Legal & Legal-AI News: OpenAI Goes Deep on Law, Mergers Accelerate, and the Billing Model Reckoning

Rabbit Hole Brief: Legal News · Jul 23, 2026 · 10m

A rundown of the biggest legal and legal-tech developments for the week of July 23, 2026 — including Willkie Farr's landmark direct partnership with OpenAI, NetDocuments expanding its AI tooling into specific practice areas, a wave of law firm mergers, Carta's unusual acquisition of a London law firm, a structural warning from the Thomson Reuters Institute about hourly billing, two notable court rulings, and a growing tally of AI copyright lawsuits now approaching 120 cases. Sources: • https://www.law360.com/ai