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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

YOUTH GONE WILD? - Some law firm partners are increasingly frustrated with the quality of work and the attitudes of "Zoom associates"—those who came into firms during and since the pandemic—according to a new report by Law.com's Patrick Smith, Andrew Maloney and Hank Grezlak. Consultants and partners have even bluntly described some younger associates as "lacking accountability and initiative." But has remote work actually led to laziness or has it simply put a new spin on the age-old trope of the older generation thinking the young'uns have it too easy? "Some of it is generational," said Michael Ferachi, managing member of Louisiana-based McGlinchey Stafford. "It's the 'we walked to school barefoot uphill for three miles and they need to, too.'" But what remote work and the entire experience of the pandemic does seem to have contributed to, according to firm leaders and industry watchers, is a lack of empathy. "It's made us all isolated…more frustrated with others," said Katten CEO Noah Heller. "It changed our tolerance for others…[People] are so focused on their own perspective."

FEARS OF INFLUENCE - The FTC recently issued new regulatory-compliance guidelines for the social media influencer market, a step it typically takes to put an industry on notice before it substantially ramps up enforcement actions. And, as Law.com's Trudy Knockless reports, in-house lawyers whose companies work with influencers would do well to heed the warning. A Baker McKenzie client note said now is the time for companies to review their use of influencers, the processes they have in place for monitoring them, and how their influencers disclose their relationships to products and services. Charles Elson, founding director of the Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware, told Knockless that undertaking is "a lot of work because there are a lot of [influencers] out there and their connection to your company can be very, frankly, vague at best. So the in-house counsel has to pay attention to it, be careful about it."

ON THE RADAR - MidCountry Bank was slapped with a consumer class action on Aug. 24 in Minnesota 4th Judicial District for Hennepin County. The lawsuit alleges the defendant wrongfully charges overdraft fees for debit card users' "authorize positive, settle negative" transactions. The suit brings breach-of-contract, unjust enrichment and Consumer Fraud Act claims. The suit was filed by Lockridge Grindal Nauen, Gibbs Law Group, Cohen & Malad and Stranch Jennings & Garvey. Counsel have not yet appeared for the defendant. The case is 27-CV-23-13384, Scarlett Rusch vs Midcountry Bank. Stay up on the latest state and federal litigation, as well as the latest corporate deals, with Law.com Radar.   

EDITOR'S PICKS

What the Legal Industry Can Learn From the Rise and Fall of a Lewis Brisbois Spinoff By Alaina Lancaster | Zack Needles

2023 GC Compensation Survey: Pay Rises, but So Does Friction With Shareholders By Chris O'Malley

'The Vibe Is Changing': Flexible Law Firms Struggle to Get Attorneys on the Same Page By Jessie Yount