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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

2022 GO-TO LAW SCHOOLS - Oh yes… it's that time again. We've ranked the 50 law schools that sent the highest percentage of their 2021 juris doctor graduates to associate positions at the largest 100 law firms in the country. Columbia Law School tops the list for the ninth straight year, with 64% of its recent graduate class now working in Big Law. The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School comes in at No. 2, followed by Cornell Law School at No. 3. But the top 50 list is only the tip of the iceberg. Go here to explore the entire 2022 Go-To Law Schools report, which includes interactive graphics that provide deeper insights into those 50 schools and dozens more, as well as the Big Law firms they feed.

HYBRID THEORIES - To be or not to be in the office? That is the question—and will likely continue to be the question for at least the next several months and possibly even years.  "The most common conversation we have with law firms at the moment is around how to successfully implement a hybrid model," Gretta Rusanow, managing director and head of client advisory services at Citi Private Bank Law Firm Group, told Law.com's Andrew Maloney. She said in those conversations, the emphasis is on how best to train young lawyers and foster culture while people are physically separate. A particular focal point is the ease with which young lawyers now move from firm to firm, especially with salaries continuing to climb and formative firm experiences frequently happening over Zoom instead of in person. "So long as we remain in a war for talent, what your hybrid model looks like will be to some degree influenced heavily by what your biggest competitors are offering," Rusanow said. To be sure, there continues to be significant disconnect among various parties as to what a hybrid model should look like. As we noted last week in this column, 45% of respondents to a recent readers' poll conducted by Law.com's Contributing Editors group said they'd prefer a hybrid setup in which there is no mandated number of days per week for office work. But nearly 36% said their firms do currently require a set number of days in the office. Meanwhile, more than 26% said they expect their firms to do away with hybrid/remote work altogether by this time next year.

UGLY DISPUTE - Wilson Elser filed a trademark infringement lawsuit Monday in South Carolina District Court on behalf of HomeVestors of America Inc. in relation to its 'We Buy Ugly Houses' marks. The complaint accuses Robert J. Woodruff of using the confusingly similar mark 'We Buy Ugly Trailers' without the plaintiff's authorization. Counsel have not yet appeared for the defendant. The case is 2:22-cv-00829, Homevestors of America Inc v. Woodruff. Stay up on the latest deals and litigation with the new Law.com Radar.  

EDITOR'S PICKS

$500K Grant to Help UC Irvine Law Continue Research on Diversity and Networking in Law School