The Federal Trade Commission is moving ahead with a proposal to crack down on what are commonly called “junk fees,” the often-obscured extra charges applied to concert tickets, hotel bookings and other purchases, that can cost customers upwards of $80 million per year. Joining Pro Say this week is Columbia Business School professor Vicki Morwitz, whose research into those fees and their effects on consumer behavior has informed much of the government’s response to what it considers a transparently deceptive business practice. Also this week, Robins Kaplan gets ripped for snooping around in a litigation opponent’s accidentally-shared corporate files and a Texas bankruptcy judge reveals a previously secret romantic relationship with an attorney whose former firm regularly brought cases before him. Finally, U.S. solicitor general Elizabeth Prelogar faces a grilling of a different sort on NPR’s “Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!”

The criminal fraud trial of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried is underway in Manhattan, with prosecutors making the case that SBF looted billions of dollars from the crypto exchange before its ultimate collapse last year. Joining Pro Say this week is Law360 New York courts reporter Rachel Scharf, who explains that the case will ultimately turn on whether the government can show that the fallen crypto mogul willfully shuffled money from the exchange to his hedge fund and how testimony from FTX insiders could make or break the case. Also this week, we shine a light on a few new cases taken up by the Supreme Court, including thorny disputes over social media content moderation policies, SEC disclosure rules, and time limits on claiming copyright infringement damages.

The Supreme Court justices return to the bench on Monday for a new term that’s shaping up to be an impactful one, with issues ranging from gun ownership rights in domestic violence cases, to the legality of administrative courts and the First Amendment implications of public officials blocking critics on social media. Let this episode of Pro Say be your guide for the term as we talk about all the major cases and storylines with special guest and prolific Supreme Court litigator Carter Phillips from Sidley Austin. Also this week, the Federal Trade Commission finally brings down the antitrust hammer on Amazon, and former President Donald Trump is found liable for fraud in a high-profile civil case brought by the New York attorney general.

A dispute over a relatively obscure fishing industry rule is attracting considerable buzz ahead of the upcoming Supreme Court term, as the justices will consider whether to overturn their decades-old precedent providing leeway to federal regulators. The so-called Chevron deference requires courts to defer to agencies’ interpretations of ambiguous laws, and has been a target for mostly conservative activists who fear it gives the executive branch too much power. Joining Pro Say this week is Law360’s senior environmental reporter Juan Carlos Rodriguez, who will break down the case and what’s at stake for this administrative law bedrock. Also this week, Walgreens accuses Crowell & Moring of serious ethical breaches in a nine-figure arbitration fight, and lawsuits roll in after the FDA declares that over-the-counter decongestants don’t do too much decongesting.

A remarkable Fifth Circuit opinion recently concluded that Mississippi’s permanent ban on voting rights for convicted felons is cruel and unusual punishment that violates the Constitution. The ruling energized a growing nationwide advocacy movement against felon disenfranchisement, but it’s not without its detractors either, who argue the opinion conflicts with existing precedent and could throw voting regimes in many states into disarray. On this week’s episode of Pro Say we welcome Law360 feature reporter Jack Karp to explain how the Fifth Circuit reached its conclusion, what it could mean and just how quickly the U.S. Supreme Court may weigh in. Also this week, we examine the latest defeat of a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau policy meant to combat discrimination in consumer banking practices, and a novel copyright lawsuit brought by authors who allege that OpenAI and other artificial intelligence platforms are using their works to learn without permission. Finally, a recent profane outburst from disgraced attorney Tom Girardi in court prompts our hosts to share their own embarrassing tales of swearing at inappropriate moments.

A landmark trial kicks off next week with the federal government squaring off against tech giant Google. The government says Google has abused its power over online searches to smother competition. On this week's episode of Pro Say, we're joined by Law360 senior antitrust reporter Bryan Koenig to give us a preview of the government's first monopoly trial since its historic case against Microsoft in the late ‘90s. Also this week we tackle ethics issues at the state and federal level. First, we discuss Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's impeachment trial before the state senate; then we unpack the ethics complaint one senator has leveled against Justice Samuel Alito. And finally, we preview our new sister podcast, Approach The Bench, featuring insightful interviews with sitting judges.

After more than six years of quiet obsession over the attorneys and other legal pros who appear on The Bachelor and Bachelorette, Pro Say brings you an exclusive interview with one such contestant. We’re joined this week by Mayer Brown associate James Pierce, who was one of roughly two dozen suitors vying for the affections of Charity Lawson on the most recent season of the Bachelorette. James dishes on what his BigLaw bosses thought of his detour into reality television, how his legal training informed his time on the show, and what his life has been like since returning to the real world. Also this week, the ABA hits back against attacks on law firm diversity programs, and 3M settles the largest mass tort litigation in U.S. history for $6 billion, while also advancing a $12.5 billion settlement in another case….all on the same day.

Lawsuits accusing Hawaii’s power companies of negligence have already started to trickle in following one of the deadliest wildfires in history that ravaged Maui and killed more than 100 people, and legal experts believe that hundreds if not thousands more may follow. On this week’s episode of Pro Say, Law360 product liability senior reporter Emily Field talks us through what the potentially historic litigation could look like and how it might play out based on similar tragic wildfire incidents we’ve seen in the recent past. Also this week, an en banc ruling from the Fifth Circuit expanding the scope of actions that constitute employment discrimination; an artist’s losing battle at the Second Circuit over a Vermont law school’s right to obstruct the view of a controversial mural; and finally, a New Jersey judge finds himself in hot water for lip-syncing vulgar lyrics on Tik-Tok from the courthouse.

Two women lawyers told Law360 that former Federal Trade Commission member and George Mason University law professor Joshua D. Wright abused his power in order to engage them in sexual activity. On this week's Pro Say podcast we discuss details of the alleged misconduct that began while they were his students and later continued when they were his subordinates at the FTC and at a BigLaw firm. Also this week we talk about MLB umpire Angel Hernandez losing a racial bias suit over his lack of prestigious assignments and Hyundai and Kia's $145 million deal with drivers claiming they were sold cars that are vulnerable to theft.

What began with a simple court order for Southwest Airlines to issue a statement vowing to uphold the religious protections in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act has escalated to a bitter feud in Texas federal court, where a judge has sanctioned three of the company’s attorneys with an edict to undergo “religious liberty training.” On this week’s episode of Pro Say we talk through the full story of the underlying case, how it escalated to an unusual demand from the judge and the upcoming appeal that the airline has promised at the Fifth Circuit. Also this week, an escalation in the already-bitter dispute between 96-year-old Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman and a panel of her colleagues who suggested she be suspended from hearing all cases for a year. And finally, the ongoing beef between YouTube star MrBeast and a promotional restaurant serving his personal burger heated up this week when he was countersued for claiming the food was inedible and ruined his online reputation.