Florida

Expert Analysis

• What Associates Should Consider Before Switching Practices

  

  The current high demand for midlevel associates provides them a rare opportunity to potentially explore new practice areas, but associates should first ask themselves six questions to begin figuring out why a change sounds appealing, says Stephanie Biderman at Major Lindsey.

• Rebuttal

  Circuit Split On Class Action Ascertainability Is Disappearing

  

  While a recent Law360 guest article suggested a significant circuit split on the issue of class action ascertainability, a review of recent decisions across federal circuits indicates that any such split is rapidly vanishing, as appeals courts reach consensus on the issue, says Leslie Brueckner at Public Justice.

• 4 Effective Ways To Prioritize Client Advocacy

  

  To truly support a client going through a complicated lawsuit or a painful experience, lawyers must think beyond interpreting legal guidelines and navigating court proceedings, says attorney Scott Corwin.

• Alcohol Law Changes Test Public Policy Balance

  

  Pandemic-era temporary changes to alcohol laws aimed at helping bars and restaurants are maturing into long-term legislative reforms that are testing the extent to which states can obtain a policy balance between modern convenience and the safe, moderate consumption of alcohol, say Arielle Albert and Brian Fink at Danow McMullan.

• Remote Law Firm Culture Should Prioritize Associate Training

  

  Due to the pandemic, the gap between law school and the first day on the job has never been wider, but law firms can leverage training to bridge that intimidating gap and convey the unique value of their culture in a virtual environment, say Melissa Schwind at Ward and Smith, and William Kenney and Jaron Luttich at Element Standard.

• Alcohol Taxation Provides Good Model For Cannabis Taxes

  

  Although the alcohol taxation system isn't perfect, it could serve as a useful template for cannabis taxation with a three-tier licensing scheme and tax rates based on potency, says Louis Terminello at Greenspoon Marder.

• Virtual Litigation May Unravel The Narcissistic Lawyer

  

  The virtual courtroom limits a narcissistic lawyer's ability to intimidate witnesses and opposing counsel, boast to clients or engage in grandstanding — an unexpected benefit of the global pandemic as some aspects of remote litigation are likely here to stay, says Jennifer Gibbs at Zelle.

• Federal COVID-19 Insurance Decisions Ignore State Law

  

  Federal courts are dismissing policyholder lawsuits seeking business insurance coverage for losses from COVID-19 lockdowns at a far higher rate than state courts, likely because they are not following the Erie doctrine, which requires them to apply state law, says Carl Salisbury at Bramnick Rodriguez.

• ABA Remote Work Guide Raises Bar For Atty Tech Know-How

  

  A recent American Bar Association opinion on lawyers' ethical duties of competence and confidentiality when working remotely should be viewed as part of a larger movement by which attorneys are being exhorted to develop competence in 21st century technology, say Jennifer Goldsmith at Ironshore and Barry Temkin at Mound Cotton.

• Lateral Hire Conflict Screening Lessons From DLA Piper Case

  

  While a Texas federal court recently denied a motion to disqualify DLA Piper from representing Apple in a patent dispute after the law firm hired an attorney who formerly represented opponent Maxwell, the case is a reminder that robust conflict checks during lateral hiring can save firms the time and expense of defending disqualification motions, says Hope Comisky at Griesing Law.

• Insurers May Be Estopped From Relitigating Pandemic Issues

  

  The doctrine of offensive collateral estoppel may support policyholders in pandemic-related litigation against insurers that have already lost lawsuits concerning similar issues, says Micah Skidmore at Haynes and Boone.

• Opinion

  Florida Construction Defect Proposal Unfair To Homeowners

  

  Proposed changes to Florida’s Chapter 558 notice process would require homeowners alleging construction defects to clear costly hurdles and sign perjury penalty acknowledgements, which would favor builders by discouraging suits seeking recovery, say Nick Vargo and Greg Demers at Ball Janik.

• 3 Cybersecurity Questions To Ask Before A Remote Mediation

  

  Lawyers preparing to mediate or arbitrate a case through videoconference should take steps to ensure they and their alternative dispute resolution providers are employing reasonable security precautions to protect digital client data and conform to confidentiality obligations, say F. Keith Brown and Michael Koss at ADR Systems.

• A Uniform Mediation Act Primer As States Continue Adoption

  

  With Georgia expected to soon become the 13th jurisdiction to adopt the Uniform Mediation Act and with more states likely to follow suit amid widespread trial delays, practitioners should familiarize themselves with the act's conflict disclosure requirements and the boundaries of its confidentiality provisions, says Richard Mason at MasonADR.

• Safeguarding Privileged Communications In A Remote World

  

  With the pandemic ushering in remote collaboration tools, counsel must revisit fundamentals of the attorney-client privilege and the work-product doctrine, study cases involving email and other recent technologies, and follow 10 best practices to protect confidentiality, say attorneys at DLA Piper.