Rare jury trial puts DLA Piper in the hot seat

A newsletter by Reuters and Westlaw

By Caitlin Tremblay

Good morning. DLA Piper will go on trial over claims that it fired an associate for seeking maternity leave. Plus, Citi will ask the 2nd Circuit to dismiss a New York lawsuit over its handling of fraud scams; and a status conference is scheduled in the DUI case of U.S. District Judge Thomas Ludington. Here are some unusual photos to kick off your week. Let’s dive in.

REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

DLA Piper is poised to go to trial in federal court in Manhattan today over claims that it fired an associate for seeking maternity leave, marking a rare chance for a jury to hear an employment discrimination case against a major law firm.

Carolin Guentert, a partner at employment law firm Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight who is not involved in the case, said attorneys who claim discrimination and their employers each have reasons to prefer avoiding litigation and a potential trial.

"Lawyers know better than most how long, challenging and personal a case can be," she said, while a trial can publicly reveal a law firm's internal workings, including details about their bonus, evaluation and termination policies. Read more about the case here.

Before you dive back into your day, take our very quick, very painless survey (I promise it’s easier than the bar exam).

Court calendars are subject to last-minute docket changes.

That’s how much a prominent conservative lawyer who successfully defended a Texas county’s book removals from public libraries asked for in legal fees. But Jonathan Mitchell, a former Texas state solicitor general, also asked a federal judge in Austin to deny his bid in order to tee up an appeal. Mitchell said he intends to challenge a longstanding U.S. Supreme Court decision that limits when prevailing defendants can recover legal fees in civil rights lawsuits. Read more in this week’s Billable Hours.

As legal challenges mount against prediction markets operators, traders have responded fittingly: by betting on whether Kalshi will win a major pending case. Current odds favor industry pioneer Kalshi, with a 94% probability of winning its appeal before the Third Circuit against New Jersey. Beneath the novelty of betting on a court case lies a fundamental legal fight over whether fast‑growing prediction markets will be regulated as finance or gambling, Jenna Greene writes in On the Case.

Wasel & Wasel’s Mahmoud Abuwasel examines the Clarity Act and the future of the digital asset market. Read today’s Attorney Analysis here.

Additional writing by Namrata Arora.