Want to get this daily news briefing by email? Here's the sign-up.

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

TERMS OF DISENGAGEMENT - With law firm demand down and office attendance policies still influx, some Big Law leaders don't believe their workforce is optimally motivated at the moment, and they are struggling with disengagement, Law.com's Andrew Maloney reports. Unlike burnout or "quiet quitting," which arguably stemmed from mostly short-term dynamics, observers point to a collision of current and long-term trends, such as post-pandemic work and generational shifts, that have led lawyers today to be less committed to or fulfilled in the profession as they were, say, a decade ago. "The younger generation of lawyers is less interested in becoming the older generation of lawyers," said Daniel Farris, partner-in-charge of the Chicago office of Norton Rose Fulbright. "So you think of the two primary incentives created by law firms for young lawyers: it's 'work hard, do good work. Be a good firm citizen. And we will, A, pay you well. And B, we will one day let you in the club. You can be one of us.'"

REMOTE WARFARE - Law firm leaders may still be on the fence about remote work, but litigators seem to have reached a consensus on at least one aspect of the technology: virtual depositions. With widespread adoption of video conference technology, litigators are carefully strategizing about the use of remote versus in-person depositions. And, as Law.com's Alaina Lancaster writes in this week's Barometer newsletter, Some attorneys say they've seen opposing counsel advocate for remote depositions to gain a tactical advantage. Remote depositions can provide an "additional barrier," according to Patrick Papalia of Archer in Hackensack, New Jersey. "I can tell you, in my experience, that when you're confronting a witness, especially a witness where there's critical testimony or controversial testimony, where it's in dispute, that being in person presents opportunities that you wouldn't have in remote [depositions]," Papalia said.

ON THE RADAR - NOCD Inc. and its CEO Stephen Smith were slapped with a lawsuit alleging breach of employment contract Thursday in Pennsylvania Eastern District Court. The suit was filed by Spector Gadon Rosen Vinci on behalf of former NOCD chief marketing officer Robert Capobianco, who claims he is owed a $118,750 bonus for the year of 2022. The defendants are represented by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. The case is 2:23-cv-02394, Capobianco v. Nocd, Inc. et al. Stay up on the latest state and federal litigation, as well as the latest corporate deals, with Law.com Radar.