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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

ACCOMMODATION FRUSTRATION - Taking law school admissions tests is anxiety-inducing enough, but for disabled prospective law students, the decision of whether to go through the complicated process of requesting accommodations for those tests adds an additional layer of stress. As Law.com's Christine Charnosky reports, there are many reasons why disabled test-takers decline to request accommodations for LSAT and GRE, including the amount of work involved to request accommodations, the stigma of making such a request and the reputation of testing centers. In addition, some have argued that standardized tests put disabled prospective law students at an insurmountable disadvantage regardless of whether they are approved for accommodations. But there is one key argument in favor of requesting accommodations for law school entrance exams: doing so can help when it comes time to request similar accommodations for the bar exam. This is the fourth installment of Law.com's series called, "Disabling Ableism: Making the Legal Profession More Accessible," which aims to highlight both the challenges and opportunities law students with disabilities face before, during and after law school, as well as how the legal industry can better embrace disability as a form of diversity. You can read part 1 here, part 2 here and part 3 here.

DEFENSIVE POSITION - According to the new 2022 Litigation Risk Survey, legal departments are grappling with growing litigation risk in critical areas such as privacy, cybersecurity and employment, while often lacking the resources to go on the offensive to pursue cases against others, Law.com's Trudy Knockless reports. The survey was done by Risk Settlements, which offers insurance and other products to help companies manage litigation costs, in partnership with In the House, a legal think tank. "Many departments are operating with limited resources to pursue new ideas and additional revenue. They will be doing well, in fact, to handle the surge of defense-side litigation they are likely to face in the year ahead," the survey said. That's a missed opportunity, the report said, since "monetizing affirmative claims could help transform departments into corporate profit centers." The survey paints a picture of law departments operating with extremely tight staffing. The survey includes responses from nearly 200 in-house counsel. Eighty percent of their legal departments had fewer than 10 employees—even though 43% said they work for organizations with more than 1,000 employees.

UNDELIVERED - Block & Leviton, Outten & Golden and other law firms filed an employment class action Monday in Delaware District Court against FedEx. The complaint was brought under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act on behalf of current and former FedEx employees who have taken military leave since 2004 and contend that they did not receive compensation or paid leave. Counsel have not yet appeared for the defendant. The case is 1:22-cv-00672, Beanland v. Federal Express Corporation. Stay up on the latest deals and litigation with the new Law.com Radar. 

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