Expert Analysis

• ERISA Ruling Shows Why Insurers Must Justify Claim Denials

  

  The Tenth Circuit's recent decision in D.K. v. United Behavioral Health imposed a long-overdue measure of accountability on health insurers by holding that Employee Retirement Income Security Act compliance requires responding to the medical opinions of the beneficiary's treating doctors before denying claims, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.

• Takeaways From New Fla. Pharmacy Benefit Manager Rules

  

  A recently passed Florida law imposes several new requirements on pharmacy benefit managers, necessitating practical considerations that range from potential license application delays to possible trade secret exposure, say Thomas Range and Bruce Platt at Akerman.

• Roadblocks For Cannabis Employers Setting Up 401(k) Plans

  

  Though the Internal Revenue Code and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act generally allow cannabis businesses to establish 401(k) plans for their employees, companies must still pick their way through uncertainties around tax deductions and recruiting reliable vendors, say attorneys at Shipman & Goodwin.

• Some Client Speculations On AI And The Law Firm Biz Model

  

  Generative artificial intelligence technologies will put pressure on the business of law as it is structured currently, but clients may end up with more price certainty for legal services, and lawyers may spend more time being lawyers, says Jonathan Cole at Melody Capital.

• Revenue Sharing Argument Might Save Barrick In 401(k) Case

  

  During recent oral arguments before the Tenth Circuit, Barrick Gold presented revenue sharing as an obvious alternative explanation for the selection of higher-cost share classes in its ex-workers’ 401(k) plan, establishing that dismissal of the case would be consistent with U.S. Supreme Court pleading standard precedent, say Emily Costin and Blake Crohan at Alston & Bird.

• Now More Than Ever, Fiduciaries Must Revisit ERISA Origins

  

  Given increasing political pressures, including legislation on ESG investing, fiduciaries should have a firm grasp on the historical foundations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, especially its allocation and delegation provision — the act's most important fiduciary duty shield, says Jeff Mamorsky, a Cohen & Buckmann partner who helped draft the statute.

• A Lawyer's Guide To Approaching Digital Assets In Discovery

  

  The booming growth of cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens has made digital assets relevant in many legal disputes but also poses several challenges for discovery, so lawyers must garner an understanding of the technology behind these assets, the way they function, and how they're held, says Brett Sager at Ehrenstein Sager.

• Opinion

  High Court's Ethics Statement Places Justices Above The Law

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court justices' disappointing statement on the court's ethics principles and practices reveals that not only are they satisfied with a status quo in which they are bound by fewer ethics rules than other federal judges, but also that they've twisted the few rules that do apply to them, says David Janovsky at the Project on Government Oversight.

• Opinion

  Time For Law Schools To Rethink Unsung Role Of Adjuncts

  

  As law schools prepare for the fall 2023 semester, administrators should reevaluate the role of the underappreciated, indispensable adjunct, and consider 16 concrete actions to improve the adjuncts' teaching experience, overall happiness and feeling of belonging, say T. Markus Funk at Perkins Coie, Andrew Boutros at Dechert and Eugene Volokh at UCLA.

• 4th Circ. Ruling Reveals 2 Layoff Pitfalls To Avoid

  

  The Fourth Circuit's recent decision in Messer v. Bristol Compressors serves as a reminder that employers have a continuing obligation to keep employees informed about mass layoffs, and that employees do not need to show prejudice to succeed on Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act claims, say Kevin White and Steven DiBeneditto at Hunton.

• Opinion

  Duty To Oversee ESG Risks Would Erode Biz Judgment Rule

  

  Imposing a duty to oversee ESG business risks on directors and officers is the exact kind of second-guessing that the business judgment rule is supposed to protect against, and it could expose corporate leaders to ruinous liability and disincentivize serving on public company boards, say Stephen Leitzell and Richard Horvath at Dechert.

• Tips For In-House Legal Leaders In A Challenging Economy

  

  Amid today's economic and geopolitical uncertainty, in-house legal teams are running lean and facing increased scrutiny and unique issues, but can step up and find innovative ways to manage outcomes and capitalize on good business opportunities, says Tim Parilla at LinkSquares.

• How Cities Can Tackle Post-Pandemic Budgeting Dilemmas

  

  Due to increasing office vacancies around the country, cities may consider politically unpopular actions to avoid bankruptcy, but they could also look to the capital markets to ride out the current real estate crisis and achieve debt service savings to help balance their budgets, say attorneys at Cadwalader.

• What Associates Need To Know Before Switching Law Firms

  Excerpt from Practical Guidance

  

  The days of staying at the same firm for the duration of one's career are mostly a thing of the past as lateral moves by lawyers are commonplace, but there are several obstacles that associates should consider before making a move, say attorneys at HWG.

• A Case For Sharing Mediation Statements With Counterparties

  

  In light of a potential growing mediation trend of only submitting statements to the mediator, litigants should think critically about the pros and cons of exchanging statements with opposing parties as it could boost the chances of reaching a settlement, says Arthur Eidelhoch at Eidelhoch Mediation.