Expert Analysis

• Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: January Lessons

  

  In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses five rulings from October and November, and identifies practice tips from cases involving consumer fraud, oil and gas leases, toxic torts, and wage and hour issues.

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  Judges On AI: How Judicial Use Informs Guardrails

  

  U.S. Magistrate Judge Maritza Dominguez Braswell at the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado discusses why having a sense of how generative AI tools behave, where they add value, where they introduce risk and how they are reshaping the practice of law is key for today's judges.

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  Adapting To Private Practice: 5 Tips From Ex-SEC Unit Chief

  

  My move to private practice has reaffirmed my belief in the value of adaptability, collaboration and strategic thinking — qualities that are essential not only for successful client outcomes, but also for sustained professional satisfaction, says Dabney O’Riordan at Fried Frank.

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  Law School's Missed Lessons: How To Start A Law Firm

  

  Launching and sustaining a law firm requires skills most law schools don't teach, but every lawyer should understand a few core principles that can make the leap calculated rather than reckless, says Sam Katz at Athlaw.

• Key False Claims Act Trends From The Last Year

  

  The False Claims Act remains a powerful enforcement tool after some record verdicts and settlements in 2025, and while traditional fraud areas remain a priority, new initiatives are raising questions about its expanding application, says Veronica Nannis at Joseph Greenwald.

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  Hosting Exchange Students Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Opening my home to foreign exchange students makes me a better lawyer not just because prioritizing visiting high schoolers forces me to hone my organization and time management skills but also because sharing the study-abroad experience with newcomers and locals reconnects me to my community, says Alison Lippa at Nicolaides Fink.

• FDA's 2025 Enforcement Scorecard Highlights Data Focus

  

  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's increased enforcement activity in 2025 was driven by artificial intelligence and a focus on foreign manufacturers, necessitating proactive compliance strategies for an environment that is increasingly reliant on data, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

• Utilizing AI In Agriculture Requires A Strong IP Strategy

  

  As agricultural technology companies race to deploy artificial intelligence solutions at scale, it's important to prioritize the importance of intellectual property strategy early on to avoid losing value in a fast-moving landscape, say attorneys at Sterne Kessler.

• How A 1947 Tugboat Ruling May Shape Work Product In AI Era

  

  Rapid advances in generative artificial intelligence test work-product principles first articulated in the U.S. Supreme Court’s nearly 80-year-old Hickman v. Taylor decision, as courts and ethics bodies confront whether disclosure of attorneys’ AI prompts and outputs would reveal their thought processes, say Larry Silver and Sasha Burton at Langsam Stevens.

• Navigating Privilege Law Patchwork In Dual-Purpose Comms

  

  Three years after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to resolve a circuit split in In re: Grand Jury, federal courts remain split as to when attorney-client privilege applies to dual-purpose legal and business communications, and understanding the fragmented landscape is essential for managing risks, say attorneys at Covington.

• 5 Advertising Law Trends That Will Shape 2026

  

  The legal landscape for advertisers will grow only more complex this year, with ongoing trends including a federal regulatory retreat, more aggressive action by the states, a focus on child privacy and expanded scrutiny of "natural" claims, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

• Cannabis Industry Faces An Inflection Point This Year

  

  Cannabis industry developments last year — from the passage of a new wholesale tax in Michigan, to an executive order accelerating the federal rescheduling process — presage a more mature phase of legalization this year, with hardening expectations and enforcement to come, says Alex Leonowicz at Howard & Howard.

• Insights From 2025's Flood Of Data Breach Litigation

  

  Several coherent patterns emerged from 2025's data breach litigation activity, suggesting that judges have grown skilled at distinguishing between companies that were genuinely victimized by sophisticated criminal actors despite reasonable precautions, and those whose security practices invited exploitation, says Frederick Livingston at McDonald Baas.

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  Fly-Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Much like skilled attorneys, the best anglers prize preparation, presentation and patience while respecting their adversaries — both human and trout, says Rob Braverman at Braverman Greenspun.

• Unpacking The DOJ Meatpacking Probe

  

  The recent U.S. Department of Justice meatpacking antitrust investigation is in line with the Trump administration's focus on crimes that affect U.S. consumers, and businesses in other agricultural sectors should be aware of the increased antitrust scrutiny currently aimed at the industry, say attorneys at Norton Rose.