Wilson Sonsini’s legal technology arm, SixFifty, is selling an automated questionnaire and policy generation tool to help companies navigate the treacherous legal path to reopening their workplaces amidst the threat of Covid-19. The tool is another display of SixFifty’s leading position in the Big Law legal automation space.
Legal Dangers: “This is a dangerous and unprecedented situation for human resources departments. It’s the most dangerous situation from a medical and legal point of view that any of us have seen in our lifetime,” said SixFifty president Kimball Parker.
Automation Mission: It’s the third virus-related automation tool SixFifty has released and the first that is not a pro bono project. The tool starts at $9,500, which Parker said could be about one-fifth the cost for a traditional lawyer to draft the policies. Roy Strom reports.
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DAILY BRIEF
Law Firms
Covington & Burling Hires Washington Nationals General Counsel
Covington & Burling has hired Damon Jones, most recently senior vice president and general counsel for the Washington Nationals, as of counsel with the firm’s sports practice.
In-House
Former HBO General Counsel Jumps to Spotify
Spotify Technology SA, the fast-growing podcasting and streaming audio platform, has recruited Eve Konstan as its new general counsel.
Medtech Legal Chief Leaves Amid Company’s Covid-19 Woes
Stereotaxis Inc., a St. Louis-based medical technology company that’s faced slowing sales due to the Covid-19 pandemic, entered into a separation agreement with chief legal officer and corporate secretary Kevin Barry, according to a May 7 securities filing.
Tribune Newspaper Giant Searching for New General Counsel
Tribune Publishing Co., formerly known as Tronc Inc., is in the market for a new general counsel as it prepares to part ways with its current top lawyer.
Business of Law
Schlichter Seeks $4 Million in Fees for Oracle 401(k) Settlement
Oracle Corp.'s $12 million class settlement with participants in its 401(k) plan spurred a $4 million attorneys’ fee request from the lawyers who negotiated the deal, according to a motion filed in the District of Colorado.
Legal Tech
Texas Says Court System Was Subject to Ransomware Attack
Texas said its court system has been hit by a ransomware attack. The state said the attack was discovered Friday and that it’s not going to paying ransom.
Ethics
Indiana AG Law License Suspended Over Groping Allegations
Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill Jr.'s law license was suspended for 30 days by the state’s highest court on Monday over allegations he groped four women at an event in 2018.
No Reinstatement For Child Sex Crimes Prosecutor Caught in Sting
An Alabama court has denied reinstatement to a former prosecutor who worked on child sex crimes cases but was suspended himself in 2015 after being arrested for electronic solicitation of an underage girl.
Also in the News
Follow Bloomberg Law’s global coverage of the coronavirus pandemic on our Coronavirus Outbreak channel, and track the latest changes in the federal court operations with our interactive map.
WAKE-UP CALL
Quinn Emanuel Moves to ‘Build Cash Reserves’ in Covid Move
In today’s column, a Big Law staffer in Texas got fired after his firm saw his social media post threatening to use his Glock pistol to deal with retailers’ Covid-19 mask requirements; British dentists hired Brown Rudnick for advice on their Covid-related insurance disputes; Allen & Overy dropped plans to move to new Manhattan premises; DC boutique Consovoy McCarthy now has five former Supreme Court clerks; K&L Gates added a seven-lawyer restructuring team in Germany as it expects a surge in EU insolvencies; a law firm for Madonna and other stars says it got hacked.
BLOOMBERG LAW ANALYSIS
ANALYSIS: Covid-19 Litigation Pending, Poised to Boom
During any serious economic downturn, plans come apart and businesses falter. What often follows, of course, is civil litigation. But in some respects, we could see different lawsuits emerging from this crisis than in previous ones. Here are some types of litigation that may be of particular interest in the coming year.
ANALYSIS: Gig Worker Battles Poised to Outlast Pandemic
Covid-19 and the economic downturn have forced many gig workers to take on risky, difficult work, and many have been forced out of work altogether. But the crisis has also positioned gig workers—those currently working and those who are not—to win greater employment protections and benefits in the future.
ANALYSIS: Some Crisis Impacts in Antitrust Will Reverberate
Some antitrust issues will consume a lot of minds and legal dollars for the next year (or several) while we figure out which changes wrought by the crisis are temporary and which will initiate long-term resets. These are a few of the likeliest candidates for long-term change to competition regulation.
PRACTITIONER INSIGHTS
INSIGHT: Covid-19 and E-Discovery—Transitioning Remote Document Reviews
In Part 2 of a two-part series about planning for security and quality challenges with remote document reviews, Crowell & Moring attorneys discuss processes and workflows for securely staging and managing a remote workforce, including strategies for handling particularly sensitive information, and steps counsel may take to mitigate remote review risks.
INSIGHT: Deregulating and Reregulating to Address the Climate Crisis
Policy hurdles are one of the primary remaining impediments on the path to a U.S. powered by low-carbon energy, writes Hannah Wiseman, Florida State University College of Law Associate Dean for Environmental Programs. She explores these issues and gives ways the federal government and states can lighten regulatory burdens so climate change can be addressed.
INSIGHT: Covid-19 State Legislation Could Shake Up Insurance Contracts
Spurred on by Covid-19-related business losses, states are taking the lead in legislation to remove certain requirements from insurance contracts. Norton Rose Fulbright attorneys say insurers may look to the contracts clause in the Constitution to challenge the validity of these bills—and that these defenses may provide the right environment for courts to reconsider their former jurisprudence on the topic.
INSIGHT: Steps to Limit Exposure to Pharma, PPE Shareholder Lawsuits
Public companies developing or manufacturing Covid-19-related treatments, vaccines, and personal protective equipment may face more shareholder lawsuits. King & Spalding attorneys offer mitigation measures to consider relating to SEC disclosures, public statements, and the involvement of boards of directors.
WORKFLOWS
K&L Gates added Dr. Georg Bernsau as a partner, along with colleagues Dr. Simone Wernicke, Harald Knittel, Hans Beyer, Nadja Raiß, Nicole Stephan, and Stefan Zahn, in its Restructuring and Insolvency practice; all will arrive from Bernsau Brockdorff | Lewis Brisbois hired partner Robert Kritzman to the Corporate, Commercial Lending, Marine & Energy, and Transportation Practices in Fort Lauderdale from Baker Donelson | Norton Rose Fulbright’s Dubai office rehired banking and finance attorney Nicholas Robinson as a partner, arriving from U.K. firm Stephenson Harwood | Fox Rothschild’s Chicago office added Martin R. Martos, II as a partner in the Litigation Department (from Kirkland & Ellis); and Alexander J. Threadgold joined as a partner in New York (from Savur Threadgold) | Cozen O’Connor’s Corporate Practice hired attorney Katheryn A. Gettman as a member in Minneapolis from Messerli Kramer | Mayer Brown will add Simon Price as a partner in the Real Estate practice in London from Linklaters effective in September.
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