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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

BEST COAST? –  As we noted back in July, Big Law seems to have a fascination with California that would make Brian Wilson proud. And, as Rose Walker reports, U.K. and international firms are not immune to the allure of the Golden State. Ashurst, Kennedys and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer have all opened California locations recently and several others continue to eye the state for opportunities. The question remains, however, how many firms will be able to hack it in one of the world's most cutthroat legal markets. As the managing partner of one West Coast firm told Walker: "It remains incredibly difficult for non-domestic firms to gain a foothold in the U.S. market, partially because it's already so competitive, but especially now and post-pandemic. U.K. firms will come out weaker than the top U.S. firms, and the gap will widen and ability to invest and succeed and attract the very best talent in the U.S. will get harder."

DIVERSIFY – GCs and in-house attorneys with management responsibilities should play a greater role in identifying and fostering underrepresented talent who have the potential to assume leadership roles, a group of legal leaders said during the California Minority Counsel Program's first virtual conference yesterday, according to a report by Dan Clark. And one of the best ways to do that, the panelists said, is to give up-and-coming diverse attorneys work that gets seen by executives. "I think that is the foundation for access to sponsorship. If they're working on matters that have executive visibility and people are paying attention to a high-profile matter, that is going to set them up," Airbnb Inc. deputy general counsel Iris Chen said.

WHO'S COUNTING? –  Baker & Hostetler and attorney Nathan M. Hansen filed a voting rights lawsuit against Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon Tuesday in Minnesota District Court. The complaint accuses Simon of conspiring with certain private citizens to alter the deadline of Minnesota elections to allow counting of ballots a full eight days after November 3, 2020, allegedly including mail-in ballots without postmark. "There is a substantial risk that Plaintiffs' votes will be completely meaningless, if either Minnesota loses its representation in the Electoral College or its asserted results do not qualify for the safe harbor," the complaint alleges. The case was filed on behalf of two Republican nominees to be electors for Minnesota in the 2020 general election. Read the full complaints and stay up to date on major litigation nationwide with Law.com's Legal Radar.

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