Expert Analysis

• Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: February Lessons

  

  In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses four recent rulings from November and December, and identifies practice tips from cases involving the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act and Missouri unjust enrichment claims, the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, the Class Action Fairness Act, and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

• Series

  Trail Running Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Navigating the muddy, root-filled path of trail marathons and ultramarathons provides fertile training ground for my high-stakes fractional general counsel work, teaching me to slow down my mind when the terrain shifts, sharpen my focus and trust my training, says Eric Proos at Next Era Legal.

• AI Scientific Discovery Order Implications For Life Sciences

  

  President Donald Trump's November executive order establishing a government effort to use artificial intelligence to accelerate scientific discovery has the potential to leverage significant federal resources and data to support research, drug and device approvals, and AI model training in the life sciences sector, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

• CFIUS Risk Lessons From Chips Biz Divestment Order

  

  President Donald Trump's January executive order directing HieFo to unwind its 2024 acquisition of a semiconductor business with ties to China underscores that even modestly sized transactions can attract CFIUS interest if they could affect strategic areas prioritized by the U.S. government, say attorneys at Debevoise.

• Malpractice Claim Assignability Continues To Divide Courts

  

  Recent decisions from courts across the country demonstrate how different jurisdictions balance competing policy interests in determining whether legal malpractice claims can be assigned, providing a framework to identify when and how to challenge any attempted assignment, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin & Lodgen.

• Courts' Rare Quash Of DOJ Subpoenas Has Lessons For Cos.

  

  In a rare move, three federal courts recently quashed or partially quashed expansive U.S. Department of Justice administrative subpoenas issued to providers of gender-affirming care, demonstrating that courts will scrutinize purpose, cabin statutory authority and acknowledge the profound privacy burdens of overbroad government demands for sensitive records, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

• Reviewing The Legal Landscape Of Social Media For Minors

  

  States have initiated a wave of legislation regulating minors' access to and use of social media platforms, so it will be critical for social media companies to closely track the patchwork of state laws and pending legal challenges so they are prepared to pivot if necessary, say attorneys at Sidley.

• Opinion

  CFIUS Must Adapt To Current Foreign Investment Realities

  

  To continue protecting the U.S.’ long-term strategic and economic interests, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States should implement practical enhancements that leverage technology, expertise and clear communication, and enable it to keep pace with evolving demands, says attorney Sohan Dasgupta.

• Texas AG Wields Consumer Protection Law Against Tech Cos.

  

  Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has targeted technology companies using the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, a broadly worded statute that gives the attorney general wide latitude to pursue claims beyond traditional consumer protection, creating unique litigation risks, say attorneys at Yetter Coleman.

• Bipartisan Enforcement Is Rising In Consumer Finance

  

  Activity over the past year suggests a bipartisan state enforcement wave is rippling across the consumer finance industry, which follows a blueprint set out by former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra, who notably now leads a Democratic Attorneys General Association working group, say attorneys at Hudson Cook.

• Series

  Teaching Logic Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Teaching middle and high school students the skills to untangle complicated arguments and identify faulty reasoning has made me reacquaint myself with the defined structure of thought, reminding me why logic should remain foundational in the practice of law, says Tom Barrow at Woods Rogers.

• Series

  Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Resilience

  

  Resilience is a skill acquired through daily practices that focus on learning from missteps, recovering quickly without internalizing defeat and moving forward with intention, says Nicholas Meza at Quarles & Brady.

• Anticipating The SEC's Cybersecurity Focus After SolarWinds

  

  While the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent voluntary dismissal of its enforcement action against SolarWinds Corp. and its chief information security officer marks a significant victory for the defendants, it does not mean the SEC is done bringing cybersecurity cases, say attorneys at MoFo.

• Limiting Worker Surveillance Risks Amid AI Regulatory Shifts

  

  With workplace surveillance tools becoming increasingly common and a recent executive order aiming to preempt state-level artificial intelligence enforcement, companies may feel encouraged to expand AI monitoring, but the legal exposure associated with these tools remains, say attorneys at MoFo.

• How Insurers Are Wording AI Exclusions

  

  Artificial intelligence exclusions are now available for use in insurance policies, meaning corporate risk managers must determine how those exclusions are interpreted and applied, and how they define AI, says David Kroeger at Jenner & Block.