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
The news and analysis you need to start your day.
May 13, 2021 at 06:00 AM
5 minute read
Want to get this daily news briefing by email? Here's the sign-up.
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.
EDITOR'S PICKS
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
From Laggards to Tech Founders: Law Firm Innovation Is Flourishing
Inside Track: Cooley's Modest Proposal to Make Executives Safer
Law School Applications are Up Across the Country. Law Deans Aren't Sure Why
6 minute readLaw Firms Mentioned
Trending Stories
- 1Trump's DOJ Delays Releasing Jan. 6 FBI Agents List Under Consent Order
- 2Securities Report Says That 2024 Settlements Passed a Total of $5.2B
- 3'Intrusive' Parental Supervision Orders Are Illegal, NY Appeals Court Says
- 4Federal Laws Also Preempt State's Swipe Fee Law on Out-of-State Banks, Judge Rules
- 5Judge Grills DOJ on Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Executive Order
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
