Want to get this daily news briefing by email? Here's the sign-up.

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

TRIAL RUN – In a move that could prove instructive to other courts across the country, Texas trial court personnel will spend the first half of the summer conducting experiments to determine best practices for holding jury trials while keeping participants safe from infection by COVID-19, Angela Morris reports. According to Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, the idea to start gradually with experimental proceedings was itself inspired by an Ohio judge's disastrous attempt to hold a criminal trial in April, which was ultimately cancelled when the defendant experienced difficulty breathing and went to the hospital.

ARE BOUTIQUES BACK?  - The boutique boom we saw during the Great Recession—driven by mounting rate pressure in a rough economy—has largely given way in recent years to merger mania. But if anything could potentially reverse that trend on a dime, it's COVID-19. The founders of Chicago-based boutique Croke Fairchild Morgan & Beres told reporter David Thomas that their firm is actually growing during the global pandemic, thanks to one simple advantage: the ability to offer lower rates than their former Big Law colleagues. Going small might be the next big thing…again.

BAR FIGHT – SCOTUS has a busy day ahead. In addition to a host of qualified immunity challenges, 10 gun-related petitions and the Trump administration's fight with California over its immigration laws, the justices are set to consider during their private conference today whether mandatory state bar fees violate the First Amendment, Marcia Coyle reports.  At a time when voluntary bar associations are struggling to retain and grow their memberships and revenues, a case taking aim at their mandatory counterparts is sure to be closely watched by the legal community.