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

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

DEALS OR NO DEALS – Since nothing else about 2020 is normal, we probably shouldn't be surprised that the stock market and the economy are diverging more than ever. As Patrick Smith reports, the seeming disconnect between company market valuations and overall economic conditions has led to a "winners and losers" dynamic—some companies are thriving either in spite or because of COVID-19, while others are suffering. All of this has reinforced the need for law firms' M&A practices to maintain a diversified client base. Brian Richards, chair of Paul Hastings' global private equity practice, told Smith that deal flow in his practice has seen an increase in August, which he said is normally a down time for deals."We have seen a big pickup in the last four weeks, but it is from businesses that have seen little impact from the pandemic or been positively impacted," Richards said.

LITIGATION WITH IMAGINATION  – Negotiating with insurers is one of the toughest aspects of being a personal injury lawyer and, like most things, the pandemic has only made it harder. So securing a $6.25 million settlement, even on behalf of a seriously injured client, was anything but a breeze, plaintiffs attorney Justin Shapiro of Leesfield Scolaro in Miami told Raychel Lean. "In the COVID and post-COVID world, the most difficult thing is to pin an insurance carrier down, and convey to them the importance of resolving a case quickly," he said. "They know that trial is not coming next month, two months or even three months from now." So how did he do it? A little imagination, including utilizing a day-in-the-life video to tell his client's story and custom medical illustrations."That kind of resolution at that number is not common in our COVID world because of the lack of pressure," Shapiro said. "We were able to do it in this case because we had a combination of other things working in our favor. Perhaps, first and foremost, a wonderful client."

INSTASCAM – If you've ever wondered how that guy from high school ended up with 40,000 followers on an Instagram account devoted to pictures of his iguana, you may now have an answer: Hunton Andrews Kurth filed a lawsuit on behalf of Facebook and Instagram Thursday in California Northern District Court accusing an individual d/b/a "Nakrutka" of unlawfully operating a "fake engagement" business that artificially inflates likes, views and followers for its clients' accounts on the plaintiffs' platforms. Attorneys have not yet appeared for the defendant. Read the full complaint and stay up to date on major litigation nationwide with Law.com's Legal Radar.

EDITOR'S PICKS

In a Moment of Change, Savvy Firms Are Finding Ways to Innovate