Law Firms Are Finding Hybrid Hard: The Morning Minute
The news and analysis you need to start your day.
December 14, 2021 at 06:00 AM
5 minute read
Law Firm Management
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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING
HYBRID HARDSHIPS - The pandemic was incredibly trying and difficult for the legal industry in many ways. Still, it taught us all something valuable about law firms. In the face of crushing adversity, so many of them were able to reach down deep and discover new levels of resiliency and adaptability they never knew they were capable of… Anyway, that's all over now. As Law.com's Andrew Maloney reports, a new survey has found that, 21 months into the pandemic, law firms are struggling mightily with the concept of hybrid work. Some lawyers are in the office, others are out of the office—it's bedlam! Getting phased office returns right is still the most pressing challenge facing law firms heading into 2022, according to the latest Citi Hildebrandt Client Advisory, published Dec. 9. The report also found some firm leaders believe the current norm of part-time, in-person work is presenting more hurdles than that initial wave of the pandemic that sent most everyone home 100% of the time. "Many firms tell us that implementing a hybrid model is proving to be more challenging than operating a fully remote model," the report said.
DOES NOT COMPUTE - Pop quiz, hotshot: Macs are completely impenetrable to cyber criminals—true or false? If you answered "true," please apologize to your IT department immediately. As Law.com's Victoria Hudgins reports, a recent survey by the International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) found that some lawyers are still hanging onto outdated beliefs regarding software—beliefs that could put their firms' cybersecurity at risk. And it's not just the Mac fallacy. Tech consultants said too many firms remain vulnerable to people-driven cyber threats like phishing scams and hacked passwords. "Unfortunately, firms continue to refuse to put time and resources toward training and educating everyone in the firm, from managing partner all the way down to the receptionist, on how to avoid these scams," said Burney Consultants founder Brett Burney. "Or they're not requiring individuals at firms to use password management software, so their accounts are getting compromised."
FLOATING DEBT - Carnival was slapped with a breach-of-contract lawsuit Monday in New York Southern District Court. The suit, filed by Brown Gavalas & Fromm LLP on behalf of American Steamship Owners Mutual Protection and Indemnity Association, seeks recovery of unpaid marine insurance premiums from Carnival. Counsel have not yet appeared for the defendant. The case is 1:21-cv-10641, American Steamship Owners Mutual Protection and Indemnity Association, Inc. v. Carnival PLC. Stay up on the latest deals and litigation with the new Law.com Radar.
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EDITOR'S PICKS
The ABA's Approval of the GRE 'Caught Everybody Off Guard'—But Will It Be a Game Changer?
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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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