Coronavirus: Law360 June 10 Briefing
From Media & Entertainment Law360
TOP NEWS
Millennial Partners Help Speed Change In Virus’ Wake
As millennial attorneys become partners at their law firms, many have their own ideas on how to run the firm. But with the whole legal industry now scrambling to deal with the COVID-19 crisis, some are pushing to accelerate these changes.
Coronavirus: How Law Firms Are Handling The Downturn
UPDATED June 9, 2020, 3:20 PM EDT | The spreading coronavirus pandemic has upended the legal industry, forcing firms to cut salaries, lay off attorneys and make changes to summer associate programs. Here is a roundup of how law firms are responding.
A Primer On The Push To Combine COVID-19 Coverage Cases
Insurers and policyholders have weighed in on two petitions to centralize disputes over businesses’ coronavirus-related losses in multidistrict litigation, with supporters touting the efficiency of consolidation and opponents arguing that differences in companies’ policies and claims make an MDL inappropriate.
Coronavirus Regulations: A State-By-State Week In Review
Civil unrest continued to eclipse the COVID-19 pandemic over the past week, during which time state leaders appeared to lift crowd limit rules for protests yet continued to work toward a socially distant, but definitive, relaunch of their economies.
COVID Suits Test ‘Public Nuisance’ Claim In Workplace Cases
McDonald’s and workers who say the fast food giant didn’t do enough to protect them or their family members from COVID-19 will square off in Illinois state court Wednesday, in a case that could set the stage for a rise in lawsuits alleging that unsafe workplaces amount to a “public nuisance.”
Behind The Scenes: How The Fed. Circ. Is Running Remotely
As the Federal Circuit wraps up its third month of remote oral arguments, Law360 spoke with its top clerks about how they got the court ready for the change, whether there’s discussion to keep remote arguments after the pandemic, and why they spent nearly an entire day searching through bell sounds.
CLOSINGS AND RESTRICTIONS
Coronavirus: The Latest Court Closures And Restrictions
UPDATED June 10, 2020, 1:58 PM EDT | As courts across the country take measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, some are restricting access and altering their procedures. Here is a roundup of changes.
Coronavirus: The Latest EU Court Closures And Restrictions
UPDATED June 10, 2020, 1:01 PM GMT | As courts across the region take measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, some are restricting access and altering their procedures. Here is a roundup of changes.
Judges To Return To NYC’s State Courthouses As Virus Ebbs
The chief judge of New York’s state courts on Tuesday ordered judges in New York City back to the courthouses starting Wednesday as part of a first phase of reopening after nearly three months of limited, remote work due to the coronavirus pandemic.
NYC Lawyers Urge Housing, Civil Court To Delay Reopening
New York City tenant attorneys say the city’s civil and housing courts are not ready to safely reopen, as court staff return to work across the city Wednesday morning.
WHAT ATTORNEYS NEED TO KNOW
Calif. Judicial Council Mulls Rollback Of Pandemic Rules
The California Judicial Council is considering a rollback of emergency rules related to bail, evictions and foreclosures that were put in place amid the COVID-19 pandemic, saying more flexibility is needed as various parts of the state are reopening at different paces.
Ransomware Hits Soar With No Relief In Sight, Insurer Says
Ransomware attacks continued to climb during the first quarter of 2020, specialty insurer Beazley Group reported Tuesday, and companies shouldn’t expect any reprieve in the coming months as attackers keep seizing on the security holes and economic fears that the COVID-19 pandemic has created.
Senate Dems Want 2nd Round Of PPP Loans For Small Biz
Key Senate Democrats on Wednesday promised legislation that would let the smallest small businesses get a second round of forgivable loans through the Paycheck Protection Program, which would be a major expansion of the bipartisan pandemic relief plan that so far has distributed over $500 billion.
Major Restaurant Food Distributor Hits Ch. 11 Amid Pandemic
Maines Paper & Food Service Inc., a major food distributor that counts Burger King, Longhorn Steakhouse and Olive Garden among its clients, sought Chapter 11 protection in Delaware early Wednesday, listing $50 million to $100 million in debt after months of pandemic-related paralysis across its markets.
ACLU Says Border Expulsions Endanger Migrant Kids
The American Civil Liberties Union told a D.C. federal court Tuesday night that the Trump administration’s public health order to swiftly turn away asylum-seekers and children at U.S. borders conflicts with immigration and anti-trafficking laws.
Calif. Judge Slams DOE ‘Roadblocks’ For Student Virus Relief
A California federal judge slammed the U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday for taking too long to finalize whether immigrants can access a $12.56 billion coronavirus relief fund created to help students, saying it seems the DOE is creating “roadblocks,” even though Congress wants the funds distributed on an emergency basis.
EXPERT ANALYSIS
The Remote Jury Trial Is A Bad Idea
The notion of holding jury trials via videoconference has been floated as a near certainty, with some jurisdictions already engaging in pilot programs, but the fundamental genius of the jury trial can only exist in a live, in-person setting, say Paula Hinton and Tom Melsheimer at Winston & Strawn.
How The Gov’t Is Cracking Down On PPP Fraud
Recent charges demonstrate the U.S. Department of Justice’s strong intent to claw back any loan proceeds obtained fraudulently through the CARES Act’s Paycheck Protection Program, and the risks to loan borrowers are not limited to governmental prosecution, says Holly Drumheller Butler at Miles & Stockbridge.
Mental Health Efforts Will Support Diversity In Legal Industry
The stigma of discussing mental health struggles during these tough times is especially profound for attorneys of racial and ethnic minorities, but law firms and in-house departments can change the narrative, says Patricia Silva at Lathrop.
