California

Expert Analysis

• And Now A Word From The Panel: Closing MDLs

  

  While there are no firm rules that the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation uses to close out MDLs, and the pace has slowed a bit this year, there is a recent pattern as to when the panel will say farewell, says Alan Rothman at Sidley.

• Benefits For Law Firms Venturing Into New Services

  

  By offering more services, law firms can deepen and strengthen their client relationships and truly become an extension of their clients' teams while generating new revenue streams, and while there are risks associated with expanding into consulting, they may be worth it, says Lou Ramos at Major Lindsey.

• Calif. Wage Theft Bill Would Raise The Stakes For Compliance

  

  A bill poised to pass in the California Legislature would classify intentional wage theft as grand theft punishable by up to three years in prison, with potential consequences for even ordinary supervisors — so employers may want to invest significant resources to ensure wage and hour compliance, says Michael Nader at Ogletree.

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  Embracing ESG: Exelon GC Talks Diversity Initiatives

  

  Executing a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion programming, through recruitment, inclusive legal pipelines and community empowerment via pro bono efforts, can ensure a strong environmental, social and governance proposition, says Gayle Littleton at Exelon.

• Next Steps For Employers After Calif. Break Premium Ruling

  

  California employers will need to take prompt action to address the logistical complications and potential liability resulting from the California Supreme Court’s recent retroactive decision in Ferra v. Loews Hollywood Hotel, holding that break periods must be compensated at employees’ regular rate of pay, says Penny Chen Fox at K&L Gates.

• Revamping Law Firm Marketing Lists — With Partner Buy-In

  

  Jackson Lewis’ Paige Bowser shares lessons from the firm's recent overhaul of an outdated email marketing database, including tips for getting partners on board, ensuring compliance with privacy laws and augmenting outreach strategies.

• Recent High Court Decisions Signify 1st Amendment Direction

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court’s recently concluded term saw a flurry of First Amendment cases, providing lessons for how the court, with its 6-3 conservative split, may rule next term on issues of free speech, religious freedom, association rights and more, as questions regarding social media and technological advances loom, says Samuel Mitchell at Michael Best.

• A Look At Tribal Involvement In Juul Litigation

  

  The vaping epidemic has had a disproportionate impact on Native American tribes, and the ensuing litigation against Juul Labs has many parallels with Big Tobacco suits from the 1990s, but this time around tribes have a seat at the bargaining table, say Geoffrey Strommer and Riley Plumer at Hobbs Straus.

• The Murky World Of Legal Rankings Gets Some Clarity In NJ

  

  New Jersey's new, stringent approach to legal rankings will make accolade advertising more transparent, benefiting both attorneys and clients and offering legal marketers a new set of best practices amid evolving standards, say Penny Paul at Lowenstein Sandler and Susan Peters at Greybridge.

• Awaiting High Court Answer On Post-Cyan Discovery Issue

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court’s forthcoming decision in Pivotal Software v. Tran next term may clarify a question begat by the court’s 2018 Cyan decision — whether the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act’s automatic discovery stay provision applies in state courts — and thereby lessen the burden on parties litigating amid the ambiguity, says Liz Cassady at Steptoe & Johnson.

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  Embracing ESG: Cigna Counsel Talks Employee Wellness

  

  Building employee well-being into corporate environmental, social and governance priorities required our legal team to focus more closely on cross-functional collaboration within the company and increased communication with our board of directors and shareholders, says Julia Brncic at Cigna.

• Courts' Clashing Standards For Evidence At Class Cert.: Part 2

  

  While federal circuits continue to split on whether to approach fact and expert evidence differently at class certification, and there is no sign of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling to resolve the issue, applying an admissibility standard to one and not the other appears illogical, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.

• Hybrid Work Models Are Key To Gender Parity In Law Firms

  

  To curb the historically high rates of attrition among female lawyers, Roberta Liebenberg at Fine Kaplan and Stephanie Scharf at Scharf Banks suggest firms must normalize hybrid work schedules, and they recommend best practices to promote engagement among all attorneys, regardless of where they work.

• Courts' Clashing Standards For Evidence At Class Cert.: Part 1

  

  The Sixth Circuit's recent ruling in Lyngaas v. Ag highlights an ongoing circuit split on whether plaintiffs moving to certify a class must use admissible evidence and whether fact and expert evidence should be treated equivalently in this regard, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.

• 3 Roadblocks Facing Electric Vehicle Adoption In US

  

  While a flurry of auto manufacturers recently committed to all-electric fleets in the coming decades, widespread electric vehicle adoption in the U.S. faces critical challenges, and addressing these issues will require both political will and funding at the federal level — neither of which is guaranteed, says Kevin Chen at Foley Hoag.