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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

SPREADING – As the coronavirus spreads globally, law firms are finding themselves using the advice until now they've been giving to their clients: limit travel, avoid congregating in big groups, curtail taking public transportation. Some firms are canceling events stateside. Other firms including Paul Weiss, Norton Rose and Duane Morris are taking precautions globally. For full Law.com coverage on how the coronavirus is affecting the legal industry, click here.

CURSES – It's not exactly the f-bomb, but the word "damn" has heretofore remained largely unsaid in oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court. However, as Marcia Coyle reports, this week was different. The utterance came from White & Case partner Christopher Curran in an exchange with Justice Breyer. Curran was arguing that imposing punitive damages retroactively goes against the principles of fairness. "So before we attribute that intention to Congress, we're going to ask Congress to say it pretty damn clearly." Egads!

ELIMINATED – Prospective lawyers in New York will no longer have to answer a question about mental health in their applications to practice in the state. Jane Wester reports that the removal of the question followed calls for change from several bar groups and nearly every law school in the state, which asserted that the question had an adverse impact on law students in need of mental health services. New York joins California, Connecticut, Virginia, Massachusetts and several other jurisdictions that have eliminated the question.

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EDITOR'S PICKS

Trump Campaign Sues New York Times, Claiming Defamation in 2019 Opinion Piece

Women Law Firm Leaders: Cogs in the Machine?

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WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

TECH – U.K.-based Kennedys has launched a new technology platform to provide clients with AI functions such as predicting medical damages and making automatic settlement recommendations. Simon Lock reports that the platform, called Kennedys IQ, will incorporate the law firm's existing services that include fraud detection and settlement negotiation.

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WHAT YOU SAID

"This is the advice we are giving to clients. The focus has shifted to preventing transmission."

— Michael Delikat, employment partner at Orrick, on steps his firm is taking to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, including canceling its partner retreat this week in San Antonio.

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