Why In-House Lawyers Are Suddenly Fleeing to Law Firms: The Morning Minute
The news and analysis you need to start your day.
September 17, 2021 at 06:00 AM
4 minute read
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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING
MORE EVERYTHING! - You know those people who say, "I love my job—it's something different every day!"? Do you think any of them have been GCs during the pandemic? Here's hoping at least some law department leaders have a taste for the unpredictable because their roles over the past 18 months have been anything but dull. And, as Law.com's Heather Nevitt writes in this week's Law.com Barometer newsletter, their duties have morphed once again thanks to the emergence of the Delta variant. "Part of the reason is that chief legal officers are often looked to as the ethical point person and 'moral compass' of the company (although many of those same CLOs are quick to point out that it takes a C-suite village to create a truly ethical corporate culture)," Nevitt writes. "Well, there isn't a better storm to put that to the test when you combine the decisions around the implementation of vaccine policies, hybrid work, employee safety and health-related data protection." To receive the Law.com Barometer directly to your inbox each week, click here.
OUT OF THE HOUSE - The ever-shifting, ever-expanding nature of the in-house role may be part of what's driving an uptick in moves from legal departments to law firms, where the work-life balance is no better but the pay often is. As Law.com's Trudy Knockless reports, an increasing number of lawyers in recent weeks have left in-house roles to become partners, counsel or associates at law firms. "In years past, lawyers who were interested in a more regular schedule or sought to avoid billable hours might pursue an in-house role where the primary responsibility was managing outside counsel," said legal recruiter Maura McAnney of McAnney Esposito. "In recent years, however, lawyers in corporations are stepping up and often taking lead roles in deals; and the difference between the hours and responsibilities of law firm work and in-house work has diminished."
OPENING MOVE - Grandmaster chess player Nona Gaprindashvili sued Netflix Thursday in California Central District Court alleging defamation related to Netflix's series "The Queen's Gambit." The action, filed by Rufus-Isaacs Acland & Grantham, accuses Netflix of falsely portraying the plaintiff by claiming in the series that Gaprindashvili "has never faced men" in a chess match when she had competed against at least 59 male chess players at the time the episode is set. Counsel have not yet appeared for the defendant. The case is 2:21-cv-07408, Gaprindashvili v. Netflix, Inc. Stay up on the latest deals and litigation with the new Law.com Radar.
EDITOR'S PICKS
- Early Bar Exam Results Less Drama-Filled Than the Test Itself By Katheryn Tucker
- How Lawyers Found a Home for $142M in Leftover Class Action Funds By Katheryn Tucker
WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING
NON-DISCLOSURE DISAGREEMENT - A new campaign to limit the use of non-disclosure agreements, launched by Zelda Perkins—a former assistant to disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein—and Canadian law professor Julie Macfarlane, has now received backing from U.K. MP Maria Miller, who labelled NDAs "catastrophically damaging" and "immoral." The Can't Buy My Silence campaign aims to "stop NDAs from being used to cover up cases of illegal activity and wrong doings against employees," according to a press statement. But, as Law.com International's Varsha Patel reports, lawyers remain divided on the topic, with many stating that NDAs still serve a legitimate purpose to protect victims. Gowling WLG partner Jonathan Chamberlain, for example, said that attempts to limit the use of NDAs in some cases may "have the perverse effect of making things harder for women who have been very badly wronged." "The NDA is one of the few assets they have," he explained. "Many victims of harassment don't want to litigate—they want compensation—and a company is much less likely to do a deal if the allegation becomes a public point anywhere."
WHAT YOU SAID
"If one good thing can come of this pandemic [it] is that it has shown us that we can manage to continue the court's work in a variety of different ways that can be utilized going forward."
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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.
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