Wake Up Call: Latham Latest Firm to Mandate Covid Vaccination

In today’s column, the biggest U.S. LGBTQ rights group fired its president after accusing him of helping ex-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo fight sexual harassment allegations; record dealmaking helped California law firms outperform the overall U.S. legal market in the first-half, a report says; at some law firms, office-return plans are a source of divergence between attorneys and staff.

• Leading off, Latham & Watkins, the second biggest U.S. law firm by revenue, last week joined the dozens of Big Law firms that have decided to require attorneys and staff to get vaccinated against Covid-19 to be able to enter their offices. In a memo posted by Above The Law, Latham said that, in light of the Food and Drug Administration’s recent full approval of Pfizer’s vaccine, it will require all its U.S. personnel to provide proof of full vaccination by Oct. 18. By Sept. 13, personnel must have gotten either a single-dose vaccine or the first dose of a two-shot vaccine. The firm said 95% of its U.S. staff, including “virtually 100% of its U.S. partners,” have already provided proof of vaccination. (Above The Law) (Global Legal Post)
• As Delta variant covid infections spread across the U.S., some federal courts are requiring lawyers to get vaccinated before appearing in court. That’s causing concerns. (Law.com) Meanwhile, California federal judge David Carter, who’s not requiring lawyers to wear masks or practice social distancing in his court, said he’s not worried about Delta. Carter reportedly told lawyers, “I’ve made you totally responsible for the area you sit in, therefore if you get Covid, congratulations. You are totally responsible.” (The Recorder) Some law firms’ back-to-office plans are causing disagreements between lawyers and staff. (Law.com)
• Prominent LGBTQ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign ousted its first Black president, Alphonso David, after a Sidley Austin probe found he helped former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo fight sexual harassment allegations, according to reports. David’s LinkedIn profile says he was a Cuomo staff lawyer for eight years and is a former New York special deputy attorney general for civil rights. (New York Times) David is the latest high-profile lawyer to pay for helping Cuomo. In August, Roberta Kaplan, a lawyer who helped start the Time’s Up Foundation to support victims of sexual harassment, resigned from the organization after being criticized for her law firm’s work in a probe of Cuomo. (BLAW)

Lawyers, Law Firms

• Record M&A activity and corporate deals helped California law firms outperform the overall U.S. legal market in 2021’s first half, the Wells Fargo Private Bank Specialty Group reported. (The Recorder)
• Pierce Bainbridge co-founder John Pierce, purported to be hospitalized with Covid-19, has lost a client he was defending against criminal charges in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. (National Law Journal)
• Efforts to force transparency on litigation funding agreements have made some progress, but overall their results in court rulings and state regulation have been mixed. (Claims Journal)

Laterals, Moves, In-house

• K&L Gates’ Singapore branch hired funds partner Ed Bennett from Morgan, Lewis & Bockius’ Singapore affiliate Morgan Lewis Stamford, where he was a partner and co-leader of its Singapore investment management practice group. (KLGates.com) Vinson & Elkins hired White & Case’s U.K. tax practice leader and EMEA practice co-leader, Peita Menon, as a partner in London, to lead the firm’s tax practice for the city and the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. (VELaw.com)
• Longtime Linklaters corporate partner Stuart Bedford took a job as general counsel for London-based venture capital firm Ahren Innovation Capital. At Linklaters, Bedford was global co-head of the technology sector. (TheLawyer.com)

Technology

• Facing lawsuits challenging its restrictions on college athletes making money from their names and likenesses, the National Collegiate Athletic Association recently announced it would waive those rules. Meanwhile, state laws addressing college athletes’ NIL rights vary. Foley & Lardner’s sports and entertainment group has launched a tool that tracks and summarizes those state measures. (Foley.com)
• Some Big Law attorneys are taking jobs at e-discovery boutiques. (Legaltech News)