Want to get this daily news briefing by email? Here's the sign-up.

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

NEW FRONTIERS IN SPACE - Law firm offices will surely look different post-pandemic—but they're not going away, and neither are the open, collaborative spaces that were in vogue before social distancing became a thing. As Dan Packel reports, firm leaders and architects pondering office redesigns are discussing workstations that are not assigned to any one person, training and conference areas, a reduction in total square footage and restructured leases, among a variety of options. As Marty Festenstein, practice leader for legal at architecture firm Nelson, put it: "The office is not dead, especially for the legal industry. It's just being reimagined, repurposed and reevaluated," ."

DOUBLE BONUS - We'll never forget those few weeks in October 2020 when it looked like large law firms had finally stopped acting like lemmings, as a number of them broke ranks and refused to issue fall bonuses (a.k.a. "COVID bonuses") to associates. But nothing lasts forever in the cold November rain, which explains why firms now seem to be back to their old ways, lining up to offer their associates special one-time bonuses on top of their regular year-end bonuses. As Patrick Smith reports, Goodwin Procter; Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom; Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton; and Milbank have all now followed the lead of Cravath, Swaine & Moore and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, both of which announced special bonuses on Monday at the scale set by Davis Polk & Wardwell in September.

SMELL TEST - Procter & Gamble was slapped with a trademark lawsuit Tuesday on behalf of Wayne Kramer, a founder of famous rock act MC5. Kramer claims his image was used without permission in the marketing and distribution of a line of Old Spice deodorant called "Guitar Solo." The lawsuit was filed by Blaise & Nitschke in California Central District Court, though if the parties ultimately decide to try alternative dispute resolution, it might be time to… kick out the JAMS (get it?). Anyway, counsel have not yet appeared for the defendant. The case is 2:20-cv-10705, Kramer v. the Procter & Gamble Company. Stay up on the latest litigation with the new Law.com Radar.

EDITOR'S PICKS