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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

'THE WILL TO DO IT' -   Even after George Floyd's murder last year sparked a wave of activism and soul-searching throughout the United States, 16 of the nation's largest law firms, nine of which are in the Am Law 200, still do not have even one Black partner among their ranks, Law.com's Dylan Jackson and Justin Henry report. Legal consultant Michelle Silverthorn, founder and CEO of Inclusion Nation, said she wonders if those firms are truly interested in bringing on Black attorneys. She added that she doesn't know the situation in each individual firm so she can't speak as to why a particular firm does not have any Black partners, but said firms that do care about diversity will find a way to make it happen. "I will say that we were able to transform the workplace overnight when it came to the coronavirus. We can do the same thing when it comes to racism," Silverthorn said. "We have the will to do it."

HOW'S MY LAWYERING? - For all the fretting law firms do over trying to figure out what their clients want, one of life's great mysteries continues to be why more firms don't, you know, just ask their clients. It really shouldn't be a novel concept, but alas, as Law.com's Dan Packel reports, there still aren't all that many firms that make a habit out of seeking client feedback. Those that do, however, stand to gain an important edge. "If you forced me to pick a single thing that would assist you in running a law firm and delighting clients, it's the most important thing you can do," Baker Botts chief client officer Catherine Zinn said of client feedback interviews, which were also part of her purview in prior career stops at Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe and DLA Piper. And just in case you're still skeptical that clients actually appreciate being asked for their opinion, allow Zeughauser Group consultant Alex Dimitrief to clear that up. Dimitrief said that just two law firms sought interviews during the two and a half years he spent as general counsel at GE, from 2015 to 2018, but he wished there had been more. "I without exception welcomed it," he said. "I thought it was terrific, and I thought in general that it did not happen enough."

REAL BIG - Real estate company Vonovia SE has agreed to acquire rival Deutsche Wohnen SE for 18 billion euros ($22 billion) in a deal guided by Sullivan & Cromwell. The transaction, announced May 25, will create Europe's largest residential real estate group. Deutsche, which is based in Berlin, was represented by a Sullivan & Cromwell team including partners Carsten Berrar, Max Birke, Michael Rosenthal and Konstantin Technau. Counsel information for North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany-based Vonovia was not immediately available. Stay up on the latest deals and litigation with the new Law.com Radar. 

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