Keep your finger on the legal world's pulse

Three workers have died since Hyundai Motor started construction of its $7.6bn auto plant in Georgia in 2022, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing a review of federal records. The facility, which is operated through a joint venture between Hyundai and South Korea's LG Energy Solution, hit the headlines last month after an immigration raid by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents led to the detention of hundreds of South Korean workers. Current and former workers, including safety coordinators who helped oversee construction of the plant, said the work environment involved poorly trained workers and managers unwilling to enforce safety standards.

 

Wall Street Journal

Building Trust in Legal AI

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Writing for Mercury News, Ethan Baron considers how "hallucinations" - inaccurate or nonsensical information produced by artificial intelligence - have presented a persistent problem in the legal arena and elsewhere. Judges are making referrals to disciplinary authorities and, in dozens of U.S. cases since 2023, levying financial penalties of up to $31,000, including a California-record fine of $10,000 last month in a Southern California case, Baron writes. Research published by the American Bar Association earlier this year found that AI use by law firms almost tripled last year to 30% of responding law offices from 11% in 2023.

 

Mercury News

Vice President JD Vance has warned that the ongoing government shutdown could lead to "deeper" cuts in the federal workforce. "The longer this goes on, the deeper the cuts are going to be," Vance said during an interview on Fox News. As the shutdown entered its 12th day, the Office of Management and Budget indicated that over 4,000 federal employees would soon be laid off. The shutdown began on October 1 after Democrats rejected a short-term funding fix and demanded that the bill include an extension of federal subsidies for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. While negotiations between parties have stalled, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries expressed willingness to negotiate, saying: "We will sit down with anyone, anytime, anyplace."

 

Chicago Tribune

Los Angeles Times

OregonLive.com

U.S. News

Unionized workers at the Dairy Farmers of America plant in northern Vermont have come to a new contract agreement after nearly two weeks of picketing - but Teamsters Local 597 union organizer Chris Clough maintains the strike would have been completely averted if federal labor mediators were involved. Mediators used in the union's past negotiations with the dairy company were fired this spring in cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. “This time, with the mediators being eliminated as part of the DOGE cuts, that option (of mediation) wasn't there,” Clough said.

 

U.S. News

Apple has been sued by neuroscientists Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen Macknik for allegedly using copyrighted books to train its artificial intelligence model, Apple Intelligence. The lawsuit claims that Apple employed "illegal 'shadow libraries'" of pirated materials, which included the professors' own works, without permission. As legal scrutiny on tech companies regarding AI training practices increases, Apple faces the challenge of addressing copyright violations while advancing its AI capabilities.

 

Reuters

Global financial regulators are intensifying their oversight of artificial intelligence as its usage among banks and financial institutions increases. A report from the Financial Stability Board highlights concerns regarding the reliance on similar AI models and hardware across institutions, which could lead to vulnerabilities and herd behavior. Additionally, the Bank for International Settlements has stressed the "urgent need" for financial authorities to enhance their capabilities in understanding and using AI technology effectively.

 

Reuters

Roger Ver, the prominent investor dubbed "Bitcoin Jesus" for his early cryptocurrency advocacy, has reportedly reached a tentative agreement with the Justice Department to table a criminal tax fraud case that federal prosecutors brought against him last year. Federal prosecutors charged him with fraud and tax evasion for failing to pay $48m in taxes owed on his digital currency holdings. Under the terms of the deferred-prosecution agreement, which is yet to be filed in court, Mr. Ver would pay about that much to the government. Mr. Ver, a former California resident who renounced his U.S. citizenship in 2014, was arrested last year in Spain, according to the Justice Department, which announced plans at the time to extradite him.  In January he claimed he was being threatened with a possible sentence of more than 100 years because of his political views and his role in promoting crypto.

 

CoinDesk

New York Times

Alicia Stroble, a Muscogee (Creek) Nation citizen, has taken a tax dispute to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that she should be exempt from Oklahoma's state income tax because she lives and works on tribal land. The case follows the 2020 McGirt ruling, which affirmed the existence of tribal reservations for criminal jurisdiction, and now tests whether those boundaries also limit the state’s civil and taxing authority. If successful, the case could significantly impact Oklahoma’s tax base and tribal sovereignty. The Oklahoma Supreme Court rejected her claim in July 2025, stating that McGirt has not yet been extended to civil matters, prompting Stroble's federal appeal. A state response is due by October 31st.

 

The Oklahoman

Kieran Dwyer has joined Greenberg Traurig as a shareholder in its corporate, innovation & artificial intelligence, and technology transactions groups in Minneapolis. Dwyer, who previously worked at Amazon Web Services, brings extensive experience in advising cloud providers and technology companies on complex transactions, strategic partnerships, product development, and regulatory compliance. His expertise spans various industries, including software, telecommunications, consulting, health care, financial services, and energy.

 

Bloomberg Law

Argentina's lower house has approved a law limiting presidential emergency decrees, in a challenge to President Javier Milei's executive powers. The measure passed with 140 votes in favor, 80 against, and 17 abstentions, having already cleared the Senate. Under the new law, Congress and the Senate must endorse any emergency decree within 90 days, or it becomes ineffective. Critics argue Milei's use of decrees is excessive, while his party claims the law creates legal uncertainty. As Argentina approaches midterm elections on October 26, Milei's reform agenda faces significant challenges.

 

U.S. News

The IMF and Bank of England have both warned that an AI-driven market bubble could suddenly burst risking a "sudden correction" in global financial markets. "On a number of measures, equity market valuations appear stretched, particularly for technology companies focused on artificial intelligence," the BoE’s financial policy committee (FPC) warned. "This . . . leaves equity markets particularly exposed should expectations around the impact of AI become less optimistic." Echoing these concerns, Kristalina Georgieva, IMF managing director, said: "Today’s valuations are heading towards levels we saw during the bullishness about the internet 25 years ago."

 

Sky News

Financial Times

The Guardian