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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

CASE OVERLOAD – Attorneys in the U.S. Department of Justice's civil division have been heading for the doors in unusually high numbers, C. Ryan Barber reports. At least seven lawyers in that divison's appellate staff have left in recent months, leaving the team tasked with defending U.S. government policies in federal appeals courts across the country understaffed. What is causing the exodus? It's a combination of increased caseloads and growth in the number of politically-charged matters, insiders say. For its part, the Justice Department said the civil appellate staff has hired new lawyers to replace many of those who have left.

ADIOS, ARBITRATION – Prestige boutique Selendy & Gay is the latest firm to deep-six mandatory arbitration for lawyers and all employees, reports Samantha Stokes. It joins the likes of Kirkland & Ellis; Sidley Austin; and McDermott Will & Emery in ditching mandatory arbitration in the past year—a move the law student-backed People's Parity Project has been pushing for. The firm is no stronger to arbitration. Quinn Emanuel initiated arbitration proceedings against Selendy & Gay after 10 laywers broke away in 2018 to found the boutique in a bid to recover a portion of the fees generated from clients who went with them.

WHO IS THIS? - Deepfakes—the technique that uses artificial intelligence to perpetuate visual and audio hoaxes—could be the next frontier of lawyer-focused phishing scams, Frank Ready reports. It hasn't happened yet, but fraudsters could clone the voices of clients or law firm leaders to fake out unsuspecting attorneys who believe they're talking to the real deal. Gatekeepers who screen calls, like receptionists, make law firm offices tougher targets for scammers, but the rise in attorneys conducting business on their cellphones mean lawyers should keep deepfakes in mind.

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EDITOR'S PICKS

Judge Blocks New California Law That Would Require Trump to Reveal Tax Returns

'I Wouldn't Write Those Words Today': Eugene Scalia Is Pressed About LGBT Rights

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WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

A FRESHFIELDS START - A Magic Circle firm has lured away talent from a major financial institution—yet again. This time, it's Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, which has brought on former Goldman Sachs in-house attorney Matthew O'Callaghan as a partner in the firm's Hong Kong office, reports John Kang. O'Callaghan, who had a 14-year stint with Goldman Sachs, most recently in Sydney, will co-head the firm's Asia financial services with Hong Kong partner Royce Miller. Increased demand in large, high-profile cases and compliance work is fueling competition among international firms for partners with expertise in financial services regulation.

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WHAT YOU SAID

"I just think this is an important test for our legal system. Can rich people get away with murder just by paying other people to take the fall?"

—  JASON SOLOMON

, FRIEND OF SLAIN FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY LAW PROFESSOR DAN MARKEL, ON THE UPCOMING TRIAL OF KATHERINE MAGBANUA AND SIGFREDO GARCIA, WHO STAND ACCUSED OF HIS 2014 MURDER. SOLOMON HOPES TO SEE CHARLIE AND DONNA ADELSON —THE BROTHER AND MOTHER OF MARKEL'S EX-WIFE, WHOM PROSECUTORS BELIEVE TO HAVE ORDERED THE KILLING—INDICTED AS WELL.

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