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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

THE STATE RESTS – A Tallahhasee jury will soon decide the fates of Katherine Magbanua and Sigfredo Garcia, who stand accused in the 2014 murder of Florida State University law professor Dan Markel. Prosecutors rested their case against the duo Tuesday after eight days of testimony from an array of witnesses, including a former gang leader who pleaded guilty to helping kill Markel, the law professor's ex-wife, and many investigators and forensic experts, Karen Sloan reports. But the jury did not hear from either Charlie or Donna Adelson—whom prosecutors believe were behind the alleged murder-for-hire. The case is expected to go to the jury on Wednesday.

DOMINANT – When it comes to the brand strength of alternative legal service provides, the Big Four are still major players. EY took the top spot in Acritas' annual ranking, followed by PwC at No. 2, KPMG at No. 4, and Deloitte at No. 5, Dan Packel reports. It's the second straight year that the major accounting firms occupied four of the ranking's top five slots. EY rose from No. 4 last year due in part to several recent acquisitions, including Pangea3, which it purchased from Thomson Reuters. Acritas found that nearly half of legal departments are using alternative legal service providers in 2019, up from fewer than a third in 2014.

MEDITATING ON THE LAW – Lawyers are often skeptical of meditation, arguing that they don't have time for it or that the mindfulness practice will strip away their mental edge. But a Cincinnati lawyer who has created a meditation app specifically for lawyers says meditation actually helps attorneys focus and sharpen their thinking, Rhys Dipshan reports. The Legally Mindful app offers exercises on relaxation, obtaining a deep meditative state, and practicing gratitude and compassion. More advanced exercises focus on concentration.

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EDITOR'S PICKS

Where Gorsuch Sees Ambiguity, Kagan Sees Clarity in LGBT Rights Case

 45 General Counsel Sign Letter Supporting Review of MDL Procedures

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WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

O'MELVENY, OH MY! – O'Melveny & Myers' London office had a remarkable 2018. Operating profits increased 400% in 2018 over the previous year, to an impressive $6.1 million, Rose Walker reports. Revenue for that office was also up by about a third, and London's highest-paid member was allocated $2 million in profits, public records show. It's unclear if the financial good times will carry through 2019, however. Several partners have left this year amid the drawn-out merger process with Allen & Overy, which was called off in September.

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WHAT YOU SAID

"Equity partners are the ones that have the power at a law firm. Who's being hired, who's getting choice work. They're the ones that control the politics of the firm."

—  Michelle Fang, chief legal officer at alternative rental car company Turo, on the need for more diversity among law firm partners. A new analysis shows that minority lawyers disproportionately occupy the nonequity partnership tier of the nation's largest-grossing law firms.

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