Expert Analysis

• Digital Assets May Be In For A Growth Spurt In 2026

  

  All signs point to an acceleration in digital asset product and service innovation throughout 2026, and while questions of first impression still need to be addressed, some legal issues will be clarified, spurring developments namely on the tokenization and stablecoin fronts, say attorneys at Skadden.

• Series

  Judges On AI: How Judicial Use Informs Guardrails

  

  U.S. Magistrate Judge Maritza Dominguez Braswell at the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado discusses why having a sense of how generative AI tools behave, where they add value, where they introduce risk and how they are reshaping the practice of law is key for today's judges.

• Crypto-Asset Strategy For Corporate Legal Leaders In 2026

  

  As digital assets experience increased regulatory clarity, institutional adoption and technological maturity, in-house legal leaders must build strong policies this year and stay engaged with the evolving market to help their companies seize the opportunities of the digital asset era while managing the risks, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

• Cybersecurity Must Remain Financial Sector's Focus In 2026

  

  In 2026, financial institutions face a wave of more prescriptive cybersecurity legal requirements demanding clearer governance, faster incident reporting, and stronger oversight of third-party and AI-driven risks, making it crucial to understand these issues before they materialize into crises, say attorneys at Sidley.

• Presidential Pardon Brokering Can Create Risks For Attys

  

  The emergence of an apparent “pardon shopping” marketplace, in which attorneys treat presidential pardons as a market product, may invite investigative scrutiny of counsel and potential criminal charges grounded in bribery, wire fraud and other statutes, says David Klasing at The Tax Law Offices of David W. Klasing.

• Series

  Adapting To Private Practice: 5 Tips From Ex-SEC Unit Chief

  

  My move to private practice has reaffirmed my belief in the value of adaptability, collaboration and strategic thinking — qualities that are essential not only for successful client outcomes, but also for sustained professional satisfaction, says Dabney O’Riordan at Fried Frank.

• Series

  Law School's Missed Lessons: How To Start A Law Firm

  

  Launching and sustaining a law firm requires skills most law schools don't teach, but every lawyer should understand a few core principles that can make the leap calculated rather than reckless, says Sam Katz at Athlaw.

• 5 Compliance Takeaways From FINRA's Oversight Report

  

  The priorities outlined in the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's recently released annual oversight report focus on the organization's core mission of protecting investors, with AI being the sole new topic area, but financial firms can expect further reforms aimed at efficiency and modernization, say attorneys at Armstrong Teasdale.

• How SEC Civil Penalties Became Arbitrary: 3 Potential Fixes

  

  Data shows that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's seemingly unlimited authority to levy monetary penalties on market participants has diverged far from the federal securities laws' limitations, but three reforms can help reverse the trend, say David Slovick at Kopecky Schumacher and Phil Lieberman at Vanderbilt Law.

• How Payments Law Landscape Will Evolve In 2026

  

  After a year of change across the payments landscape, financial services providers should expect more innovation and the pushing of regulatory boundaries, but should stay mindful that state regulators and litigation will continue to challenge the status quo, say attorneys at Troutman.

• Opportunities Amid The Challenges Of Trump's BIS Shake-Up

  

  The Trump administration’s continuing overhaul of the Bureau of Industry and Security has created enormous practical challenges for export compliance, but it potentially also offers a once-in-a-generation opening to advocate for simplifying and rationalizing U.S. export controls, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

• How SEC Civil Penalties Became Arbitrary: The Data

  

  Data regarding how the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has adhered to its own civil penalty rules over the past 20 years reveals that awards are no longer determined in accordance with the guidelines imposed on the SEC by the securities laws, say David Slovick at Kopecky Schumacher and Phil Lieberman at Vanderbilt Law.

• Series

  Hosting Exchange Students Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Opening my home to foreign exchange students makes me a better lawyer not just because prioritizing visiting high schoolers forces me to hone my organization and time management skills but also because sharing the study-abroad experience with newcomers and locals reconnects me to my community, says Alison Lippa at Nicolaides Fink.

• OCC's New Fee Clearance Shows Further Ease Around Crypto

  

  The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's recent holding that banks can use crypto-assets to pay certain blockchain network fees shows that the OCC is further warming to the idea that organizations are using new methods to do "the very old business of banking," say attorneys at Jones Day.

• How SEC Civil Penalties Became Arbitrary: The Framework

  

  An examination of how the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has recently applied guidelines governing the imposition of monetary penalties in enforcement actions shows that civil penalty awards in many cases are inconsistent with the rules established to structure them, say David Slovick at Kopecky Schumacher and Phil Lieberman at Vanderbilt Law.