Law Firms Are Once Again Resisting Remote Hires: The Morning Minute
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June 09, 2022 at 06:00 AM
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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING
DON'T STAY HOME - The relentless forward march of evolution may have finally met its match: the legal industry. Remember last year when firms were hiring fully remote workers? The appetite for such moves now appears to be waning. Certainly, there's a wide spread in how firms are approaching return to work, and West Coast firms are generally touting more flexibility—such as Cooley's zero in-office requirements or, one Big Law anomaly, Quinn Emanuel's work-from-anywhere policy. But industry observers told Law.com's Jessie Yount that the resistance to hiring remote workers is alive and well at many large firms, which suggests that the attorneys that were able to land remote positions last year fit the definition of "getting while the getting is good." And for younger lawyers on the hunt currently, it may make sense to readjust priorities and aim for one day in the office a couple times a month or quarter, rather than zero face time. The conversation is most strained at the staff level, according to several industry sources, who note that the balance of power plays a large role in firms' attitudes and policies. "Associates to a degree can still go where they want. If they were forced to appear at the office in the flesh, they'd probably vote with their feet," said Kate Reder Sheikh, a Northern California-based associate recruiter at Major, Lindsey & Africa. By comparison, "the power dynamics are much harder for staff," she explained.
FIRM BELIEVERS - The estimated annual revenue generation of the bankruptcy and restructuring group that departed Stroock Stroock & Lavan for Paul Hastings in March, as confirmed by three independent sources, is likely north of $60 million. Stroock's 2021 revenue, as a firm, was about $260 million. That means as a conservative estimate, almost one-quarter (23%) of the firm's revenue walked out the door. While the exodus of the valued group is the most acute issue the firm needs to deal with, industry experts told Law.com's Patrick Smith that shifting market conditions that favor size and scale, as well as certain decisions Stroock has made on how to grow, have put the firm in a precarious position. According to co-managing partners Alan Klinger and Jeff Keitelman, the actions around talent acquisition the firm has taken in the last couple of years will provide it with the necessary firepower to march on, even without the vaunted restructuring unit. Not everyone agrees, however. This is the first of a two-part series looking at the current state of affairs at Stroock Stroock & Lavan.
WHO GOT THE WORK?℠ - Walmart heir Rob Walton and the Penner Family have agreed to purchase the Denver Broncos for $4.65 billion. A Proskauer Rose team, led by partner Joe Leccese, is representing the Broncos. Walton and the Penners are advised by a Hogan Lovells team including partner Matthew Eisler and Russell Hedman. >> Read the filing 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.
ON THE RADAR - Counsel at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath on Wednesday removed a wrongful death lawsuit against Tyson Foods and other defendants to Iowa Northern District Court. The suit accuses Tyson of misrepresenting the severity of a COVID-19 outbreak at a Waterloo meatpacking facility to employees, resulting in the deaths of multiple workers. The court case was filed by Frerichs Law Office; Rausch Law Firm; and the Spence Law Firm on behalf of the Estate of Felicie Joseph. The case is 6:22-cv-02025, Wilson et al v. Tyson Foods, Inc. et al. Stay up on the latest deals and litigation with the new Law.com Radar.
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EDITOR'S PICKS
UCLA Law Accidentally Emails Confidential On-Campus Interview Data to Students By Christine Charnosky |
Ilya Shapiro Accepts Job at Manhattan Institute After Resigning From Georgetown Law Over 'Hostile Work Environment' By Christine Charnosky |
California Man Charged With Attempted Murder of Justice Brett Kavanaugh By Marcia Coyle |
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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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