Expert Analysis

• Opinion

  Now's The Time To Address Archaic Law School Curricula

  

  With law school enrollments jumping significantly ahead of a potential recession and more students graduating than the market can absorb, law schools should turn to creative solutions to teach students how to negotiate, work with clients, specialize and use technology to practice their craft more efficiently, says University of Colorado adjunct professor Jason Mendelson.

• Lessons From Lawyer Fee-Sharing Agreements Gone Wrong

  

  The recent fee-sharing dispute between Edelson and Girardi Keese is a reminder that lawyers who do not strictly follow the applicable rules may risk a disciplinary complaint, lose their share of the fee, or wind up in costly litigation with co-counsel, says David Grossbaum at Hinshaw.

• LeClairRyan Bankruptcy Highlights Pass-Through Tax Issue

  

  A Virginia bankruptcy court's recent ruling in the case of defunct law firm LeClairRyan shows there may be serious tax consequences for pass-through entity partners who give up their ownership interest without following operating agreement exit provisions and updating bankruptcy court filings, say Edward Schnitzer and Hannah Travaglini at Montgomery McCracken.

• 8 Steps To Creating A Legal Ops Technology Road Map

  

  Legal departments struggling to find and implement the right technologies for their operations should consider creating a road map that summarizes their approach to technology changes, provides clearly defined metrics for success, and serves as the single source of truth for stakeholders, says Melanie Shafer at SimpleLegal.

• The Importance Of Data And Data Analysis In Litigation

  

  Understanding, analyzing and effectively presenting large data sets is an increasingly important skill in litigation as it allows plaintiffs to dramatically scale up the scope of cases and is often critical to defeating motions to dismiss and motions for summary judgment, says David Burnett at Motley Rice.

• Steps Companies Can Take To Mitigate Privilege Labeling Risk

  

  Although Google prevailed on a recent privilege labeling sanctions motion, an important takeaway from the decision is that companies should assess their in-house procedures and employee training programs regarding privileged communications to mitigate risks of the potential appearance of bad faith privilege claims, say Gareth Evans at Redgrave and e-discovery attorney James Hertsch.

• Perspectives

  Nonprofit Ruling Is An Important Step For Nonlawyer Practice

  

  A New York federal judge’s recent ruling that will allow nonprofit Upsolve to give legal advice to low-income debtors without a license is a positive development for nonlawyer practice, but presents questions about how to ensure similar programs can exist without fighting dodgy constitutional battles, says Ronald Minkoff at Frankfurt Kurnit.

• What Litigation Funding Disclosure In Delaware May Look Like

  

  A standing order issued by Delaware's chief federal judge requiring litigants to disclose whether their cases or defenses are being financed by third parties is unlikely to have onerous effects but may raise questions regarding potential conflicts of interest and access to justice, say Cayse Llorens and Matthew Oxman at LexShares.

• How In-House Legal Leaders Can Drive Corporate Growth

  

  Today, more executives are seeking legal leaders who are strategic, adaptable thinkers, making it essential that in-house counsel get out of their comfort zone of legal advice and take several steps to contribute toward revenue growth and raise their profile, says Tim Parilla at LinkSquares.

• Opinion

  Calif. Bill On Protective Orders Threatens Privacy Norms

  

  California's Public Right to Know Act — seeking to make discovery in product and environmental cases presumptively public — would upend the current regime of court protective orders necessary for compliance with national and international privacy laws, and undermine U.S. efforts to reach a data transfer treaty with the EU, say Patrick Oot and Phil Goldberg at Shook Hardy.

• Attorneys Should Tread Carefully On Job Counteroffers

  

  Promises of more compensation to keep attorneys from leaving their jobs have become commonplace in today's hot job market, but lawyers should weigh their options carefully as accepting a counteroffer can negatively affect their reputation, says Leeron Molloy at VOYlegal.

• Series

  The Future Of Legal Ops: Time To Get Serious About Data

  

  Most corporate legal departments collect surface-level data around their operations, such as costs and time to resolution, but legal leaders should explore more in-depth data gathering to assess how effective an attorney was, how efficiently legal work was performed, and more, says Andy Krebs at Intel.

• Opinion

  ABA Isn't Giving Up On Diversity Efforts By Ending CLE Rule

  

  While some view the American Bar Association’s elimination of continuing legal education diversity requirements as capitulating to a Florida Supreme Court decision against the mandate, it was a strategic decision to serve Florida members while improving diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in other ways, says Tiffani Lee at Holland & Knight.

• Lateral Candidate Screening Steps To Prevent Bad Behavior

  

  Bullying and harassment are among the root causes of stress, anxiety and substance abuse in the legal profession, so law firms should take four actions to effectively screen lateral candidates and ensure they are not recruiting individuals who could jeopardize the well-being of their people, says Michael Ellenhorn at Decipher.

• A Look At The Legal Profession Since Murder Of George Floyd

  

  Little has changed for Black attorneys since law firms promised to combat discrimination within the profession following George Floyd's murder, but on this second anniversary of his death, law firms can recommit by adopting specific strategies that set their Black lawyers up for success, say Lisa Davis and Khasim Lockhart at Frankfurt Kurnit.