Why COVID-19 Was a Lateral Hiring Boon for Some Law Firms | Diverse Hiring Improving but Retention Still a Struggle | Apple Accused of Running Illegal Gambling Enterprise: The Morning Minute
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January 25, 2021 at 06:00 AM
5 minute read
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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING
BRING 'EM ON - Lateral hiring undoubtedly took a significant wallop this past year. According to data from consulting firm Decipher, there was a 30% year-over-year drop in lateral moves and a 23% decline compared to the three-year average from 2017, 2018 and 2019. But, as Law.com's Andrew Maloney reports, a closer look tells a more positive story—at least for the top firms, who pulled even further ahead of the rest of the pack last year and actually used the pandemic as an opportunity to bring on more quality talent. Interestingly, while remote work was initially viewed as a hiring hurdle, it may actually have facilitated some lateral moves later in the year, once videoconferencing had become a way of life and firms had mastered the mute button. As Dan Scott, director of recruiting firm Angott Search Group, put it: "Do you know how hard it is to get five lawyers into the same room? Do you know how much easier it is to get five of them onto a Zoom call?"
PAYING ATTENTION TO RETENTION - While we're on the topic of hiring: midsize law firms are figuring out how to tap into more pipelines to find diverse candidates, but integrating those hires in a way that fosters long-term success remains a challenge, Law.com's Meredith Hobbs recently reported in ALM's Mid-Market Report newsletter. Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt in the Pacific Northwest, for example, has made strides in hiring through a 1L diversity fellowship program that's entering its 10th year and a 2014 overhaul retooling of interview process for associate candidates. But Joe Straus, a Seattle shareholder who chairs the firm's diversity committee, admitted that retention "is the biggest area we, like every other firm, need to work on." With that in mind, Straus and Michelle Baird-Johnson, the firm's director of talent acquisition and integration, are focusing hard on the issue this year, exploring ways to build a better support network for diverse lawyers within firm. For a free trial subscription to the Mid-Market Report, click here.
BAD BETS? - Edelson PC filed a civil RICO class action Friday in California Northern District Court against Apple over its distribution of Vegas-style slot machine apps. The suit alleges that the games, which are free to download but require in-app purchases, are highly addictive and asserts that the partnership between the game developers and Apple amounts to an illegal internet gambling enterprise. Counsel have not yet appeared for the defendant. The case is 5:21-cv-00553, Nelson et al v. Apple Inc. Stay up on the latest deals with the new Law.com Radar.
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EDITOR'S PICKS
'Pick Your Poison': Giuliani in Hot Seat After Being Passed Over for Trump Pardon
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Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
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