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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

WEINSTEIN TRIAL – Harvey Weinstein's criminal trial on charges of rape and sexual assault begins today. Jane Wester looks at how the trial will unfold, including opposing counsel's likely strategies and expected witness testimony. The trial begins just weeks after a Manhattan state court judge denied Weinstein's motion to dismiss two counts of predatory sexual assault on constitutional grounds. Weinstein also faces a series of civil suits, though he has reached a preliminary $25 million settlement agreement with dozens of his accusers.

NEW PLAYERS – Only a few days into 2020, and the Am Law 200 market is already changing. David Thomas reports on mergers that were finalized at the start of this year to create new law firms Taft, which will be a contender for the Am Law 100, and Lathrop GPM. Around 10 more mergers are expected this quarter, including Faegre Baker Daniels' tie-up with Drinker Biddle & Reath and the combinations of Indianapolis-based Bingham Greenebaum Doll and Pittsburgh-based Cohen & Grigsby with global law firm Dentons.

AI FEARS SUBSIDE – Worries over AI replacing lawyers seems to be waning. Frank Ready reports on an International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) survey that found that many expect AI to bring fundamental change to the legal industry within the next three years. But that change doesn't include massive layoffs: A majority of survey respondents believe AI will replace only up to a tenth of the work traditionally done by lawyers.

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EDITOR'S PICKS

Things Got Pretty Weird Between Neomi Rao and Doug Letter During the Mueller Grand Jury Hearing

5 Forces Pushing for Nonlawyer Ownership of Firms in the U.S.

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WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

PARIS CALLING – The river Seine beckons. Meganne Tillay reports that Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner has grown its Paris office by hiring 21 lawyers, including seven partners, from local French firm Franklin. The expansion represents the largest addition of lawyers to the firm since the 2018 merger of Bryan Cave and Berwin Leighton Paisner, and makes the firm's Paris office its third largest European base.

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WHAT YOU SAID

"Cut the appropriations, get the Senate to stop confirming judges. You're not without remedy here."

—  Judge Thomas Griffith of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit questioning why the U.S. House can't use political means to compel testimony from former White House counsel Donald McGahn. Griffith was on a panel considering the House Judiciary Committee's subpoena of McGahn in the first hearing since the House voted to impeach President Donald Trump.

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