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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

BOOMER – Face it, counselor. You're getting older. We all are. And as Dylan Jackson writes, nearly every law firm in the country is experiencing the same dilemma: How to retain clients as more than a quarter its relationship partners head toward retirement? One of the most effective ways is to incentivize partners by tying their compensation to transition outcomes. Also critical is identifying specific junior partners early for those senior partners to sponsor, and creating a culture where older partners are comfortable revealing their retirement plans far in advance.

QUICKLY – U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in D.C. has set a speedy timeline for addressing questions over whether the Trump White House can lawfully block current and former top officials from speaking to House investigators leading the impeachment inquiry. The interbranch tug-of-war has flared up over a House subpoena seeking testimony from former national security adviser Charles Kupperman, who wants clarity on whether he is obligated to comply with the subpoena or with the White House's instructions to not cooperate. C. Ryan Barber reports that Leon has scheduled a Dec. 10 oral argument in Kupperman's case, with filings due every two weeks from November until early December.

CURVEBALLS – As the U.S. Supreme Court heads into its final two argument sessions of the year, the justices have at least two potentially major cases with unsettled backgrounds that could throw a wrench into final rulings in the matters. Marcia Coyle reports that the term's biggest environmental challenge—County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund—has been wrought with a series of twists and turns in recent weeks over whether the dispute has been, or will be, resolved before the justices hear arguments next week. In the other case, the first major gun rights challenge in more than a decade, the two sides feuded in recent months over whether there was still a controversy for the justices to resolve.

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EDITOR'S PICKS

Federal Circuit: PTO Judges Were Unconstitutionally Appointed

Legal's Cloud Concerns Are Growing, But Adoption Isn't Slowing Down

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WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

JAPAN MOVES – The usually quiet Japanese lateral market has seen a spate of moves in the past two years–fueled by the rise of mergers and acquisitions work. John Kang reports that the movement of partners comes as Japanese M&A activity is at its busiest for both outbound and inbound deals in decades. At the same time, the Japanese prime minister has been trying to boost the economy with monetary and fiscal stimuli.

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WHAT YOU SAID

"I am really bullish on being a lawyer."

—  Adrienne Ellman, partner at Foley Hoag, on having made partner after about seven years at the firm.

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