Cybersecurity & Privacy

Expert Analysis

• Opinion

  DC Court Is Wrong On Jan. 6 Grand Jury Evidence Sharing

  

  The D.C. federal court erred recently when it denied the government's request to share grand jury materials from U.S. Capitol riot cases with a private contractor hired to organize the voluminous evidence, turning the practical grand jury secrecy doctrine into a straitjacket, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.

• Will You Be Ready If Your Class Action Goes To Trial?

  

  Despite conventional wisdom, class actions sometimes do go to trial — as TransUnion v. Ramirez, decided last month by the U.S. Supreme Court, illustrates — so attorneys must prepare by studying past class action trials, focusing on how the courts and lawyers approached procedural and evidentiary questions, says Ross Weiner at Risk Settlements.

• Rolling Disclosure Cap Method May Lead To Lower Damages

  

  In light of a California federal court's decision in a securities class action against Zoom, consultants at Analysis Group analyze how utilizing rolling disclosure cap methodology affects damage calculations, compared to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act's more traditional final disclosure cap.

• Law Firms, Know Who's Responsible For Your Cloud Security

  

  Lawyers generally know that files go into the cloud and that the files are then secured and protected, but it's necessary for firms to take a closer look at their cloud supply chain and then come up with a responsibility matrix that helps mitigate any potential risks or weaknesses, says Martin Ward at iManage.

• Benefits For Law Firms Venturing Into New Services

  

  By offering more services, law firms can deepen and strengthen their client relationships and truly become an extension of their clients' teams while generating new revenue streams, and while there are risks associated with expanding into consulting, they may be worth it, says Lou Ramos at Major Lindsey.

• Series

  Embracing ESG: Exelon GC Talks Diversity Initiatives

  

  Executing a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion programming, through recruitment, inclusive legal pipelines and community empowerment via pro bono efforts, can ensure a strong environmental, social and governance proposition, says Gayle Littleton at Exelon.

• How Tech Cos. Can Guard Against DOJ Gag Orders

  

  In light of recent criticism technology companies have faced over compliance with Stored Communications Act nondisclosure orders from the U.S. Department of Justice, companies can protect themselves and their customers through formal policies, contractual provisions and First Amendment challenges, say Kellen Dwyer and Kim Peretti at Alston & Bird.

• 5 Questions On Standing In The Wake Of TransUnion

  

  While the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in TransUnion v. Ramirez provided some clarity on the contours of Article III standing, it opens the door to several potential shifts in where and how consumer class actions will be litigated, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

• Revamping Law Firm Marketing Lists — With Partner Buy-In

  

  Jackson Lewis’ Paige Bowser shares lessons from the firm's recent overhaul of an outdated email marketing database, including tips for getting partners on board, ensuring compliance with privacy laws and augmenting outreach strategies.

• Gov't Contractor Input Vital After Biden Cybersecurity Order

  

  The Office of Management and Budget's upcoming recommendations for improving U.S. cybersecurity defenses, following President Joe Biden's recent executive order, could create burdensome obligations for government contractors, so it's important for the government to actively engage with the industry during the rulemaking process, say executives at Leidos.

• TransUnion Ruling Limits Standing But Could Hurt Defendants

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in TransUnion v. Ramirez could represent a pyrrhic victory for the defense bar by further shifting class standing from a motion-to-dismiss argument to one that is not ripe until summary judgment, which could present a multibillion-dollar problem for defendants in data privacy litigation, say David Saunders and Peter Scheyer at McDermott.

• The Murky World Of Legal Rankings Gets Some Clarity In NJ

  

  New Jersey's new, stringent approach to legal rankings will make accolade advertising more transparent, benefiting both attorneys and clients and offering legal marketers a new set of best practices amid evolving standards, say Penny Paul at Lowenstein Sandler and Susan Peters at Greybridge.

• Series

  Embracing ESG: Cigna Counsel Talks Employee Wellness

  

  Building employee well-being into corporate environmental, social and governance priorities required our legal team to focus more closely on cross-functional collaboration within the company and increased communication with our board of directors and shareholders, says Julia Brncic at Cigna.

• 5 Steps For Legal Teams To Mitigate Industrial Cyber Risk

  

  While cyberattacks on critical infrastructure and other industrial systems present distinct legal risks from traditional enterprise cybersecurity, legal teams can draw upon familiar risk management practices to strengthen their industrial cybersecurity posture, say Stephen Lilley and Veronica Glick at Mayer Brown and Ben Miller at Dragos.

• How Western States Help The Wealthy Avoid Taxes, Creditors

  

  The race by certain states in the western U.S. to legalize shell companies, private trusts and other mechanisms allowing wealthy individuals to avoid taxes and creditors underlies the U.S.' status as a secrecy haven of choice, says Daniel Pascucci at Mintz.