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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

BE HERE NOW - Opening physical office space at a time like this might seem counterintuitive—that is, unless your client told you to open physical office space at a time like this. In fact, it's for that very reason that firms of various sizes have been popping up in new cities throughout the pandemic and putting down roots. As Law.com's Lizzy McLellan writes in this week's Law.com Barometer newsletter, signing a long-term lease is no small gesture— but it's one that has the potential to deepen client connections. "What you see is that different clients have different appetites for a physical presence," Michael Blair, presiding partner of Debevoise & Plimpton, said of the firm's recent announcement of plans to open in San Francisco. "Some clients say, 'We use you because you're the best counsel for XYZ,' and it doesn't matter where you are. Some clients say it's easier if you're here and in the same time zone." And now, with real estate deals ripe for the picking, it's not a bad time to set up shop. To receive the Law.com Barometer directly to your inbox each week, click here.

FITS AND STARTS - As Law.com's Max Mitchell reported this week, the return of criminal jury trials in Philadelphia got off to a rocky start earlier this month with two cases delayed over safety concerns, and an ultimatum from the Defender Association of Philadelphia threatening to no longer staff jury trials unless they are given a date certain for when defense attorneys will receive vaccinations. Meanwhile, as Law.com's Charles Toutant reported late last week, New Jersey's federal courts have just extended their jury trial moratorium until June 1, citing the slow pace of administering COVID-19 vaccines to the general population, The move has been met with growing frustration by attorneys in the state. In this week's Law.com Litigation Trendspotter column, we examine how the rocky restart of in-person jury trials in one jurisdiction and the controversial extension of the jury trial moratorium in another show that, as the pandemic drags on, courts remain in a no-win situation.

EX-JUDGES GO TO COURT - The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts were sued yesterday in North Carolina Eastern District Court. The lawsuit was filed by Knott & Boyle on behalf of Gilbert Breedlove and Thomas Holland, former judges who claim their constitutional right to religious freedom was violated when they were terminated in 2014 for refusing to officiate same-sex marriage ceremonies. The case is 5:21-cv-00132, Breedlove et al v. Heath et al. Stay up on the latest deals and litigation with the new Law.com Radar.

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