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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

DRAW NEAR - The U.S. Supreme Court this morning will hear a trio of cases that confront the scope of workplace anti-discrimination protections for gay, lesbian and transgender employees. In one argument, Stanford's Pamela Karlan will argue in support of broad LGBT protections, and Consovoy McCarthy's Jeffrey Harris, making his SCOTUS debut, will urge the court that gay and lesbian workers are excluded from Title VII protections. In a gender identity case, the ACLU's David Cole will argue against John Bursch of Alliance Defending Freedom. U.S. Solicitor General Noel Francisco will argue in both matters. A record number of companies backed LGBT workplace rights in an amicus brief filed by Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan.

SECOND CHANCE – A Philadelphia jury is set to hear closing arguments this morning in the first punitive damages trial stemming from the Risperdal litigation. Although the case initially came to a $1.75 million compensatory damages verdict in 2015, the case was allowed to proceed to a punitive damages phase after the Pennsylvania Superior Court last year reversed a lower court's ruling to bar recovery on punitive damages claims.

FUTURE LAW - What will the legal profession look like in five, 10, or 15 years, and how do you best prepare lawyers to practice in that changing landscape? The University of Pennsylvania Law School is launching the Future of the Profession Initiative, seeking new ways to teach the law and solve the country's access to justice problem, reports Karen Sloan.

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EDITOR'S PICKS

Minority Partners Disproportionately Placed in Nonequity Partnership Tier

Ropes & Gray Snags 2 Willkie Finance Partners in New York

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WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

SHANGHAI SOLUTIONS – Anna Zhang writes in a commentary about Herbert Smith Freehills'  joint operation with a Chinese law firm in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone. Despite a turbulent U.S.-China relationship and prolonged trade war, she notes, top Chinese law firms have secured meaningful financial growth and continue to plot overseas expansion.

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WHAT YOU SAID

"It's called transformation if you are paying attention, and disruption if you're not."

—  Senior corporate counsel Robert Taylor of Liberty Mutual Insurance, who leads Liberty Mutual's legal ideation and transformation team in Boston, starting a discussion on change in the legal space and how to adapt to it.

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