COVID-19

Cases challenging expired COVID-19 church restrictions fail in Supreme Court and 8th Circuit

A Maine church and Christian residents of a county in Missouri have failed in their lawsuits challenging COVID-19 restrictions that have since been lifted.

Aug 3, 2021 9:38 AM CDT

These BigLaw firms plan to mandate vaccines; 2 will deactivate building IDs for noncompliance

Updated: Several BigLaw firms plan to require coronavirus vaccines for those returning to the office, including two firms with a get-tough policy for noncompliance.

Aug 2, 2021 9:33 AM CDT

Meet a health justice advocate working to prevent evictions during COVID-19 pandemic

Since March 2020, Emily Benfer has focused on tracking eviction moratoria, researching the effects of COVID-19 evictions on racial health equity and advocating for interventions to help provide communities hardest hit by the pandemic with financial support and legal protections. “Racial, housing and health justice are inseparable,” Benfer says. “Justice in any of these areas requires justice in all of them.”

Aug 1, 2021 12:30 AM CDT

The ABA has advocated for people with HIV/AIDS for more than 30 years

While the American Bar Association has mobilized to help the public and profession during the COVID-19 pandemic, this is not the first time the association has addressed the challenge of a new and deadly virus. At the height of the United States’ AIDS epidemic, the ABA helped lead the charge to decrease discrimination against people who were infected with HIV.

Aug 1, 2021 12:20 AM CDT

How pandemic practice left lawyer-moms facing burnout

As the world ground to a halt during the COVID-19 pandemic and parents scrambled for solutions, an uncomfortable truth emerged: Women are America’s default social safety net. It’s a regressive construct that has entrapped and hobbled working mothers across the spectrum—including lawyer-moms. The pandemic simply tightened the screws.

Aug 1, 2021 12:00 AM CDT

2021 state of the profession report shows how COVID-19 affected older lawyers’ retirement plans

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted one-third of older lawyers to change their retirement plans, according to the 2021 ABA Profile of the Legal Profession released Thursday.

Jul 29, 2021 9:10 AM CDT

Reversing course, 11th Circuit halts CDC cruise ship safety rules after Florida seeks SCOTUS review

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Atlanta on Friday vacated an earlier order that had kept in place rules for reopening cruise ships set out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Jul 26, 2021 9:39 AM CDT

For this lawyer, becoming more flexible was a benefit of the pandemic

Lawyer Patrick Krill learned to be more flexible during the pandemic, with inspiration from Be Water, an ESPN documentary about martial artist and actor Bruce Lee.

Jul 26, 2021 9:04 AM CDT

After a soft recruiting season for 2021 summer associates, new cycle appears ‘off to a rollicking start’

Fifty-six percent of law firms reported making fewer offers for summer 2021 programs compared with summer 2020, according to data released Wednesday by the National Association for Law Placement.

Jul 21, 2021 10:34 AM CDT

Unvaccinated lawyer has to wear mask at client’s trial after top state court refuses to intervene

A criminal defense lawyer in Augusta, Maine, has to wear a mask in his client’s jury trial this week after the state’s top court refused to consider his claim that the face covering would prejudice jurors.

Jul 20, 2021 1:08 PM CDT

Federal judge refuses to block Indiana University’s vaccine mandate; incoming 1L is among the plaintiffs

A federal judge in South Bend, Indiana, has refused to block Indiana University’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement for faculty and students in an opinion that said the plaintiffs' 14th Amendment claim was unlikely to succeed.

Jul 20, 2021 9:55 AM CDT

11th Circuit keeps CDC cruise ship rules in place

Rules for reopening cruise ships set out by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will remain in effect as a result of an order Saturday by a federal appeals court.

Jul 19, 2021 4:44 PM CDT

Law firms ‘cannot long endure a remote work model,’ says Morgan Stanley chief legal officer

Morgan Stanley’s chief legal officer, Eric Grossman, has reportedly warned the investment bank's outside law firms that their lawyers should return to the office to avoid a decline in client service.

Jul 19, 2021 12:00 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: LSC could see $600M in 2022 funding; Netflix’s ‘Tiger King’ to receive shorter prison sentence

Legal Services Corp. could receive largest funding increase under new legislation The House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations approved on Thursday funding legislation that includes $600 million for the Legal Services Corp., the largest funder of civil legal aid to low-income Americans, in fiscal year 2022. The bill includes $135…

Jul 16, 2021 4:40 PM CDT

New data shows lateral associate hiring happening across the board

Lateral hiring for associates increased in nearly all practice groups in the first quarter of 2021, with data privacy, entertainment and media and insurance practices showing the most activity, according to a legal data company.

Jul 16, 2021 11:35 AM CDT