Expert Analysis

• SEC Crypto Custody Relief Offers Clarity For Funds

  

  A recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission staff letter supplies a workable path for registered investment advisers and funds seeking to offer crypto custody services by using state trust companies, and may portend additional useful guidance regarding crypto custody, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

• When Atty Ethics Violations Give Rise To Causes Of Action

  

  Though the Model Rules of Professional Conduct make clear that a violation of the rules does not automatically create a cause of action, attorneys should beware of a few scenarios in which they could face lawsuits for ethical lapses, says Brian Faughnan at Faughnan Law.

• CFIUS Trends May Shift Under 'America First' Policy

  

  The arrival of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States' latest annual report suggests that the Trump administration's "America First" policy will have a measurable effect on foreign investment, including improved trendlines for investments from allied sources and increasingly negative trendlines for those from foreign adversary sources, say attorneys at Debevoise.

• How Novel Del. Ruling Tackled Crypto Jurisdiction

  

  As courts grapple with cryptocurrency's borderless nature, the Delaware Court of Chancery's recent decision in Timoria v. Anis highlights the delicate balance between territorial jurisdiction and due process, and reinforces the need for practitioners to develop sophisticated, multijurisdictional approaches to digital asset disputes, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

• What CFTC Push For Tokenized Collateral Means For Crypto

  

  The Commodity Futures Trading Commission's recent request for comment on the use of tokenized products as collateral in derivatives markets signals that it is expanding the scope and form of eligible collateral, and could broaden the potential use cases for crypto-assets held in tokenized form, say attorneys at Dechert.

• Indiana Law Sets New Standard For Wage Access Providers

  

  The recent enactment of a law establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework for earned wage access positions Indiana as one of the leading states to allow EWA services, and establishes a standard that employers must familiarize themselves with before the Jan. 1 effective date, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

• Series

  Practicing Stoicism Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Practicing Stoicism, by applying reason to ignore my emotions and govern my decisions, has enabled me to approach challenging situations in a structured way, ultimately providing advice singularly devoted to a client's interest, says John Baranello at Moses & Singer.

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  The Biz Court Digest: Texas, One Year In

  

  A year after the Texas Business Court's first decision, it's clear that Texas didn't just copy Delaware and instead built something uniquely its own, combining specialization with constitutional accountability and creating a model that looks forward without losing touch with the state's democratic and statutory roots, says Chris Bankler at Jackson Walker.

• AG Watch: Illinois A Key Player In State-Level Enforcement

  

  Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has systematically strengthened his office to fill federal enforcement gaps, oppose Trump administration mandates and advance state policy objectives, particularly by aggressively pursuing labor-related issues, say attorneys at Troutman.

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  Law School's Missed Lessons: Educating Your Community

  

  Nearly two decades prosecuting scammers and elder fraud taught me that proactively educating the public about the risks they face and the rights they possess is essential to building trust within our communities, empowering otherwise vulnerable citizens and preventing wrongdoers from gaining a foothold, says Roger Handberg at GrayRobinson.

• Strategies For Merchants As Payment Processing Costs Rise

  

  As current economic pressures and rising card processing costs threaten to decrease margins for businesses, retail merchants should consider restructuring how payments are made and who processes them within the evolving legal framework, says Tom Witherspoon at Stinson.

• Shifting Crypto Landscape Complicates Tornado Cash Verdict

  

  Amid shifts in the decentralized finance regulatory landscape, the mixed verdict in the prosecution of Tornado Cash’s founder may represent the high-water mark in a cryptocurrency enforcement strategy from which the U.S. Department of Justice has begun to retreat, say attorneys at Venable.

• 5 Crisis Lawyering Skills For An Age Of Uncertainty

  

  As attorneys increasingly face unprecedented and pervasive situations — from prosecutions of law enforcement officials to executive orders targeting law firms — they must develop several essential competencies of effective crisis lawyering, says Ray Brescia at Albany Law School.

• Blockchain May Offer The Investor Protection SEC Seeks

  

  As the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission moves to control the ballooning costs of the consolidated audit trail and attempts to finally give regulators a unified, real-time picture of trading, blockchain demonstrates what it looks like when that kind of transparency is a baseline feature, not an aspirational overlay, says Tuongvy Le at Veda Tech Labs.

• Opinion

  It's Time For The Judiciary To Fix Its Cybersecurity Problem

  

  After recent reports that hackers have once again infiltrated federal courts’ electronic case management systems, the judiciary should strengthen its cybersecurity practices in line with executive branch standards, outlining clear roles and responsibilities for execution, says Ilona Cohen at HackerOne.