Expert Analysis

• 5th Circ. Ruling Leaves Open Questions On FCPA Liability

  

  In its recent revival of Foreign Corrupt Practice Act charges against two defendants in U.S. v. Rafoi, the Fifth Circuit avoided ruling on key issues addressed last year in a long-running Second Circuit case, thus creating open questions on secondary theories of FCPA liability, say attorneys at Debevoise.

• Practical Skills Young Attorneys Must Master To Be Happier

  

  For young lawyers, finding happiness on the job — with its competitive nature and high expectations for billable hours — is complicated, but three skills can help them gain confidence, reduce stress and demonstrate their professional value in ways they never imagined, says career counselor Susan Smith Blakely.

• US Case May Open New Venue For Investor-State Disputes

  

  A U.S. investor's novel arguments in a recently filed federal case against the government of Curaçao and St. Maarten, in which she argues that a 1957 treaty between the U.S. and The Netherlands provides jurisdiction, could open up new avenues for plaintiffs to sue foreign governments for alleged breaches of international law, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

• ABA Opinion Should Help Clarify Which Ethics Rules Apply

  

  A recent American Bar Association opinion provides key guidance on interpreting ABA Model Rule 8.5's notoriously complex choice-of-law analysis — and should help lawyers authorized to practice in multiple jurisdictions determine which jurisdiction's ethics rules govern their conduct, say attorneys at HWG.

• 4 Ways To Reboot Your Firm's Stalled Diversity Program

  

  Law firms that have failed to see real progress despite years of diversity initiatives can move forward by committing to tackle four often-taboo obstacles that hinder diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, says Steph Maher at Jaffe.

• DOJ's Google Sanctions Motion Shows Risks Of Auto-Deletion

  

  The U.S. Department of Justice recently hit Google with a sanctions motion over its alleged failure to preserve relevant instant-messaging communications, a predicament that should be a wake-up call for counsel concerning the danger associated with automatic-deletion features and how it's been handled by the courts, say Oscar Shine and Emma Ashe at Selendy Gay.

• Sanctions Enforcement Around The G-7: View From The US

  

  The recent creation of the G-7 Enforcement Coordination Mechanism, to be chaired by the U.S. in its first year, signals that companies should prepare for increased enforcement of Russia sanctions and better coordination of such efforts among member nations, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

• What To Expect From A Litigation Finance Industry Recession

  

  There's little data on how litigation finance would fare in a recession, but a look at stakeholders' incentives suggests corporate demand for litigation finance would increase in a recessionary environment, while the number of funders could shrink, says Matthew Oxman at LexShares.

• Combating Russia's Evolving Sanctions Evasion Efforts

  

  As the war in Ukraine enters its second year, Russia and its oligarch class will continue their attempts to elude sanctions, and regulators from the U.S. and allied nations will keep searching for ways to beat them back, say Ian Herbert at Miller & Chevalier and Brad Dragoon at Charles River.

• EU Investors May Find Remedy In Foreign Antisuit Injunctions

  

  In a duo of recent cases, a D.C. federal court called antisuit injunctions "strong medicine" against Spain's attempt to deprive the court of its jurisdiction, and may have prescribed just what the doctor ordered for European Union investors seeking to enforce intra-EU claims, say Gregory Williams and Tatiana Sainati at Wiley.

• Volatile Energy Prices Complicate Int'l Arbitration Damages

  

  In the turbulent global energy market, international arbitration is a crucial tool for resolving cross-border disputes — but determining how, if at all, to account for recent energy price spikes when quantifying damages presents many challenges for tribunals, say attorneys at White & Case.

• Justices Leave Questions Open On Dual-Purpose Atty Advice

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court's recent dismissal of In re: Grand Jury on grounds that certiorari was improvidently granted leaves unresolved a circuit split over the proper test for deciding when attorney-client privilege protects a lawyer's advice that has multiple purposes, say Susan Combs and Richard Kiely at Holland & Hart.

• New US Controls May Deter Outside Support For Russia

  

  On the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. published a tranche of new rules that further complicate the sanctions and export control landscape, in part by adding non-Russian parties that help Russia evade sanctions, and Iranian exports of foreign-produced items made with U.S. technology, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

• Steps Lawyers Can Take Following Involuntary Terminations

  

  Though lawyers can struggle to recover from involuntary terminations, it's critical that they be able to step back, review any feedback given and look for opportunities for growth, say Jessica Hernandez at JLH Coaching & Consulting and Albert Tawil at Lateral Hub.

• High Court Ax Of Atty-Client Privilege Case Deepens Split

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court's recent dismissal of In re: Grand Jury as improvidently granted maintains a three-way circuit split on the application of attorney-client privilege to multipurpose communications, although the justices have at least shown a desire to address it, say Trey Bourn and Thomas DiStanislao at Butler Snow.