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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

GET YOUR SUIT ON  – It may be Monday, but if you're into learning about litigation, it's most definitely Funday! We're unveiling Law.com's new Litigation: Editor's Picks section, which pulls together the best of our litigation trend analysis and in-depth commentary from practitioners and judges, along with our coverage of key players, breaking news, game-changing rulings, major recoveries and international cases. To celebrate, we have a Trendspotter two-fer: 1) a deep dive into a recent spate of breach-of-contract lawsuits alleging defendants are using COVID-19 as a convenient cover for some contractual hijinks and 2) our new Litigation Trendspotter column, which this week looks at several other emerging strains of pandemic-related lawsuits that could soon spread across the country, as well as what a federal judge's ruling striking down Pennsylvania's government shutdown orders could mean for other jurisdictions.

PRESS AND PRESSURE – Sometimes the right thing is not the easy thing. Yes, I saw that on a bumper sticker this weekend, but it also happens to be highly applicable to law firm leadership. As Patrick Smith reports, when it comes to deciding what steps to take and moves to make during an economic downturn, public perception is a big (often too big) factor in many law firms' calculuses. Unfortunately, worrying too much about short-term reputational damage can lead to long-term structural damage. That's why Kent Zimmermann, a partner at legal consulting firm The Zeughauser Group, told Smith he almost always advises firm leaders to do what is best for the firm, regardless of what the market may initially think. "If they are concerned about media coverage, the concern is almost always much worse than what ends up happening," he said. "Do what is best for the firm's long-term interest. If it is better that a person or group leave the firm, let them leave, and don't get caught up in the perception that is only going to last for a day or two anyway."

TECH AGE – Two technology companies are facing ageism claims in separate federal courts. IBM was sued Friday in Texas Western District Court over alleged age discrimination. The court action was filed by Wright & Greenhill on behalf of fifteen former employees who accuse IBM of conducting a scheme to render its workforce younger by firing older employees arbitrarily. Counsel have not yet appeared for the defendant. Meanwhile, lawyers at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius on Friday removed an age-discrimination lawsuit against Dell Technologies and Dell Marketing to California Northern District Court. The complaint was filed by the Nelson Law Group on behalf of Christopher Joyce. Read the full complaints and stay up to date on major litigation nationwide with Law.com's Legal Radar.

EDITOR'S PICKS