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BHP’s Massive Legal Battle Over Brazil Dam Disaster

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BHP’s Staggering Legal BillsUpdated 17 July 2025Ben Thomson, LawFuel contibuting editorBHP is facing one of the largest environmental lawsuits in legal history following the 2015 Fundão dam collapse in Brazil, with legal costs projected to reach extraordinary levels across multiple jurisdictions.We have reported previously about entepreneurial London-based law firm Pogust Goodhead, co-founded by former London barrister […]

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Vault’s Top 150 Under 150: Small Firms, Big Pay, No Regrets

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Vault Boutique Law Firm RankingsTom Borman, LawFuel contributing editorForget the old rulebook — leaving Biglaw no longer means leaving big money behind as Vault’s Top 150 small firm list shows.There was a time when jumping from a megafirm to a smaller outfit meant kissing goodbye to a chunk of your paycheck. Maybe not a life-changing

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Scottish Legaltech’s Big Moment: Is AI Ready for the Big Leagues?

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Ross mcnairn ceo and co founder wordsmith ai lawfuel

The ‘Skyscanner’ Lawyer Looking To Build LegalTech AgentsA Scottish legaltech startup just got a huge cash boost. Is this the sign that AI is ready to take over law firms? Can every in-house team soon have its own AI agent? Scottish legaltech Wordsmith, co-founded by former Skyscanner honcho Ross McNairn (pictured) is driving another winner.We’ve

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Why Elon Musk’s Favourite Lawyer Alex Spiro is Done Just Lawyering

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What Next For The Star Lawyer?Tom Borman, LawFuel contributing editorAlex Spiro—the courtroom maestro who’s played legal defense for heavy hitters like Tom Brady, Elon Musk, Jay‑Z (yeah, that Jay‑Z), Alec Baldwin, and even WeWork’s Adam Neumann—is telling Emily Chang on The Circuit that he’s officially bored. He wants to jump into something bigger than law.“Why stay chained

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Clio and vLex Join Forces In Billion-Dollar Push for Smarter Legal Tech

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Clio made a major move that will reshape the emerging LegalAI marklet by buying vLex for $1 billion, a deal that brings together two big names in law tech. Clio is known for tools that help lawyers run their firms. vLex is famous for smart AI-powered legal research.

The deal is a game-changer for law firms, putting a world-class legal AI engine—Vincent—and a massive database of case law in the hands of a company that powers law firms, not just legal publishers.

The deal also marks a shift in how legal AI is used. Clio’s main job is to h

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How Nonequity Partners Are Reshaping Big Law – Thanks To Kirkland & Ellis

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rise of the non-equity partner model for big law

Kirkland & Ellis flipped the script on law firm partnerships by building a massive nonequity partner tier, now over 1,000 stron, which has let Kirkland promote more lawyers, faster, than most competitors, turning what some once called a “marketing trick” into a powerhouse business mode

Recruiters now have Kirkland’s nonequity partners on speed dial. “They’re hot property,” the partner says. “Even if they’re not equity, getting a Kirkland ‘partner’ is a win for any recruiter or client.”

Criticism of Kirkland’s two-tier, salaried partner model has faded. Now, other firms want in. The move is seen as smart business, not just a trick. Kirkland’s success, and the Wall Street money being paid to some partners in such firms, has pushed other big firms

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From Wachtell to Latham – Inside M&A Star Zach Podolsky’s Big Move

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M&A star Zach Podolsky is now a star at Latham & Watkins after leaving Wachtell Lipton, where he led some of the biggest deals in the country. His switch is a major win for Latham but an equally big loss for Wachtell.

Known for his work on major energy deals, Podolsky led Wachtell’s team on APA’s $4.5 billion buy of Callon Petroleum, among other top deals, making him one of the most recognized names in mergers and acquisitions.

In 2024, he ranked second globally by MergerLinks for advising on nearly $70 billion in transactions, including the ConocoPhillips acquisition of Marathon Oil and Diamondback Energy’s purchase of Endeavor Energy Resources.

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  Stop Karping Says Brad . . Why Paul Weiss’s Boss Says The Firm Is In Good Heart Despite Departures

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Seven partners and others have left Paul Weiss but their former firm remains in good heart according to firm boss Brad Karp, who met with litigation partner to refute the ‘disinformation’ about the firm, according to a New York Law Journal report.

Seven partners have left Paul Weiss for Dunn Isaacson Rhee, a new litigation boutique in Washington, DC. that is building a formidable team of Paul Weiss alumni who decided the heavyweight firm’s Trump Administration deal was too much to stomach.

Paul Weiss promised Trump $40 million in free legal services on shared causes, including combating antisemitism and ensuring “fairness in the justice system.”

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When Celebrity Trials Turn into TikToks

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Celebrity trials are the new reality TV. The recent cases of Sean “Diddy” Combs and Harvey Weinstein have turned courtrooms into stages, with every detail dissected by fans, critics, and armchair lawyers.

Take Weinstein (pictured below at this first trial – Season 1, if you like). After a rollercoaster of headlines, a Manhattan jury just found him guilty again—showing that even powerful figures can be held to account, but not without twists and turns.

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Damian Williams Leaves Paul Weiss in a Move That Screams Politics Over Profits

Big Law, Headlining, US Law /
Damian williams lawfuel - The major move from Paul Weiss

Damian Williams isn’t just another high-powered litigator making a lateral leap, he’s making waves, raising eyebrows, and possibly laying the groundwork for a pivot into politics. If you’ve been tracking the latest episodes in the “Trump v. Biglaw” saga, you’ll know this isn’t your average career hop. Williams, the former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, is stepping out of the white-shoe fortress of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP just five months after arriving—and into the arms of Jenner & Block, where he’ll co-chair the litigation department out of their New York office.

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