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Law360 (April 17, 2020, 8:24 PM EDT ) A judge in Florida has an urgent plea to attorneys during the coronavirus pandemic: Please put on a shirt before logging in to a court hearing via videoconference. On this week's show, we're talking about that attire warning and how it's really not that hard to put on a shirt.
Each week on Pro Say, Law360 staffers Amber McKinney, Bill Donahue and Alex Lawson bring you inside the newsroom and explain what you need to know about key legal developments.
We start the episode with 3M's legal war to stop price-gouging for its much-needed N95 protective face masks. The consumer goods giant and leading producer of the crucial masks filed a series of lawsuits last week claiming some companies were selling the masks at more than four times the list price.
The power to police price-gouging generally lies with state attorneys general and the Federal Trade Commission, but 3M seems to have found a creative way around that by suing for trademark infringement. It claims not that the masks are fake, but that these alleged price-gouging companies have used the 3M name and confusing tactics to make it seem like 3M approved of the elevated price tag.
We talk about whether that strategy could work, then get into a story about the unfamiliar position that even the savviest of employment attorneys have found themselves in recently: without all the answers.
The recent relief package passed by Congress boosts unemployment pay for a few months and extends regular benefits through the end of the year, giving peace of mind to employers whose shrinking revenues are forcing them to lay off or furlough valued employees. But it's also led to a deluge of calls to attorneys, who have been studying up on state unemployment programs that were an afterthought for them this time last month.
Then we dive into a new threat lurking for the legal community: a spike in legal malpractice claims. When the mortgage crisis tanked the global economy in 2008, malpractice claims in the five hardest-hit practice areas all reached new peaks a year later, according to an analysis done this week by Law360 Senior Reporter Cara Bayles. Given the economic freeze and general upheaval of normal daily life prompted by the coronavirus outbreak, attorneys would be wise to keep this trend in mind.
Finally, attorneys would be wise to keep another piece of advice in mind: Please get out of bed, maybe step away from the pool party, and for the love of god put on a shirt before logging into a video court hearing with a judge, or really any professional videoconference meeting for that matter. We're looking at you, Sunshine State.
More information about Pro Say and a full archive of previous episodes are available here. You can also subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify or iHeartRadio, or just search "Law360" wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you like the show, please leave a written review! It helps others find us more easily.
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