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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

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IN THE GAME - Cannabis advocacy is blossoming in the halls of the U.S. Capitol, where U.S. House Democrats are scheduled tomorrow to convene the first-ever hearing looking at the marijuana industry's access to banking. Not to be left out of the conversation: trade groups representing some of the biggest booze brands on the shelves. C. Ryan Barber reports that alcohol industry groups are asserting their voices ever more on cannabis issues as lawmakers address whether and how to embrace the regulatory schemes that are in place for liquor. Alcohol industry lobbyists say their mission is more educational than confrontational—especially as major spirits companies look for investment opportunities in the green wave.

BIGGER - In keeping with its vow of world domination, Pierce Bainbridge is continuing its hiring spree, bringing on an L.A. intellectual property litigator from McKool Smith. Xiumei Dong reports that Robert Allen's move to L.A.-based Pierce Bainbridge, founded in 2017 by two Quinn Emanuel alumni, follows the firm's debut of a Boston office this year and the expansion of its New York office, which opened last year. Firm founder John Pierce told Law.com affiliate The American Lawyer in 2018: “I would say within five to seven years, we're going to replace Quinn Emanuel as the next dominant global litigation firm, no question.”

DATA ON DATA - Authorities in the EU logged more than 59,000 reports of personal data breaches since the General Data Protection Regulation took effect about eight months ago, according to a DLA Piper survey. Phillip Bantz reports that the lawyers behind the survey say many EU countries are still digging out from beneath a backlog of breach reports, which likely means more enforcement actions and fines on the horizon. The GDPR requires companies and other data collectors to notify regulators within 72 hours when they experience a breach that's likely to harm users.

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EDITOR'S PICKS

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Law in the Time of Twitter: Do Chatty Lawyers Help or Hinder Their Careers?

Becoming the Killer Whale: Changing Mindsets Key to Law Firm Innovation

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WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

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TEAM EFFORT - Morgan Lewis has lured away an eight-lawyer team from Squire Patton Boggs to open an office in Abu Dhabi. Rose Walker and Rowan Bennettreport that the move follows the departure of seven lawyers from Squire's Washington, D.C., office to Morgan Lewis. Both teams have worked together on investment fund and corporate matters.

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WHAT YOU SAID

“It was over time that we had to work with the USPTO and get them comfortable with the idea that cannabis businesses are not shady, dodgy businesses like they used to be.”

— NUZAYRA HAQUE, THE PRINCIPAL ATTORNEY AT NH LEGAL IN LOS ANGELES, ON THE DIFFICULTIES CANNABIS COMPANIES HAVE EXPERIENCED IN TRYING TO GET TRADEMARKS, BECAUSE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT STILL CONSIDERS CANNABIS ILLEGAL.

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