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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

SO LONG, PARTNER  – It's never really a good time to be an unproductive law firm partner, but right now it's particularly tough to justify. As Dylan Jackson reports, many firms are looking for ways to "right-size" as economic turmoil stalls profits—and that often means "counseling out" equity and nonequity partners, many of whom are in the hard-hit corporate space. "Those conversations are happening. I know it," said Peter Zeughauser, a law firm management consultant at the Zeughauser Group. "We've talked to some of our clients about it. It's going to pick up steam." And while removing an attorney from a firm's partnership used to require a partner-wide vote and supermajority, legal industry experts said many firms have amended their partnership agreements in recent years to allow for partners to be removed by an executive or management committee vote. Those firms are now taking advantage of that streamlined process.

TECH SUPPORT GROUP –  Given how trying this year has been for lawyers (and everyone else), it was a pleasant surprise to see how positive many of the responses to The American Lawyer's 2020 Midlevel Associates Survey were. But it wasn't all sunshine and five-star reviews.  One area where many young lawyers clearly felt their firms fell short was technology—especially when it comes to supporting remote work. As Samantha Stokes reports, technology was mentioned 169 times in response to open-ended questions—and in every instance, midlevel associates said they wish their firms were doing better in that department. ""Having constant laptop issues is frankly embarrassing," said one third-year associate in San Diego, adding "It also does make you feel devalued when you're cranking out long hours and have a technical problem that's completely out of your hands, only to get at best a Band-Aid solution."

PILOT SEASON - Plans to hold in-person jury trials in New York's federal courts this autumn have been met with the type of enthusiasm typically reserved for root canals, but that's not stopping New York state courts from pressing forward with their own trials—on a trial basis. As Ryan Tarinelli reports, New York's chief judge said yesterday that a number of jury trials have been scheduled to start next month on a "pilot basis" in certain parts of the state. "We will proceed carefully, of course, closely monitoring all aspects of these trials in order to ensure compliance with health and safety protocols and refine our practices for safely selecting and seating jurors," said Chief Judge Janet DiFiore in a video statement. Her comments came days after state lawmakers prodded Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence Marks with questions and concerns about the court system's COVID-19 precautions.

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