Expert Analysis

• How Cos. Can Prep For Tightened Calif. Data Breach Notices

  

  Amid California's recent enactment of S.B. 446, which significantly amends the state's data breach notification laws, companies should review and update their incident response plans by establishing processes to document and support any delayed notification, and ensure the notifications' accuracy, say Mark Krotoski and Alexandria Marx at Pillsbury.

• A Look At State AGs' Focus On Earned Wage Products

  

  Earned wage products have emerged as a rapidly growing segment of the consumer finance market, but recent state enforcement actions against MoneyLion, DailyPay and EarnIn will likely have an effect on whether such products can continue operating under current business models, say attorneys at Quinn Emanuel.

• AI's Role In Google Antitrust Suit May Reshape Tech Markets

  

  The evolution of AI in retail has reshaped the U.S.' antitrust case against Google, which could both benefit small business innovators and consumers, and fundamentally alter future antitrust cases, including the Federal Trade Commission's lawsuit against Amazon, says Graham Dufault at ACT.

• Series

  The Biz Court Digest: How It Works In Massachusetts

  

  Since its founding in 2000, the Massachusetts Business Litigation Session's expertise, procedural flexibility and litigant-friendly case management practices have contributed to the development of a robust body of commercial jurisprudence, say James Donnelly at Mirick O’Connell, Felicia Ellsworth at WilmerHale and Lisa Wood at Foley Hoag.

• What To Note In OCC, FDIC Plan To Standardize Supervision

  

  The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s recent proposals to standardize the meaning of "unsafe or unsound practice" and revise the process for issuing matters requiring attention could significantly narrow the scope of activities that spawn enforcement actions, says Brendan Clegg at Luse Gorman.

• State Child Privacy Laws May Put More Cos. In FTC's Reach

  

  Starting with Texas in January, several new state laws requiring app stores to share user age-related information with developers will likely subject significantly more companies to the Federal Trade Commission’s child privacy rules, altering their compliance obligations, say attorneys at Womble Bond.

• Why Appellees Should Write Their Answering Brief First

  

  Though counterintuitive, appellees should consider writing their answering briefs before they’ve ever seen their opponent’s opening brief, as this practice confers numerous benefits related to argument structure, time pressures and workflow, says Joshua Sohn at the U.S. Department of Justice.

• Notable Q3 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

  

  The third quarter of 2025 was another eventful quarter for total loss valuation class actions, with a new circuit split developing courtesy of the Sixth Circuit, while insurers continued to see negative results in cost-of-insurance class actions, says Kevin Zimmerman at BakerHostetler.

• FTC Focus: M&A Approvals A Year After Trump's Election

  

  The Federal Trade Commission merger-enforcement regime a year since President Donald Trump's election shows how merger approvals have been expedited by the triaging out of more deals, grants for early termination of the Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period, and zeroing in on preparing solutions for the biggest problems, say attorneys at Proskauer.

• AG Watch: DC Faces Congressional Push To End Elected Role

  

  Given the current structural tension between D.C.'s local autonomy and congressional plenary power, legal and business entities operating in the district should maintain focus on local enforcement gaps, and monitor the legislative process closely, says Lauren Cooper at Hogan Lovells.

• Navigating DEA Quotas: Key To Psychedelics Industry Growth

  

  As new compounds like DOI enter the Schedule I landscape, manufacturers who anticipate U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration quota regulations, and build quota management into their broader strategy, will be best equipped to meet the growing demand, say Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell and Jaime Dwight at Promega.

• Game Not Over: Player Redshirt Suits Keep NCAA On Defense

  

  A class action recently filed in Tennessee federal court highlights a trend of student-athlete challenges to the NCAA's four seasons eligibility rule following the historic House settlement in June, which altered revenue-sharing and players' name, image and likeness rights, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

• Series

  Mindfulness Meditation Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Mindful meditation enables me to drop the ego, and in helping me to keep sight of what’s important, permits me to learn from the other side and become a reliable counselor, says Roy Wyman at Bass Berry.

• Opinion

  Punitive Damages Awards Should Be Limited To 1st Instance

  

  Recent verdicts in different cases against Johnson & Johnson and Monsanto showcase a trend of multiple punitive damages being awarded to different plaintiffs for the same course of conduct by a single defendant, a practice that should be deemed unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court, says Jacob Mihm at Polales Horton.

• AI Litigation Tools Can Enhance Case Assessment, Strategy

  

  Civil litigators can use artificial intelligence tools to strengthen case assessment and aid in early strategy development, as long as they address the risks and ethical considerations that accompany these uses, say attorneys at Barnes & Thornburg.