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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

EVERYTHING'S NEGOTIABLE - Even as many law firms have seen demand for their services soar over the past year-and-a-half, clients continue to treat paying their legal bills like they're auditioning for an episode of "Extreme Couponing." The Legal Pricing and Budgeting Report, a collection of data from more than 800 law firm pricing professionals across the U.K. and North America at firms with at least 100 lawyers, recently detailed how write-offs, discounts and alternative fee arrangements remain "widespread." As Law.com's Andrew Maloney reports, 94% of respondent firms said they have experienced delays in settling bills, while a majority in North America (60%) and nearly half in the U.K. (48%) said write-offs have increased by at least 60% since COVID-19 swept the globe. But there is a golden opportunity here too. Firms reported average increases in demand for AFAs of 28% in North America and 26% in the U.K since the pandemic started. "Following a year when firms went above and beyond to support clients, expectations have risen, and that includes expectations that law firms will embrace digital technologies at the same rates as clients," the budgeting report said, noting that the pace of some firms' adoption of digital tools will be a competitive edge. "Going into a client negotiation with a clear idea of what AFA can be profitably offered and being transparent about pricing changes the debate from fee arrangement to the value being delivered."

TOTAL RECALLS - Lawsuits over this year's closely watched recalls of Johnson & Johnson's sunscreen and Philips breathing machines will be transferred to Florida and Pennsylvania, Law.com's Amanda Bronstad reports. In separate orders Friday, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation sent 17 cases filed over the July 14 recall of five sunscreen products to Florida, and about 115 lawsuits tied to the June 14 recall of ventilation and sleep apnea machines to Pennsylvania. One order from the MDL panel assigned the sunscreen lawsuits to U.S. District Judge Anuraag Singhal of the Southern District of Florida, a 2019 appointee of former President Donald Trump. Both sides had suggested the Southern District of Florida for the consumer class actions. The MDL panel's other order assigned lawsuits against Philips North America to U.S. District Judge Joy Flowers Conti of the Western District of Pennsylvania. Although Philips is not giving out refunds through its recall, it is offering replacements and repairs on more than 3 million breathing products, including CPAP machines, which were found have sound abatement foam that could cause a host of health risks.

YOU SNOOZE YOU LOSE? - Jazz Pharmaceuticals, an Ireland-based biopharmaceutical company, and other defendants were hit with an antitrust lawsuit Friday in California Northern District Court. The court action claims that the defendants engaged in a scheme to restrain competition for the narcolepsy treatment Xyrem and its generic bioequivalents in the United States. The complaint was brought by Schneider Wallace Cottrell Konecky; and Lowey Dannenberg P.C. on behalf of Molina Healthcare, a health care management business offering services through government programs. Counsel have not yet appeared for the defendants. The case is 3:21-cv-07935, Molina Healthcare Inc. v. Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. et al. Stay up on the latest deals and litigation with the new Law.com Radar.  

EDITOR'S PICKS

WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP -  White & Case has promoted 59 lawyers to its partnership in its largest global promotions round ever, Law.com International's Hannah Roberts reports. Nearly two-thirds of the lawyers in this year's round are being promoted in the firm's Europe, Middle East and Africa and Asia-Pacific offices. In the Americas offices, 22 lawyers are being made partner, while 32 are being promoted in EMEA and five in Asia-Pacific. Meanwhile eight lawyers apiece are being made partners in the firm's London and New York offices, in line with the firm's strategy to boost partner headcount in the two locations. Spanning 24 offices and 16 countries, the latest round surpasses the firm's record round of 45 in 2019. "Our new partners represent a rich and diverse set of skills, experience and backgrounds," said White & Case chair Hugh Verrier in a statement. "This is our largest class of White & Case partners ever. It reflects our commitment to deliberate, strategic growth that supports exceptional service for our clients globally. We are investing in our people for the long term."

WHAT YOU SAID

"Trauma is on the rise right now. And it's not getting better."