Expert Analysis

• Structuring Water Agreements For Data Center Development

  

  For developers of artificial intelligence data centers, water use is now a threshold feasibility and financing variable amid a regulatory landscape with a state-driven push for transparency and federal push to streamline pathways for AI-related infrastructure, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

• Patent Eligibility Bulletin: Steps To Consider As USPTO Shifts

  

  Recent memoranda from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, along with some of the first patents issued under Director John Squires, indicate a recalibration of the subject matter eligibility landscape, signaling a renewed emphasis on concrete technological improvements and a potentially pro-AI stance, say attorneys at Banner Witcoff.

• Why The NCUA's Stablecoin Moment Matters

  

  The National Credit Union Administration, a historically conservative federal agency, recently proposed a detailed stablecoin licensing framework, confirming that the proposition of building a regulatory architecture within the banking industry has moved well past "whether" and firmly into "how," says Stephen Aschettino at Fox Rothschild.

• Ill. Swipe Fee Ruling Sets Stage For A High-Stakes Appeal

  

  In Illinois Bankers Association v. Raoul, an Illinois federal court upheld the state's ban on credit and debit card swipe fees on tax and tip payments, while permanently enjoining the statute's data usage limitation, but an imminent appeal could significantly influence the trajectory of state-level payments regulation, say attorneys at Latham.

• H-1B Registration Tips For New Wage-Weighted Selection

  

  Practitioners participating in this year’s H-1B visa registration, currently underway, must understand that under the new wage-weighted selection process that replaced the random lottery, the crucial first step is choosing the correct standard occupational classification, says Jimmy Lai at Lai & Turner.

• What Cos. Must Know About Pa.'s Proposed Data Center Regs

  

  Under Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's new proposal to balance hyperscale data center infrastructure with grid stability, water resources and community transparency, businesses in the state face a strategic choice: wait for binding requirements to emerge, or proactively align projects with the standards now, say Wade Stephens and Sasha Burton at Langsam Stevens.

• Share Repurchases Leave Cos. Susceptible To Litigation

  

  Because share repurchases bring greater ownership, which typically brings greater voting power, they can have serious implications for corporate control, which can raise questions about the unpaid benefits to some shareholders and lead to securities class actions, says Amit Bubna at Bates White.

• Resilience Planning As Nat'l Security Shifts Tech Import Policy

  

  In response to a sustained reorientation of U.S. trade policy around national security considerations, businesses reliant on processed critical minerals must closely monitor diplomatic negotiations and the potential expansion of trade measures, incorporating contingency planning into procurement and long-term investment strategies, says attorney Sohan Dasgupta.

• How The New Tariff Landscape May Unfold

  

  To replace tariffs formerly imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the administration will rely on a patchwork of statutes, potentially leading to procedural challenges and a complex tariff landscape with varying levels, durations and applicability, says Joseph Grossman-Trawick at King & Spalding.

• What GCs Should Keep In Mind When Developing AI Addenda

  

  When general counsel develop their own customer-side artificial intelligence addenda to be used as the baseline for negotiations with AI vendors, they should take care to rightsize the addenda relative to their organization's size, complexity and bargaining power, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

• Character.AI Case Highlights Agentic AI Liability Questions

  

  The recently settled litigation against Character Technologies Inc. provides an early case study for exploring salient legal issues related to agentic artificial intelligence, such as tort liability, strict liability, statutory liability and contractual liability, says Samuel Mitchells at Smith Gambrell.

• Can Trump's AI Order Override State Insurance Rules?

  

  Although a December executive order charts a course to potentially dismantle state artificial intelligence regulations applicable to virtually any industry, the effect on the insurance industry deserves special attention because under federal law, the regulation of the business of insurance is largely delegated to the states, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

• How DOL Rule Would Preserve App-Based Contractor Work

  

  The U.S. Department of Labor's proposed 2026 independent contractor rule reinforces the centrality of worker autonomy and entrepreneurial opportunity that characterize many app-based arrangements, and returns to a framework that may offer increased predictability for platforms and workers alike, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

• Series

  Volunteering With Scouts Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Serving as an assistant scoutmaster for my son’s troop reaffirmed several skills and principles crucial to lawyering — from the importance of disconnecting to the value of morality, says Michael Warren at McManis Faulkner.

• Compliance Takeaways Amid Subscription Practices Scrutiny

  

  The Federal Trade Commission's prioritization of enforcement regarding deceptive billing and cancellation practices in recurring subscriptions, and new click-to-cancel rulemaking expected on the horizon, carry key takeaways for companies using recurring subscriptions to sell products or services, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.