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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

FIRM GRIP - Money may ultimately fall short as a retention tool in Big Law. But, for now at least, it seems to be more than sufficient to prevent attorneys from going in-house. As Law.com's Phillip Bantz reports, the ever-widening pay divide between Big Law and corporate legal departments is making it considerably more difficult for in-house departments to lure talent from top law firms. "The reality from where I sit as a recruiter is that when we approach in-house candidates with great opportunities, they often stop listening once they find out it could be a 30-50% pay cut," said legal search consultant Stacy Humphries of the Pye Legal Group in Houston. But that doesn't mean talent isn't out there—it just means legal departments are going to need to work a little harder to find it. "2022 is not the year to be passive or opportunistic. Gone are the days a company can just post an ad and get a flock of qualified candidates submitting," Mary Rosenfeld D'Eramo, vice president of operations at Boston-based legal recruiting firm Mestel & Co. "This market absolutely requires a little more elbow grease and targeted searches."

BEHIND-THE-SCENES BILLING - Law firm partners may have been the MVPs of 2020, when staff billing dipped and more work was pushed up the food chain to senior attorneys. But, as Law.com's Andrew Maloney reports, revenue gains among the Am Law 200 in 2021 were made possible in large part by increased billing by paralegals, patent specialists, project managers and other professionals. Analysts and law firm leaders told Maloney that trend will likely continue this year, as associate pay bumps make lawyer work even pricier for clients and law firms continue pushing the envelope to find more efficiencies. "Unless demand falls, the competition for this talent is going to increase this year, and in future years, because associates aren't going to get cheaper," said Kristin Stark, a law firm consultant and principal at Fairfax Associates. Mike Hammer, CEO of Dickinson Wright, told Maloney that "incredible" demand in 2021 and so far in 2022 means "no one's pushing any work to one level or another of timekeepers. There's enough work for all levels." "Now if demand starts to subside, you could see that start to reverse back to the way [it was in 2020]," Hammer said. "But when demand is high, you need the timekeepers at all levels, and everyone is going to be busy. And that's where we were last year and that's where started the year and continue to be."

WHO GOT THE WORK?℠ - Dennis L. Wilson of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton has entered an appearance for Starz Entertainment, G-Unit Brands Inc., Lions Gate Entertainment and other defendants in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The case, filed Dec. 10 in California Central District Court by Hall Griffin LLP on behalf of Byron Belin, accuses Starz of using Belin's 'BMF' mark without licensing or consent in connection with the Black Mafia Family docuseries. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha, is 2:21-cv-09586, Byron Belin v. Starz Entertainment, LLC et al. Read the complaint on Law.com Radar and check out this week's Who Got the Work?℠ column to find out which law firms and lawyers are being brought in to handle key cases and close major deals for their clients.

BATTLE BREWING - Holland & Knight filed a copyright infringement lawsuit Monday in Massachusetts District Court on behalf of Brazil-based coffee products seller Café Tres Coracoes and Tres Coracoes Alimentos. The suit targets Jalmar Araujo, operator of BRCoffe.com, for allegedly selling the plaintiffs' '3 Coracoes' products in order to compete with authorized seller and non-party Home Pick. The complaint contends that Araujo engages in these unauthorized sales in retaliation for prior trademark infringement disputes. Counsel have not yet appeared for the defendant. The case is 1:22-cv-10168, Cafe Tres Coracoes S/A et al v. Araujo. Stay up on the latest deals and litigation with the new Law.com Radar.  

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EDITOR'S PICKS

Ilya Shapiro Placed on Paid Administrative Leave Day Before Starting at Georgetown Law By Christine Charnosky

'Something About This Settlement Stinks.' Objectors Target Timing of Attorney Fees in TikTok Settlement By Amanda Bronstad

Attorney Suspended for Coaching Client Via Chat Told Judge It Was 'the Same as if I Shook My Head in the Courtroom' By Allison Dunn

What Does Life Look Like for PR Post-COVID? By Carlos Arcos

How I Made Office Managing Partner: 'Excellence Will Be Noticed and Remembered,' Says Jenna Bedsole of Baker Donelson By Tasha Norman

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WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

BYE BOIES - Natasha Harrison, the former firmwide co-managing partner at Boies Schiller Flexner, has taken the vast majority of the firm's London lawyers and clients to launch a boutique litigation practice, Law.com International's Paul Hodkinson reports. Harrison has moved 14 lawyers, 13 support staff and "around 100 clients and cases" from the London office of Boies Schiller to her new firm, Pallas Partners. The cases include the so-called "tuna bonds scandal," a $2 billion case against Credit Suisse, as well as a major international arbitration, she said. Harrison said she was not aware of any clients or cases that had originated at Boies Schiller in London that were staying with her former firm. The move leaves Boies Schiller with three U.K. lawyers, including two partners, who were both promoted in January. The firm is keeping its U.K. office space.

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WHAT YOU SAID

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