REAL TALK The Robins Kaplan Business Law Update

EDITORS’ NOTE

We finalized the contents of this edition before the recent tragedies and ensuing protests. Although we have not had time to address the subject with due justice in this edition, we stand with the Black Lives Matter movement and offer a list of recommended reading and resources below. Please reach out to us with suggestions of additional materials for us to highlight in future editions. We look forward to continuing this important conversation.  

A Black Women’s History of the United States, by Daina Ramey Berry and Kali Nicole Gross. 

A compilation of Anti-Racism Resources, including further books, podcasts, movies, and articles.

A list of Actions to Take in support of the movement. 

Welcome to the newest edition of our Real Talk: The Robins Kaplan Business Law Update. This issue of the newsletter finds us in a different world. As the novel coronavirus tears through our country, we examine the new issues the pandemic has unearthed. First, we sit down with Lauren Bernstein, director of Curiam Capital LLC, to discuss her career and how COVID-19 has affected the field of litigation funding. Next, we look at the myths about remote working and flexible-hours arrangements that the pandemic has debunked about the legal profession, and offer ideas on how those new truths may improve support for women lawyers, further diversity, and improve profitability in the post-pandemic world. In another article, we explore how virtual working environments may have had particular adverse effects on diverse attorneys during the lockdown, and offer concrete tips for mentors to deploy during the pandemic. Then we chat with Stacey Slaughter, a class action litigator and partner at our firm whose work has recently secured her Minnesota Lawyer’s 2019 Attorney of the Year award as well as the National Law Journal’s Elite Women of the Plaintiff’s Bar award. Stacey shares with us her insights on how COVID-19 has affected class action litigation, and how her practice is now navigating new waters. Finally, we turn to social media influencers and their promotion in the healthcare space, as the pandemic has brought into sharper focus their ability to both inform and mislead the public about health concerns.    

In This Issue

• Interview with Lauren Bernstein, Director at Curiam Capital LLC by Reena Jain
• Three Myths the Pandemic Has Debunked: What They Can Teach Law Firms about Supporting Women Lawyers, Furthering Diversity, and Improving Profitability by Qian Julie Wang
• Mentoring Diverse Attorneys During the Pandemic by Lisa Coyle and Manleen Singh
• Interview with Stacey Slaughter, Partner at Robins Kaplan LLP by Liana Newton
• The Cure: Social Media Influencers and Healthcare by Reena Jain and Carly Kessler