Last week’s collapse of Silicon Valley Bank has jolted the economy, forcing the government to step in and attempt to restore order after the largest bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis. Now, politicians, regulators and SVB customers hope to stave off another banking calamity. Joining Pro Say this week is Law360’s senior banking reporter, Jon Hill, to explain how and why SVB failed, and what its implosion means for tech, finance and the economy at large. Also this week, a California appeals court backs a law allowing tech giants like Uber and Lyft to classify their workers as contractors and not employees, and a Texas judge appears ready to strip a crucial abortion drug of its FDA approval. Finally, the hosts’ wine glasses runneth over with legal news from the Bravo reality television universe.

A years-long push to update the District of Columbia’s century-old criminal code landed with a thud this week as the U.S. Senate resoundingly defeated a suite of proposed amendments that would have reset sentencing guidelines and lowered penalties for certain crimes. On this week’s episode of Pro Say we welcome Law360 reporter Katie Buehler to explain how we got here, and what comes next in the heated debate over crime in the nation’s capital that has underscored the district’s unique hurdles to self-governance. Also this week, “M&A Day on Pro Say” kicks off a bid to scuttle the proposed merger between JetBlue and Spirit Airlines by federal regulators who say it’ll drive up flight costs. We then turn to New York BigLaw fixture Shearman and Sterling, which this week called off a rumored merger with Hogan Lovells and could face some difficulties moving forward. Finally, one of the alleged co-conspirators in the theft of Lady Gaga’s two french bulldogs has now sued the singer over unpaid reward money.

It’s been hard to look away from the fascinating, bizarre and tragic trial of disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh, who was convicted this week of murdering his wife and son. This week, Pro Say is joined by Law360 senior trials reporter Cara Salvatore, who has been covering every twist and turn. Salvatore walks us through the big revelations that shaped the trial and led to the jury’s decision. Also this week, the International Trade Commission is weighing a potential import ban on Apple Watches after finding that Apple infringed a Masimo patent covering technology for measuring oxygen in the blood. And we break down an invitation for the Supreme Court justices to make some entertaining connect-the-dots drawings.

The already heated debate over biometric data collection saw a jolt last week as the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that privacy claims pile up with each unlawful logging of employee data, potentially putting employers on the hook for astronomical damages. Joining Pro Say this week is Chicago court reporter Celeste Bott to break down the Prairie State’s high court ruling and what it could mean for workplace tracking disputes. Also this week, two plaintiffs’ firms trade blows over a Facebook antitrust case, and the DOJ files charges against an ex-con for his purported impersonation of a private equity GC and BigLaw pro. Finally, the hosts examine the tortured legal connections of this week’s most anticipated movie release, “Cocaine Bear.”

The weeks since the disastrous derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying toxic chemicals have seen a flurry of lawsuits from residents and business owners in and around East Palestine, Ohio. On this week’s Pro Say, we’re joined by Ohio courts reporter Eric Heisig, who breaks down the legal blowback as well as what’s likely to come as we learn more about what exactly went awry and what it means for the region. Also on the show, we dig into Alec Baldwin’s efforts to get a special prosecutor booted from New Mexico’s case against him over the “Rust” shooting; the resignation of the Federal Trade Commission’s lone Republican member; and a clerk of court fired over a butt dial.

The sensation of being RickRolled is unmistakable, thanks in no small part to the distinct timbre of the voice Rick Astley on full display in his 1987 smash Never Gonna Give You Up. But now, Astley is locked in a battle with rapper Yung Gravy, who mimicked the singer’s voice in a way that Astley says violates his publicity rights. On this week’s Pro Say, the hosts break down Astley’s legal gambit and explain why the suit may face an uphill climb. Also on this week’s show, French fashion house Hermes defeats an LA designer who used images of its iconic Birkin bags in a line of NFTs, and an Ohio judge gets slapped with a $1.1 million verdict for firing a Jewish staff attorney after she asked for eight days off to observe the High Holidays. Finally, the hosts discuss the troubling rise of Legal Reporter Brain, a condition that has left them unable to engage with pop culture in a traditional manner.

This week the Third Circuit said Johnson & Johnson can’t use the “Texas two-step” to create a talc unit to spin off billions of dollars in liability and then immediately file for bankruptcy protection. The controversial maneuver has faced scrutiny in other suits as well, and this week we’re joined by Law360 senior bankruptcy reporter Vince Sullivan to talk about what the ruling means for J&J and beyond. Also on this week’s show, we discuss a federal grand juries indicting Tom Girardi for allegedly stealing millions from his clients; the Second Circuit reining in the power of Manhattan federal judge Jed Rakoff to use discretion in voir dire; and we weigh in on some new social “laws” to live by.

An ugly turf war is playing out at some of New York City’s most hallowed venues, with Madison Square Garden as the epicenter of the dispute. The storied arena’s owner, James Dolan, has barred attorneys litigating against his various business interests from entering the Garden, enforcing the policy with cutting edge facial recognition technology and inviting a flood of litigation from the aggrieved lawyers. On this week’s Pro Say, we’re joined by attorneys Benjamin Noren and Joe Polito of Davidoff Hutcher & Citron, who have found themselves in Dolan’s crosshairs, to break down the mechanics of this ban and their fight to undo it. Also this week, the Justice Department muscles up against Google with a new antitrust suit over the company’s advertising technology, and former Whole Foods employees suffer another setback in their legal fight against the company’s decision to fire them for donning Black Lives Matter facemasks on the job. Finally, we envision a dinner party at the home of legal fiction luminary John Grisham.

This month the Securities and Exchange Commission sued law firm Covington & Burling claiming it needed a list of clients that were impacted by a 2020 cybersecurity breach attributed to Chinese spies. The feds say they need the list to determine whether any securities laws were broken following the hack, but Covington is fighting back, arguing the disclosure would run afoul of attorney client privilege. On this week’s episode of Pro Say, Law360 cybersecurity reporter Ben Kochman joins us to discuss where both sides stand in this fascinating showdown between the SEC and BigLaw. Also this week, New York’s former state chief judge lands in hot water over a mountain of taxpayer expenses that may not have been approved; the blogging habits of disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried make life difficult for his attorneys; and finally, the latest legal effort by everyone’s favorite litigious rapper Lil Wayne proves unsuccessful.

Decades of tension over the use of noncompete agreements in the workplace has bubbled over to start the year with a Federal Trade Commission proposal to ban those agreements across the board. The early-stage move drew cheers from the labor movement and threats of swift litigation from the powerful business lobby, teeing up a fierce legal and political clash in the coming months. Law360 competition reporter Bryan Koenig joins Pro Say this week  to lay out the specifics of the FTC’s bombshell proposal and the likely battles that lie ahead. Also this week, Real Housewives star Jen Shah gets 6.5 years in prison for her role in a telemarketing scam and the Fifth Circuit strikes down a ban on “bump stocks” meant to accelerate the firing of semi-automatic rifles. Finally, a mysterious interloper in the elite publishing world is rung up on fraud charges for stealing manuscripts and impersonating literary figures to mysterious ends.