The Notice: News and Resources for Paralegals, Litigation Support & Docketing Professionals
The Notice
Happy February! We hope you are staying safe and warm during the surging winter storms. Meanwhile, we are delighted to announce that your enthusiasm for our ECFX Academy sessions has already enabled us to plant 62 trees in Kenya! Keep up the momentum and join us every first and third Wednesday of the month for our upcoming sessions. You can learn more about our Giving Green Sustainability Initiative in partnership with?Evertreen?and?help us to?grow the ECFX forest?here.
In recent legal news, Orrick and Buckley announce their merger (valued at $1.47 billion), there have been several high-profile lawsuits due to the surge of "greenwashing" accusations aimed at fashion retailers, and the challenges of returning to in-person only legal tech shows after a few years of providing popular hybrid options proves to have more of an impact than initially anticipated.?You can read more about these articles and others below.
We hope you enjoy this issue of The Notice!
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~The Team at ECFX
Working in Large Law
Orrick — a firm that brought home $1,316,335,000 gross revenue in 2021, putting it in 35th place in the most recent Am Law 100 — recently announced that it would be combining with Am Law 200 firm Buckley.
Orrick’s and Buckley’s combined $1.47 billion in revenue would have ranked it No. 28 on last year’s Am Law 100. Around 100 lawyers (including about 35 partners) will join Orrick, for a total of about 1,150 attorneys. Together, they will create a Biglaw powerhouse, serving as a leader in representation among financial services firms and fintech innovators.
Through this merger, Orrick will not only significantly expand its D.C. footprint and grow its teams across the country in New York, Santa Monica, and San Francisco, but it will also add a new office in Chicago. While other Biglaw firms seem to be scrambling to think up ways to cut budgets and headcount, the Orrick/Buckley merger brings together two firms that have consistently been recognized as some of the best places to work in the industry, focused on a healthy work-life balance for their associates.
Picture it: You’re relaxed, sitting on the beach. Nothing more pressing going through your mind than which flavor daiquiri to try next. And all those hours are billable — and count towards your hours requirement.
That dream can be your reality at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, who announced a new “time-off bonus” program, and if attorneys hit certain bonus targets, they’ll be able to take a vacation and bill it to the firm. The initiative is designed to encourage associates to actually take a vacation and improve the well-being of the firm’s attorneys.
Plus, for those who hit the “highest bonus eligibility target,” the firm will give them “cash vacation bonuses.”
Additionally, up to 5% of an associate’s billing requirement can be devoted to non-client matters such as learning, diversity, well-being, knowledge, and innovation.
News for 2022
Wolverine World Wide Inc.?has hired Reginald Rasch as general counsel while the footwear maker grapples with lawsuits tied to so-called forever chemicals.
Rasch?until November?was the top lawyer at Party City Holdco Inc., which?filed for bankruptcy?last week. He joined the party goods retailer in 2021 after serving as?Americas head?of legal at Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten Group Inc.
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Wolverine makes work boots for companies such as Caterpillar Inc. and Harley-Davidson Inc. and owns personal footwear?brands?such as Hush Puppies, Keds, Merrell, Saucony, Sperry, and Stride Rite.
The?litigation?the Rockford, Michigan-based company has been fighting is related to drinking water contamination stemming from fluorinated chemicals, better?known?as?PFAS, which Wolverine used to?weatherproof its shoes.
Wolverine and 3M Co. agreed last year to?pay $54 million?to settle a proposed PFAS class action. 3M had previously agreed to?pay $55 million?to?Wolverine to help clean up PFAS pollution in Michigan.
Read the full article?here
As consumer interest in climate change and sustainability continues to evolve, an increase in “greenwashing” claims directed towards fashion retailers has generated a series of headline-grabbing lawsuits. Over the last year, the fashion industry has become a target of consumer class action, as well as state and federal investigations, for sustainability representations by major fashion retailers. This trend is likely to continue as more and more consumers become environmentally conscious—demanding more eco-friendly products and sustainable business practices, thus creating a need for businesses to increase sustainability efforts or lose out on market share.
To date, “greenwashing” litigation has been most prevalent in California due to California’s plaintiff-friendly consumer protection laws—brought under violations of California Unfair Competition Law, Consumers Legal Remedies Acts, False Advertising Laws, and other common law fraud claims. However, as “greenwashing” litigation becomes more widespread, other states should see an increase in similar types of lawsuits—as recently observed in New York and Missouri.??
Read the full article?here
Technology and Legal Support
There is little argument that Legal Tech initiatives have been gaining popularity around the world in recent years. At the end of 2022, for example, the value of the global Legal Tech market was estimated at US$29.8 billion, and it is expected to continue to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.9% in the next decade.
Despite a radically more difficult economic environment and declining valuations for tech companies, smart money continues to find its way into Legal Tech. However, the growth and impact of the sector seems to be lagging in Latin America, especially when comparing it to more mature markets in the United States and Europe.
The first elephant in the room is Brazil. The country and its legal market play in a league of their own, and Brazil’s Legal Tech market is no different. But as a rather insular economy, with particular regulatory and linguistic barriers, it operates in a separate sphere and does not form part of a broader regional ecosystem that many observers see emerging in the rest of (mostly Spanish-speaking) Latin America.
Read the full article?here
In October, as Clio CEO and founder Jack Newton gave his keynote address inside a cavernous ballroom at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee, it was standing room only.?
About 2,000 legal professionals and tech enthusiasts traveled there to attend Clio Cloud Conference 2022, and an additional 1,000 attended virtually. Newton’s keynote was also beamed to a watch party in London. Meanwhile, ticket holders in India, the Philippines and Switzerland tuned in to the multimillion-dollar event, which is planned up to two years in advance.
For ClioCon organizers, the hybrid event showed that even in the midst of a lingering global pandemic, inflation and uncertain economic times, it could still pull off one of the biggest conferences in legal tech.
But Clio and other tech show organizers still face challenges as well as lessons on how they can tailor future shows for audiences who may expect a virtual option.?
Read about some of these challenges?here