Sports & Betting

Expert Analysis

• Opinion

  It's Time To Modernize Amateurism In College Sports

  

  Recent U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments in a case challenging the NCAA’s freedom from antitrust constraints — together with proposed federal legislation and U.S. Golf Association rules favorable to student-athletes — signal a coming, needed sea change in the definition of amateurism in college sports, says Geoffrey Lottenberg at Berger Singerman.

• What Associates Should Consider Before Switching Practices

  

  The current high demand for midlevel associates provides them a rare opportunity to potentially explore new practice areas, but associates should first ask themselves six questions to begin figuring out why a change sounds appealing, says Stephanie Biderman at Major Lindsey.

• 4 Effective Ways To Prioritize Client Advocacy

  

  To truly support a client going through a complicated lawsuit or a painful experience, lawyers must think beyond interpreting legal guidelines and navigating court proceedings, says attorney Scott Corwin.

• Remote Law Firm Culture Should Prioritize Associate Training

  

  Due to the pandemic, the gap between law school and the first day on the job has never been wider, but law firms can leverage training to bridge that intimidating gap and convey the unique value of their culture in a virtual environment, say Melissa Schwind at Ward and Smith, and William Kenney and Jaron Luttich at Element Standard.

• Virtual Litigation May Unravel The Narcissistic Lawyer

  

  The virtual courtroom limits a narcissistic lawyer's ability to intimidate witnesses and opposing counsel, boast to clients or engage in grandstanding — an unexpected benefit of the global pandemic as some aspects of remote litigation are likely here to stay, says Jennifer Gibbs at Zelle.

• ABA Remote Work Guide Raises Bar For Atty Tech Know-How

  

  A recent American Bar Association opinion on lawyers' ethical duties of competence and confidentiality when working remotely should be viewed as part of a larger movement by which attorneys are being exhorted to develop competence in 21st century technology, say Jennifer Goldsmith at Ironshore and Barry Temkin at Mound Cotton.

• Lateral Hire Conflict Screening Lessons From DLA Piper Case

  

  While a Texas federal court recently denied a motion to disqualify DLA Piper from representing Apple in a patent dispute after the law firm hired an attorney who formerly represented opponent Maxwell, the case is a reminder that robust conflict checks during lateral hiring can save firms the time and expense of defending disqualification motions, says Hope Comisky at Griesing Law.

• Key Enforcement Risks For SPAC Parties Amid SEC Scrutiny

  

  The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent attention to special purpose acquisition companies could beget a wave of enforcement inquiries scrutinizing parties involved at any SPAC transaction stage, from sponsors to operating companies, targets, underwriters and broker-dealers, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

• 3 Cybersecurity Questions To Ask Before A Remote Mediation

  

  Lawyers preparing to mediate or arbitrate a case through videoconference should take steps to ensure they and their alternative dispute resolution providers are employing reasonable security precautions to protect digital client data and conform to confidentiality obligations, say F. Keith Brown and Michael Koss at ADR Systems.

• What Cos. Need To Know Before Entering Nascent NFT Market

  

  In light of the ill-defined legal and regulatory landscape surrounding nonfungible tokens, companies considering an entrance into the fledgling market should carefully consider the implications with respect to trading, platform operations, consumer protection and portfolio management, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

• Decoding The Fine Print On Nonfungible Token Licenses

  

  As the nonfungible token industry grows, creators and rights holders need to understand the NFT marketplaces' terms of use and consider how NFTs will be handled under existing and new agreements, say attorneys at Skadden.

• A Uniform Mediation Act Primer As States Continue Adoption

  

  With Georgia expected to soon become the 13th jurisdiction to adopt the Uniform Mediation Act and with more states likely to follow suit amid widespread trial delays, practitioners should familiarize themselves with the act's conflict disclosure requirements and the boundaries of its confidentiality provisions, says Richard Mason at MasonADR.

• Safeguarding Privileged Communications In A Remote World

  

  With the pandemic ushering in remote collaboration tools, counsel must revisit fundamentals of the attorney-client privilege and the work-product doctrine, study cases involving email and other recent technologies, and follow 10 best practices to protect confidentiality, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

• Recent Rulings Reinforce DOJ's Global White Collar Reach

  

  Recent federal court decisions allowing minimum nexus to serve as a basis for U.S. prosecution of white collar crimes occurring mainly abroad will facilitate the U.S. Department of Justice's aggressive pursuit of foreign parties when the government believes that American victims or other national interests are at stake, say Kara Brockmeyer and Douglas Zolkind at Debevoise.

• 4 Areas Of Cyberattack Vulnerability For Law Firms

  

  Recent data breaches involving Goodwin and Jones Day show that cyberattacks are very real threats to the legal profession, especially in the era of remote work, so law firms should revisit common business practices that expose them to unnecessary risks, says Ara Aslanian at Inverselogic.