This Big Law Firm Just Made a Big Move Into the Metaverse: The Morning Minute
The news and analysis you need to start your day.
February 15, 2022 at 06:00 AM
5 minute read
Innovation
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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING
VIRTUAL REALTY - While most law firms are busy trying to decide whether to have the cubicles removed from their office suites, at least one is in the midst of building a brand new office that will exist entirely in virtual reality. In what is understood to be the first substantial move of a Big Law firm into the metaverse, Washington-headquartered Arent Fox has bought a digital plot of land and is opening a virtual office. Firm chair Anthony Lupo told Law.com's Bruce Love that the firm chose to set up shop in the metaverse because that's where its clients are moving. Global accountancy firm PwC purchased digital land in a popular world called The Sandbox, for over $10,000 as a nonfungible token (NFT) using that world's SAND cryptocurrency. Arent Fox helped PwC with that deal and in the process made the decision to enter the world itself. Arent Fox also has helped Discovery Channel, "several NBA teams," and a number of fashion clients, including Diesel and Victoria's Secret, build a presence in the metaverse. Arent Fox is building its own metaverse office in Decentraland, in the Fashion/Retail district "to be close to clients," said Lupo, who was central in developing the firm's successful sector focus in areas such as fashion, retail, sports and media and entertainment.
ACCIDENTAL PRO BONO - For litigators, there is no better feeling than achieving victory on behalf of a client after a hard-fought battle. A close second, however, would be the feeling of getting paid for that work. Unfortunately, that part can be tricky, especially if you're looking for the losing side to foot the bill. As we explore in the latest edition of Law.com's Litigation Trendspotter column, a spate of recent rulings rejecting attorney fee petitions shows the importance of preparation when seeking reimbursement from an opposing party. As we noted in a previous Litigation Trendspotter column, filing an outrageously inflated fee petition is a surefire way to tick off a judge and potentially end up leaving empty-handed (and possibly in ethical trouble). After all, most fee-shifting provisions specify that the fees sought must be "reasonable." But several recent decisions illustrate that even well-intentioned fee applications can end in disappointment if the moving party's expectations are misplaced and/or the evidence supporting the request is lacking. I'm interested to hear from you: what are some best practices for preparing a successful fee petition? Let me know at [email protected].
WHO GOT THE WORK?℠ - Mary A. Smigielski and Michael J. Roman of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith have entered appearances alongside Seyfarth Shaw partner Gerald L. Maatman Jr. for Evident ID Inc. in a pending data privacy class action. The class action accuses Evident of unlawfully tracking and storing users' biometric and personal data with its identity verification software. The suit was filed Dec. 29 in Illinois Northern District Court by McGuire Law. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan H. Lefkow, is 1:21-cv-06911, Smith v. Evident ID Inc. Read the complaint on Law.com Radar and check out the most recent edition of Law.com's Who Got the Work?℠ column to find out which law firms and lawyers are being brought in to handle key cases and close major deals for their clients.
HIGH TECH - Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth filed a copyright infringement lawsuit Monday in Texas Western District Court on behalf of Blaze Solutions, a company that creates software for the cannabis industry. The suit targets BWS Holdings over its software ServiceGanja, contending that it is "substantially similar" to Blaze's 420connect software, including identical code, descriptors and error messages. The complaint also accuses BWS of plagiarizing Blaze's website and blog content. Counsel have not yet appeared for the defendant. The case is 6:22-cv-00158, Blaze Solutions, Inc. v. Bws Holdings, LLC et al. Stay up on the latest deals and litigation with the new Law.com Radar.
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EDITOR'S PICKS
US Judge's Ruling Clears New York Times of Potential Liability in Sarah Palin Defamation Trial By Tom McParland Boies Schiller Loses Head of Sports and Gaming to Cadwalader By Bruce Love Is Sales Enablement The Next Big Thing In Legal Services? By Eric Dewey Japanese Billionaire Must Pay Nearly $55M in Attorney Fees to Bartlit Beck, 7th Circuit Rules By Marianna Wharry When Is 'Blanket Application' of Attorney-Client Privilege Appropriate? State High Court Weighs In|
WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING
INNOVATION HUB - The pandemic-spurred transition to remote work hasn't just accelerated legal tech adoption in the U.S. Across the world in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, it's also sparked burgeoning demand for Arabic-based legal tech tools, creating a legal tech market bolstered by a strong entrepreneurial spirit, Law.com International's Isha Marathe reports. Over the past four months, for instance, recruiters from the legal tech branch of consultancy firm Jameson Legal saw a sharp spike in the number of legal tech startups from GCC countries reaching out to access their hiring services. "At the beginning, most approaches for our services were coming out of legal tech companies in North America and Europe," said Jon Bartman, the London-based head of Jameson Legal Tech. "Now, we get approached nearly two or three times a week from new startups with innovative products and a vision, anywhere from Saudi Arabia to Bahrain to Kuwait to the UAE, all reaching out for our services."
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WHAT YOU SAID
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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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