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TOP NEWS

Is Pandemic Stunting The Next Generation Of Lawyers?

With COVID-19 shuttering courtrooms, and firms canceling their summer programs or shifting them online, young lawyers may have trouble gaining experience. But seasoned attorneys are finding new ways to mentor the next generation during the pandemic.

Coronavirus: How Law Firms Are Handling The Downturn

UPDATED May 29, 2020, 12:00 PM EDT | The spreading coronavirus pandemic has upended the legal industry, forcing firms to cut salaries, lay off attorneys and make changes to summer associate programs. Here is a roundup of how law firms are responding. 

Day Pitney Drops Summer Program As 3 More Going Virtual

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Day Pitney LLP confirmed Thursday that it has canceled its 2020 summer associate program, while three more law firms said they are moving their programs forward but hosting them remotely.

DOJ Says BigLaw Firms Put FBI Agent At Risk Of COVID-19

Major drug companies represented by Covington & Burling LLP and other BigLaw firms “jeopardized the health” of an FBI agent by serving subpoenas at his home during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a U.S. Department of Justice filing in opioid crisis litigation.

CDC Tells Employers To ‘Change The Way People Work’

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a step-by-step blueprint on how to reopen amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, telling employers in no uncertain terms that getting back to business shouldn’t mean business as usual.

Coronavirus Litigation: The Week In Review

A BigLaw firm and the NBA face lawsuits over allegedly delinquent rent payments, House Republicans are suing Speaker Nancy Pelosi over proxy voting amid the ongoing pandemic and Enterprise Rent-A-Car employees say the company should have warned them that mass layoffs were on the horizon. 

CLOSINGS AND RESTRICTIONS

Coronavirus: The Latest Court Closures And Restrictions

UPDATED May 29, 2020, 2:29 PM EDT | As courts across the country take measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, some are restricting access and altering their procedures. Here is a roundup of changes.

Coronavirus: The Latest EU Court Closures And Restrictions

UPDATED May 29, 2020, 4:23 PM GMT | As courts across the region take measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, some are restricting access and altering their procedures. Here is a roundup of changes.

Seattle Fed. Courts May Not Hold Trials Until 2021, Judge Says

A Seattle federal judge made an educated guess this week that civil and criminal jury trials in the Western District of Washington will likely not resume until at least 2021 due to the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR ATTORNEYS

Ex-USPTO Head, Retired Judge Back China Pharma IP Reform

Speaking to IP attorneys at a virtual event Wednesday, the former USPTO director and a retired Federal Circuit chief judge agreed that the pandemic and ongoing US-China trade talks have created a “golden opportunity” to urge China to reform its patent laws to make them friendlier to pharmaceutical innovators.

OSHA Tells House Panel It Just Issued First Virus Citation

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued its first coronavirus-related citation “within the last week,” the embattled head of the agency told lawmakers Thursday at a marathon House subcommittee hearing on OSHA’s virus enforcement — or its alleged lack thereof.

Banks May Avoid Prosecutors’ PPP Fraud Wrath, For Now

With Paycheck Protection Program fraud cases popping up across the country like spring flowers, thousands of lenders that have participated in the coronavirus relief loan program could be forgiven for worrying the crackdown is coming for them too. But experts say banks can rest easy, at least for now, with the primary focus still on borrower fraud.

Philly Firm Sues Insurer Over COVID-19 Losses

Philadelphia-based business and commercial law firm Spector Gadon Rosen Vinci PC has filed suit against its insurance company in Pennsylvania state court, saying the company wrongly refused to approve a claim the firm filed after its offices were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fraudsters Exploiting COVID-19 Cheat Britons Out Of £4.6M

More than 2,000 Britons have lost over £4.6 million ($5.7 million) to fraudsters seeking to exploit fears over the COVID-19 pandemic, figures published Friday reveal.

Mass. Gun Shops Say Reopening Doesn’t Moot Case

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker’s decision to allow gun shops to reopen during the pandemic following a successful legal challenge by retailers doesn’t moot their case, an attorney for the stores told a federal judge Friday, citing the possibility that a second wave of the coronavirus could trigger another shutdown.

Hemp Price Collapse Meets Bar For COVID-19 Aid, USDA Told

A hemp industry group said prices for the crop have collapsed amid the coronavirus pandemic, imploring the U.S. Department of Agriculture to stanch the bleeding by including its farmers in a $19 billion relief fund.

PODCAST

The Term: Roberts On Lessons Of The Pandemic

The team recaps the U.S. Supreme Court’s latest COVID-19 decision, this one involving an Ohio federal prison in the midst of a deadly outbreak, as well as what Chief Justice John Roberts misses most about the world before the pandemic.

EXPERT ANALYSIS

Don’t Cancel Your Summer Associate Programs

While pulling off an effective summer associate program this year will be no easy feat, law firms’ investments in their future attorneys should be considered necessary even during this difficult time, says Summer Eberhard at Major Lindsey.

Top 5 Wage And Hour Risks To Avoid As Businesses Reopen

Employers should use extra caution to sidestep several key wage and hour mistakes as businesses prepare to reopen following the coronavirus crisis and worker classification and Fair Labor Standards Act compliance comes under increased scrutiny, say Kathleen Caminiti and Eric Baginski at Fisher Phillips.