How AI Can Transform Crisis Management In Litigation

Attorneys should understand how to use rapidly advancing artificial intelligence technology to help clients prepare for potential catastrophic events and the inevitable litigation arising from them, from predicting crises before they occur to testing legal theories once they arise, say Stratton Horres at Wilson Elser and David Steiger.

Supervisor Relationships Are Key To Beating Atty Burnout

In order to combat record attorney turnover and high levels of burnout, law firm partners and leaders must build engaging relationships with supervisees, fostering autonomy and control, enabling expression of values, and building a sense of community and belonging, says Anne Brafford at the Institute for Well-Being in Law.

The Rising Demand For Commercial Litigators In 2022

Amid broken supply chains, pandemic-induced bankruptcies and a rise in regulation by litigation, strong commercial litigators — strategists who are adept in trying a range of tortious and contractual disputes — are becoming a must-have for many law firms, making this year an opportune moment to make the career switch, say Michael Ascher and Kimberly Donlon at Major Lindsey.

How In-House Counsel Can Make The Case For Settling Early

Following the recent settlement in McDonald's v. Easterbrook, in-house counsel should consider decision-tree analyses and values-driven communications plans to secure effective, early resolutions in litigation, saving time and money and moving the company mission forward, say Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein and Richard Torrenzano at The Torrenzano Group.

To Retain Talent, GCs Should Prioritize Mission Statements

With greater legal demands and an increasing number of workers resigning during the pandemic, general counsel should take steps to articulate their teams' values in departmental mission statements, which will help them better prioritize corporate values and attract and retain talent, says Catherine Kemnitz at Axiom.

What Attys Can Learn From Harvard Professor's Conviction

The recent conviction of Harvard professor Charles Lieber, on charges of lying about ties to China, highlights the perils that even highly educated white collar targets face in an FBI interview without counsel present, and it provides urgent lessons for attorneys on guiding their clients through stressful circumstances, say Jack Sharman and Tatum Jackson at Lightfoot Franklin.

Recent Bias Suits Against Law Firms And Lessons For 2022

2021 employment discrimination case filings and developments show that law firms big and small are not immune from claims, and should serve as a reminder that the start of a new year is a good time to review and update salary, promotion and leave policies to mitigate litigation risks, says Hope Comisky at Griesing Law.

Associate Hiring Outlook At Law Firms Is Bright For 2022

After a year of extraordinary signing bonuses, nearly instantaneous offers and flexible work arrangements, strong demand for talented law firm associates will continue into 2022 — with some differences between East and West Coast markets — and junior attorneys should take steps to capitalize on the opportunity, say Ru Bhatt and Summer Eberhard at Major Lindsey.

Roundup

The Most-Read Legal Industry Guest Articles Of 2021

Popular legal industry guest articles this year included commentary on the admissibility of video depositions, an unusual U.S. Supreme Court citation, the perils of lawyer perfectionism, and more.

A Look At Tax Treatment Of Noncompetes In M&A: Part 2

Excerpt from Practical Guidance

Covenants that restrict a seller of business assets from competing against the purchasing party can be prone to challenges because the allocation of value to intangible assets is a subjective exercise with significant tax implications that may affect the merits of the deal, says Peter Miller at LexisNexis.

A Law Firm Leader's Guide To Seeking Effective Feedback

Law firm leaders often claim to have their fingers on the pulse of the people in their firms, but perspectives can be heavily weighted toward certain partners, so leaders should take certain steps to ensure they receive well-rounded feedback that helps them make more informed decisions, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Legal.

A Look At Tax Treatment Of Noncompetes In M&A: Part 1

Excerpt from Practical Guidance

In negotiating to consummate a deal, parties must pay attention to the tax consequences of covenants that restrict a seller of business assets from competing against the purchasing party, says Peter Miller at LexisNexis.

Series

Embracing ESG: Whirlpool CLO Talks Structural Improvement

As the global understanding of what it means to measurably make a positive societal and environmental impact evolves, creating a solid governance structure, backed up by bold action and increased transparency, will set up companies and their legal teams to remain resilient through economic and societal changes and manage risk, says Ava Harter at Whirlpool.

Top 10 SALT Developments Of 2021: Part 2

Attorneys at Grant Thornton continue their countdown of the 10 biggest state and local tax issues of 2021, including pass-through entity tax regimes, American Rescue Plan Act tax mandate challenges and the extended tax implications of telework.

Opinion

Fla. High Court Is Wrong To Ban CLE Diversity Requirements

The Florida Supreme Court is wrong in precluding attorneys from getting any continuing legal education credit for courses that use so-called diversity quotas, as it erroneously assumes existing biases and prejudices in the legal profession will change without proactive steps, says Sidney Kanazawa at ARC LLC.