Trials

Expert Analysis

• Key Takeaways From Roundup Verdicts So Far

  

  On May 13, a California jury returned a $2 billion verdict against Monsanto in the third trial over allegations that its popular weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. The Roundup trials highlight the importance of issues including punitive damages, celebrity influence and the value of jury exercises, say attorneys at Wiley Rein.

• Q&A

  A Chat With Gilead Sciences Legal Ops Leader Gary Tully

  

  In this monthly series, legal recruiting experts from Major Lindsey & Africa interview legal industry leaders about the increasingly competitive business environment. Here, Rod Osborne talks with Gary Tully, head of legal operations at Gilead Sciences.

• Series

  Why I Became A Lawyer: Completing The Journey Home

  

  My mother's connection to her Native American heritage had a major influence on my career — my decision to enter the legal profession was driven by the desire to return to my tribal community and help it in any way I could, says Jason Hauter of Akin Gump.

• Series

  Judging A Book: Wood Reviews 'The Making Of A Justice'

  

  Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens' new book, "The Making of a Justice," is required reading for anyone interested in 20th and 21st century America, says Seventh Circuit Chief Judge Diane Wood.

• What Gov't Outsourcing Ruling Means For Investigations

  

  A New York federal court's recent decision in U.S. v. Connolly is a warning to prosecutors against outsourcing their investigations to companies and outside counsel, but it should also be used by companies to determine the framework for internal investigations, says Rachel Maimin of Lowenstein Sandler.

• Getting Out Of Legal Project Management Debt

  

  If a client does not demand the application of project management techniques at the start of a matter, or a law firm does not routinely apply them, it is highly likely that additional, avoidable work — legal project management debt — will materialize throughout the matter, says Anthony Widdop of Shearman & Sterling.

• Traders At Risk Of DOJ Wire Fraud Charges For Spoofing

  

  In U.S. v. Vorley, the U.S. Department of Justice has charged two commodities traders with wire fraud, based on an alleged spoofing scheme. The DOJ's approach could greatly expand potential criminal liability for spoofing activity, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

• Biker TM Case Sets New Bar For First Amendment Protection

  

  A California federal court recently refused to allow forfeiture of motorcycle club trademarks in U.S. v. Mongol Nation, a case that is part of a trend challenging the government's use of trademark regulation as infringing upon free speech, say Rebecca Fewkes and Eric Ball of Fenwick & West.

• 6 Ways To Keep Your Jury From Zoning Out

  

  Science suggests that at least some jurors pay attention to less than 65% of the evidence during a trial due to "task-unrelated thoughts," but there are steps attorneys can take to present information in a more engaging, cognition-friendly fashion, say Dennis Stolle and Dennis Devine of Barnes & Thornburg.

• Defending Securities Act Claims In Texas State Court: Part 3

  

  Litigating federal Securities Act class actions in Texas state courts is still a new frontier in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2018 Cyan decision. In the final part of this series, attorneys at Haynes and Boone discuss class certification defenses and obtaining early summary judgments.