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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

CALM BEFORE THE STORM? Court watchers expect the COVID-19 pandemic to spur a surge of litigation, but at the moment, the nation's federal courts appear to be in a slump. The volume of new commercial suits filed during the four weeks following the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic is 22% lower than the same period last year, according to an analysis by data editor Ben Hancock. You can examine the trends by region and by practice area with interactive data visuals from Law.com's Legal Radar.

BUSY – Capitol Hill lobbying doesn't seem to be suffering from the COVID-19 slowdown. As Patrick Smith reports, with the exception of Squire Patton Boggs, Big Law lobbying practices that cracked the top 10 by revenue last quarter each saw an uptick from the same period last year. For the two revenue leaders, the year-over-year gains were substantial: 31% for Akin Gump, which pulled in $12.6 million, and 25% for Brownstein Hyatt.

TOO HIGH – Price-gouging lawsuits are looming. Not only have AGs in Connecticut, Florida and elsewhere said they're coming after retailers that artificially escalate prices on COVID-19-related supplies, but Amazon already finds itself in hot water. Lawyers at Hagens Berman have filed suit, claiming that the company and third-party sellers on its website violated a California law prohibiting price hikes of more than 10% on certain essential goods during a declared emergency.

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EDITOR'S PICKS

From the Covid-19 Bunker: Ted Boutrous on His Anti-Trump Tweets, Poetry and Hair

 Jeff Bleich Joins GM's Self-Driving Tech Startup Cruise as Chief Legal Officer

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WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

BIAS CLAIM – Latham's European head of restructuring John Houghton has withdrawn an age discrimination claim against the law firm, U.K. tribunal documents show. Simon Lock reports that Houghton, who was also the former global co-chair of restructuring at the firm, previously brought the discrimination claim against Latham "and others," the documents show. The proceedings were subsequently dismissed in February after Houghton withdrew his claim, with the decision being published by the U.K. government this month.

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WHAT YOU SAID

"I work in our bedroom and he works in his office. Chris has given a whole new meaning to 'in-house counsel.'"

— Mila Sohoni, professor at the University of San Diego School of Law, who, with her husband, Chris Egleson, a partner at Sidley Austin, worked together on a U.S. Supreme Court amicus brief defending universal injunctions.

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