Expert Analysis

• And Now A Word From The Panel: 2021 MDLs In Review

  

  The most notable trend in multidistrict litigation in 2021 was a 25% decrease in the number of new petitions for MDL proceedings — but a deeper dive into the numbers suggests that, on the whole, MDLs are thriving, and continuing to have a major impact, says Alan Rothman at Sidley.

• How AI Can Transform Crisis Management In Litigation

  

  Attorneys should understand how to use rapidly advancing artificial intelligence technology to help clients prepare for potential catastrophic events and the inevitable litigation arising from them, from predicting crises before they occur to testing legal theories once they arise, say Stratton Horres at Wilson Elser and David Steiger.

• Supervisor Relationships Are Key To Beating Atty Burnout

  

  In order to combat record attorney turnover and high levels of burnout, law firm partners and leaders must build engaging relationships with supervisees, fostering autonomy and control, enabling expression of values, and building a sense of community and belonging, says Anne Brafford at the Institute for Well-Being in Law.

• Make-Whole Claim Lessons From Hertz Bankruptcy Ruling

  

  After the Delaware bankruptcy court's recent decision in Wells Fargo v. Hertz, courts may continue to hear the assertion that early payoff premiums constitute unmatured interest, which could shape best practices in formulating make-whole clauses to avoid such arguments, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

• The Rising Demand For Commercial Litigators In 2022

  

  Amid broken supply chains, pandemic-induced bankruptcies and a rise in regulation by litigation, strong commercial litigators — strategists who are adept in trying a range of tortious and contractual disputes — are becoming a must-have for many law firms, making this year an opportune moment to make the career switch, say Michael Ascher and Kimberly Donlon at Major Lindsey.

• 6 Months On, Liability Lessons From Surfside Condo Collapse

  

  The collapse of the Champlain South Tower in Surfside, Florida, and the ongoing litigation that has followed serve as a wakeup call to engineers and contractors, who should review best practices for communicating warning signs and negotiating liability-limiting contract clauses, says Adrien Pickard at Shapiro Lifschitz.

• How In-House Counsel Can Make The Case For Settling Early

  

  Following the recent settlement in McDonald's v. Easterbrook, in-house counsel should consider decision-tree analyses and values-driven communications plans to secure effective, early resolutions in litigation, saving time and money and moving the company mission forward, say Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein and Richard Torrenzano at The Torrenzano Group.

• To Retain Talent, GCs Should Prioritize Mission Statements

  

  With greater legal demands and an increasing number of workers resigning during the pandemic, general counsel should take steps to articulate their teams' values in departmental mission statements, which will help them better prioritize corporate values and attract and retain talent, says Catherine Kemnitz at Axiom.

• How State High Courts Are Ruling On Consent To Jurisdiction

  

  Recent state supreme court decisions from New York, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Georgia implicate whether a corporate defendant will be subject to suit for claims unconnected to a state merely for registering to do business there, and the tension between the Georgia Supreme Court's decision and settled precedent means the issue may be before the U.S. Supreme Court soon, say Jayne Risk and Neal Kronley at DLA Piper.

• 5 Privacy Law Predictions For 2022

  

  To prepare for increased state, federal and international privacy regulation and enforcement this year, companies should focus on sufficient data security measures, fair and transparent use of artificial intelligence and biometrics, and integration of new contractual clauses into cross-border data transfer agreements, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

• Recent Bias Suits Against Law Firms And Lessons For 2022

  

  2021 employment discrimination case filings and developments show that law firms big and small are not immune from claims, and should serve as a reminder that the start of a new year is a good time to review and update salary, promotion and leave policies to mitigate litigation risks, says Hope Comisky at Griesing Law.

• Opinion

  After NetChoice Ruling, Duty Of Care Is Best Section 230 Fix

  

  A Texas federal court's recent ruling in NetChoice v. Paxton, halting enforcement of the state's new social media law, illustrates why restoring a duty of care is likely the only constitutional way to adequately reform the overly broad online liability protection provided by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, says Neil Fried at DigitalFrontiers Advocacy.

• Associate Hiring Outlook At Law Firms Is Bright For 2022

  

  After a year of extraordinary signing bonuses, nearly instantaneous offers and flexible work arrangements, strong demand for talented law firm associates will continue into 2022 — with some differences between East and West Coast markets — and junior attorneys should take steps to capitalize on the opportunity, say Ru Bhatt and Summer Eberhard at Major Lindsey.

• Roundup

  The Most-Read Legal Industry Guest Articles Of 2021

  

  Popular legal industry guest articles this year included commentary on the admissibility of video depositions, an unusual U.S. Supreme Court citation, the perils of lawyer perfectionism, and more.

• Opinion

  Fla. Construction Defect Bill Would Hurt Consumer Interests

  

  Florida legislation seeking to amend the state's construction defect laws would weaken consumer protections, increase litigation costs and negatively affect alternate dispute resolution, and should be vigorously opposed by anyone who supports consumer rights for homeowners, homeowners associations and condominiums, says Patrick Howell at Becker.