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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING
PRO BONO REBOUND? – Industry watchers predict that pro bono hours will bounce back in 2022 with a focus on political and national events. In 2020, COVID-19 and the murder of George Floyd helped spur pro bono work, and this year, the war in Ukraine, the Midterm elections and the overturning of Roe v. Wade could similarly supercharge pro bono participation, Andrew Maloney reports. More office returns could also pump up peer pressure to sign on to pro bono matters, especially as people become less preoccupied with the pandemic, some experts say. "I think firms will be able to focus on pro bono issues important to them. Even though Omicron says otherwise, in their minds the pandemic is over in some regards, and now they're figuring out the rest of their lives," said Jeffrey Lowe, of recruiting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa.
GC PAY BUMP – Compensation for legal chiefs at Fortune 1000 companies has once again increased after a dip during the peak of the pandemic. The highest paid in-house leader is Alan Braverman of The Walt Disney Co. Braverman earned $8.8 million in total cash compensation before he retired in late 2021, Phillip Bantz reports. The 2022 General Counsel Compensation Report from ALM Intelligence also shows that the number of women general counsel within the top 20 highest cash compensation earners dropped by nearly half. Katherine Loanzon, managing director at Kinney Recruiting in New York, said the pandemic might have been a factor, because a lot of female executives had to "come to terms with balancing the family versus their professional responsibilities."
YOU'VE BEEN BLOCKCHAINED – The blockchain is decentralizing every industry, including legal, according to some experts. In the last month, a New York Supreme Court and a U.K. high court have introduced the use of NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, to serve court papers. Unlike serving papers in person, using an NFT to drop the papers directly into digital wallets removes the need for third-party verification, Isha Marathe reports. Richard Grungo, attorney and founder of Grungo Colarulo, said "Not only will the use of NFTs in the legal world catch on more broadly, they will revolutionize the law."
EDITOR'S PICKS
Newly Elected AAJ President to Prioritize Legal Tech Education and DE&I
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Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
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