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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

FEES PLEASE – Law firms are taking longer to send out their bills to get paid by their clients, David Thomas reports. Across the U.S., the amount of time that has elapsed from the first recording of billable hours to getting money in hand has increased by 1.5%, according to Citi Private Bank's Law Firm Group. In addition to law firms' foot-dragging when it comes to collecting fees, clients are taking longer to pay, with previous 30-day pay cycles becoming a 45- or 60-day pay cycles.

RUDY'S GUYS – Lawyers representing two indicted associates of Rudy Giuliani are expected in Manhattan federal court this afternoon, as the case against their clients continues to draw scrutiny amid a Congressional impeachment inquiry of President Trump. The planned status conference will mark the first appearance for Lev Parnas. He and his associate Igor Fruman are charged with campaign-finance violations related to work they did on behalf of foreign officials. Parnas has since said he is willing to speak with Congressional impeachment investigators regarding the ongoing probe into Trump's dealing in Ukraine.

SLOW PROGRESS - A new Brookings Institution report finds that the legal industry is lagging behind other professions in its use of artificial intelligence. But as Victoria Hudgins reports, AI-backed advanced analytics, legal research and document creation are removing some human-powered tasks while also allowing lawyers to improve their counseling and work more creatively.

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EDITOR'S PICKS

Oracle, Suing US Labor Dept., Accuses Agency Enforcer of 'Power Grab'

Judge Blocks Harvey Weinstein's Bid to Dismiss New Indictment Ahead of January Trial

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WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

TROUBLES - Advice provided by Dentons to Australian fintech company Afterpay resulted in breaches of Australia's Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act regulations, an auditor has found. Christopher Niesche reports that Dentons says the advice it provided in 2016 was in line with industry practice at the time. The board of Afterpay Touch commissioned an independent auditor to look into the breaches after it was ordered to do so by the country's anti-money laundering regulator.

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WHAT YOU SAID

"It's difficult for partners to chase down these clients for payment because they want to protect the relationship."

—  Jay Benegal, senior vice president and legal industry specialist at Citizens Commercial Banking, on why lawyers hesitate when collecting fees.

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