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This is Rhys Dipshan in New York, filling in for Zack Needles. 

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

COURTS FEEL THE STRAIN - An ongoing global pandemic is making the problem of judicial and court staff vacancies even more acute, Alaina Lancaster reports in this week's Law.com Barometer newsletter. To be sure, courts were struggling to manage their backlogs and eagerly awaiting new judges well before COVID-19 was on anyone's radar. But as virus-related shutdowns have made case backlogs grow to new heights, there's more urgency to fill positions in courthouses around the nation. And it's not just a matter of getting more judges on the bench. Court staffing shortages have also gotten worse due to a pandemic-spurred wave of retirements and a dwindling candidate pool. Solving these challenges won't be easy, but some are pushing courts to get more creative in making court proceedings and services more efficient.

BUSINESS STAFF EXODUS? - In today's pandemic economy, law firms don't just have to worry about attorneys leaving for a competitor. Their business professionals, such as human resources, IT or marketing and sales staff, are also at risk of jumping ship—or leaving the legal market altogether, Patrick Smith reports. While in the past, law firms have offered these professionals better compensation than other organizations, that's becoming less common in a market rife with labor shortages. What's more, many business professionals are also concerned with firms' lack of flexibility when it comes to remote working. Still, there are ways firms can convince their non-legal staff to stay, such as modernizing their work policies and ensuring they apply equally to both their attorneys and business professionals.

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT - For GCs, there's at least one silver lining to living a pandemic for almost two years. Philip Bantz reports that while the newly discovered Omicron variant may disrupt work policies and planned in-person events, GCs aren't worrying too much. After all, they've been here before, and unlike when the pandemic first started, they have systems in place to deal with employee health issues and remote disruptions. And equally as important, they've gotten better at working in an environment that constantly demands a wait-and-see-approach. Ivan Fong, executive vice president, chief legal and policy officer and secretary at 3M Co. noted that "recent events have absolutely reinforced the importance and necessity of staying nimble, agile and ready to adapt."

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