Expert Analysis

• Series

  Cow Horse Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Moving an unwilling 800-pound cow while riding a horse at high speed is exhilarating, a little unhinged and, at least for me, a surprisingly effective training ground for litigation — both demand focus, preparation over rigid planning and the willingness to act despite fear, says Ashley Zitrin at Glenn Agre.

• PowerSchool Data Breach Ruling Underscores PE Liability

  

  The recent California federal court decision in PowerSchool, where Bain Capital was unable to dismiss claims relating to a data breach based in part on Bain's preinvestment activities, is an important addition to the line of cases addressing investor liability for acts of a portfolio company, says Mark Kelley at MoloLamken.

• A Look At The Court's Next Steps In Live Nation Antitrust Case

  

  Following a recent jury verdict that Live Nation and Ticketmaster operated as a monopoly to fix ticket prices, a New York federal court stands to weigh Live Nation's bid for a new trial, approve the U.S. Department of Justice's March settlement with the defendants, and impose remedies that include full structural separation, say attorneys at Crowell.

• Checking For AI Errors Is Now A Two-Way Street

  

  A handful of recent federal and state cases demonstrate the importance of checking for errors generated by artificial intelligence not only in your own court submissions, but also your opponent's, as well as when catching opposing counsel's AI mistakes could result in an award for attorney fees, says Tamara Barago at Hollingsworth.

• Series

  The Biz Court Digest: Shoring Up Corporate Law In Maryland

  

  Launched more than 20 years ago to improve complex corporate adjudication, Maryland's Business and Technology Case Management Program has been a solid success in some areas, but there always is room for improvement, says Bill Krulak at Miles & Stockbridge.

• Del. Chancery Has Signaled Decreased Use Of Its Blue Pencil

  

  The Delaware Chancery Court's decision in BluSky Restoration Contractors v. Robbins not to enforce or rewrite overbroad language, known as blue-penciling, in key covenants shows that the sale of a business context no longer insulates these restrictive measures from judicial scrutiny, affecting transactions and litigation, says Aylin Daldal at Kleinbard.

• Series

  Competing At Poker Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Playing poker in male-dominated rooms taught me to treat skepticism as background noise when my opponents seem to underestimate me, to apply pressure when it matters and to adapt without losing strategic discipline — skills that are all indispensable in restructuring and insolvency matters, says Alexis Gambale at Pashman Stein.

• 5 Things Associates Must Ask About Their Firm's Merger Plan

  

  The associates who navigate law firm mergers best ask the right questions early, such as inquiring about partners' plans, to assess how the merger could affect their workflow and career path, says Jackie Bokser-LeFebvre at Major Lindsey.

• 2 'Rocket Dockets' And The Rules That Propel Them

  

  The fastest civil trial courts in the country are currently in the Eastern District of Virginia and the Southern District of Florida, and their chief judges provide insights into the court rules that keep them ahead, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

• Your Next Litigation Hold Should Cover AI Chat Logs

  

  The Delaware Chancery Court’s recent decision in Fortis Advisors v. Krafton to treat a CEO’s artificial intelligence chats as substantive evidence is being read as a discovery warning to litigators, but there is a second duty-to-preserve lesson that is especially pertinent to in-house counsel, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

• EU Merger Overhaul Gives New Weight To Deal Efficiencies

  

  The European Commission’s recently published draft merger guidelines mark a recalibration rather than a revolution, yet by elevating efficiencies to a central pillar of assessment they signal a deliberate pivot to innovation and investment, say lawyers at Slaughter and May.

• Series

  Studying Foreign Languages Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Studying Italian and Japanese has shown me that learning a new language can benefit a legal career in several ways, including by demonstrating the importance of approaching problems from a fresh perspective and the value of practicing patience with colleagues and clients, says Anna King at Genworth Financial.

• NCUA Proposal Could Streamline Credit-Union-Bank Mergers

  

  While the National Credit Union Administration's recently proposed merger overhaul may reduce procedural barriers to combinations involving banks and credit unions and signals a willingness to revisit long-settled regulations, parties should still ensure careful planning and regulator engagement throughout complex transactions, say attorneys at Fox Rothschild.

• AI Due Diligence Is Key For Healthcare M&A

  

  As usage of artificial intelligence in healthcare continues to rise, the due diligence landscape for healthcare mergers and acquisitions demands attention to risks that frameworks from even just a few years ago were not designed to catch, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

• Looking Beyond Calif. Climate Laws As NY Bills Advance

  

  California's climate disclosure legislation has made emissions and risk reporting a practical reality — and now that New York is working on its own climate disclosure bills, companies must confront a future in which compliance systems will need to be ready for multiple states' reporting regimes, says Thierry Montoya at FBT Gibbons.