Expert Analysis

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  The Biz Court Digest: Dispatches From Utah's Newest Court

  

  While a robust body of law hasn't yet developed since the Utah Business and Chancery Court's founding in October 2024, the number of cases filed there has recently picked up, and its existence illustrates Utah's desire to be top of mind for businesses across the country, says Evan Strassberg at Michael Best.

• Viewing The Merger Landscape Through An HPE-Juniper Lens

  

  If considerations beyond antitrust law were taken into account to determine whether Section 7 of the Clayton Act was violated in the Hewlett Packard Enterprise-Juniper Networks deal, then legal practitioners advocating deal clearance may now have to argue that deals should be justified by considerations not set forth in the merger guidelines, says Matthew Cantor of Shinder Cantor.

• 4 Quick Emotional Resets For Lawyers With Conflict Fatigue

  

  Though the emotional wear and tear of legal work can trap attorneys in conflict fatigue — leaving them unable to shake off tense interactions or return to a calm baseline — simple therapeutic techniques for resetting the nervous system can help break the cycle, says Chantel Cohen at CWC Coaching & Therapy.

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  Playing Tennis Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  An instinct to turn pain into purpose meant frequent trips to the tennis court, where learning to move ahead one point at a time was a lesson that also applied to the steep learning curve of patent prosecution law, says Daniel Henry at Marshall Gerstein.

• NY Securities Class Action Ruling Holds Rare Timing Insights

  

  A New York federal court's recent decision in Leone v. ASP Isotopes adopted the unusual posture of simultaneously denying a motion to dismiss and certifying claims to proceed as a class action, and its unique scheduling carries certain procedural and substantive implications, say attorneys at Labaton Keller.

• And Now A Word From The Panel: MDL Year In Review

  

  2025 was a roller coaster for the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, with the panel canceling one hearing session due to the absence of new MDL petitions, yet also issuing rulings on more new MDL petitions than in 2024 — making it clear that MDLs are still thriving, says Alan Rothman at Sidley Austin.

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  Judges On AI: How Judicial Use Informs Guardrails

  

  U.S. Magistrate Judge Maritza Dominguez Braswell at the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado discusses why having a sense of how generative AI tools behave, where they add value, where they introduce risk and how they are reshaping the practice of law is key for today's judges.

• Lessons From EdTech Provider's Data Breach Settlements

  

  Education technology company Illuminate Education's recent settlements with three states and the Federal Trade Commission over state privacy law claims following a student data breach are some of the first of their kind, suggesting a shift in enforcement focus to how companies handle student data and highlighting the potential for coordinated enforcement actions, say attorneys at Wilson Sonsini.

• Cybersecurity Must Remain Financial Sector's Focus In 2026

  

  In 2026, financial institutions face a wave of more prescriptive cybersecurity legal requirements demanding clearer governance, faster incident reporting, and stronger oversight of third-party and AI-driven risks, making it crucial to understand these issues before they materialize into crises, say attorneys at Sidley.

• How 2025 Recalibrated Fair Use For The AI Era

  

  Although the Second Circuit's decision last year in Romanova v. Amilus Inc. did not involve artificial intelligence, its formulation of relevant fair use factors provides a useful guide for lower courts examining AI cases in 2026, demanding close attention from legal practitioners on both sides of these disputes, say attorneys at Cleary.

• 2026 Int'l Arbitration Trends: Next Steps In Age Of AI, Crypto

  

  Parties' use of artificial intelligence and blockchain technologies will continue in 2026, and international arbitrators will be called upon to evolve by building expertise in blockchain functionality, cryptography and decentralized finance protocols, and understanding the power and limitations of large language models, say attorneys at Cleary.

• Presidential Pardon Brokering Can Create Risks For Attys

  

  The emergence of an apparent “pardon shopping” marketplace, in which attorneys treat presidential pardons as a market product, may invite investigative scrutiny of counsel and potential criminal charges grounded in bribery, wire fraud and other statutes, says David Klasing at The Tax Law Offices of David W. Klasing.

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  Adapting To Private Practice: 5 Tips From Ex-SEC Unit Chief

  

  My move to private practice has reaffirmed my belief in the value of adaptability, collaboration and strategic thinking — qualities that are essential not only for successful client outcomes, but also for sustained professional satisfaction, says Dabney O’Riordan at Fried Frank.

• Prisoners' Access To Health Info Should Have No Bars

  

  To safeguard against unnecessary deaths in custody, courts and policymakers should clarify that incarcerated individuals’ constitutional right to medical care also includes access to sufficient information about their medical conditions, lifting current restrictions that can lead to crucial information being withheld, says Jaehyun Oh at Jacob Fuchsberg Law.

• Navigating The New Wave Of Voluntary Benefit ERISA Suits

  

  Four recent complaints claiming that employees pay unreasonable premiums for voluntary benefit programs contribute to a trend in Employee Retirement Income Security Act class actions targeting employers and benefits consultants over such programs, increasing scrutiny of how the programs are selected, priced and administered, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.