Bloomberg Law’s Post

A&O Shearman is slashing its global partner count by 10%, shuttering its Johannesburg office, and closing down its consulting business as part of a suite of post-merger changes.⁠ ⁠ The combined firm has around 800 partners globally. The partner cuts have been communicated with those impacted, according to a person with knowledge of the firm, and will take place by the end of the firm’s financial year.⁠ Learn more from Rose Walker and Mahira Dayal: https://lnkd.in/e36S4-g6

The latest Inside Big Law is here: Paul Hastings’ leader, Frank Lopez, says his aggressive hiring strategy is leading to outsize demand growth. At least a trio of lawyers have left Locke Lord, citing potential client conflicts resulting from the firm’s potential tie-up with Troutman Pepper. Top Big Law firms are active in spurring the $15 billion litigation finance industry with IP, arbitration and antitrust being popular areas for the funding tool.

Have questions about deploying and ensuring the adoption of the contract management software you worked so hard to get? Join Molly Huie and our expert panelists, Anna Richards, PMP and Lara Trope, for everything you need to know to navigate the CMS implementation and adoption process: https://lnkd.in/ehvnGgpX

Even at night, cleaning airplane cabins can be hot, exhausting work. Priscilla Hoyle has often found herself drained from the conditions inside the planes and once had to leave her overnight shift at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. As a lead cabin cleaner for a contractor working for American Airlines—Hoyle said North Carolina has all the ingredients to make cleaning staff like her sweat profusely: humidity, jet engines blowing heat on the tarmac, aircraft with air conditioning turned off while they clean. Hoyle is one of many workers advocating with unions—like SEIU—seeking safety protections amid record-breaking temperatures. The workers are seeking a comprehensive heat protection and prevention standard from the federal government that would—among other things—take into account the varying ways to measure heat in environments for worker safety plans. Read more from Tre'Vaughn Howard: https://lnkd.in/dYjjVy3P

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson described her return to law firm life after the birth of her first daughter as “wrenching,” saying she “drastically underestimated the challenges of new motherhood,” in her memoir, “Lovely One,” which was released Tuesday. She describes the challenges of commuting, breastfeeding, and having to slip out of the office apologetically “at the unspeakably early hour of five P.M. each workday.” And in particular, she details the isolation and lack of motivation she felt of returning to Goodwin after four months of maternity leave. For “me, there was a hollowness to the corporate law enterprise,” Jackson wrote. Read more from Kimberly Robinson: https://lnkd.in/dMwwp44m

The latest Inside Big Law is here: Chris Opfer in his Elevated Take says Big Law not matching so far Milbank’s summer bonuses signals the winds may have shifted away from special awards for associates. Roy Strom in his latest column looks at how much Big Law has made in a slew of crypto-related bankruptcies. Baker Botts reports a strong first half for key practices in Danny David’s first year as the firm’s leader.

Jeremiah Allison Esq. has spent most of his life dreaming about making it in the National Football League (NFL) League—his hometown Minnesota Vikings in particular. Now he has. Only not in pads and a helmet. The former linebacker, now 30, joined the team as an associate counsel last week, eight years after trying to make the Vikings as an undrafted rookie free agent. His struggle from big man on campus to league castaway was chronicled in the NFL Network documentary series “Undrafted.” Always in the background were the words of Allison’s head coach at Washington State University, the late Mike Leach, who earned a law degree before becoming a football legend. Make law school a part of your future, Leach told Allison, and when it’s time I’ll help you get there. Allison remembered, and Leach kept his promise. Read more from Brian Baxter: https://lnkd.in/eTK4kkSK

The latest Inside Big Law is here:   Big Law is having a good year, and it’s not just because firms are raising their billing rates.   Latham & Watkins is asking its attorneys in New York City to be in the office four days a week starting next year.   Ropes & Gray LLP has set its sights on Paris for its next international office.

Latham & Watkins is asking its attorneys in New York City to be in the office four days a week in the coming year.⁠ ⁠ Starting January 1, 2025, the law firm expects all its attorneys in the Big Apple to work in office at least four days per week, according to a Tuesday email sent by Marc Jaffe, managing partner of Latham’s New York office, viewed by Bloomberg Law.⁠ Read more from Meghan Tribe: https://lnkd.in/enA-2c85