Also, the PTAB loved an opioid treatment patent. But a New Jersey judge did not.

U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis said he sought to "prevent further frivolous and vexatious conduct" in a lawsuit filed in 2019 in connection with a FOIA request to the U.S. Department of Labor.

At Exelon, the legal department sets up rooms to have hard discussions surrounding social issues and race. These are considered "judgment-free rooms," an in-house leader said.

Many courts were already urging or mandating pretrial mediations, but as the pandemic shutdown lifts lawyers are getting a clear message: "settle it, try it or dismiss it."

Friday's defense verdict comes four days after an Illinois judge issued a contempt order against Johnson & Johnson because its corporate witness, who testified in the trial, failed to appear for cross-examination.

"Employers are gaining interest and are now trying to understand why this technology is important, what are the key things they need to know, and how they can implement it in their workplace," Fisher & Phillips partner Phillip Bauknight said.

Some courts have reinstated masking and social distancing requirements. Others are weighing what to do next amid a spike in cases and new guidance from the CDC on vaccinated people wearing masks indoors.

With demand for technology innovation and efficiency at an all-time high, we can look to Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Natural Language Processing to help streamline and automate proposal and RFP management, and bridge the gap between increases in RFP requests and lower win rates.

Forty law firms were asked whether they would mandate vaccines. Few said they would.

"In our view, the 2019 opinion failed to give due weight to Congress's status as a co-equal branch of government with legitimate needs for information in order to exercise its constitutional authorities," reads the opinion signed by Dawn Johnsen, the acting assistant attorney general at OLC.

Law schools contacted by Legaltech News say they are eyeing long-term distance learning courses. But they note developing appropriate courses for remote learning will take some time.

Second Hundred firms have poached talent from rivals and regional firms more frequently in 2021 in an effort to grow practice areas, increase profits and move up in the rankings.

The contract indicates that the Manhattan district attorney's office has made inquiries to the state agency, though it is not explicit on local prosecutors' focus.

The Third and First Circuits saw the biggest drops in number of appeals filed during the pandemic, by 27.2% and 16.7% respectively.

"Sometimes, solutions are just superficial," Facebook Deputy GC Allen Lo said. "They feel good, but don't actually do anything. We know that in order for us to come up with the best solutions, we have to have diversity on the team."

A judge may have ruled against UnitedLex in a dispute stemming from the LeClairRyan bankruptcy. But don't expect this to chill future collaborations.

ALSPs are positioning themselves to help corporate legal departments connect with the right legal tech products to power their innovation initiatives. But functionality isn't necessarily the best metric with which to evaluate those tools.

The spread of the Delta variant, however, is causing some courts to make changes.

• Bench Report: How a Big Sanctions Hearing Raised Questions About Recording in Court. Plus, the Senate Gears Up to Confirm More Judges - Enclosure
• Bench Report: DOJ Finds Flaws in Judicial Security. Plus, Biden Hits a Milestone on Judges - Enclosure
• The Global Lawyer: Is Mental Health the New Law Firm Metric? - Enclosure

In this week's episode, Law.com business of law reporter Patrick Smith spoke with Zeughauser Group's Kent Zimmermann about how client demands to return to the office could force law firms to choose between clients and talent—and how the COVID-19 Delta variant could foil their plans.

U.S. District Judge James V. Selna agreed prosecutors were entitled to explain the purpose of government meetings with Avenatti's paralegal after the pro se defendant questioned her about them in cross-examination.