Throughout 2020, current and former in-house attorneys were forced into the spotlight as they filed lawsuits against their former employers, faced scrutiny from regulators, or went out of their way to protect their companies’ intellectual property. Below are 13 cases in which in-house counsel found themselves at the center of controversy in 2020.

Daniel Burbach, a former assistant general counsel for Arconic Corp., alleges he was fired for asking for accommodations to work abroad after being diagnosed with COVID-19 in March. He initially filed suit in May and in December he filed his second amended complaint against the company in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.