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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

QUALITY ASSURANCE- OK, the past week or so in Big Law has been a lot, so let's review: associate salaries have climbed again (and again and again); for elite firms, joining the pay wars is basically a no-brainer; for firms outside that rarified air, the calculus is dicier; clients are mildly annoyed; overseas law firm leaders are shaking their heads; and some staffers are downright cheesed off. But there's another angle here, lost in the melee: as Law.com's Dylan Jackson reports, many of the firms that boosted associate pay are going to need to recoup that money through rate hikes or increased billable hour targets, both of which can negatively impact attorneys of color and women. The bright side is that could create a recruitment opportunity for those firms that can't compete on compensation but are able to offer young lawyers—especially diverse young lawyers—a better quality of life than their competitors. "Firms that have not dedicated such a large portion of revenue to associate salaries will also have more resources to focus on inclusive practices and empowering their current talent. I believe most talent—including diverse talent—will flock to those firms and stay long-term," Caren Ulrich Stacy, founder and CEO of Diversity Lab, said.

DEPARTMENT OF THE ULTERIOR -   Lawyers and former federal prosecutors say they're alarmed by a series of recent subpoena scandals implicating the Trump Justice Department, pointing to potential political motivations behind the subpoenas, Law.com's Andrew Goudsward and Jacqueline Thomsen report. "It really sounds like from the more information that comes out, that this is just sleazy, dirty stuff and it has the whiff of DOJ being politicalized and the investigative process being used to target folks who are less than complimentary to the president or his administration," said Michael Weinstein, a former Justice Department prosecutor who is now with Cole Schotz. "There are barriers and protocols and rules in place at the department to prevent that from happening and either they were lowered or they were just simply brushed aside it appears."

NO JOINT VENTURE - HBI International, seller of the Juicy brand cigarette and cigar rolling device, sued cannabis retailer Little Cottage Caregivers on Tuesday for declaratory judgment in a dispute arising from the defendant's purchase of 18 boxes of Juicy rollers. The suit, brought by Dickinson Wright in Arizona District Court, contends that Little Cottage improperly used the rolling devices to create marijuana cigarettes, then claimed the devices were defective and is now threatening litigation unless HBI pays $25 million. Counsel have not yet appeared for the defendant. The case is 2:21-cv-01044, BBK Tobacco & Foods LLP v. Little Cottage Caregivers LLC. Stay up on the latest deals and litigation with the new Law.com Radar.  

EDITOR'S PICKS

WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

GATELEY UNLOCKED -  U.K. listed law firm Gateley said it is "currently managing managing a cyber security incident" after discovering an intrusion into its systems, Law.com International's Meganne Tillay reports. The U.K. Top 50 firm said in a statement on the London Stock Exchange that the intrusion was "quickly identified" by its IT team, which acted immediately to secure its systems. The firm said it is "confident" that its security controls were effective in limiting the impact of the incident, and the firm's board has seen "no evidence" that the firm's financial performance has been impaired. The statement added that around 0.2% of Gateley's data was impacted by the incident, with some client data included in that. The firm said that it took its systems offline in response to the incident, but has now re-established its core systems, adding that "impacted data was traced quickly and deleted from the location to which it had been downloaded and there is no evidence currently to suggest that this data has been further disseminated."

WHAT YOU SAID

"It can be frustrating to attend event after event after event and meeting people who, like you, are just starting in their careers. But over time, those people grow up, get promoted and get into decision-making roles. If you are genuine and have stayed in contact, they will remember you."