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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

ON THE STAND - Former Obama White House Counsel Greg Craig is expected to testify today in D.C. federal court in the trial over charges that he misled the DOJ about his work for Ukraine while he was a partner at Skadden, C. Ryan Barber reports. Craig has denied deceiving the DOJ and has argued he faced no obligation to report his activities under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

HACKERS POISED - Forget the federal government. Counties and states are all that stand between the 2020 presidential election and Russia's horde of hackers, says election law expert Rick Hasen. In reporter Alaina Lancaster's interview with the UC Irvine School of Law prof, Hasen says one of the most important lawsuits is ongoing in Georgia, where there's been a fight over the security of voting machines. Notes Hasen: There's a divide among election reform and integrity proponents as to whether the newest wave of voting technology, which uses ballot marking devices, is secure enough. Hasen's interview is in the latest issue of Law.com affiliate The National Law Journal.

OWNING IT – Utah is poised to radically revamp how law can be practiced in the state, after a working group earlier this week unveiled a proposal that would allow nonlawyers to invest in and own legal businesses. Dan Packel reports that the group, led by a justice on the Utah Supreme Court and a former president of the Utah Bar, wants the state's high court to adopt the recommendations, which they say will expand access to civil justice.

HUH? Legal tech and alternative legal service providers are largely missing the mark in explaining how their products and services can help lawyers, Victoria Hudgins reports. A Baretz+Brunelle survey of 100 corporate legal department senior executives and Am Law 100 and 200 law firms found that only 34% of respondents agree that legal tech or ALSPs understand lawyers' business challenges. Moreover, 46% of respondents said that "uncertainty about whether the product would solve our problems" was the first or second biggest reason they didn't buy a product.

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EDITOR'S PICKS

When a Managing Partner Exits a Firm, Does It Signal New Career Goals or Firm Troubles?

Cred Names Ex-Bryan Cave Fintech Head as New General Counsel

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WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

CROWDED? Amid ongoing merger discussions between the U.K's Allen & Overy and U.S.-based O'Melveny & Myers, A&O litigation partner Marc Florent has left the Magic Circle firm's London office to join Baker McKenzie. Rose Walker reports that Florent's exit is the second A&O London partner departure to emerge within recent weeks, as banking, finance and regulatory practice co-head Mona Vaswani is leaving to join Milbank. O'Melveny & Myers has a strong focus on litigation and disputes work.

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WHAT YOU SAID

"The weight of the world sits on you, so the people in the firm—attorneys and staff alike—depend on you to thrive. That was really weighty."

—  RICHARD SCHEFF, FORMER EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN OF MONTGOMERY MCCRAKEN WHO LEFT  TO HELP LAUNCH ARMSTRONG TEASDALE'S PHILADELPHIA OFFICE, ON WHY HE WANTED A CHANGE FROM LEADING A LAW FIRM.

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