Expert Analysis

• How AI Can Transform Crisis Management In Litigation

  

  Attorneys should understand how to use rapidly advancing artificial intelligence technology to help clients prepare for potential catastrophic events and the inevitable litigation arising from them, from predicting crises before they occur to testing legal theories once they arise, say Stratton Horres at Wilson Elser and David Steiger.

• What Experts, Attys Must Know About Psychological Injuries

  

  As the ongoing litigation between Kobe Bryant's widow and Los Angeles County illustrates, there are many forms of psychological injury that can have serious impacts — so mental health experts and attorneys must be precise when discussing these matters in court, says Prudence Gourguechon, a clinical psychiatrist and professional psychiatric expert witness.

• Supervisor Relationships Are Key To Beating Atty Burnout

  

  In order to combat record attorney turnover and high levels of burnout, law firm partners and leaders must build engaging relationships with supervisees, fostering autonomy and control, enabling expression of values, and building a sense of community and belonging, says Anne Brafford at the Institute for Well-Being in Law.

• Corporate Boards Need Not Fear 7th Circ. Boeing Decision

  

  The Seventh Circuit’s recent decision in Seafarers Pension Plan v. Bradway, over Boeing shareholders' rights to bring federal derivative suits over the 737 Max aircraft, may encourage creative Securities Exchange Act claims to avoid exclusive forum provisions, but boards of Delaware corporations still have tools to avoid duplicative litigation, say attorneys at Skadden.

• Rebuttal

  Trucking Cos. Need Stronger Insurance To Protect Public

  

  A recent Law360 guest article urged lawmakers to implement liability protections for the trucking industry, but raising outdated trucking insurance limits would better incentivize companies to keep unsafe drivers and vehicles out of their fleets to begin with, protecting the industry and motorists alike, says Tad Thomas at The Thomas Law Offices and the American Association for Justice.

• The Rising Demand For Commercial Litigators In 2022

  

  Amid broken supply chains, pandemic-induced bankruptcies and a rise in regulation by litigation, strong commercial litigators — strategists who are adept in trying a range of tortious and contractual disputes — are becoming a must-have for many law firms, making this year an opportune moment to make the career switch, say Michael Ascher and Kimberly Donlon at Major Lindsey.

• 6 Months On, Liability Lessons From Surfside Condo Collapse

  

  The collapse of the Champlain South Tower in Surfside, Florida, and the ongoing litigation that has followed serve as a wakeup call to engineers and contractors, who should review best practices for communicating warning signs and negotiating liability-limiting contract clauses, says Adrien Pickard at Shapiro Lifschitz.

• How In-House Counsel Can Make The Case For Settling Early

  

  Following the recent settlement in McDonald's v. Easterbrook, in-house counsel should consider decision-tree analyses and values-driven communications plans to secure effective, early resolutions in litigation, saving time and money and moving the company mission forward, say Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein and Richard Torrenzano at The Torrenzano Group.

• To Retain Talent, GCs Should Prioritize Mission Statements

  

  With greater legal demands and an increasing number of workers resigning during the pandemic, general counsel should take steps to articulate their teams' values in departmental mission statements, which will help them better prioritize corporate values and attract and retain talent, says Catherine Kemnitz at Axiom.

• Opinion

  Del. High Court Gets It Right With Opioid Nuisance Ruling

  

  In ACE v. Rite Aid, the Delaware Supreme Court has issued a groundbreaking insurance ruling that helps define the fundamental bargain at the heart of commercial insurance coverage and demonstrates why such coverage does not extend to public nuisance claims, says Adam Fleischer at BatesCarey.

• Pa. Jurisdiction Ruling Is Good News For Out-Of-State Cos.

  

  The Pennsylvania Supreme Court's recent landmark decision in Mallory v. Norfolk Southern, ending the practice of subjecting foreign corporations to general personal jurisdiction based on their registration to conduct business in the state, should significantly reduce lawsuits against out-of-state companies in Pennsylvania courts, says Benjamin Hartwell at Ward Greenberg.

• Opinion

  Trucking Industry Needs Protection From Huge Legal Verdicts

  

  Truckers and trucking companies are plagued by an exponential increase in accident litigation costs, with damages awards skyrocketing in recent years, so lawmakers should consider giving the trucking industry special liability protections similar to those enjoyed by Amtrak and emergency workers, says Harold Kim at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform.

• How State High Courts Are Ruling On Consent To Jurisdiction

  

  Recent state supreme court decisions from New York, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Georgia implicate whether a corporate defendant will be subject to suit for claims unconnected to a state merely for registering to do business there, and the tension between the Georgia Supreme Court's decision and settled precedent means the issue may be before the U.S. Supreme Court soon, say Jayne Risk and Neal Kronley at DLA Piper.

• Recent Bias Suits Against Law Firms And Lessons For 2022

  

  2021 employment discrimination case filings and developments show that law firms big and small are not immune from claims, and should serve as a reminder that the start of a new year is a good time to review and update salary, promotion and leave policies to mitigate litigation risks, says Hope Comisky at Griesing Law.

• Workers' Comp Considerations As Ga. Cannabis Laws Evolve

  

  With medical marijuana legislation in Georgia expected to implicate workers’ compensation claims, to address potential issues related to cannabis prescribed for work-related injuries, employers should implement zero-tolerance drug policies and strong screening methods, and keep apprised of the ever-changing policy and litigation landscapes, says Joanna Hair at Swift Currie.