From The National Law Journal

2014 has been a year of disruption and division, public protests and congressional sparring, notable deaths and departures, and an insistent warning light of more conflict ahead.

Discord culminated in the wake of a ­federal grand jury’s decision not to indict a white policeman for the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. launched a federal civil rights investigation — one that U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch will inherit if Congress confirms her nomination for Holder’s job. And that’s an if, since it’s unclear how a feisty new Republican Congress will handle President Barack Obama’s remaining judicial and administrative appointments.

On other fronts, lawmakers wrangled with corporate automakers ‘ officials over safety-related problems. U.S. Supreme Court justices wrestled over the Affordable Care Act and abortion-related disputes. BP executives fought a major settlement they’d earlier accepted. Two top Washington lawyers died, with one engineering the successful merger of his firm only months before. And law school enrollment continued its seemingly inexorable decline. And what of Notorious RBG? Justice Ginsburg talked. And talked. She’s not budging.

What might that mean for our 2015 Year in Review? Stay tuned.

— Beth Frerking, Editor in Chief

Voir Dire

Snooki was back in court, Dennis Rodman displayed old-fashioned manners and Jay-Z won again.

The Year in Quotes

The legal wit and wisdom of Alex Kozinski and Mindy Kaling. Also, this blunt advice from an ex-cop: Obey.

Supreme Court

The court mostly stayed out of the same-sex-marriage fight, but said employers could deny workers contraception insurance coverage.

Enforcement/Regulation

Members of President Obama’s cabinet fell by the wayside, as oversight of the police emerged as a major issue.

Litigation

BP saw little success in its bid to undo its Deepwater Horizon settlement; GM faced massive lawsuits over an ignition defect.

Opinion

The National Law Journal’s opinion pages ­included commentary on politics, the ­profession and lots of pending litigation.

Legal Business

Bingham McCutchen gave up the ghost; Patton Boggs merged with Squire Sanders; and Uncle Sam cut outside legal spending.

The Year in Photos

The “Notorious RBG” speaks, law firms ­embraced the “Ice Bucket Challenge,” contraception contretemps at the Supreme Court, and more enduring images from 2014.

Law & Politics

Senators demanded—and won—GM’s GC’s job; President Obama acted on immigration and faced GOP litigation on multiple fronts.

Law Schools

The ABA overhauled its academic standards amid declining enrollment and bar exam scores, yet some schools were building.

IMAGE: 2014 year in review bug

For more on this story go to: http://www.nationallawjournal.com/id=1202713403993/More-Conflict-Than-Resolution#ixzz3NLFPmAOf