Expert Analysis

• ITC Ruling Highlights Conflicts Hurdles For Law Firms

  

  As supply chains become more interconnected, a recent U.S. International Trade Commission order — disqualifying a complainant's law firm for concurrently representing a third-party supplier relevant to the case — underscores the reality that conflicts may increasingly lurk within the building blocks of devices, says Matt Rizzolo at Ropes & Gray.

• Wash. Email Subject Line Ruling Puts Retailers On The Hook

  

  The Washington state Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Old Navy, finding that a state law prohibits misleading email subject lines, has opened the door to nationwide copycat litigation, introducing potential exposure measured not in thousands, but in millions or even billions of dollars for retailers, say attorneys at Benesch.

• What Narrower FinCEN Reporting Spells For Industry

  

  As compliance costs soar, the potential slimming down of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism regime is welcome news for banks, and would allow a shift in resources to ever-evolving cybercrime threats, say attorneys at Quarles & Brady.

• Legal Guardrails For AI Tools In The Hiring Process

  

  Although artificial intelligence can help close the gaps that bad actors exploit in modern recruiting, its precision also makes it subject to tighter scrutiny, meaning new regulatory regimes should be top of mind for U.S.-centric employers exploring fraud-focused AI-enabled tools, say attorneys at Ogletree.

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  Building With Lego Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Building with Lego has taught me to follow directions and adapt to unexpected challenges, and in pairing discipline with imagination, allows me to stay grounded while finding new ways to make complex deals come together, says Paul Levin at Venable.

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  Law School's Missed Lessons: Networking 101

  

  Cultivating a network isn't part of the law school curriculum, but learning the soft skills needed to do so may be the key to establishing a solid professional reputation, nurturing client relationships and building business, says Sharon Crane at Practising Law Institute.

• Defeating Estoppel-Based Claims In Legal Malpractice Actions

  

  State supreme court cases from recent years have addressed whether positions taken by attorneys in an underlying lawsuit can be used against them in a subsequent legal malpractice action, providing a foundation to defeat ex-clients’ estoppel claims, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin and Lodgen.

• How Cos. Can Prep For Tightened Calif. Data Breach Notices

  

  Amid California's recent enactment of S.B. 446, which significantly amends the state's data breach notification laws, companies should review and update their incident response plans by establishing processes to document and support any delayed notification, and ensure the notifications' accuracy, say Mark Krotoski and Alexandria Marx at Pillsbury.

• A Look At State AGs' Focus On Earned Wage Products

  

  Earned wage products have emerged as a rapidly growing segment of the consumer finance market, but recent state enforcement actions against MoneyLion, DailyPay and EarnIn will likely have an effect on whether such products can continue operating under current business models, say attorneys at Quinn Emanuel.

• Digital Asset Treasury Trend Signals Wider Crypto Embrace

  

  While digital asset treasuries are not new for U.S. public companies, the recent velocity of capital deployment in such investments has been notable, signaling a transformation in corporate treasury management that blurs the lines between traditional finance and the broader crypto ecosystem, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

• Trade Secret Rulings Reveal The Cost Of Poor Preparation

  

  Two recent federal appellate decisions show that companies must be prepared to prove their trade secrets with specificity, highlighting how an asset management program that identifies key confidential information before litigation arises can provide the clarity and documentation that courts increasingly require, say attorneys at Mintz.

• AI's Role In Google Antitrust Suit May Reshape Tech Markets

  

  The evolution of AI in retail has reshaped the U.S.' antitrust case against Google, which could both benefit small business innovators and consumers, and fundamentally alter future antitrust cases, including the Federal Trade Commission's lawsuit against Amazon, says Graham Dufault at ACT.

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  The Biz Court Digest: How It Works In Massachusetts

  

  Since its founding in 2000, the Massachusetts Business Litigation Session's expertise, procedural flexibility and litigant-friendly case management practices have contributed to the development of a robust body of commercial jurisprudence, say James Donnelly at Mirick O’Connell, Felicia Ellsworth at WilmerHale and Lisa Wood at Foley Hoag.

• Viral 'Brewers Karen' Incident Teaches Employers To Act Fast

  

  An attorney who was terminated after a viral video showed her threatening to call U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on an opposing team's fan at a Milwaukee Brewers game underscores why employers must take prompt action when learning of viral incidents involving employees, says Joseph Myers at Mesidor.

• State Child Privacy Laws May Put More Cos. In FTC's Reach

  

  Starting with Texas in January, several new state laws requiring app stores to share user age-related information with developers will likely subject significantly more companies to the Federal Trade Commission’s child privacy rules, altering their compliance obligations, say attorneys at Womble Bond.