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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

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SYSTEM FAILURE - Law graduates are failing the bar exam in record numbers, resulting in a 34-year low. Pass rates have fallen in New York, California, Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania, to name just a few jurisdictions. The result means at least 10,000 law graduates are entering the workforce each year unable to practice law. In the first installment of Law.com's The Big Fail series, Karen Sloan reportson just how bad the situation is and why it's happening.

GOING STRONG - When Skadden inked a $4.6 million settlement with the DOJ in January, resolving claims that it violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act by not disclosing work undertaken on behalf of the Ukrainian government, it may have thought its recent troubles were behind it. Not so fast. As Dan Packel reports, the federal indictment against ex-Skadden lawyer Gregory Craig—who has created his own video proclaiming his innocence—suggests that the firm may still have some reputational mopping up to do.

POP-UPS - Welcome to the future. Amanda Bronstad reports that in the latest Roundup trial, plaintiffs lawyers argue that Roundup-maker Monsanto is sending pop-up advertisements that say the weed killer is safe to cell phone apps within the courthouse in Oakland, California. In a motion for a temporary injunction, plaintiffs lawyers said the so-called “geo-fencing” is akin to juror tampering and asked the judge to prohibit the targeted ads within a quarter of a mile of the courthouse. Alameda County Superior Court Judge Winifred Smith denied the plaintiffs' motion.

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EDITOR'S PICKS

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GE Reaches $1.5B Settlement Over Claims Its Subsidiary Misrepresented Subprime Loans By Caroline Spiezio

What Do GCs Really Want? Here's What They Say. By Vanessa Blum and Leigh Jones

EPA Clean Water Case, Once at Supreme Court, Could Make New Splash By Tony Mauro

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WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

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PROGRESS - The number of women partner promotions have risen significantly at three U.K.-based firms. Krishnan Nair reports that at least half of this year's new partner promotions at Mishcon de Reya and Fieldfisher are women, and at Stephenson Harwood, women represent 40 percent of the new partners.

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WHAT YOU SAID

“They would look at me like I had seven heads.”

— JOE TIANO, CEO OF LEGAL DECODER, ON DESCRIBING HIS CLIENTS' REACTIONS WHEN HE WAS IN PRIVATE PRACTICE TO HIS INABILITY, DUE TO A LACK OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, TO PROVIDE A SOLID ESTIMATE OF HOW MUCH A MERGER OR ACQUISITION WOULD COST THE COMPANY.

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