Expert Analysis

• IP Appellate Decisions Show 4 Shifts In 2025

  

  In 2025, intellectual property decisions issued by the Ninth, D.C., and Federal Circuits trended toward tightening doctrinal boundaries, whether to account for technological developments in existing legal regimes, or to refine areas with some ambiguity, says Nate Sabri at Perkins Coie.

• Series

  The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Forming Measurable Ties

  

  Relationship-building should begin as early as possible in a law firm merger, as intentional pathways to bringing people together drive collaboration, positive client response, engagements and growth, says Amie Colby at Troutman.

• Wrangling Over 'Good Faith' In Texas Commodity Contracts

  

  As winter storm season brings fluctuating natural gas prices and ensuing price disputes, parties to gas and other commodity contracts face a question with few answers in Texas case law: how much buyers or sellers can reduce contractual requirements or outputs on a good faith basis, say attorneys at Jackson Walker.

• A Look At EEOC Actions In 2025 And What's Next

  

  President Donald Trump issued several executive orders last year that reshaped policy at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and with the administration now controlling a majority of the commission, the EEOC may align itself fully with orders addressing disparate impact and transgender issues, say attorneys at Jones Day.

• Del. Dispatch: What Tesla Decision Means For Exec Comp

  

  The recent Delaware Supreme Court decision granting Tesla CEO Elon Musk his full pay, now valued at $139 billion, following a yearslong battle appears to reject the view that supersized compensation may be inherently unfair to a corporation and its shareholders, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

• 6 Issues That May Follow The 340B Rebate Pilot Challenge

  

  Though the Health Resources and Services Administration withdrew a pending case to reconsider the controversial 340B rebate pilot program, a number of crucial considerations remain, including the likelihood of a rework and questions about what that rework might look like, say attorneys at Spencer Fane.

• 5 E-Discovery Predictions For 2026 And Beyond

  

  2026 will likely be shaped by issues ranging from artificial intelligence regulatory turbulence to potential evidence rule changes, and e-discovery professionals will need to understand how to effectively guide the responsible and defensible adoption of emerging tools, while also ensuring effective safeguards, say attorneys at Littler.

• What's On Deck In Tribal Nations' Prediction Markets Litigation

  

  Native American tribes' response to the expansion of sports-based prediction markets enters a decisive phase this year, with appellate courts positioned to address whether federal commodities law permits nationwide offering of sports-based event contracts free from state and tribal gaming regulation, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

• SEC Virtu Deal Previews Risks Of Nonpublic Info In AI Models

  

  The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s recent settlement with Virtu Financial Inc. over alleged failures to safeguard customer data raises broader questions about how traditional enforcement frameworks may apply when material nonpublic information is embedded into artificial intelligence trading systems, says Braeden Anderson at Gesmer Updegrove.

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  Judges On AI: How Courts Can Boost Access To Justice

  

  Arizona Court of Appeals Judge Samuel A. Thumma writes that generative artificial intelligence tools offer a profound opportunity to enhance access to justice and engender public confidence in courts’ use of technology, and judges can seize this opportunity in five key ways.

• Fed. Circ. In November: Looking For Patent 'Blaze Marks'

  

  The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Duke v. Sandoz serves as a warning that when patentees craft claims, they must provide adequate "blaze marks" that direct a skilled artisan to the specific claimed invention, and not just the individual claimed elements in isolation, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

• Examining Privilege In Dual-Purpose Workplace Investigations

  

  The Sixth Circuit's recent holding in FirstEnergy's bribery probe ruling that attorney-client privilege applied to a dual-purpose workplace investigation because its primary purpose was obtaining legal advice highlights the uncertainty companies face as federal circuit courts remain split on the appropriate test, say attorneys at Proskauer.

• Opinion

  The Case For Emulating, Not Dividing, The Ninth Circuit

  

  Champions for improved judicial administration should reject the unfounded criticisms driving recent Senate proposals to divide the Ninth Circuit and instead seek to replicate the court's unique strengths and successes, says Ninth Circuit Judge J. Clifford Wallace.

• Why 'Baby Shark' Floundered In Foreign Service Waters

  

  The Second Circuit recently ruled that the "Baby Shark" company couldn’t use email to serve alleged infringers based in China under an international agreement prohibiting such service, providing several important lessons for parties in actions involving defendants in jurisdictions unwilling or unable to effectuate efficient service, say attorneys at Greenspoon Marder.

• ERISA Litigation Trends To Watch With 2025 In The Rearview

  

  There were significant developments in Employee Retirement Income Security Act litigation in 2025, including plaintiffs pushing the bounds of sponsor and fiduciary liability and defendants scoring district court wins, and although the types of claims might change, ERISA litigation will likely be just as active in 2026, say attorneys at Groom Law.