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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

NO FIRM PLANS - It's not just law grads riding the wild roller coaster that is the July 2020 bar exam—law firms are on there too, and everyone's getting a little queasy. David Thomas, Brenda Sapino Jeffreys and Christine Simmons report that while some firms have already committed to pushing back start dates and implementing study leaves when Class of 2020 graduates are finally able to take the bar exam, many others are still trying to get a handle on a plan as states continue fumblin', stumblin', bumblin' through attempts to develop COVID-19 contingencies.

LIVE AND UNCUT - A number of law firms are still staring down the prospect of additional COVID-19 cutbacks, but a few have weathered the storm well enough to be able to roll back some of the austerity measures they implemented early on in the pandemic. Lowenstein Sandler, Cozen O'Connor, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner and Munck Wilson Mandela have reversed at least some of their compensation cuts, in some instances thanks to stronger-than-expected demand and financial performance, Samantha Stokes reports.

CORONAVIRUS AND LAWSUIT-ITIS - It looks like U.S. businesses could develop COVID-19 immunity long before the rest of us do. As Amanda Bronstad reports in this week's edition of her "Critical Mass" briefing, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, is set to unveil the next COVID-19 relief package, a key element of which is a proposed five-year liability shield for all businesses. The Chamber of Commerce and 21 Republican governors have written letters to Congress in support of immunity legislation, but Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Shumer, D-New York, and the plaintiffs bar are, of course, pushing back hard.

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EDITOR'S PICKS

Mask Rematch Set Between Georgia Governor, Atlanta Mayor By Katheryn Tucker

Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak Sues YouTube Over Cryptocurrency Scheme By Alaina Lancaster

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WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

ZOOMED OUT - Remember back when video calls seemed novel? Exotic even? Yeah, that's over now. Law.com International recently reached out to U.K. attorneys to ask whether web calls had worn out their welcome. The consensus? Heck yes. While attorneys initially appreciated the ability to maintain a level of personal contact that would have otherwise been lost during lockdown, FaceTime fatigue has officially set in. Seven lawyers told Hannah Roberts that they had been on a single video call for four hours or more, with many saying that they had to go on a second video call almost immediately after hanging up, all of which has considerably amped up their exhaustion.

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WHAT YOU SAID

"I know we will face criticism from established attorneys who think we shouldn't be granted a license without taking the bar. I can see, from their perspective, how it might seem that we are getting off easy. But the reality is that we were told, 'There's a global pandemic. People in your community are dying. There's a social uprising. And you need to study for the bar anyway.' And you know what? We did. In a lot of ways, we're more qualified than any class before or after us in terms of emotional intelligence. We have learned how to overcome adversity."

— Kelly Gismondi, a May graduate of Loyola University New Orleans School of Law, on why Louisiana's just-adopted diploma privilege should not create a stigma for the Class of 2020.

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