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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

ONLY THE YOUNG  – We told you recently in our Trendspotter column about how associates keep getting the short end of various sticks, from their pay to their development, during the pandemic. But the real question is: why? As Patrick Smith reports, part of the reason associates are taking a backseat to more senior lawyers is that law firms are scared of partners leaving. That's true pretty much regardless of what's happening with the economy. But there is another, uniquely pandemic-y factor contributing to associates' woes. "When I talk to friends who are still active partners, they say if they have something they would have normally given to an associate, they used to walk down the hall and hand it to them and explain it for 15 minutes," said Keith Wetmore, managing director of the San Francisco office for legal recruiting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa and chief executive partner of Morrison & Foerster from 2000 through 2012. "Now, they have to track the person down, maybe they are out walking their dog. Then the explanation takes longer because you can't point to the information. The partners think that it is much faster just to do the work themselves."

DIY WITH NO JD – That hole in the drywall where you tried to hang your flat screen notwithstanding, sometimes the do-it-yourself approach really is the best one. A combination of tighter budgets and looser restrictions on legal services in some states has created an ideal environment for consumer-facing legal tech to thrive during the pandemic, Victoria Hudgins reports. Still, even those currently benefiting from the DIY legal tech bump agree this is not a sign that traditional legal services are in danger of going the way of VCR repair. "You don't need a lawyer to file a notice of hearing if you know what the form looks like or the requirements, it's a no-brainer," said Sonja Ebron, co-founder and CEO of Courtroom5, which drafts pleadings and motions for pro se litigants and tracks their tasks, including case filings and evidence collection. However, she added, "if you're opposing a summary judgment, you may need a lawyer or you need legal research. It may be helpful to have someone experienced in doing that type of work."

I AM NEVER GONNA FINANCIALLY RECOVER FROM THIS – "Tiger King" mania, which swept across the U.S. right around the start of nationwide lockdowns in March, feels like it happened about a thousand years ago at this point. But not everyone has moved on: Netflix was hit with a copyright lawsuit Monday in Oklahoma Western District Court alleging that its ultra-popular miniseries uses video clips pulled from YouTube without permission. The court action was brought by attorney Phillip L. Free Jr. on behalf of Timothy Sepi, a former employee of the private zoo run by the documentary's subject, Joe Maldanado-Passage. Counsel have not yet appeared for Netflix.Read the full complaint and stay up to date on major litigation nationwide with Law.com's Legal Radar.

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