Consumer Protection

Expert Analysis

• Lenders Score Major High Court Victory In Foreclosure Case

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous ruling on Wednesday in Obduskey v. McCarthy & Holthus LLP removes nearly all activities taken by creditors seeking nonjudicial foreclosure of liens and mortgages from the ambit of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, says John Baxter of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP.

• Trial Counsel's Role On A Mass Tort Virtual Law Team

  

  Trial counsel’s contribution to the virtual law team throughout the life cycle of a mass tort litigation rests in the key skill of viewing the case through the eyes of the ultimate audience for the defense, the jury, say attorneys at Covington & Burling LLP and Faegre Baker Daniels LLP.

• Tech Trends From SXSW Pose Unique Questions For Lawyers

  

  These days, a popular theme in media is that lawyers' jobs will be taken by robots. However, based on the tech issues discussed at the South by Southwest technology conference in Austin, Texas, last month, robots may in fact need lawyers, says Nick Abrahams of Norton Rose Fulbright.

• In Bar Admissions Process, It's Candor Or Bust

  

  You passed the bar exam and are ready for the character and fitness committee interview. Time to think about how to discuss that minor incident in college, that misdemeanor in high school or that mental health issue that you have totally under control, says Richard Maltz of Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC.

• Off-Label Promotion Still A Litigation Risk For Pharma Cos.

  

  In recent years, the U.S. Department of Justice has shown some reluctance to bring cases involving off-label promotion of pharmaceutical products, but this type of marketing remains the driving force behind many product liability and mass tort litigations, say Dae Lee and Jesse Dresser of Frier Levitt LLC.

• Justices Offer Practical Approach To Class Appeal Deadline

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court's recent opinion in Nutraceutical v. Lambert held that Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(f)’s 14-day limit for class certification appeals is not subject to equitable tolling, presenting important lessons for both the winners and losers of class certification orders, say attorneys at Faegre Baker Daniels.

• Series

  Judging A Book: Bashant Reviews 'Doing Justice'

  

  My initial reaction to "Doing Justice" was that author Preet Bharara may have bitten off more than he could chew — an accusation leveled against him when he served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York — but I found the book full of helpful gems, says U.S. District Judge Cynthia Bashant of the Southern District of California.

• Advertisers Should Heed FTC Stats On NAD Referrals

  

  While the Federal Trade Commission cannot be expected to act on every referral from the Better Business Bureau’s National Advertising Division, the FTC’s recent follow-up record demonstrates that companies choosing not to comply with NAD recommendations are making a risky bet, says Alexander Goldman, staff attorney at the National Advertising Division.

• Firms Can Leverage Communications When Economy Is Slow

  

  Though most experts believe that an imminent recession is unlikely, slowdown fears are increasing. Now is the time for firms to consider how to best leverage their communications and marketing teams to lessen impacts from a potential economic slowdown, says Tom Orewyler of Tom Orewyler Communications LLC.

• 3rd Circ. FDCPA Opinion A Rude Awakening For Debt Buyers

  

  Federal courts may look to the Third Circuit's recent opinion in Barbato v. Greystone Alliance — which sidestepped the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2017 holding in Henson v. Santander Consumer — as the leading analysis of whether debt purchasers are subject to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, say Melanie Brody and Francis Doorley of Mayer Brown LLP.