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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

BIG LAW'S LOOSENING GRIP –  While Big Law has looked to deepen its connection with clients over the pandemic, it may not be able to fend off other firms taking their business. Andrew Maloney reports that many firms have increased their marketing spend this year, while clients are more willing to spread their work around, a trend that could accelerate if firms' higher compensation packages lead to rate increases. In fact, there's some evidence that clients are already moving down-market, boosting some Am Law Second Hundred firms

WHAT'S BEHIND CRAVATH'S D.C. MOVE? – Earlier this week Cravath, Swaine & Moore announced it was expanding beyond its New York base to open an office in Washington D.C. The move left some wondering why the firm chose now to establish a presence in the U.S. capital, and whether it could compete in the local market. After all, as Patrick Smith and Bruce Love report, Cravath will now be in direct competition with larger firms that have more established regulatory practices in the area. It also will face threats from smaller firms that still have significant market share when it comes to servicing D.C.-specific needs. At least one D.C. legal consultant believes that Cravath made the move to bolster its New York presence, specifically by having people on the ground in D.C.

A MORE CONSERVATIVE SCOTUS – The U.S. Supreme Court has had a conservative majority for a while—but it may lean more to the right than many think. Marcia Coyle reports on a trio of surveys, conducted over a decade, that found that not only is the court more conservative than the average American, but that many Americans also underestimate the court's rightward shift. The surveys were authored by Stephen Jessee of the University of Texas at Austin, Neil Malhotra of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Harvard Kennedy School's Maya Sen. The studies noted that while there was "no meaningful change in the court's ideological position relative to that of the general public" for much of the past decade, that changed when Justice Amy Coney Barrett replaced the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

EDITOR'S PICKS

Is the Metaverse Plaintiffs Firms' New Chatbot?