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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

WILD PITCHES - Some legal ops professionals say they've noticed legal tech sales people becoming pushier and more tone-deaf over the course of the last year—and they don't like what they see, Law.com's Frank Ready reports. But c'mon, how bad could it really be? "It's going to come to a point where I feel that there's going to be a group of [corporate legal department] clients that are basically going to be an advisory panel that is just basically going to say, 'If you do not stop, we are going to blacklist you. And that's it. We're done,'" said Jack Thompson, assistant director, legal chief operations office at Sanofi. Yeah, OK, that's bad. James Michalowicz, senior manager, legal operations business performance at TE Connectivity, said he's also noticed pitches becoming "much more aggressive" recently. "Not only aggressive," Michalowicz added, "but sometimes they are demeaning. To the point where they say, 'Well if you're the person who isn't responsible for this area, send me to the person who really does know something.' That's how it comes across. And I find that offensive."

WESTERN INFLUENCE - The California market has seen an influx of new Big Law entrants in the last two years, as firm such as Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison; Debevoise & Plimpton; and Jenner & Block, and international firms Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Allen & Overy, added offices in the tech-heavy region. But it's not just offices. As Kristin Stark, a California-based principal and law firm consultant at Fairfax Associates. told Law.com's Jessie Yount, firms have also added rainmaking partners on the West Coast, who are likely to "grow their influence" and "step into leadership roles" thanks to their relationships with key corporate clients. "California has always been a strong market for the legal industry," Stark said. "It continues to see tremendous demand from large corporations, and that tends to breed very high-performing lawyers that service those clients."

SQUEEZED FOR INFORMATION - Lemonade, an AI-enabled provider of homeowners and renters insurance, was hit with a privacy class action Friday in New York Southern District Court over its alleged collection and use of biometric data. The suit, brought by Lowey Dannenberg, contends that Lemonade collects and stores biometric data including retina scans, voiceprints and face scans from customers who are required to upload videos during the claim submission process. Counsel have not yet appeared for the defendants. The case is 1:21-cv-07070, Pruden v. Lemonade, Inc. et al. Stay up on the latest deals and litigation with the new Law.com Radar.  

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EDITOR'S PICKS

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WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

INVESTING IN THE FUTURE -  Allen & Overy has tripled the amount of bursaries it offers to students as it becomes the latest firm to improve its social mobility efforts, Law.com's Rose Walker reports. The firm has increased the number of bursaries it offers from two to six and the amount awarded to each student has increased from £10,500 to £15,000, which represents a £270,000 investment over three years from A&O, the firm said.  The bursaries are awarded to high potential students about to embark on their university studies with a particular interest in a career in law. One of the places will be awarded to a student who identifies as being of Pakistani heritage, in memory of former A&O banking partner Atif Hanif, who passed away in December 2019 and had been instrumental in setting up the firm's Muslim network. A&O's bursary program lasts three years and is available to students who have participated in either of the firm's work experience programs, A&O Accelerate or Smart Start.

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WHAT YOU SAID

"I believe strongly that these plaintiffs are making a mistake in joining a class action, as the class action will not maximize their individual recoveries."