Beus's 30-lawyer firm doesn't even have a Web site. But he managed to stave off Pfizer's revolving cast of defense lawyers for six years--long enough to for his client, Brigham Young University, to reach a $450 million deal to settle claims that Pfizer breached a research agreement and ripped off trade secrets to develop its blockbuster arthritis drug Celebrex.

An appellate court ruled on Thursday that the Federal Aviation Act preempts the state regulation of all airlines. The decision came in a long-running litigation in which major carriers have been accused of conspiring to keep cargo shipping rates artificially high.

Bondholders who bought into Washington Mutual Bank's $22 billion note offering never agreed to the proposed deal announced last month. At the time, WaMu Inc. said it didn't matter because the bondholders didn't have standing in its Chapter 11. Well, now they do.

A Gibson Dunn team led by Orin Snyder has launched a personal counterattack against Paul Ceglia, who has sued client Mark Zuckerberg for half of Facebook. Using private investigators, forensic specialists, and linguistic experts, the firm paints Ceglia as a career criminal, lier, and forger.