Expert Analysis

• Series

  Law School's Missed Lessons: How To Draft Pleadings

  

  Most law school graduates step into their first jobs without ever having drafted a complaint, answer, motion or other type of pleading, but that gap can be closed by understanding the strategy embedded in every filing, writing with clarity and purpose, and seeking feedback at every step, says Eric Yakaitis at Haug Barron.

• Legal And Regulatory Keys To Sustainable Building Projects

  

  While the federal government continues to roll back environmental regulations, market momentum toward high-performance, energy-efficient commercial real estate as a defining driver of long-term value remains robust — so developers should understand how applicable standards and regulatory frameworks will affect projects, say attorneys at CGS3.

• E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On ESI Control

  

  Several recent federal court decisions have perpetuated a split over what constitutes “control” of electronically stored information — with judges divided on whether the standard should turn on a party's legal right or practical ability to obtain the information, say attorneys at Sidley.

• Calif. Truck Regs Now Require Multiple Compliance Strategies

  

  California's various vehicle and truck emissions programs now move on different legal tracks, impose different obligations and create different business risks on different timelines — so companies that treat them as one package subject to a federal Clean Air Act waiver risk missing deadlines and mispricing contracts, says Thierry Montoya at FBT Gibbons.

• A Data-Driven Guide For Navigating The 2026 Oil Price Shock

  

  With the Iran war disrupting tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, oil price volatility has soared, and this extreme price dislocation is likely to generate complex legal disputes — but companies can protect themselves by preserving every scrap of market data available, say Peter Niculescu and Leslie Rahl at Capital Market Risk Advisors.

• 2 Discovery Rulings Break With Heppner On AI Privilege Issue

  

  While a New York federal court’s recent ruling in U.S. v. Heppner suggests that some litigants’ communications with AI tools are discoverable, two other recent federal court decisions demonstrate that such interactions generally qualify for work-product protection under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, says Joshua Dunn at Brown Rudnick.

• Series

  Isshin-Ryu Karate Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  My involvement in martial arts, specifically Isshin-ryu, which has principles rooted in the eight codes of karate, has been one of the most foundational in the development of my personality, and particularly my approach to challenges — including in my practice of law, says Kaitlyn Stone at Barnes & Thornburg.

• What FMC's Rejection Of War Surcharges Means For Shipping

  

  The Federal Maritime Commission's rejection of multiple common carriers' requests last month to implement emergency shipping surcharges in response to conflict in the Mideast signals a decisive shift in the agency's regulatory posture toward stronger protections for shippers — with important implications for all supply chain participants, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

• Opinion

  CBP's $166B Tariff Refund Portal Needs 4 Safeguards

  

  Before launching its automated web portal to process tariff-refund disbursements on April 20, U.S. Customs and Border Protection should apply the expensive lessons learned from the pandemic-era employee retention credit, says Peter Gariepy at RubinBrown.

• Decoding Arbitral Disputes: Tracing Paths To Award Recovery

  

  Recent subpoenas to Adidas and Hilton deployed in Blasket Renewables v. Spain, pending in D.C. federal court, show arbitration award recovery to be a disciplined exercise in constructing visibility, applying pressure and sequencing procedural advantage, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn Square.

• Getting To Know The Key Partners In Nuclear Power Projects

  

  As more major technology companies and hyperscalers enter into energy offtake agreements with operators of existing, restarting and planned nuclear plants, it is essential that all stakeholders in such partnerships understand the roles and responsibilities of the key entities involved in a nuclear power project, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

• High Court Cert Case Would Test Sovereign Award Immunity

  

  The D.C. Circuit's July 2025 Amaplat Mauritius v. Zimbabwe Mining Development decision appears to create a circuit split while elevating form over substance in a manner that, if left unreviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court, could bar the courthouse doors for creditors holding arbitration awards against recalcitrant foreign sovereigns, says Jeff Newton at Omni Bridgeway.

• CFTC Actions Show Prediction Market Insider Trading Risks

  

  It is a myth that insider trading law does not apply in prediction markets, as the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's recent enforcement actions illustrate that it has full authority to pursue such cases federally — and intends to, says attorney Gregg Goldfarb.

• Opinion

  State Bars Need To Get Specific About AI Confidentiality

  

  Lawyers need to put actual client information into artificial intelligence tools to get their full value, but they cannot confidently do so until state bars offer clear, formal authority on which plan tiers of the three most popular generative AI tools are safe to use when sharing specific client details, says attorney Nick Berk.

• EPA's Retreat On GHGs Reshapes Preemption Debate

  

  In the wake of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's rescission of its finding that it can regulate climate-threatening greenhouse gases, states are poised to step up their own GHG regulation — but the EPA's new framework creates substantial uncertainty over the extent of federal preemption, say attorneys at Holland & Hart.