Expert Analysis

• Potential Impacts Of IRS' $1M Affiliate Pay Deduction Cap

  

  If finalized, a recent Internal Revenue Service proposal expanding Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code to include the highly compensated employees of affiliates would make tracking which executives may be subject to the limit from year to year far more complex, say attorneys at Debevoise.

• 5 Keys To Building Stronger Attorney-Client Relationships

  

  Attorneys are often focused on being seen as the expert, but bonding with clients and prospects by sharing a few key personal details provides the basis for a caring, trusted and profoundly deeper business relationship, says Deb Feder at Feder Development.

• BlackRock Suit Highlights Antitrust Risks Of ESG

  

  In Texas v. BlackRock, pending in Texas federal court, 13 state attorneys general are suing large institutional investors in the coal business, underscoring key reasons companies may want to alter their approach to developing and implementing policies related to environmental, social, and governance factors, especially if coordination with competitors is involved, say attorneys at Manatt.

• Suggestions For CFTC Enforcement's New Leadership

  

  The recent change in leadership at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission presents an opportunity to reflect on past practices and consider opportunities for improvement at the commission's Enforcement Division, including in observing precedent and providing greater enforcement transparency, say attorneys at Clifford Chance.

• What SDNY Judge Can And Can't Do In Adams Case

  

  The federal judge in the Southern District of New York overseeing the criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams deferred making a decision on the government's motion to dismiss the indictment, and while he does have limited authority to deny the motion, that would ultimately be a futile gesture, says Ethan Greenberg at Anderson Kill.

• Drug Kickback Ruling Will Make FCA Liability Harder To Prove

  

  The First Circuit's ruling in U.S. v. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, requiring the government to prove but-for causation to establish False Claims Act liability based on violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute, raises the bar for FCA enforcement and deepens a circuit split that the U.S. Supreme Court may need to resolve, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.

• What Axed Title IX Gender Identity Rule Means For Higher Ed

  

  Following a Kentucky federal court's recent decision in State of Tennessee v. Cardona to strike down a Biden-era rule that expanded the definition of Title IX to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity, institutions of higher education should prepare to reimplement policies that comply with the reinstated 2020 rule, say attorneys at Venable.

• Assessing PE Risk After Mass. False Claims Act Amendments

  

  A law recently passed in Massachusetts amends the commonwealth's False Claims Act by dramatically expanding potential liability for private equity firms and investors, underscoring the importance of robust diligence and risk assessments for private equity firms conducting transactions in the commonwealth, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

• How Crypto Firms Should Approach Patchwork Of State Laws

  

  The Money Transmission Modernization Act was designed to create uniformity across state digital regulations, but the reality remains far from consistent — as demonstrated by the patchwork of laws in states like Texas, Vermont, New York and California — so as state legislatures convene in the coming weeks, crypto firms should watch closely for developments that could shape the regulatory landscape, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.

• A Path Forward For Cos. Amid Trump's Anti-DEIA Efforts

  

  Given the Trump administration’s recent efforts targeting corporate diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs — including threatening possible criminal prosecution — companies should carefully tailor their DEIA initiatives to comply with both the letter and the spirit of antidiscrimination law, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

• The Current And Future State Of Bank-Fintech Partnerships

  

  Though the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under President Donald Trump seems likely to cultivate an environment friendlier to the financial services industry, bank-fintech partnerships should stay devoted to proactive compliance and be ready to adapt to regulatory shifts that may intensify scrutiny from enforcers, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

• What Trump Actions Mean For Federal Research Funding

  

  New guidance from the National Institutes of Health represents a massive policy shift regarding federal funding for researchers at institutions of higher education, contributing to a perfect storm of significant resource shortfalls in upcoming years, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

• Workforce Data Collection Considerations After DEI Order

  

  Following President Donald Trump's executive order targeting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, employers should balance the benefits of collecting demographic data with the risk of violating the order’s prohibition on "illegal DEI," say Lynn Clements at Berkshire Associates, David Cohen at DCI Consulting and Victoria Lipnic at Resolution Economics.

• Opinion

  NFT Bill Needs Refining To Effectively Regulate Digital Assets

  

  A recent bill in the U.S. House proposing to regulate nonfungible tokens as digital assets would leave key concepts undefined until the U.S. comptroller general completes an after-the-fact study of NFTs, showing it needs more work before it is comprehensive enough to meaningfully protect the market, say attorneys at Duane Morris.

• How The AI Antitrust Landscape Might Evolve Under Trump

  

  The Trump administration's early actions around artificial intelligence and antitrust policy, along with statements from competition regulators, suggest that the AI competition landscape may see reduced scrutiny around acquisitions, but not an entirely hands-off enforcement approach, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.