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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

GOING PLACES - It's 6 a.m.—do you know where your data privacy, corporate and insurance associates are? In a cutthroat talent market where rival firms are doing everything but plucking young lawyers off the street and whisking them away in unmarked vans, retention efforts have arguably never been more important. And, as Law.com's Patrick Smith reports, associates in the three aforementioned practice areas are among the hottest commodities right now—so hold on tight. According to data provided by legal data company Decipher, associates in data privacy are moving at a rate of 118% above the four-year first half average—the biggest jump in activity of any practice area. Corporate associates have seen a 78% increase in movement over the four-year average. And insurance associates are experiencing a 72% increase in hiring compared to the previous four years. What's more, there's no slowdown in sight. "We are seeing the most demand for M&A associates, and I haven't seen a significant slowdown, even into summer," said Stephanie Biderman, a partner in Major Lindsey & Africa's associate practice group. "We can also expect to see another uptick in the fourth quarter as firms prepare for 2022."

IN DEFENSE OF DEFENDERS -  Watching judicial confirmation hearings and wondering why one party's nominees are being so harshly criticized by a rival party's senators is a little like watching old WWF reruns and wondering why Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant keep hitting each other. To a large extent, it's simply in the script. But it's worth pointing out that public defenders, civil rights attorneys and defense lawyers, in particular, do tend to encounter a disproportionate amount of scrutiny during these proceedings. We're certainly seeing that dynamic play out right now as President Joe Biden tries to diversify the federal judiciary. But, as experts tell Law.com's Avalon Zoppo, this phenomenon is not new. "I don't remember it being so pointed in the past… (But) I do think the criticisms that I hear (now) are not not terribly different from what Republicans were saying in the '90s with Clinton, or 2009 with Obama," said University of Richmond law professor Carl Tobias, adding that there haven't been many people other than prosecutors and Big Law attorneys appointed to the federal bench. Still, that doesn't make it right, he added. "There's no guarantee because someone is a prosecutor or from Big Law, they'd be able to shed their advocacy any better than people being criticized right now. I just don't think there's much of an argument there," Tobias said.

SEARCHING FOR GARTH FISHER - Beverly Hills celebrity plastic surgeon Garth Fisher sued Rexford Surgical Institute Inc., Shapour Daniel Golshani and Malcolm Lesavoy for trademark infringement Friday in California Central District Court. Fisher, who is represented by Loeb & Loeb, accuses the defendants of using his name as a keyword in Google's AdWords program so that a web ad for their practice will be displayed when a Google user searches for "Garth Fisher MD." Counsel have not yet appeared for the defendants. The case is 2:21-cv-05795, Fisher et al v. Rexford Surgical Institute Inc et al. Stay up on the latest deals and litigation with the new Law.com Radar.  

EDITOR'S PICKS

WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

LATAM LINK-UPS - U.S. law firms advised on more mergers and acquisitions deals related to Latin America in the first half of 2021 than they had in the same period of last year, as cross-border investment picked up both within the region and with counterparts in North America, Europe and Asia. Rodrigo Dominguez, a Houston-based M&A partner with White & Case, which took the top spot on Mergermarket's global M&A rankings for working on the highest value deals in the first half of 2021, told Law.com International's Amy Guthrie that low interest rates have helped drive cross-border investment in the region—especially in the infrastructure, energy and mining sectors. "Proven effectiveness of vaccines, coupled with record government support in some of the major world economies and regional pent-up demand, are contributing to a quicker-than-expected turnaround of the global economy. Latin America is no exception," Dominguez said.

WHAT YOU SAID

"The perception from prospective clients and opposing counsel that my expertise and abilities changed by virtue of the overnight title change."