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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

TRAINING DERAILED - Training gaps have been one of law firm leaders' biggest concerns in 2023, and they've blamed remote work and sky-high demand in recent years for supposedly exacerbating the issue. But even as attorneys are ushered back to the office and the pace of work slows, law firm recruiters and talent professionals report little has been done to patch the holes in young lawyers' education. "When there is a lull in workflow … what a great time for firms to address where there may have been holes in the training process because of COVID," Major, Lindsey & Africa legal recruiter Kate Reder Sheikh told Law.com's Jessie Yount. "But I haven't seen anything that's felt like a real panacea." On one hand, associates are finding fewer opportunities to learn by doing. On the other, career development professionals have been inundated with work stemming from performance management.

LOSING YOUR BALANCE - Regulators cranking up scrutiny of digital-payment platforms after fund-access and customer service problems in recent years are now broadening their gaze into what happens if they collapse, Law.com's Chris O'Malley reports. That's placing additional pressure on these fintech platforms to improve customer disclosures and possibly even find new ways to backstop against potential insolvency. "Getting really good compliance advice is critical for companies right now," said Siran Faulders, a member of the state attorneys general practice at Cozen O'Connor. "It's something on the top of the mind of many GCs." Last month, the CFPB warned that funds stored on these apps "may not be held in accounts with federal deposit insurance coverage."

ON THE RADAR - Husch Blackwell filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit Thursday in Virginia Eastern District Court on behalf of Kira (US) Inc., an AI software company serving the legal industry. The suit targets Keenan Samman, the former Kira vice president of global product sales, and his new employer DeepJudge AG, a Kira competitor. The suit accuses Samman of misappropriating proprietary information from his Kira email to his personal email account and failing to return Kira property. Counsel have not yet appeared for the defendants. The case is 1:23-cv-00919, Kira (US) Inc. v. Samman et al. Stay up on the latest state and federal litigation, as well as the latest corporate deals, with Law.com Radar.   


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EDITOR'S PICKS

After Punching Amazon Repeatedly, FTC Prepares to Unleash Haymaker

By Hugo Guzman

Stability AI Co-Founder Alleges He Was Cheated Out of Ownership for $100

By Colleen Murphy

Can an Emoji Seal a Deal? Canadian Court Says a Thumbs-Up Emoji Counts in Binding Contract

By Gail J. Cohen