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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

ROOT CAUSE – The pandemic has forced law firm leaders to focus more on the issues of remote-work flexibility, work-life balance and even lawyer isolation. But, as Dylan Jackson reports, answers to ALM's Mental Health and Substance Abuse Survey show that there's significant doubt that law firms in the long run will fix the underlying factors associated with mental health problems in the profession—billable hour demands, unrealistic deadlines and the inability of workers to take time off. "We can be responsive to client demands without all ruining our personal relationships," said one respondent.

McGAHN AGAIN – Lawyers for the U.S. House of Representatives and the DOJ will face off today—telephonically—before the D.C. Circuit, en banc, over whether the House can sue the executive branch to enforce congressional subpoenas. As Jacqueline Thomsen reports, the full circuit, minus President Trump's presumably recused appointees, will hear arguments in the House's lawsuits over ex-White House counsel Don McGahn's testimony and the diversion of military funds for a border wall. The arguments will center on whether the House has standing to bring the challenges, after a divided panel ruled lawmakers couldn't sue over the McGahn subpoena.

BETTER – The small numbers of women advocates within the U.S. Solicitor General's Office—and more broadly, the few women who argue at the Supreme Court, compared with men—has drawn widespread attention in recent years. Now, as Marcia Coyle reports, the office has hired Masha Hansford, formerly counsel at Paul Weiss, and Nicole Frazer Reaves, an associate at D.C. boutique Cooper & Kirk, bringing the total female contingent of assistants to the SG to six out of 16 positions.

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EDITOR'S PICKS

Why More Firms Should Cut Salaries Sooner Rather Than Later

COVID-19 Is Turbocharging the Migration to Remote E-Discovery Collection

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WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

LEADER – Baker McKenzie was on the verge of unveiling former London head Gary Senior as its U.K. gender champion when an investigation into his behavior arose due to claims of sexual misconduct, according to testimony before a U.K. disciplinary tribunal from the firm's former HR head. As Meganne Tillay reports, Senior stands accused by U.K. regulators of sexually harassing a junior associate in 2012 and influencing an internal investigation into the matter.

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WHAT YOU SAID

"Here's to the next big thing."

— Nicole Benincasa, former senior counsel of global safety at Uber, who has joined Kickstarter as general counsel.

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