Wilson Sonsini’s tech arm released free tools that will help companies automate policies related to extended sick leave, telecommuting and travel. SixFifty also unveiled a free system to track the health of employees during the coronavirus pandemic.
In Demand: Regulators are updating employment policies quickly on topics such as temperature screenings and inquiring about employee health. The policies from SixFifty will be automatically updated by Wilson Sonsini lawyers.
Cost Savings: “You need all this info. But hopefully you wouldn’t have to go to a technology vendor, buy a ticketing system and have an employment lawyer set it up for $50,000. We’ve taken care of all that for you,” said Kimball Parker, president of SixFifty.
Roy Strom has the story.
Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe to our Business & Practice newsletter and get the best of our content delivered to your Inbox every morning.
DAILY BRIEF
Law Firms
Winston & Strawn Hires Trio of Healthcare Partners in Washington
Winston & Strawn has hired three health care partners in Washington, including two laterals from McDermott Will & Emery and a former compliance counsel from pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Gibson Dunn Captures a Paul Hastings N.Y. Private Equity Partner
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher has added Paul Hastings private equity and M&A partner Stefan dePozsgay in New York, the Los Angeles-based firm said on Tuesday.
Business of Law
Ousted Cinereach General Counsel Must Arbitrate Job Bias Claims
A woman who alleges she faced sex, race, and disability bias and retaliation while serving as general counsel and in other executive roles for a non-profit film production company can’t pursue her claims in court, the Southern District of New York ruled.
In-House Counsel
3M Legal Chief Keeps 5 Things in Mind Amid Coronavirus Crisis
3M General Counsel Ivan Fong knows a thing or two about disaster response as the former top lawyer at the Department of Homeland Security. Fong shared some thoughts about how his fellow law department leaders can weather what he called a “surreal and scary” crisis.
Legal Tech
Need a Netflix Break? Watch Court Cases for Only $99 a Month
With captive audiences across locked-down America, an improbable player is jostling for attention among the big stay-at-home entertainment providers.
Ethics
Judges Must Weigh Inability to Pay Bail, Fees, ABA Says
Some judges are repeatedly falling short of their ethical duty to inquire about the ability of criminal defendants and civil litigants to pay legal debts, including bail, fees and fines, before jailing them for non-payment or threatening to do so as an inducement to pay, the American Bar Association said.
Law Schools
Harvard President Bacow, Wife Test Positive for Coronavirus
Harvard University President Lawrence Bacow and his wife have tested positive for coronavirus, the school said Tuesday.
WAKE-UP CALL
Law Firms Mull Pay Cuts, Layoffs in Covid-19 ‘Right Sizing’
In today’s column, as talk swirls of new safety equipment, tests, and treatment for coronavirus Covid-19, Winston & Strawn hired a three partner health care team in Washington to advise companies in the sector. The pandemic has hit M&A firms in the wallet, but divorce attorneys seem to be getting more business; the top lawyer at Discover Financial Services last year earned more than the company’s CEO; and Jones Day topped a U.S. brand index for the fourth-straight year.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATES
- Since the first U.S. case of the new coronavirus was reported on Jan. 20 in Washington state, 53,663 people have been diagnosed, with clusters around Seattle, New York City and in California. At least 720 people have died.
- The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia reopened a courthouse to those with official business there Tuesday after it was closed for a possible coronavirus contamination. The court said the facility has been cleaned.
- Oral arguments scheduled for April and May in the Denver-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit are being reevaluated by the court, according to an email from the circuit clerk obtained by Bloomberg Law.
Follow the latest changes in court operations using our interactive map. Follow Bloomberg Law reporters on Twitter as they track updates from courts across the country with the hashtag #COVID19Courts.
PRACTITIONER INSIGHTS
INSIGHT: Clear Communication Connects With Clients
Attorneys with honest, clear communication not only make clients happy but also can persuade judges and juries, Blank Rome’s Jared Zola writes. He gives tips on delivering the great customer service for which he was recognized.
INSIGHT: Getting the Cash Out of Cannabis
The cannabis industry conducts most business in cash because current federal guidance is insufficient to allow credit card networks to comply with anti-money laundering laws, Buckley LLP’s Benjamin W. Hutten explains. A workable solution, he says, would be for FinCEN to provide new guidance tailored toward the card networks.
INSIGHT: Coronavirus Raises Novel Business Insurance Issues
The new coronavirus is causing many businesses to shutter or slow down pursuant to state and local government orders, while others are voluntarily scaling back or moving to remote work. Tucker Ellis LLP attorneys break down insurance coverage issues facing them all.
INSIGHT: Clear Antitrust Guidance Can Help Fight Coronavirus
WilmerHale attorneys call for clear antitrust guidelines and expeditious treatment for companies seeking to cooperate for everyone’s benefit during the new coronavirus crisis. They call on antitrust agencies and the private antitrust bar to do more to be part of the solution.
WORKFLOWS
Willkie Farr & Gallagher’s Corporate & Financial Services Department added Thomas Binet as a partner in the European Finance Practice in Paris; he arrives from Gide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I., and Jorge Kamine joins as a partner in the Latin America practice in Washington | Polsinelli hired corporate law attorney Emil R. Infante as shareholder in Miami; he will lead the firm’s first-ever Latin America Practice (LATAM) | Winston & Strawn added three new partners to its Health Care practice in Washington; T. Reed Stephens and Aman Sidhu arrive from McDermott Will & Emery, and Winston S. Kirton joins from Bristol-Myers Squibb | Cooley hired Ben Shribman to its mergers & acquisitions team in London from Jones Day | Proskauer Rose’s M&A practice added corporate private equity partners James Lee and Jae Woo Park from K&L Gates in New York | Carlton Fields’ Miami office hired insurance litigator J. Kent Crocker as an associate and member of the Property and Casualty Insurance practice from Young, Bill, Boles, Palmer, Duke & Thompson | Reed Smith said financial regulatory attorney Kiran Somashekara returned to the firm as a partner in its Broker-Dealer and Investment Adviser practice in Princeton, NJ from McGuireWoods | Katten hired Alec G. Nedelman as senior counsel in Los Angeles; he’ll also advise the West Coast real estate group on business and talent development – the firm also grabbed Sidley Austin corporate transactions associate Bret T. Diskin as a partner in Chicago in its private equity practice | Fox Rothschild added Catherine A. Hildreth as a partner in the Real Estate Department in Denver from Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck.
If you haven’t already, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Flipboard, LinkedIn, Reddit, and Facebook.
To contact the reporter on this story:
To read more articles log in.
Learn more about a Bloomberg Law subscription.