Expert Analysis

• NY Contractor Relief Bill Is Much-Needed, But Imperfect

  

  Once signed by the governor, New York's S.B. 10109 will correctly provide relief to construction contractors negatively affected by drastic material price escalations, though it is held back by an arbitrary time restriction, say attorneys at Cohen Seglias.

• 2nd Circ. Ruling Highlights ERISA Determination Deadlines

  

  As seen in the Second Circuit’s recent McQuillin v. Hartford decision, the deadlines for deciding Employee Retirement Income Security Act claims and appeals have teeth, and there are consequences when a plan administrator fails to comply, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Sherman.

• NYC Office Tower Ch. 11 Shines Light On Blocking Provisions

  

  PMW Management's Chapter 11 filing, which recently received extra time to submit a restructuring plan, highlights courts' increasing skepticism of bankruptcy blocking provisions and favoritism toward leaving bankruptcy restructuring plans in the hands of the debtor, say Jeff Marwil and Ashley Weringa at Proskauer.

• Recent Trade Secret Cases Show Sentencing Disparities

  

  Sentencing disparities in U.S. trade secret cases have surfaced in recent years, and legal practitioners should know that courts have found that the intended loss does not necessarily equal the cost of development of stolen trade secrets or the defendant's intended gain from misappropriation, says Steven Lee at Lewis Brisbois.

• Opinion

  NYC Pay Transparency Law May Fail To Close Wage Gap

  

  Peter Glennon at The Glennon Law Firm argues that New York City’s new pay transparency law, requiring employers to post salary information in job listings, creates a number of challenges for businesses, raising the question: Could encouraging the use of existing tools close the wage gap without the need for additional legislation?

• Advising A Cannabis Business Amid Patchwork Of Regs

  Excerpt from Practical Guidance

  

  As the cannabis industry continues to grow, so does its widely varied patchwork of local, state and federal regulation, and practitioners should familiarize themselves with the specific rules on tax, real estate, intellectual property and banking applicable in the jurisdictions where their clients operate, say Patrick Hines and Fallon Martin at Hodgson Russ.

• 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.

• Sears Bankruptcy Case Shows Modification Disclosure Is Key

  

  The recent New York federal court decision in Transform Holdco v. Sears Holdings highlights the importance of seeking approval of any material modifications to a purchase agreement in a bankruptcy, as historical setting can be a factor if any dispute arises later between a debtor and a buyer, say Frank Grese and Reginald Sainvil at Baker McKenzie.

• 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.

• 2 Years Since Liu, Disgorgement Case Law Is Favoring SEC

  

  In the two years since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Liu v. the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, circuit courts have weighed in to answer the decision's open questions, and recent cases suggest that courts are unwilling to disrupt disgorgement orders, even where the awards would not survive Liu scrutiny, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

• How High Court May Tackle Fair Use In Warhol Case

  

  After disappointing the technology world last year by leaving questions of copyrightability unanswered in Google v. Oracle, the U.S. Supreme Court appears primed to extend the fair use doctrine in the pending Warhol Foundation v. Goldsmith case and clarify where to draw the line between transformative use and derivative works, say Benjamin Stern and Anuj Khetarpal at Nutter.

• Labor Law Lessons In Amazon's NY COVID Suit Win

  

  A New York state court’s recent decision in James v. Amazon, dismissing allegations the company illegally retaliated against workers who raised concerns about COVID-19 safety policies, offers important reminders about federal labor law preemption and scope, says Hannah Redmond at Bond Schoeneck.

• 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.