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Massachusetts

  • May 15, 2025

    Harvard Researcher Held By ICE To Be Returned To Mass.

    A Harvard Medical School researcher and Russian national taken into custody by immigration officers who found frog embryos in her luggage three months ago will be returned to Massachusetts to face a smuggling charge, a Louisiana federal judge ordered on Thursday.

  • May 15, 2025

    Gov't Fights Expansion Of Transgender Passport Ruling

    The U.S. State Department is fighting a request to expand to thousands of people a Massachusetts federal court's preliminary ruling ordering the government to issue or renew passports to six transgender or nonbinary people to reflect their gender identity.

  • May 15, 2025

    Judge Puts Buffer Between ICE And Tufts Student After Bail Order

    A Vermont federal judge on Thursday said he will require U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to provide at least 48 hours' notice to his court of any future plan to detain Tufts University doctoral student RĂĽmeysa Ă–ztĂĽrk, after her lawyers expressed concern that the government could attempt an end-run around his bail order.

  • May 15, 2025

    Feds, Immigrants Spar Over Defense Dept. Role In Removals

    A group of immigrants facing deportation to countries where they have no prior ties and may be at risk of harm urged a Massachusetts federal judge to add the U.S. Department of Defense as a defendant in their pending class action, a move the government says is unnecessary.

  • May 15, 2025

    Judge Recuses After Atty's Conviction Partially Overturned

    The Boston federal judge who oversaw the trial of an attorney charged with bribing a Massachusetts police chief to secure a local marijuana license recused himself from the case Thursday, after the First Circuit vacated most of the convictions and ordered the lawyer to be resentenced on the remaining guilty finding.

  • May 14, 2025

    HUD Allocates $1.1B For Tribal Affordable Housing Initiatives

    The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will allocate more than $1.1 billion in Indian Housing Block Grant funding to support affordable housing efforts in Native American tribal communities, HUD announced Tuesday.

  • May 14, 2025

    Harvard Researcher Charged With Smuggling Amid ICE Case

    Federal prosecutors on Wednesday unsealed criminal smuggling charges against a Russian national and Harvard Medical School researcher who has been challenging her monthslong detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after she returned to the U.S. from Europe carrying frog embryos.

  • May 14, 2025

    Risks Abound For Higher Ed As Top Court Ruling Turns 2

    Since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in higher education admissions, schools around the country have been looking for innovative ways to achieve diversity on campus amid constant threats of additional litigation that could make them the next high-profile high court case.

  • May 14, 2025

    Alnylam Halts Patent Row Over Pfizer, BioNTech COVID-19 Vax

    Alnylam Pharmaceuticals has decided to end a district court patent case over the COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech, asking a Delaware federal judge Tuesday to rule that the companies do not infringe its mRNA patents, while potentially setting the stage for an appeal.

  • May 14, 2025

    National Grid​​​​​​​ Must Face Jury Trial In Debt Harassment Suit

    A Massachusetts federal judge ruled Wednesday that power company National Grid and two debt collectors must face a jury trial in a suit by a customer who says he was contacted about his outstanding debt more often than state law allows.

  • May 14, 2025

    Mass. Governor Nominates 2 To Superior Court

    A Massachusetts state district court judge and a supervising prosecutor for the state attorney general's office have been nominated to seats on the Superior Court, Gov. Maura Healey announced Wednesday.

  • May 14, 2025

    States Ask Court To End Trump's Wind Project Freeze

    A coalition of states on Wednesday asked a Massachusetts federal judge for a preliminary injunction ordering the Trump administration to end its freeze on wind energy project permitting, saying the policy could erase nearly $100 billion in investments and cost 40,000 jobs if left in place throughout the president's term.

  • May 14, 2025

    Biotech Firm Verax Tells Court Eviction Could End Company

    Biotech company Verax Biomedical Inc. has said it faces the prospect of going out of business unless a Massachusetts judge agrees to block its landlord from proceeding with an eviction, at least through the end of its current lease.

  • May 14, 2025

    Biogen Sues Ex-Collaborator Over Rights To Drug Tech

    Biogen said its partner on a since-shelved Alzheimer's drug is trying to claim rights to an unrelated novel therapeutic that the Massachusetts company recently shared with the Swiss partner under a confidentiality agreement, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday.

  • May 13, 2025

    States Say Trump Can't Link Immigration To DHS, DOT Funds

    A 20-state coalition hit the Trump administration with lawsuits Tuesday in Rhode Island federal court asking the court to stop the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security and Transportation from conditioning billions of state grant dollars on enforcing the president's immigration agenda.

  • May 13, 2025

    Lawsuit Challenging Trump Energy Order May Be Premature

    States may have good reasons to fight President Donald Trump's declaration of a national energy emergency, but courts may be unwilling to evaluate the strength of a new suit from 15 states in the absence of expedited energy project approvals.

  • May 13, 2025

    NIH Letters Ending Grants Lack Factual Support, Judge Says

    A Massachusetts federal judge said Tuesday that a "blast" of hundreds of virtually identical letters in March canceling National Institutes of Health-funded research projects appeared to offer no factual basis, only unsupported assertions that the projects were unscientific or discriminatory.

  • May 13, 2025

    The Man Who Ended Affirmative Action Is Just Getting Started

    Nearly two years after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions, the legal strategist who brought the landmark case is using the ruling in a bid to end race-based programs in the public and private sectors, bolstered by allies in the executive branch.

  • May 13, 2025

    1st Circ. Urged To Rule In Appeal Over Canceled HUD Grants

    Groups challenging Trump administration cuts to $30 million in housing grants asked the First Circuit to rule that a Massachusetts federal judge, in fact, has the power to order federal officials to fund the grants, even after the judge dissolved such a ruling in reaction to a recent U.S. Supreme Court finding.

  • May 13, 2025

    Former J&J, Moderna Exec Joins Goodwin Procter In Boston

    Goodwin Procter is continuing to grow its resources in the life sciences practice with the recent addition to the Boston office of an attorney who has gone back to private practice after more than seven years as an in-house counsel for Johnson & Johnson and Moderna.

  • May 13, 2025

    1st Circ. Vacates $10M Severance Win Over Drafting Error

    The First Circuit threw out a judgment that valued a departing technology executive's severance payout at $10.2 million due to a mistake in the contract, ruling that the company's intended offer of $680,000 in total value could also be reasonably construed from the text of the deal.  

  • May 13, 2025

    Cleaning Co. Paying $1M To Resolve Mass. Wage Claims

    A Massachusetts commercial cleaning company has agreed to pay nearly $1 million in penalties and restitution for violating the state's wage and hour laws, the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General announced Tuesday.

  • May 13, 2025

    Mass. Contractor To Pay $10M For Alleged Overcharges

    Massachusetts-headquartered government contractor NORESCO LLC has agreed to pay $9.6 million to settle allegations that it overcharged multiple federal agencies for energy efficiency improvements, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Boston announced Tuesday.

  • May 12, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Erases MIT, Broad CRISPR Win In Conception Fight

    The Nobel Prize-winning scientists who lost their interference proceeding on a key use of the gene-editing technology CRISPR persuaded the Federal Circuit on Monday to​ give them another chance, with the court providing clarity on how to analyze conception.

  • May 12, 2025

    Mass. Court Says NIH Grant Disruption Suit Is In The Right Place

    A Massachusetts federal court ruled Monday that it has jurisdiction over several states' lawsuit challenging delays and cancellations of federal grant programs linked to issues they say are "disfavored" by the Trump administration, rejecting the federal government's contention that the claims instead belonged in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

Expert Analysis

  • Compliance Lessons From Raytheon's FCPA Settlement

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    A recent Foreign Corrupt Practices Act action involving aerospace and defense company Raytheon underscores the importance of risk management related to retaining and overseeing third parties — especially in higher-risk jurisdictions — and the promotion of a companywide culture of compliance, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Ledbetter's Legacy Shines In 2024 Equal Pay Law Updates

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    The federal Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act turned 15 this year, and its namesake's legacy is likely to endure in 2025 and beyond, as demonstrated by 2024's state- and local-level progress on pay equity, as well as several rulings from federal appellate courts, say attorneys at Fisher Phillips.

  • Using Contracts As Evidence Of Trade Secret Protection

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    Recent federal and U.S. International Trade Commission decisions demonstrate an interesting trend of judges recognizing that contracts and confidentiality provisions can serve as important evidence of the reasonable secrecy measures companies must take to prove the existence of protected trade secrets, say attorneys at Finnegan.

  • When US Privilege Law Applies To Docs Made Outside The US

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    As globalization manifests itself in disputes over foreign-created documents, a California federal court’s recent trademark decision illustrates nuances of both U.S. privilege frameworks and foreign evidentiary protections that attorneys must increasingly bear in mind, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • What 2024 Trends In Marketing, Comms Hiring Mean For 2025

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    The state of hiring in legal industry marketing, business development and communications over the past 12 months was marked by a number of trends — from changes in the C-suite to lateral move challenges — providing clues for what’s to come in the year ahead, says Ben Curle at Ambition.

  • Series

    Group Running Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The combination of physical fitness and community connection derived from running with a group of business leaders has, among other things, helped me to stay grounded, improve my communication skills, and develop a deeper empathy for clients and colleagues, says Jessica Shpall Rosen at Greenwald Doherty.

  • Cos. Must Brace For New PFAS Regulations And Litigation

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed adding over 100 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances to the Toxic Release Inventory — and with increasing scrutiny of PFAS from the states and the plaintiffs bar as well, companies should take steps to reduce risks in this area, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Opinion

    6 Changes I Would Make If I Ran A Law School

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    Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner identifies several key issues plaguing law schools and discusses potential solutions, such as opting out of the rankings game and mandating courses in basic writing skills.

  • Firms Still Have The Edge In Lateral Hiring, But Buyer Beware

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    Partner mobility data suggests that the third quarter of this year continued to be a buyer’s market, with the average candidate demanding less compensation for a larger book of business — but moving into the fourth quarter, firms should slow down their hiring process to minimize risks, say officers at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

  • AV Compliance Is Still A State-By-State Slog — For Now

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    While the incoming Trump administration has hinted at new federal regulations governing autonomous vehicles, for now, AV manufacturers must take a state-by-state approach to compliance with safety requirements — paying particular attention to states that require express authorization for AV operation, say attorneys at Frost Brown.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: 1 Type Of Case Complexity Stands Out

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    In contrast to some cases that appear complex due to voluminous evidence or esoteric subject matter, a different kind of complexity involves tangled legal and factual questions, each with a range of possible outcomes, which require a “sliding scale” approach instead of syllogistic reasoning, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • How Litigation, Supply Chains Buffeted Offshore Wind In 2024

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    U.S. offshore wind developers continue to face a range of challenges — including litigation brought by local communities and interest groups, ongoing supply chain issues, and a lack of interconnection and transmission infrastructure — in addition to uncertainty surrounding federal energy policy under the second Trump administration, say attorneys at Liskow & Lewis.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Note 3 Simple Types Of Legal Complexity

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    Cases can appear complex for several reasons — due to the number of issues, the volume of factual and evidentiary sources, and the sophistication of those sources — but the same basic technique can help lawyers tame their arguments into a simple and persuasive message, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Permitting, Offtake Among Offshore Wind Challenges In 2024

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    Although federal offshore wind development started to pick up this year, many challenges to the industry became apparent as well — including slow federal permitting, the pitfalls of restarting permits after changes in project status, and the difficulties of negotiating economically viable offtake agreements, say attorneys at Liskow & Lewis.

  • Series

    Gardening Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Beyond its practical and therapeutic benefits, gardening has bolstered important attributes that also apply to my litigation practice, including persistence, patience, grit and authenticity, says Christopher Viceconte at Gibbons.

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