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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

COURTS' NEW REALITY - Courts are already overwhelmed with lawsuits stemming from conduct that occurred in this reality. But as virtual reality becomes more expansive and more widely populated, dockets could soon start filling up with claims arising from the metaverse, which, as you might imagine, is a prospect that raises some tricky questions. For one: With users in different jurisdictions interacting on one platform, which laws apply? For another: Does a plaintiff, who would have sought relief over an offense in the real world, have legal standing to sue if a similar thing occurs in virtual reality? As Law.com's Cedra Mayfield reports, some labor and employment attorneys said the answer to the first question remains unclear, but the answer to the second question is pretty clearly "yes." "I don't think there's really any difference from a legal perspective of a meeting that takes place in virtual reality versus a meeting that takes place over a conference call or a meeting that takes place over Zoom, or really a meeting that takes place in person from the company's perspective as it relates to its own employees," said F. Beau Howard, a partner at Fox Rothschild in Atlanta.

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES - Legal chiefs are increasingly hands-on in choosing technology tools, according to a recent study by Relativity and FTI Consulting. According to "Supporting Technology Improvements," the third and final installment of the General Counsel Report 2022, 87% of legal chiefs surveyed said they are involved in technology planning and purchasing, beyond providing budget approval alone. Though the trend isn't totally new, many GCs surveyed for the report said their involvement has deepened over the past year. But is there enough tech talent out there to support this increased involvement? Jennifer Hamilton, who runs the in-house team at e-discovery company Exterro, told Law.com's Hugo Guzman that, "not all lawyers need to be technical, but you do need to have technical talent." The report's findings underscore her point. It found that only 33% of GCs surveyed agreed that attorneys have adequate technology knowledge and capabilities. That's a serious drop from the 2021 report, where the percentage was 55%. Hamilton argued the problem partly lies in how attorneys see tech tools. She said too many expect software to do all the work at the push of a button. "When someone has technology experience, there's a flexibility to how they do their job," Hamilton said. "They aren't married to their own process. … And legal professionals can often be very married to their own process."

SNAPPED - Snap Inc., the creator of messaging app Snapchat, and certain members of its board were hit with a derivative shareholder complaint Tuesday in California Central District Court. The case, brought by Rosen Law Firm on behalf of Tim Dodds, arises from updates made to Apple's mobile privacy features in April 2021. The complaint contends that the defendants misled investors by downplaying the effect the new features would have on Snap's business. Counsel have not yet appeared for the defendants. The case is 2:22-cv-01569, Dodds v. Spiegel et al. The shareholder derivative suit against Snap follows a securities suit against the company that was also filed by the Rosen Firm in November and another similar suit against Facebook parent company Meta Platforms filed by Bottini & Bottini that same month. Stay up on the latest deals and litigation with the new Law.com Radar.  

EDITOR'S PICKS

WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

FIRM STANCE - Several Am Law 100 firms revealed plans on Wednesday to close their Russian offices or suspend operations in the country, citing events in Ukraine as the impetus behind the development, Law.com's Bruce Love reports. Latham & Watkins, Squire Patton Boggs, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius on Wednesday joined a growing group of Am Law 100 firms to shutter their Russian operations, after Linklaters kicked off a flurry of Big Law departures from Russia on Friday. Eversheds Sutherland and Norton Rose Fulbright also announced plans to wind down their operations in Russia this week. Around 20 Am Law 200 firms have offices in Russia. In addition, as Law.com International's Varsha Patel reported, Freshfields' exit means Allen & Overy and Clifford Chance are the remaining Magic Circle firms in Russia.

WHAT YOU SAID

"When I told him, I'm going to be on this reality TV show and I'll be leaving for seven weeks, I remember he said: 'That's one I've never heard before!'"