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WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

UNSUPPORTED STAFF – The past decade has brought a revolution of giant law firms employing thousands of professional staffers, and with it has come a two-tiered caste system of sorts that subjugates support staff and perpetuates a dysfunctional hierarchy at many firms. Dylan Jackson reports that the war stories are abundant: a thrown stapler, ignored emails and even public shaming from a small powerpoint typo. In at least one firm, the great divide between lawyers and staff is literal, with separate cafeterias for each group. And at a time when mental health problems in the legal profession are in the spotlight, professional staff say they’re left out of the conversation.

ELBOWING IN – Another round of arguments is scheduled for this morning in the NRA’s lawsuit against New York AG Letitia James filed Friday, demanding that the group’s attorneys be present during a deposition of former NRA president Oliver North this week. As Dan M. Clark reports, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Melissa Crane rejected a temporary restraining order Friday. The NRA’s move is in response to a subpoena from James’ office sent to North, seeking the deposition and documents related to his time leading the gun-rights advocacy group. James is investigating the NRA’s finances.

TOO MUCH? –  Chicago federal judge today will question the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission over claims that its public statements announcing a $16 million settlement with Kraft Food Groups Inc. and Mondelēz Global LLC went beyond the limited scope of what enforcers were allowed to say. Mike Scarcella and MP McQueen report that three statements from the CFTC were decried as “blatant” violations of the consent order. The companies’ lawyers at Jenner & Block and Eversheds Sutherland take issue with myriad statements, including comments by CFTC chairman Heath Tarbert that market manipulation “inflicts real pain on farmers” and “hurts American families.”

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EDITOR’S PICKS

Lawyer Resilience in a Pressure-Cooker Profession. It’s (Probably) Not What You Think.

Revlon Snags IBM Cybersecurity Lawyer as New General Counsel

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WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

FIRM-BOUND – Leading Korean firm Yoon & Yang has hired longtime IBM in-house lawyer Edward Dhong as a partner in Seoul. John Kang reports that Dhong, who is qualified to practice in the U.S., focuses on corporate investigations, regulatory compliance, including issues related to the FCPA, and antitrust matters. Dhong, who joins Yoon & Yang after almost 15 years with IBM, previously served as an adviser to the South Korean government on the adoption of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.

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WHAT YOU SAID

“I walked right up to Randi, that’s my wife’s name, and I said ‘If I keep doing what I’m doing, you’re going to be a widow.’ ”

—  ADAM MARKEL, A FORMER LAWYER AND CURRENT CEO OF MORE LOVE MEDIA, RECALLING THE NIGHT HE DECIDED THAT THE HECTIC PACE OF HIS LEGAL PRACTICE WAS UNSUSTAINABLE.

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