Expert Analysis

• Series

  Law School's Missed Lessons: How To Start A Law Firm

  

  Launching and sustaining a law firm requires skills most law schools don't teach, but every lawyer should understand a few core principles that can make the leap calculated rather than reckless, says Sam Katz at Athlaw.

• 5 Compliance Takeaways From FINRA's Oversight Report

  

  The priorities outlined in the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's recently released annual oversight report focus on the organization's core mission of protecting investors, with AI being the sole new topic area, but financial firms can expect further reforms aimed at efficiency and modernization, say attorneys at Armstrong Teasdale.

• Fed. Circ. Patent Decisions In 2025: An Empirical Review

  

  In 2025, the Federal Circuit's increased output was not enough to keep up with its ever-growing patent case load, and patent owners and applicants fared poorly overall as the court's affirmance rate fell, says Dan Bagatell at Perkins Coie.

• Key False Claims Act Trends From The Last Year

  

  The False Claims Act remains a powerful enforcement tool after some record verdicts and settlements in 2025, and while traditional fraud areas remain a priority, new initiatives are raising questions about its expanding application, says Veronica Nannis at Joseph Greenwald.

• How Payments Law Landscape Will Evolve In 2026

  

  After a year of change across the payments landscape, financial services providers should expect more innovation and the pushing of regulatory boundaries, but should stay mindful that state regulators and litigation will continue to challenge the status quo, say attorneys at Troutman.

• Opportunities Amid The Challenges Of Trump's BIS Shake-Up

  

  The Trump administration’s continuing overhaul of the Bureau of Industry and Security has created enormous practical challenges for export compliance, but it potentially also offers a once-in-a-generation opening to advocate for simplifying and rationalizing U.S. export controls, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

• Series

  Hosting Exchange Students Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Opening my home to foreign exchange students makes me a better lawyer not just because prioritizing visiting high schoolers forces me to hone my organization and time management skills but also because sharing the study-abroad experience with newcomers and locals reconnects me to my community, says Alison Lippa at Nicolaides Fink.

• Utilizing AI In Agriculture Requires A Strong IP Strategy

  

  As agricultural technology companies race to deploy artificial intelligence solutions at scale, it's important to prioritize the importance of intellectual property strategy early on to avoid losing value in a fast-moving landscape, say attorneys at Sterne Kessler.

• REMOVED: 4th Circ. Class Ruling Complicates Data Breaches For Biz

  

  Editor's note: This guest article has been removed at the author's request.

• How A 1947 Tugboat Ruling May Shape Work Product In AI Era

  

  Rapid advances in generative artificial intelligence test work-product principles first articulated in the U.S. Supreme Court’s nearly 80-year-old Hickman v. Taylor decision, as courts and ethics bodies confront whether disclosure of attorneys’ AI prompts and outputs would reveal their thought processes, say Larry Silver and Sasha Burton at Langsam Stevens.

• NJ Ruling Sheds Light On When 'Stub Rent' Must Be Paid

  

  A New Jersey bankruptcy court's recent decision in New Rite Aid affirms that landlords can have "stub rent" treated as an administrative expense and highlights critical considerations for debtors, including the importance of deciding when and where to file for bankruptcy, say attorneys at Cleary.

• Lessons From The Pokemon Patent Firestorm

  

  Public outcry against Nintendo being granted a patent over Pokémon gaming mechanics amid its ongoing patent infringement case against "Palworld" developer Pocket Pair, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's subsequent order to reexamine Nintendo's patent, highlight potential risks associated with drafting ambiguous, unnecessarily complex or overly aggressive claims, say attorneys at McNees Wallace.

• Navigating Privilege Law Patchwork In Dual-Purpose Comms

  

  Three years after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to resolve a circuit split in In re: Grand Jury, federal courts remain split as to when attorney-client privilege applies to dual-purpose legal and business communications, and understanding the fragmented landscape is essential for managing risks, say attorneys at Covington.

• AG Watch: Calif. Fills Federal Consumer Protection Void

  

  California's consumer protection efforts seem to be intensifying as federal oversight wanes, with Attorney General Rob Bonta recently taking actions related to buy now, pay later products, credit reporting and medical debt, consumer credit discrimination, and the use of artificial intelligence in consumer services, say attorneys at Cooley.

• AI-Driven Harassment Poses New Risks For Employers

  

  Two recent cases show that deepfakes and other artificial intelligence‑generated content are emerging as a powerful new mechanism for workplace harassment, and employers should take a proactive approach to reduce their liability as AI continues to reshape workplace dynamics, say attorneys at Littler.