Expert Analysis

• Identifying And Resolving Conflicts Among Class Members

  

  As the Fifth Circuit's recent decision in Nova Scotia Health Employees' Pension Plan v. McDermott International illustrates, intraclass conflicts can determine the fate of a class action — and such conflicts can be surprisingly difficult to identify, says Andrew Faisman, a clerk at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

• Adapting To A Plaintiff-Side Mindset For Patent Monetization

  

  A recent decrease in risk for patent owners at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, combined with increased corporate interest in monetizing patent assets, creates an attractive case for evaluating patents from a plaintiff-side mindset, but in-house counsel transitioning from a defense-side mindset to a plaintiff-side mindset should study certain considerations, says Kate Tellez at Steptoe.

• AI Evidence Rule Tweaks Encourage Judicial Guardrails

  

  Recent additions to a committee note on proposed Rule of Evidence 707 — governing evidence generated by artificial intelligence — seek to mitigate potential dangers that may arise once machine outputs are introduced at trial, encouraging judges to perform critical gatekeeping functions, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

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  The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Getting The Message Across

  

  Communications and brand strategy during a law firm merger represent a crucial thread that runs through every stage of a combination and should include clear messaging, leverage modern marketing tools and embrace the chance to evolve, says Ashley Horne at Womble Bond.

• Opinion

  Horizontal Stare Decisis Should Not Be Casually Discarded

  

  Eliminating the so-called law of the circuit doctrine — as recently proposed by a Fifth Circuit judge, echoing Justice Neil Gorsuch’s concurrence in Loper Bright — would undermine public confidence in the judiciary’s independence and create costly uncertainty for litigants, says Lawrence Bluestone at Genova Burns.

• 10 Commandments For Agentic AI Tools In The Legal Industry

  

  Though agentic artificial intelligence has demonstrated significant promise for optimizing legal work, it presents numerous risks, so specific ethical obligations should be built into the knowledge base of every agentic AI tool used in the legal industry, says Steven Cordero at Akerman LLP.

• Fed. Circ. In Oct.: Spotlight On Wording Beyond Patent Claims

  

  The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Barrette Outdoor Living v. Fortress Iron provides useful guidance on how patent prosecutors should avoid language that triggers specification disclaimer and prosecution disclaimer, doctrines that may be used to narrow the scope of patent infringement claims, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

• New Drug Ad Regs Could Lead To A Less Informed Public

  

  A federal push to mandate full safety warnings in pharmaceutical advertising could make drug ads less appealing for companies to air, which in turn could negatively affect consumers' health decisions by removing an accessible information source, say Punam Keller at Dartmouth College and Ceren Canal Aruoba at Berkeley Research Group.

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  Preaching Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Becoming a Gospel preacher has enhanced my success as a trial lawyer by teaching me the importance of credibility, relatability, persuasiveness and thorough preparation for my congregants, the same skills needed with judges and juries in the courtroom, says Reginald Harris at Stinson.

• A Look At Middlemen Fees In 340B Drug Discount Program

  

  A U.S. Senate committee's recent hearing on the Section 340B drug discount program, along with statistical analysis of payment amounts, contribute to a growing consensus that middlemen fees are too high, say William Sarraille at the University of Maryland, and Shanyue Zeng and Rory Martin at IQVIA.

• How Large Patent Damages Awards Actually Play Out

  

  Most large verdicts in patent infringement cases are often overturned or reduced on appeal, implying that the Federal Circuit is serving its intended purpose of correcting outlier outcomes, and that the figures that catch headlines and dominate policy debates may misrepresent economic realities, says Bowman Heiden at Berkeley School of Law.

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  Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Client-Led Litigation

  

  New litigators can better help their corporate clients achieve their overall objectives when they move beyond simply fighting for legal victory to a client-led approach that resolves the legal dispute while balancing the company's competing out-of-court priorities, says Chelsea Ireland at Cohen Ziffer.

• Navigating 2025's Post-Grant Proceeding Shakeups

  

  Extensive changes to the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board's post-grant proceedings this year, including the new settled expectations factor and revitalization of Fintiv factors, require petitioners and patent owners alike to be mindful when selecting patents to assert and challenge, say attorneys at Quinn Emanuel.

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  The Law Firm Merger Diaries: How To Build On Cultural Fit

  

  Law firm mergers should start with people, then move to strategy: A two-level screening that puts finding a cultural fit at the pinnacle of the process can unearth shared values that are instrumental to deciding to move forward with a combination, says Matthew Madsen at Harrison.

• Latisse Ruling's Lessons On Avoiding Chemical Patent Pitfalls

  

  The Federal Circuit's decision in Duke v. Sandoz, reversing a $39 million infringement claim for selling a generic Latisse product, reinforces a fundamental truth in chemical patent strategy: Broad genus claims rarely survive without clear evidence of possession of specific embodiments, says Kimberly Vines at Stites & Harbison.