Wake Up Call: How to Improve Relations with ‘Zoom Associates’

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

• Partners are frustrated with the skill levels and communication style of pandemic-era “Zoom associates,” exacerbating the somewhat mutual tension between the generations, according to industry experts. BakerHostetler chair Paul Schmidt suggests reaching out to younger lawyers with a text. “We as teachers and mentors have to, in some ways, not just expect everyone to adapt to our style but also adapt to their style,” he said. “So that is one challenge.” (Law.com)
• Despite an active shooter on campus, some law professors at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill kept teaching. Ed Kellermann, a 3L at the law school, went viral for his TikTok reporting from the library that showed online classes continuing, despite the shooter. (Above the Law)
• Squire Patton Boggs UK partner Wayne Barnes will trade wigs for whistles to referee the Rugby World Cup. Despite working on complex multi-jurisdictional corporate investigations, Barnes also finds time to devote to a career as one of the most renowned referees in world rugby, becoming the Rugby Football Union’s youngest ever full-time elite referee in 2005. England’s first game of this year’s tournament is against Argentina on Sept. 9. (Legal Cheek)
• University of Michigan Law School is putting the kibosh on using artificial intelligence to write admissions essays. The school recently asked applicants to certify that they did not use the technology for drafting purposes. False statements could result in the cancellation of an admissions offer or expulsion or rescinding a degree, according to the certification language. (ABA Journal)

Laterals, Moves, In-house

• John Coogan, who joins from Ballard Spahr, has joined FisherBroyles as a partner.