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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

REUNITED AND IT FEELS SO GOOD - Last year in this space, we told you about how so-called "boomerang" laterals—those who leave a firm and eventually come back (get it?)—have become increasingly prevalent. At the time, you may have wondered whether such moves made for exceedingly awkward reunions. But, as Law.com's Dan Packel reports, it's not as hard as you might think to welcome departed attorneys back into the fold, especially in this extra-frothy hiring market. "Firms are desperate for talent," said Bob Brigham, a partner with Major, Lindsey & Africa. "Folks they already know, who know them, are a logical place to go." Of course, some firms are better than others at taking attorney exits in stride in the first place. "Some firms get offended when a partner or a senior associate leaves and aren't worried about maintaining good relations," Brigham said. But at a time when top talent is at a premium, bad blood can be bad for business. As Richard Blake, who recently rejoined Wilson Sonsini after leaving for Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian at the start of 2013, put it: "If there's a hatchet to be buried, let's bury the hatchet."

KINETIC ENERGY - Energy transition work is inspiring plenty of practice transition in the legal industry, as firms seek to pivot transactional expertise to get a piece of the expanding sector. Firms are establishing and marketing practices that target various segments of the energy transition space, such as renewable energy, hydrogen, electric vehicles, battery storage or carbon capture. At the same time, finance, M&A, capital markets, private equity and environmental lawyers who typically worked in other industries are jostling for work in the growing sector, Law.com's Brenda Sapino Jeffreys reports. "It's a different flavor of a project that folks have seen in a different form or sector. Skill translates. Folks are more than capable of making that transition," said Brian Nese, a partner with Stoel Rives in San Diego who formerly was a co-leader of the firm's energy team. "You are really talking about an industry sector, not a legal practice."

1 GLOBAL, 2 LAWSUITS - In two separate actions, the SEC sued Eric A. Alexander, former CEO of 1 Global Capital, and Scott A. Merkelson, the company's former director of business development, Monday in Florida Southern District Court for allegedly defrauding investors of over $320 million via an unregistered securities offering. One lawsuit contends that Alexander manipulated the company's management fees in order to raise investor returns artificially, and signed off on investor account statements that he knew contained misrepresentations. The other complaint alleges Merkelson helped to perpetuate the fraud by falsifying documents. Attorneys have not yet appeared for the defendant in either case. The case against Alexander is 0:22-cv-60700, Securities and Exchange Commission v. Alexander. The case against Merkelson is 0:22-cv-60702, Securities and Exchange Commission v. Merkelson. Read the complaints here and here and stay up on the latest deals and litigation with the new Law.com Radar.  

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