Welcome to Compliance Hot Spots, our weekly snapshot on white-collar, regulatory and compliance news and trends.

The abrupt resignation comes just a day after Foley & Lardner told Law.com that it was "concerned" with reports of partner Cleta Mitchell's participation in the call, in which President Donald Trump asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find votes."

Law firm consultants point to increased interest for large firm mergers and continued interest in expansion in the South.

"Schools have pivoted really quickly under difficult conditions and have worked strategically, creatively with their universities, with other law schools, and with colleagues across the country to make sure students can get the best possible experience we can offer under these conditions," said incoming AALS President and Boston College Law Dean Vincent Rougeau.

Gayle Klein, who was on McKool's executive committee, said her departure was unrelated to that of former colleagues Scott Cole and Robin Cohen, both of whom left this week.

Much is riding on the case. If a court rules in favor of the ACDL's argument that virtual grand juries are unconstitutional, the judiciary would have to come up with a new plan for conducting grand jury proceedings during the pandemic.

Newly hired president Peter Cornell comes from the private equity world, after leading Clifford Chance. And former Robins Kaplan executive board chairman Martin Lueck is now chief operating officer.

U.S. Attorney Bobby Christine added one tiny sentence to his bio on the Southern District of Georgia website: "On January 4, 2021, by written order of the President, Bobby was named Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia."

Jacob's boss will take centerstage Wednesday presiding over the count of electoral votes. "Greg embodies the role of trusted adviser, and he is worthy of the trust he inspires," one of his former colleagues at O'Melveny & Myers said.

Consultant Lisa Smith of Fairfax Associates says new leaders taking over in 2021 should focus on their initiatives, despite the pandemic, because 'If they were important before, they are still important."

Robin Cohen said a number of clients, including Fortune 500 companies, hedge funds and private equity firms, are following the group to their new home.

In the chaos of this past year, it is easy to lose sight of long-term priorities for the sake of addressing short-term crises. Firms must be cautious as they re-examine budget priorities to not underestimate the harm that can be caused by failing to consider the long-range damage that can be done to a firm's brand by cutting back too much on their marketing efforts.

"To achieve partnership within the firm, I made sure to meet and exceed the expectations set before me."

Filings involving these industries increased recently: industrial, chemicals & materials, and health care. See what else Law.com Radar flagged in New Jersey federal litigation.

For decades, only the Bureau of Prisons, or BOP, could file motions under the statute. That changed in 2018 when Congress passed the First Step Act, which allows prisoners to file their own motions for compassionate release.

Expect an eventual return to the courtroom, an uptick in trials and settlement talks, and some new kinds of work for certain practices.

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The adversity of a difficult year brought some lasting benefits for Fisher Phillips' Emily N. Litzinger.

Law.com International spoke to partners based in France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium and Austria to bring you a comprehensive rundown of the key themes and developments to look out for as we enter a new year.

Rex Heinke says he was staring down a mandatory retirement policy at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld when he decided to make the move to boutique firm California Appellate Law Group.