A special pay commission voted Friday to gradually raise the $136,700 salary of New York state Supreme Court justices to the $174,000 earned by federal district judges. Judges and bar groups expressed disappointment at the size of the proposed raises, the first in more than 12 years.

After two years of litigation, Heller Ehrman’s banks have tentatively agreed to pay the firm’s estate $20 million and waive their claims against the dissolved firm and its shareholders. A hearing on the proposed settlement is to be held March 31.

Leaked government documents suggest that the U.K. Ministry of Justice has taken measures to radically weaken the jurisdictional reach of the country’s new bribery act, which could in turn reduce the work generated by the proposed law for U.S. white-collar lawyers when it takes effect.

Barclays faces aiding and abetting and tortious interference claims stemming from its allegedly conflicted role in the proposed $5.3 billion private equity takeover of Del Monte Foods Co.

The Justice Department is nearing a comprehensive class settlement with Native American farmers who filed a discrimination suit against the federal government in 1999. Lawyers for the plaintiffs and DOJ attorneys met for a status conference this week in Washington federal district court.