Opening in a New Market? Office Shmoffice | How the Lack of Trials Spurred One Firm to Embrace AFAs | Class Action Accuses DraftKings of Withholding Winnings: The Morning Minute
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May 13, 2021 at 06:00 AM
5 minute read
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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING
NO KNOWN ADDRESS - Here's a deep thought for you way too early on a Thursday morning: what does it truly mean for a law firm to have a "presence" in a particular market? As Law.com's Dan Packel reports, one thing it definitely doesn't have to mean anymore is having a physical address. Quinn Emanuel, for example, announced Monday that it was moving into Miami with 10 partners, but it's still scoping out space. The litigation powerhouse has also yet to formally announce real estate for its growing presence in Austin, home to three recently added partners, and Atlanta, home to one new partner. Paul Weiss, meanwhile, has been growing steadily in Northern California since it revealed its arrival there in July 2020, but has yet to unveil an office in the region. And Fox Rothschild has hired new labor and employment partners in Kansas City and Boston, both new markets for the firm, with the ultimate goal of opening offices to follow, but for now does not appear to be in a rush. "Our view is that we've got close to 1,000 lawyers working effectively on a remote basis. We thought we could enter into these markets on a remote basis, and when we get enough critical mass, open a physical location in both those cities," said chairman Mark Silow in an interview.
CONSIDER THE ALTERNATIVE - We've written before about how the slowdown (or, in many cases, complete stoppage) of trials during the pandemic is driving plaintiffs lawyers up a wall because defendants are less willing to engage in settlement talks without those looming threats on the calendar. But what does that lack of trials mean for defense attorneys? As Law.com's Cedra Mayfield reports, it means their clients want lower legal bills. "If there are no trials, [the clients] expect you to do less work on the case. If there's not work that really needs to be done they expect to see the bills reduced," said Derek Harris, a shareholder at Carlton Fields in West Palm Beach. To deal with this new reality, the firm has embraced alternative fee arrangements in a big way. According to Carlton Fields director of legal project and practice management Peter Hitson, the approach has brought in new business, and also provided options for existing clients. "AFAs are an attractive pricing model for clients, and our experience with deploying AFAs has given us access to new relationships," Hitson said.
KINGS' RANSOM - Edelson PC and the Law Office of Henry M. Scharg filed a consumer class action Wednesday in Michigan Eastern District Court against DraftKings, the daily fantasy sports and sports betting site. The suit pursues claims on behalf of users who contend that DraftKings fails to pay out winning wagers. Counsel have not yet appeared for the defendant. The case is 2:21-cv-11092, Cristman v. DraftKings Inc. Stay up on the latest deals and litigation with the new Law.com Radar.
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EDITOR'S PICKS
Northwestern Dean Pick Means Women Will Run Half of the T-14 Law Schools Come Fall
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Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
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