After two years of take-no-prisoners litigation, there is not much the lawyers for Apple and Samsung can agree on. But a rare moment of solidarity between rivals occurred Tuesday as the tech giants joined in urging the Federal Circuit to block the public disclosure of court filings that contain sensitive financial data.

Hedge funds that lost billions shorting Volkswagen stock haven't been easily dissuaded from going after Porsche, which pumped up VW's share price in a botched takeover bid. On Wednesday a group of funds that opted for state court cleared a crucial hurdle, when Porsche's lawyers at Sullivan & Cromwell lost a bid to dismiss fraud and unjust enrichment claims that could be worth well north of $1 billion.

The odds of a surprise turnaround for the banks fighting the Federal Housing Finance Agency are looking slimmer and slimmer.

At a ceremony on Wednesday, The American Lawyer once again bestowed awards on the country's best litigation departments. It's been fascinating to see all the outstanding work done by the firms that have competed over the past decade, but I'm also left with another impression: Not much has changed.

In its biggest suit yet, the National Credit Union Administration claims Bear Stearns sold $3.6 billion in shoddy mortgage-backed securities to four failed credit unions. But just like the cases that the Federal Housing Finance Agency brought against a slew of banks, the NCUA suits are in limbo as federal appeals courts weigh whether the agencies waited too long to sue.