several large deals, according ​to reports by real estate brokerages.

Law firm Linklaters said on Thursday that it has hired longtime partner Mark Gordon from Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, marking the latest departure from ​the New York firm amid a hot market for senior U.S. ‌legal talent.

Morgan & Morgan, which bills itself as the largest U.S. personal injury law firm, said on Monday that it has committed to investing at least $1 billion into AI and technology over the next decade and will ​begin marketing its own AI platform to other law firms next year.

A senior executive at litigation funding giant Burford Capital has teamed up with a former business partner to create what they describe ​as an "AI-native" law firm focused on employment negotiations and disputes, marking ‌the latest in a wave of new firms touting their reliance on artificial intelligence.

Two London-based M&A partners from Weil, Gotshal & Manges are joining rival law firm Sullivan & Cromwell in ​the latest exit of prominent dealmakers from New York-based ‌Weil.

Weil, Gotshal & Manges is bringing back two leading lawyers in private equity and restructuring who previously departed for ​rival law firms as it navigates a string of ‌recent partner exits.

Legal technology company Clio said on Wednesday that it has acquired an AI startup ​that makes a tool for judges, saying courts ‌need to incorporate AI to keep up with lawyers' use of the technology.

Law firm mergers are slightly down so far in ​2026 compared to last year, legal ‌consultancy Fairfax Associates said on Thursday.