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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

WAITING GAME - On one hand, attorneys who spend a lot of time in court are relieved that the widespread court closures are minimizing their exposure to the coronavirus. But on the other, a gnawing worry is tempering that relief. R. Robin McDonald and Angela Morris report that criminal defense lawyers say the suspension of jury trials, legal deadlines and statutes of limitations will harm—perhaps fatally—clients incarcerated in often overcrowded, less-than-sanitary jails and prisons.

SCAMMERS - As lawyers and staffers work remotely because of COVID-19, phishing scams are on the increase, Frank Ready reports. Among them are emails with subject lines such as 'COVID-19 Update, Open Immediately' or 'Click Here to See Updates about Coronavirus.' Experts say that hackers are aware that lawyers and staff, with valuable client information, are working from home without peers around to remind them that a seemingly friendly email could be a trap designed to lure them into forfeiting money or personal information.

RAMIFICATIONS – We know that more law schools are adopting pass/fail grading for students in their online classes, created due to COVID-19. What we don't know is how it will affect summer associate hiring, which is based on two semesters of grades. As Karen Sloan reports, law firms rely on the spring semester to see who's improved and who hasn't from the first semester. One Big Law hiring partner makes this suggestion: "What I would really like to see is schools move on-campus interviews into January and February, where we would have 2L fall grades."

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EDITOR'S PICKS

At Least You Can Quit Shaving Your Legs

New York State Senate Approves Mandatory Paid Sick Leave for Isolated Workers

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WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

SHUTTERING – Orrick is closing its Hong Kong office at the end of August, Dan Packel reports. After losing the bulk of its Hong Kong capital markets team in early 2017, the law firm tried to rebuild its presence there, but the firm failed to achieve the growth that it sought, said CEO Mitch Zuklie. Orrick has Asian offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei and Tokyo.

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WHAT YOU SAID

"This wasn't your basic, pedestrian case where you're representing some very bad person who's done something individually bad. It's not like taking a murder case. It's not that."

— Eric Dubelier, partner at Reed Smith, who represented Concord Management and Consulting, a Russian company charged in Mueller's investigation. Earlier this week the DOJ moved to dismiss its case against Concord.

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