Wake Up Call: GenAI Tools Becoming ‘Key’ for Big Law Litigators

Welcome to Bloomberg Law’s Wake Up Call, a daily rundown of the top news for lawyers, law firms, and in-house counsel.

• Hausfeld counsel Anna Gilbert says the question, “What GenAI tools will the opposition be using?” could become “key” for litigators and their firms as they prepare for a potential “arms race.” One benefit of generative AI in litigation is that it can be “very good at inferring things and could go far beyond just attempting to attain a ‘straight answer.’” (Artificial Lawyer)
• Norton Rose Fulbright grew revenue by 8.3% in 2023 to about $2.3 billion. The firm’s profits per equity partner “soared” by 32.7% in 2023 to $1.4 million, fueled by a reduced partner equity tier of around 140 lawyers. (Global Legal Post)
• Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman has extended its San Francisco waterfront office lease at Four Embarcadero Center through 2035. The firm is renovating the space in connection with the new lease to add more open space, “collaborative” working areas and “state-of-the-art” tech, “with a contemporary look and feel throughout the office.” (Pillsbury)
• Las Vegas attorney Lisa Rasmussen said she expected an intense deposition on April 8, but saw no signs that it would explode when lawyer Joseph Houston, representing his son Dylan in a custody fight, shot and killed his former daughter-in-law and her new husband before killing himself. “I wasn’t thinking about this ending in any kind of violence; let alone the way it resulted,” she said. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Laterals, Moves, In-house

• Julie A. Frusciente and Katherine Kulik have joined Hinshaw & Culbertson as partners in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
• Stephen Kerrigan has been appointed a tax partner at UHY Hacker Young Manchester.
• John Koenigsknecht and David Stone have joined Crowell & Moring as partners in Chicago. They join from Neal Gerber.