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WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
WHO KNEW - Skadden, as part of a civil settlement with the DOJ in connection with its past lobbying for the Russia-aligned Ukrainian government, has submitted a Foreign Agents Registration Act filing, which reveals the law firm understood the bill for its services would be largely picked up by the steel magnate Victor Pinchuk. A Ukrainian billionaire, Pinchuk has since come under scrutiny from the special counsel’s office. As C. Ryan Barber reports, the DOJ alleged Skadden should have registered as a foreign agent seven years ago for conducting a purportedly independent analysis of the Russia-aligned Ukrainian government’s prosecution of Yulia Tymoshenko, a former prime minister and political rival of the country’s president at the time, Viktor Yanukovych. As part of the settlement, Skadden has agreed to pay more than $4.6 million, representing the amount the firm received for its work for Ukraine.
SCOTUS WATCH - With no word from SCOTUS on Friday about cert grants, today marks the next chance we'll hear about which cases might get added to the justices' argument calendar this term. Many highly visible disputes are on the table, including LGBT workplace discrimination, the scope of the Equal Pay Act, Trump's transgender-troop ban and the rescission of the DACA immigration program. Stay tuned.
ON THE SAME PAGE? Law firms and legal departments are eyeing the same kinds of technology to improve efficiency and cost savings, but it’s an open question whether the two sides can integrate, as Rhys Dipshan reports. On Thursday, Legaltech News editor Zach Warren and Corporate Counsel editor Heather Nevitt, in a ReplyAll online conversation, chat about the challenges in-house counsel and the firms they hire have when it comes to making their technology work together. Click here to register.
EDITOR’S PICKS
Lawyers Caught Overbilling? The Billable Hour Shares the Blame
Shutdown Meltdown: What It Means for Law Firms and the Courts
US-China Trade War Spurs New Interest in First Sale Rule
Judge Slaps Down Texas Lawyer Tagged 'Professional Objector' by Edelson Firm
Mother Knows Best, According to Kirsten Gillibrand
DATA SNAP
BIG IN BEANTOWN - Boston has been seen as a go-to destination for many Big Law firms, and a new analysis shows that Am Law 200 firms have been leading the city's legal boom. Since 2013, the number Am Law-ranked firms with at least one office in the Boston metro area has increased more than 16 percent. So how does that stack up against other markets? Read more.