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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

WORLD PROBLEMS  - For months, rising global tensions and toughening cross-border regulations have kept law firms busier than ever advising clients on how to successfully—and legally—operate a multinational organization. Now, as Law.com's Gina Passarella writes in this week's Barometer newsletter, law firms could start to feel the pain their clients are experiencing—and one already has. Dentons' decision to end its longtime combination with Chinese firm Dacheng came amid regulatory one-upmanship between the U.S. and China that has restricted investment between the nations' entities. At the same time, new Chinese regulations make certain legal work near impossible to do. Now, other firms could follow Dentons' lead. "Typically, the lure of the market size is too strong to keep anyone away for too long," Passarella writes. "But safety of their lawyers on the ground and an inability to protect client information from being seen by Chinese regulators may be the tipping point firms need to close up shop in the region." To receive the Law.com Barometer directly to your inbox each week, click here.

EMERGENCY MERGERS - What do onetime Philadelphia mainstay Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis and Am Law 200 firm Stroock & Stroock & Lavan have in common? As Law.com's Amanda O'Brien reports, failed merger talks, pension concerns, and a steady trickle of partners lateralling to other firms, for a start, with the key difference between the two firms, beyond their size and status, being their ability to continue operations. Stroock continues to hunt for a merger partner, shoring up its business model in an attempt to become a better merger candidate by ending its pension system last week. Schnader, on the other hand, recently announced its dissolution at the end of the month following its own failed merger talks and a declined credit extension request to its bank. And while one can hardly call Stroock's attempts to merge "a last resort," given the extended timeline of the firm's various discussions, Schnader's attempts to merge mere months before the firm announced its dissolution offer a warning for firms who've found themselves in a similar position.

ON THE RADAR - Cannabis delivery service Budee Inc., Driven Deliveries Inc. and Stem Holdings Inc. were hit with a wage-and-hour class action Aug. 15 in California Superior Court for Los Angeles County. The suit was brought by the Haines Law Group on behalf of drivers and other non-exempt employees for the defendants. The complaint claims that the defendants failed to pay overtime compensation or provide meal and rest breaks to the plaintiff class. The complaint also contends that the defendants failed to reimburse drivers for cell phone expenses incurred while using the app to make deliveries. Counsel have not yet appeared for the defendants. The case is 23STCV19509, Solis v. Budee, Inc. Stay up on the latest state and federal litigation, as well as the latest corporate deals, with Law.com Radar.   

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