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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

KEEP YOUR FRENEMIES CLOSE - In the course of less than a month, leaders of three of the Big Four's legal arms have told Law.com International, in separate interviews, that they don't view themselves as being in competition with traditional law firms. The degree of sincerity contained in those statements is debatable. But even if you take the comments at face value, firms should remain wary. As we explore in the latest Law.com Trendspotter column, if the Big Four really don't view law firms as rivals, it's only because the accounting giants see themselves as superior. They're just biding their time until clients start to see them that way too. While the Big Four appear happy right now to carve out a niche in the legal space and even collaborate with traditional law firms to serve clients, their ambitions are much grander and their confidence in what they can offer is growing. The real reason they keep insisting they have no intention of competing head-to-head with law firms is simple: they're planning to leapfrog right over them instead. I'm interested to hear from you: Do you believe the Big Four are a true threat to traditional law firms? Let me know at [email protected].

MONEY WELL SPENT? - It's easy (maybe even fun!) to scoff at large law firms for their lemming-like devotion to spending truckloads of money on associates who don't end up sticking around. But while huge salaries and bonuses shouldn't be firms' only recruiting and retention tools, the fact that young lawyers continue to fetch these price tags is a testament to their value in the law firm ecosystem. The problem is, not all firms can afford to reward associates the same way. Luckily, as Law.com's Lizzy McLellan writes in this week's Law.com Barometer newsletter, there are other avenues firms can take to retain young lawyers. It just requires a different kind of investment. Take, for example, GrayRobinson partner Valerie Haber and her team, who recently spoke with Law.com about how they use group text, GIFs and virtual office hours to stay connected in a remote-work environment. "We all get the recruiter emails 24/7," said Gray Robinson associate Alexis Mason. "I've worked at enough places to know that what I have in Val is very rare. If other practices or shareholders don't match what someone like Val is willing to give her young talent, then we have no reason to leave." As McLellan notes: "That kind of team culture can't be built overnight. But it may be more meaningful in the long run for cultivating future leaders. And, if (or when) demand shifts, it's not a growing line item to regret." To receive the Law.com Barometer directly to your inbox each week, click here.

WHO GOT THE WORK?℠ - Baker & Hostetler partners Eric R. Rish and Bonnie Keane DelGobbo have stepped in to defend video-sharing and social networking app Triller Inc. in a pending privacy class action. The suit, filed Dec. 31 in New York Southern District Court, accuses Triller of obtaining and storing users' biometric information and video viewing histories without consent in violation of the Video Privacy Protection Act and state consumer protection laws. The action is backed by DiCello Levitt Gutzler; Bleichmar Fonti & Auld and Hausfeld. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff, is 1:21-cv-11228, Wilson v. Triller, Inc. Read the press release filing on Law.com Radar  and check out the most recent edition of Law.com'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.