Competition

CFTC's Silence Stings In Wheat Futures Manipulation Case

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission v. Kraft and Mondelez case was expected to clarify new standards for prosecuting market manipulation, but instead ended in a settlement that failed to provide any guidance or context, and even barred the CFTC from publicly commenting on the case, says Braden Perry at Kennyhertz Perry.

3 Tech Competition Concerns In The EU And Australia

Recent cases involving major technology companies and their acquisition of smaller firms have called international attention to the adequacy of competition policy frameworks, and recent proposals in Europe and Australia reveal the onset of an interventionist approach from regulators, say analysts at Cornerstone Research.

A Robust Federal Consumer Protection Law May Be Ahead

The U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau all recently announced pushes into data privacy and security through consumer protection enforcement, suggesting that they could be developing the foundation for a new U.S. federal privacy statute, say Brad Elbein and Linda Priebe of Culhane Meadows.

ADP Cases Show Pitfalls Of One-Size-Fits-All Noncompetes

A New Jersey appellate court's recent opinion in six noncompete cases filed by ADP illustrates the challenges in adopting a successful multijurisdictional restrictive covenant program, but employers can avoid many of these problems with careful planning, say Henry Perlowski and Edward Cadagin at Arnall Golden.

Crisis Messaging To Protect Law Firm Brand And Bottom Line

When crises occur, such as data security incidents or gender bias suits, a well-prepared law firm has a thoroughly tested communications plan at the ready, which ensures the firm is the most proactive news source, prevents the crisis from escalating and notifies stakeholders about mitigation efforts, says Zach Olsen at Infinite Global.

New Compliance Steps For Filing Drug Co. Settlements

Starting this summer, settlements between innovators and generics submitted to the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice under the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act must be filed online, and other new filing requirements are quite broad, say Melanie Rupert and Alexander Plushanski of Paul Hastings.

TM Case At The Intersection Of Antitrust And Design Law

The recent Texas federal court case Tricon Precast v. Easi-Set involves a potential use of antitrust law that is highly unusual and may be unprecedented: arguing, via the statutory defense against claims of trademark infringement, that use of an industrial design trade dress violates U.S. antitrust laws, says Rick Sanders of Aaron Sanders. 

Perspectives

What You Should Know About Courtroom Closures

At attorney Greg Craig’s trial in D.C. federal court this week, the courtroom was cleared so prospective jurors could answer sensitive questions. Even seasoned litigators were left wondering about the nature of this subtle, yet significant, issue involving Sixth Amendment public trial rights, says Luke Cass at Quarles & Brady.

Series

Why I Became A Lawyer: A Seaweed Scientist's Odyssey

In the early 1980s, I was working on my Ph.D. in marine biology and ecology. As part of an international team of scientists studying oil spill impacts on marine ecosystems, I saw a niche opportunity to combine science and law, says Andrew Davis of Shipman & Goodwin.

DOJ Enforcement Insights From Poultry Price-Fixing Case

The U.S. Department of Justice recently stayed the discovery process in the broiler chicken antitrust litigation in order to pursue a criminal investigation over the next six months. The potential crackdown on U.S. poultry companies demonstrates changing DOJ antitrust enforcement priorities, says Bill Dillon of Taylor English.

Durational Disconnect Between Cartel Pleas And Class Certs.

Three key takeaways emerge from comparing class settlement time periods with related plea agreement time periods for the companies assessed the 40 largest fines by the U.S. Department of Justice for Sherman Act violations dating from 2005 to the present, says Jon Tomlin of Ankura Consulting.

Opinion

Clients Benefit From Law Firm Expense Growth

Although there continue to be corporate clients who are seduced by the idea that cheapest is always best when it comes to outside counsel, there are many negative implications on service delivery that result from myopically focusing only on cost reduction at the expense of quality and innovation, says Keith Maziarek at Katten Muchin.

Opinion

Changing Ethics Rules Is Key To Law Firm Innovation

As demonstrated by the California bar proposal to allow nonlawyers to invest in law firms, we can change the legal ethics rules in a way that protects clients while permitting firms to innovate and serve clients better, say Todd Richheimer of ​​​​​​​Lawfty and Peter Joy of Washington University Law School.

Unprecedented Agency Divergence On Antitrust Enforcement

Recent clashes between the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice — in the Qualcomm antitrust case, for example — raise serious questions of fairness, efficiency and good government, says Gregory Luib of Dechert.

Series

Judging A Book: Castillo Reviews 'Raising The Bar'

A timely new book, “Raising the Bar: Diversifying Big Law," is one of the first honest assessments of the challenging battleground for people of color at large law firms, and I hope that firm management committee members read it, says U.S. District Judge Rubén Castillo of the Northern District of Illinois.