Expert Analysis

• PFAS Risks In M&A Amid Litigation, Legislative Developments

  

  Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances have become a significant M&A concern amid new trends in settlements and state laws, and potential buyers must find ways to evaluate potential related risks, say attorneys at Debevoise.

• Opinion

  Deregulation Can Solve Labor Market Woes

  

  There is broad agreement that labor law is in need of reform, owing to few unions, slow procedures and weak remedies, and while deregulation will strike many as radical, it has worked for a variety of industries and could make competition a regular feature of the market, says Alexander MacDonald at Littler.

• Series

  Volunteering With Scouts Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Serving as an assistant scoutmaster for my son’s troop reaffirmed several skills and principles crucial to lawyering — from the importance of disconnecting to the value of morality, says Michael Warren at McManis Faulkner.

• Compliance Takeaways Amid Subscription Practices Scrutiny

  

  The Federal Trade Commission's prioritization of enforcement regarding deceptive billing and cancellation practices in recurring subscriptions, and new click-to-cancel rulemaking expected on the horizon, carry key takeaways for companies using recurring subscriptions to sell products or services, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

• Recent Rulings Show DEI Isn't On Courts' Chopping Block

  

  Contrary to recent narratives that workplace diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives are on the verge of legal collapse, courts are applying familiar guardrails for litigating DEI-adjacent cases — requiring the right plaintiff, the right challenge and the right proof — rather than rewriting the rules on DEI, say attorneys at Krevolin Horst.

• AI Communications May Be Discoverable In Patent Litigation

  

  A New York federal court's recent determination that a defendant's correspondence with an artificial intelligence tool was not protected by attorney-client privilege may have significant ramifications for patent matters, highlighting the risk of AI use in patent prosecution and litigation tasks, say attorneys at Seed IP.

• Series

  Law School's Missed Lessons: In Court, It's About Storytelling

  

  Law school provides doctrine, cases and hypotheticals, but when lawyers step into the courtroom, they must learn the importance of clarity, credibility, memorability and preparation — in other words, how to tell simple, effective stories, say Nicholas Steverson and Danielle Trujillo at Wheeler Trigg, and Lisa DeCaro at Courtroom Performance.

• How Leveraged Lending Pivot May Alter Bank Risk Oversight

  

  The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's recent withdrawal of leveraged lending guidance introduces several principles that may allow banks to better apply enterprisewide risk management programs and potentially create additional competition in the private credit loan market, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

• Why SDNY May Be Dusting Off The Financial Kingpin Statute

  

  The Southern District of New York’s recent fraud indictments against executives of bankrupt companies Tricolor and First Brands have seemingly revived the Continuing Financial Crimes Enterprise statute, and if the cases succeed, prosecutors across the country will have ample reason to reach for this long-dormant tool, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

• What's Changed In Army Corps' Reissued Nationwide Permits

  

  The final rule recently issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, renewing and revising nationwide permits for projects covered by Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, makes measured adjustments rather than sweeping revisions, addressing key operational and compliance concerns while maintaining the existing framework, say attorneys at Spencer Fane.

• What Kalshi Cases Reveal About State Authority, Regulation

  

  Prediction markets like Kalshi have ignited complex legal battles that get to the heart of how novel financial products intersect with traditional state enforcement authority, and courts are already beginning to divide over whether federal law preempts state enforcement authority restricting these offerings, say attorneys at Holtzman Vogel.

• Parsing Clarifications On Foreign Entity Rules For Tax Credits

  

  Recent U.S. Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department guidance answers taxpayer questions on several key foreign entity rules under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, but questions remain over transactions with companies that have ties to covered nations such as Iran, say attorneys at Cleary.

• Where Ceding Control In Joint Ventures Ups Developer Risks

  

  With new data predicting liquidity will continue drying up in 2026, developers seeking relief via joint venture restructurings should understand how relinquishing an asset's control to a capital partner could have stark consequences, and where negotiations over governance and control triggers present the greatest legal and structural risks, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

• What US Arms Sales Reforms Mean For Defense Industry

  

  A recent executive order with the goal of increasing U.S. arms sales transparency, speed and government-industry collaboration carries both promise and risk for the defense industry as the government seeks to leverage the private sector and use commercial products for defense purposes, say attorneys at Fluet.

• Prepping For The Future Of No Surprises Act Enforcement

  

  This year is expected to be a transition point for the No Surprises Act framework from regulatory delay to operational enforcement, so stakeholders should use this time to stress-test systems, clean up processes and prepare for enforcement, say attorneys at Akerman.