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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

PLAYING FOR KEEPS - Big Law has always been good at attracting lawyers, but retaining them has been trickier business. With that in mind, firms are increasingly looking at nonequity partnership as the key to keeping key lawyers. According to the 2024 Client Advisory from Hildebrandt Consulting and Citi's Global Wealth at Work Law Firm Group, 83% of large firms said they expect to increase their income partner population over the next two years. The report described that as a "staggering jump" from the 68% of large firms who projected growth in that group in a survey last year. "I talked to one guy who heads a big New York firm, who said 'We just have to invest in the people [we already have], or at least show them a career path, or we're gonna lose them," Brad Hildebrandt, chair of Hildebrandt Consulting and one of the authors of the client advisory, told Law.com's Andrew Maloney.

WHAT'S THE MEANING OF THIS? - Everybody's talking about generative artificial intelligence. Unfortunately, it's not always clear whether everybody is actually talking about the same thing. As Law.com's Cassandre Coyer reports, the push by regulators, courts and others to require more transparency around gen AI means the legal industry is going to have to find and settle on accurate definitions of these tools—and that's going to be tough. "We actually foresee that defining AI will be a problem in the future in engagement letters, discussion with clients, discussion with experts on AI-based monitoring tools, at every stage it will be an issue—what is AI?," said Claire Morel De Westgaver, London-based partner at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner.

ON THE RADAR - Smart Metering Systems, a United Kingdom-based energy infrastructure company, has agreed to a 1.3 billion pound ($1.6 billion) takeover by Sienna Bidco, a new company formed by funds advised by KKR & Co. Glasgow, United Kingdom-based Smart Metering was represented by a Hogan Lovells team and Burness. KKR, which is based in New York, was advised by Simpson Thacher & Bartlett partners Clare Gaskell, Amy Mahon and Etienne Renaudeau. Stay up on the latest state and federal litigation, as well as the latest corporate deals, with Law.com Radar 


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