Expert Analysis

• Series

  Adapting To Private Practice: From DOJ Enviro To Mid-Law

  

  Practitioners leaving a longtime government role for private practice — as when I departed the U.S. Department of Justice’s environmental enforcement division — should prioritize finding a firm that shares their principles, values their experience and will invest in their transition, says John Cruden at Beveridge & Diamond.

• A Look At Probabilistic Tracing After High Court's Slack Ruling

  

  Recent decisions following the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 ruling in Slack v. Pirani have increased the difficulty of pleading Securities Act claims for securities issued in direct listings by rejecting the use of statistical probabilities to establish that share purchases were traceable to a challenged registration statement, says Jonathan Richman at Brown Rudnick.

• 3 Change Management Tools To Boost Compliance Efforts

  

  As companies grapple with rapidly changing regulations and expectations, leaders charged with implementing their organizations’ compliance programs should look to change management principles to make the process less costly and more effective, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

• Trump DOE's Plan On AI Offers Challenges, Opportunities

  

  The Trump administration's push to make federal land available for development of artificial intelligence data centers follows a similar Biden administration proposal — but a new request for information from the U.S. Department of Energy envisions a rapid timeline that may prove challenging for both the DOE and industry stakeholders, say attorneys at HWG.

• NY Tax Talk: Sourcing, Retroactivity, Information Services

  

  Attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland examine recent decisions by New York’s Tax Appeals Tribunal, Division of Taxation and Court of Appeals on location sourcing of broker-dealer receipts, a case of first impression on the retroactive application of Corporate Franchise Tax regulations and when fees for information services are excluded from taxation.

• Legal Ethics Considerations For Law Firm Pro Bono Deals

  

  If a law firm enters into a pro bono deal with the Trump administration in exchange for avoiding or removing an executive order, it has an ethical obligation to create a written settlement agreement with specific terms, which would mitigate some potential conflict of interest problems, says Andrew Altschul at Buchanan Angeli.

• Series

  Playing Football Made Me A Better Lawyer

  

  While my football career ended over 15 years ago, the lessons the sport taught me about grit, accountability and resilience have stayed with me and will continue to help me succeed as an attorney, says Bert McBride at Trenam.

• 10 Arbitrations And A 5th Circ. Ruling Flag Arb. Clause Risks

  

  The ongoing arbitral saga of Sullivan v. Feldman, which has engendered proceedings before 10 different arbitrators in Texas and Louisiana along with last month's Fifth Circuit opinion, showcases both the risks and limitations of arbitration clauses in retainer agreements for resolving attorney-client disputes, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin and Lodgen.

• AI Use Of Hollywood Works: The Case For Statutory Licensing

  

  Amid entertainment industry concerns about how generative artificial intelligence uses its copyrighted content, a statutory licensing framework may offer a more viable path than litigation and petitions — one that aligns legal doctrine, economic incentives and technological progress, says Rob Rosenberg at Telluride Legal.

• Keys To Handling Digital Investigations In Pharma IP Litigation

  

  In the high-stakes realm of pharmaceutical intellectual property litigation, efficient e-discovery and digital investigation workflows are essential to supporting strategic arguments, building defensible cases and proving that the requirements for market entry have been adequately met, says Jerry Lay at FTI Consulting.

• Perspectives

  Power To The Paralegals: The Value Of Unified State Licensing

  

  Texas' proposal to become the latest state to license paraprofessional providers of limited legal services could help firms expand their reach and improve access to justice, but consumers, attorneys and allied legal professionals would benefit even more if similar programs across the country become more uniform, says Michael Houlberg at the University of Denver.

• Key Digital Asset Issues Require Antitrust Vigilance

  

  As the digital assets industry continues to mature and consolidate during Trump 2.0, it will inevitably bump up against the antitrust laws in a new way, with potential pitfalls related to merger reviews, conspiratorial or monopolistic conduct, and interlocking directorates, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

• What's Next For Lab Test Regulation Without FDA Authority

  

  A recent Texas federal court decision vacating the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's final rule that would apply FDA regulations to laboratory-developed tests signals potential positive impacts in the diagnostic space, and could inspire more healthcare entities to litigate against the government, say attorneys at Hooper Lundy.

• 11 Tips For Contractors Dealing With DOD Staff Reductions

  

  Defense contractors should prepare for a wide range of disruptions related to procurement and contract administration that are likely amid federal workforce reductions, say attorneys at Covington.

• 10 Soft Skills Every GC Should Master

  

  As businesses face shifting regulatory and technological uncertainty, general counsel will need to strengthen certain soft skills to succeed, from admitting when they make a mistake to maintaining a healthy dose of dispassion, says Douglas Brown at Manatt.