Expert Analysis

• How 2nd Circ. Cannabis Ruling Upends NY Licensing

  

  A recent Second Circuit decision in Variscite NY Four v. New York, holding that New York's extra-priority cannabis licensing preference for applicants with in-state marijuana convictions violates the dormant commerce clause, underscores that state-legal cannabis markets remain subject to the same constitutional constraints as other economic markets, say attorneys at Harris Beach.

• Parenting Skills That Can Help Lawyers Thrive Professionally

  

  As kids head back to school, the time is ripe for lawyers who are parents to consider how they can incorporate their parenting skills to build a deep, meaningful and sustainable legal practice, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

• Trump NLRB Picks May Usher In Employer-Friendly Precedent

  

  If President Donald Trump's National Labor Relations Board nominees are confirmed, the board would regain a quorum with a Republican majority and would likely reverse several union-friendly decisions, but each nominee will bring a unique perspective as to how the board should operate, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

• Series

  Teaching Trial Advocacy Makes Us Better Lawyers

  

  Teaching trial advocacy skills to other lawyers makes us better litigators because it makes us question our default methods, connect to young attorneys with new perspectives and focus on the needs of the real people at the heart of every trial, say Reuben Guttman, Veronica Finkelstein and Joleen Youngers.

• What New CFPB Oversight Limits Would Mean For 4 Markets

  

  As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau continues to centralize its resources, proposals to alter the definition of larger market participants in the automobile financing, international money transfer, consumer reporting and consumer debt collection markets would reduce the scope of the bureau's oversight, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

• MIT Bros.' Crypto Charges Provide Fraud Test Case For Gov't

  

  As U.S. v. Peraire-Bueno, involving cryptocurrency fraud charges against brothers who graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, moves forward after surviving a motion to dismiss, the case provides an early example of how the government might use the federal fraud statutes to regulate decentralized networks, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

• Navigating Brazil's Regulations, Incentives For Green Projects

  

  Brazil's evolving environmental regulatory framework and ongoing moves to attract international capital for climate-focused projects may appeal to U.S.-based companies and investors interested in sustainable development — but taking advantage of these opportunities requires careful planning and meaningful stakeholder engagement, says Milena Angulo at Guimarães.

• Potential Paths To Modernizing The Bank Secrecy Act

  

  The Bank Secrecy Act's analog design has become increasingly incompatible with today's digital financial ecosystem, but legislative reforms, coupled with regulatory adjustments including updated thresholds, feedback mechanisms and innovation sandboxes, would help adjust the act to the unique challenges of modern technology, says Matthew Biben at King & Spalding.

• DOJ Memo Shifts Interpretation Of Discrimination Laws

  

  While the recent memorandum targeting federal funding recipients' unlawful discrimination reiterates some long-standing interpretations of antidiscrimination law, it takes stronger positions on facially neutral practices and race-conscious recruiting that federal courts and prior administrations have not treated as unlawful, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

• Preparing For DEA Rescheduling Of 2 Research Chemicals

  

  A recent decision to allow the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to reclassify two research psychedelics in Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act may pose significant barriers to scientific study, including stringent registration requirements, heightened security protocols and burdensome reporting obligations, say Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell and Jackie von Salm at Psilera.

• Data Center Construction Trends, Challenges In Ill. And Texas

  

  Data centers in Illinois and Texas are reshaping the industrial landscape, but this growth brings legal complexity, so developers, contractors and corporate legal departments must have a deep understanding of each state's legal terrain and take a proactive approach to risk management, say attorneys at Hicks Johnson.

• Definitions Of 'Waters Of The United States' Ebb And Flow

  

  The issue of defining whether "waters of the United States" include streams and channels that sometimes have water and sometimes do not has been fraught since the U.S. Supreme Court's 2006 Rapanos decision, but a possible new rule may help property owners stay out of court, says Neal McAliley at Carlton Fields.

• A Change In Big Pharma Response To FTC Delisting Warnings

  

  While the effect of Federal Trade Commission notices to pharmaceutical companies about allegedly improper patent listings in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Orange Book had been de minimis through the end of last year, July data shows an increase in delistings, say Ratib Ali and Celia Lu at Competition Dynamics.

• Texas Property Law Complicates Financing And Development

  

  A new Texas law imposing expansive state-level restrictions on properties owned by entities from designated countries creates a major obstacle for some lenders, developers and other stakeholders, as well as new diligence requirements for foreign companies, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

• How Sustainability Reporting Changed In The 1st Half Of 2025

  

  Sustainability reporting is evolving rapidly, with fewer S&P 500 companies publishing reports in the first half of 2025 than in the same period last year, suggesting that companies are becoming more selective and intentional about their reporting, say analysts at Orrick.