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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

SHARING IS CARING - The legal industry continues to struggle with implementing a hybrid work model. Some people are in the office, other people are out⁠—it's very confusing! But, as Law.com's Jessie Yount reports, at least a few firms are finding that hybrid doesn't have to be so hard.  Perkins Coie, for example, has successfully implemented a hoteling model in its offices. While the concept of having to give up an office or share a desk can make some attorneys squeamish, Tammy Baldwin, chief of business operations at Perkins Coie, said part of that discomfort comes from the "vocabulary" the industry uses. "Everybody tends to think of hoteling as giving up something. But in fact, it is the opposite if you get the space right," she explained. "It gives you the flexibility to use the space for whatever you need. … Sometimes you just need a space to make a call. Sometimes you need a conference room."  Meanwhile, Wilson Sonsini and Fenwick & West have learned that treating grown-ups like grown-ups actually works pretty well. "We adopted an approach that lets each workgroup at the firm decide which schedule makes sense for their client service model, culture, and people," Boyd said, noting that the firm offered attorneys the option to not go back at all, but the majority preferred a hybrid model.

BACKLOG BACKUP - For litigators, the pandemic just keeps finding new ways to make life difficult. As Law.com's Alaina Lancaster writes in this week's Law.com Barometer newsletter, the pile-up of court cases caused by pandemic-related delays has accentuated preexisting court staff shortages and created new pressures for attorneys. As courts attempt to return to full capacity, some litigators and courts report struggling to handle the onslaught of deadlines and new procedures rolled out to expedite cases amid the pandemic. The added pressure is causing some lawyers and jurisdictions to call for backup. In Georgia, for example, the Tallapoosa Judicial Circuit's allocated more than $860,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding to address its pandemic-related backlog, which included adding a senior judge, a courtroom and corresponding staff. In addition, some courts might also adjust their rules to provide attorneys and parties more notice for deadlines. Carolyn Carluccio, president judge of Pennsylvania's Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, said she is seeking to amend a local rule on case management to set earlier deadlines for trial readiness. "By giving earlier notice of deadlines, we expect that fewer deadline extensions will be needed and cases will more quickly be heard or resolved," Carluccio said. To receive the Law.com Barometer directly to your inbox each week, click here.

WHO GOT THE WORK?℠ - Sean A. Commons, T. Robert Scarborough and Christopher M. Assise of Sidley Austin have stepped in as defense counsel to American Family Insurance Company in a pending data breach class action. The complaint, filed Feb. 15 in California Northern District Court by Cole & Van Note, accuses AmFam of failing to implement adequate data security measures arising from a Dec. 2021 breach impacting the personal and financial information of current clients. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Sallie Kim, is 3:22-cv-00939, Kowarsky v. American Family Life Insurance Company. >> Read the 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.