Want to get this daily news briefing by email? Here's the sign-up. 


WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

DARK DAY- It's sadly no longer surprising to hear stories of inappropriate behavior at law firms, but when the same firm name keeps popping up in those stories, it raises alarms. As Paul Hodkinson reports, a six-month investigation by Law.com affiliate Legal Week uncovered what multiple current and former attorneys described as a "pattern" and "endemic culture" of sexual harassment and bullying in Jones Day's London office—and a system that made it difficult to raise complaints.

DEFENDING JUSTICE(S) – The Senate Judiciary Committee is set today to consider a proposal aimed at ramping up security for U.S. Supreme Court justices, both in the U.S. and when traveling abroad, Tony Mauro reports. The committee will examine S. 2511, which would expand the jurisdiction of the marshal of the Supreme Court and the court's police force to protect justices "in any location," rather than merely "in any state," as the law currently provides.

NUCLEAR OPTIONS - No one seems to be able to agree on a strict definition of what constitutes a "nuclear verdict"—aside from "a dang lot of money"—but that doesn't make them any less real. From the recent $8 billion verdict against Johnson & Johnson in a Risperdal case to the $2 billion Bayer AG/Monsanto Roundup weed killer verdict from earlier this year, it's clear that juries have (and are willing to use) the power to cause companies' major heartburn. As a result, MP McQueen reports, some in-house counsel said they're having to rethink their approach to litigation, including when and how hard to push for trial.


EDITOR'S PICKS

Biden Spent $250K on Covington, and Buttigieg Paid Jenner $140K: New Reports

Trump Backer, Author Sues Daily Beast After Article Questioned Her Professional Credentials

How Technology Will Change the Role of Lawyers: A FinTech GC's Perspective

Legal Departments Need to Adapt to Increasingly Complex, Drawn-Out M&A Deals

First Amendment Questions Cloud California's New Election Deepfakes Law

Trump's Procedural Rights Curbed During Impeachment Inquiry, Legal Scholar Says


 

WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

RANKED AND RANKLED – On the heels of his viral LinkedIn post calling out legal rankings giant Chambers & Partners for the dearth of women in its rankings, London-based Mayer Brown partner Chris Arnold has kicked it up a notch, Samantha Stokes reports. In an open letter, Arnold asked to be removed from Chambers' 2020 U.K. derivatives rankings because only one woman made the list out of 18 lawyers recognized.


WHAT YOU SAID

"I've been waiting for this phone call for a long time."

— Robert Grand, managing partner of Barnes & Thornburg, speaking to reporter David Thomas 10 years after the firm gambled—successfully—on launching new offices in Delaware, Georgia, Minnesota and Ohio at the height of the Great Recession.


 ➤➤ Sign up here to receive the Morning Minute straight to your inbox.