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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

ADDITION AND ATTRITION - Goodwin Procter averaged one deal every eight hours during the past two years, a level of productivity that further fueled the firm's 60% jump in head count since October 2019 and 28% growth in profits per equity partner in a remarkably strong 2021 fiscal year. But, as Law.com's Dan Roe reports, the demand also came with historic turnover: Goodwin has gained or lost more than 1,000 lateral associates since 2020, averaging about one lateral associate move per day, according to an American Lawyer analysis of three years of hiring data from Law.com Legal Compass. In total, 646 associates joined the firm in lateral moves while 392 departed, leaving a net gain of 254 associates. More than 100 associates came and went within the three-year span, and 28 stayed for 12 months or less. Goodwin has also welcomed more than 280 first-year associates in the past two years, per Law.com Compass data.

SETTLING IN NORCAL - Securities lawyers, keep your eyes on the Northern District of California. Sure, the high-wattage trial against Elon Musk didn't even yield enough money to buy a blue checkmark for your Twitter profile but still: there's undeniably something about that jurisdiction that seems conducive to the sorts of cases that produce big nine-digit mega-settlements. As Law.com's Ross Todd writes in his Litigation Daily column, two of the top 10 securities settlements tracked by ISS Securities Class Action Services in 2022 occurred in the Northern District of California, just behind the three that landed in the undisputed securities litigation hotbed of the Southern District of New York. The question now is whether the NDCA can fully solidify its spot as the go-to mega-settlement venue behind the SDNY.

CRYPTOCURRENCY, CURRENTLY - Got a jar full of Bitcoin on top of your fridge that you're not sure what to do with? On Feb. 15 at 4 p.m. ET, Cybersecurity Law & Strategy will present a complimentary live webinar titled, "The Crypto Landscape Post-FTX." The panel will be moderated by Cybersecurity Law & Strategy Editor-in-Chief Steve Salkin and will feature speakers Aaron Krowne, partner; Ali Derie, of counsel; and Eric Goldman, of counsel, with International Blockchain Legal. The presentation will cover the current status and near-future outlook for the blockchain (crypto) sector, addressing questions like: What went wrong with FTX? Is crypto dead and buried? And, if not, what's in store next for the industry and regulatory landscape? Cyber CLE credits will be offered for the state of New York, and general CLE credits will be offered for California, Illinois and New Jersey. Click here to register.

ON THE RADAR - Norfolk Southern, a Virginia-based rail transportation and logistics company, was slapped with a negligence class action Wednesday in relation to the Feb. 2023 train derailment and chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio. The suit, which was brought in Ohio Northern District Court, contends that the derailment and chemical spill necessitated an immediate evacuation of all homes and businesses in a one-to-two-mile radius of the site. According to the complaint, the class members were exposed to toxic fumes and were forced to evacuate and be involuntarily displaced from their homes and businesses. The class is represented by Strauss & Troy. Counsel have not yet appeared for the defendant. The case is 4:23-cv-00250, Eisley et al v. Norfolk Southern Railway Company. Stay up on the latest deals and litigation with the new Law.com Radar. 

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