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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

HAPPY IN HYBRID? - The number of law firms willing to hire fully remote associates on a case-by-case basis is inching upward. But if you thought Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan's recent announcement of a blanket "work from anywhere" policy would suddenly spawn a wave of copycats, you must have been thinking of associate salary bumps… or annual associate bonuses…or special semi-annual associate bonuses. Anyway, as Law.com's Dan Packel reports, evidence suggests most firms and associates are content with hybrid arrangements. Andrew Glynn, a recruiter and managing director with Major, Lindsey & Africa's associate practice group, speculated that most firms haven't taken a strong, public position on the issue in part because most associates seem to be comfortable with a setup that gives them the option of coming to the office without the obligation to hoof it there five days a week. "Most associates really want an office; they want an ability to go into an office," said the former Seyfarth Shaw associate. "For example, I would say I've gone to the office once in the past two years, but I would never give up my office. It's nice to know I can get away."

ALL UP IN YOUR BUSINESS - Clients are always talking about how they want their legal advice served with a side of business advice. But how about a heaping helping of business advice infused with some legal flavor? Yesterday, Law.com's Bruce Love reports, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton launched KTS Strategies as a wholly owned subsidiary focused on assisting clients with both advocacy and business strategy across both state and federal governments. The foundation for the new business is Kilpatrick Townsend's government relations team, but it will also draw upon the expertise of its 650 attorneys and legal professionals around the world. "Business strategy has always been a part of the law firm side, but companies are now looking for political insight in how to structure their companies or how to make decisions," said Ches McDowell, senior managing director of the subsidiary. "You're starting to see even more business decisions being influenced by politics, and us—being the folks that understand the politics and where the politics are going—advise businesses on the best way to structure their decisions." The news comes a day after a similarly ranked Am Law 100 firm launched its own new business service. Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough on Tuesday launched a compliance and regulatory consulting division aimed at giving financial services clients bespoke compliance solutions that will be overseen by the firm's attorneys.

AWARD DAMAGES? - Proskauer Rose filed a trademark and trade dress infringement lawsuit Wednesday in California Central District Court on behalf of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, which presents the annual Grammy Awards. The suit targets Creative Copperopolis and other defendants over "the Cammies," or the Calaveras Arts & Music Awards. The plaintiff accuses the defendants of intentionally infringing on the name, artwork and award statuette design of the Grammys in order to imply a false association. Counsel have not yet appeared for the defendants. The case is 2:22-cv-00269, National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., a Delaware corporation v. Creative Copperopolis et al. Stay up on the latest deals and litigation with the new Law.com Radar.  

WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF HANDSHAKES - European M&A hit a 14-year high in 2021, with international firms continuing to close the lion's share of deals in most but not all continental markets, Law.com International's Anne Bagamery reports. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer topped the pan-European charts this year with $281.5 billion across 272 deals for a 14.4% share of market value. Overall, deals involving European targets totaled  $1.4  trillion for the full-year 2021,  an increase of 46% compared to 2020 levels, according to final league tables from the research firm Refinitiv. The figures for Europe track a surge in M&A activity worldwide in 2021, fueled in part by private equity funds and the growth of SPACs, or special purpose acquisition companies, Refinitiv reported.  "The international firms have a critical mass now, after years of growth, and partners able to move with support staffs," Seamus Hoar, senior partner at Major Lindsey & Africa, told Law.com International. "National firms are doing excellent work. But the firepower of the international firms is just arresting."

WHAT YOU SAID

"The attrition is so high, the profession is having whiplash. I think one of the cures for that whiplash is to build in time off in a more significant way than we traditionally have."