Expert Analysis

• Don't Forget Alumni Engagement When Merging Law Firms

  

  Neglecting law firm alumni programs after a merger can sever the deep connections attorneys have with their former firms, but by combining good data management and creating new opportunities to reconnect, firms can make every member in their expanded network of colleagues feel valued, say Clare Roath and Erin Warner at Troutman Pepper.

• Opinion

  Student Visas Should Allow Int'l Athletes' NIL Opportunities

  

  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security should heed a recent request by U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, Democrats from Connecticut, for changes to visa regulations that would allow foreign student athletes to take full advantage of name, image and likeness opportunities without jeopardizing their immigration status, say Gabriel Castro and Tiffany Derentz at Berry Appleman.

• Without Stronger Due Diligence, Attys Risk AML Regulation

  

  Amid increasing pressure to mitigate money laundering and terrorism financing risks in gatekeeper professions, the legal industry will need to clarify and strengthen existing client due diligence measures — or risk the federal regulation attorneys have long sought to avoid, says Jeremy Glicksman at the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office.

• Every Lawyer Can Act To Prevent Peer Suicide

  

  Members of the legal industry can help prevent suicide among their colleagues, and better protect their own mental health, by learning the predictors and symptoms of depression among attorneys and knowing when and how to get practical aid to peers in crisis, says Joan Bibelhausen at Minnesota Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers.

• Building On Successful Judicial Assignment Reform In Texas

  

  Prompt action by the Judicial Conference could curtail judge shopping and improve the efficiency and procedural fairness of the federal courts by implementing random districtwide assignment of cases, which has recently proven successful in Texas patent litigation, says Dabney Carr at Troutman Pepper.

• Opinion

  Now Is The Time For Independent Industry Self-Regulation

  

  The high level of trust in business, coupled with the current political and legal landscape, provides an opportunity for companies to play a meaningful role in finding solutions to public policy issues through the exploration of independent industry self-regulation models, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.

• AmEx Ruling Proves A Double-Edged Sword In Labor Antitrust

  

  Though the U.S. Supreme Court's 2018 decision in Ohio v. American Express was a defense victory, both the plaintiff and defense bars have learned to use the case's holdings to their advantage, with particularly uncertain implications for labor antitrust cases, say Lauren Weinstein and Robert Chen at MoloLamken.

• Do Videoconferences Establish Jurisdiction With Defendants?

  

  What it means to have minimum contacts in a foreign jurisdiction is changing as people become more accustomed to meeting via video, and defendants’ participation in videoconferencing may be used as a sword or a shield in courts’ personal jurisdiction analysis, says Patrick Hickey at Moye White.

• Opinion

  Humanism Should Replace Formalism In The Courts

  

  The worrying tendency for judges to say "it's just the law talking, not me" in American decision writing has coincided with an historic decline in respect for the courts, but this trend can be reversed if courts develop understandable legal standards and justify them in human terms, says Connecticut Superior Court Judge Thomas Moukawsher.

• Don't Let Client Demands Erode Law Firm Autonomy

  

  As clients increasingly impose requirements for attorney hiring and retention related to diversity and secondment, law firms must remember their ethical duties, as well as broader issues of lawyer development, culture and firm integrity, to maintain their independence while meaningfully responding to social changes, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.

• Opinion

  Federal Judge's Amici Invitation Is A Good Idea, With Caveats

  

  An Arkansas federal judge’s recent order — inviting amicus briefs in every civil case before him — has merit, but its implementation may raise practical questions about the role of junior attorneys, economic considerations and other issues, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation.

• 5 Pointers For Game Cos. Facing Calif. Kids Privacy Law

  

  The recently enacted California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act will have far-reaching implications for video game companies, and organizations will need to take steps accordingly to protect children’s privacy — from allocating compliance to implementing age assurance mechanisms, say Emma Smizer and Rick Borden at Frankfurt Kurnit.

• Recent Rulings Affirm Tribal Sovereign Immunity And Joinder

  

  Two recent rulings from the Ninth Circuit and one from the Western District of Washington attest to the strength of tribal sovereign immunity — even in cases where there is no named tribal party — and strongly suggest that tribes themselves are best positioned to represent their own interests, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

• Fox Ex-Producer Case Is A Lesson In Joint Representation

  

  A former Fox News producer's allegations that the network's lawyers pressured her to give misleading testimony in Fox's defamation battle with Dominion Voting Systems should remind lawyers representing a nonparty witness that the rules of joint representation apply, says Jared Marx at HWG.

• Beware The Rocket Ship: How SEC Is Scrutinizing Emoji Use

  

  Recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission cases illustrate how emojis may be weaponized to allege the existence of a security in litigation — the rocket ship emoji has received particular attention — and offer helpful insight into how the agency may use emojis as evidence of a statement, act or intent going forward, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.