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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

CAPTIVE AUDIENCE - It's probably safe to say that, at this point, more law students envision themselves working in Big Law than at ALSPs. But, as nontraditional legal services become more mainstream and some of the shine wears off the brass ring of law firm partnership, could an ALSP at a Big Law firm offer young lawyers the best of both worlds? Associates are increasingly eyeing captive ALSPs as one option for balancing their personal goals with their professional ambitions, Baretz+Brunelle NewLaw practice co-head Bea Seravello told Law.com's Victoria Hudgins. Captive ALSPs have gained associates' attention by shedding their reputation as only providing highly commoditized work, Seravello added. "Now, especially through the pandemic, what we have seen is [captive] ALSPs have been able to expand to everyday legal work. They're taking a broader scope of the work. That might be interesting for lawyers that want to practice law … but not 24/7″ on the partnership track,  Seravello said.

ALL RISE - It seems like every time litigation tries to rev up, it stalls out. But, as Law.com's Andrew Maloney reports, Big Law leaders say they expect the motor to start humming this year and next. Although demand was up more than 3% in 2021, lawyers, judges and law firms are still playing catch-up on litigation after COVID-19 shuttered courthouses and stalled trials. The omicron variant led to additional jury trial delays in late 2021 and earlier this year, exacerbating backlogs caused by the initial wave of COVID-19 closures. It will take more time to alleviate that backlog due to the complexity of big cases and additional filings made in the meantime, according to firm leaders and industry analysts. That work should continue through the rest of 2022 and into 2023 "We have pent-up demand, but also lots of new filings and trials on the calendar, in addition to the pent-up demand from COVID," said Madeleine McDonough, chair of Shook, Hardy & Bacon. "I would say by the fourth quarter of 2021, we were back on track. And it's only been going more and more since then. So it's a busy time."

WHO GOT THE WORK?℠ - Cannabis wholesaler and dispensary operator Cresco Labs has agreed to acquire cannabis producer Columbia Care Inc. for $2 billion. The transaction, announced March 23, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2022. Chicago-based Cresco was advised by Paul Hastings on U.S. matters and Bennett Jones LLP on Canadian matters. The Paul Hastings team includes partners Yariv Katz, Brad Ritter, Christopher Ross, Jim Smulkowski, Samuel Waxman and Michael Wise. Columbia Care, which is based in New York, was represented by Foley Hoag on U.S. matters and Stikeman Elliott on Canadian matters. >> Read more 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.

FUELING ANIMOSITY - NextEra Energy Marketing sued Koch Energy Services for breach of contract Friday in New York Southern District Court in connection with disputed charges arising from Winter Storm Uri. The complaint, brought by Locke Lord, accuses Koch Energy of wrongfully demanding payment of $8 million based on the plaintiff's failure to deliver gas during the extreme weather event despite NextEra's notice of Force Majeure. Counsel have not yet appeared for the defendant. The case is 1:22-cv-02457, NextEra Energy Marketing, LLC v. Koch Energy Services, LLC. Stay up on the latest deals and litigation with the new Law.com Radar.  

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