White Collar

Expert Analysis

• Avoiding Inadvertent Privilege Waivers In E-Communications

  

  Attorneys at WilmerHale highlight recent developments in privilege law, the significant challenges raised by nontraditional working arrangements popularized during the pandemic, and ways to avoid waiving attorney-client privilege when using electronic communications.

• Will Grand Juries Ever Recover From The Pandemic?

  

  Data from the U.S. Department of Justice reflects poorly on the use of the grand jury as either an investigative tool or a bulwark against unfounded prosecutions, and assuredly the pandemic has not changed this trend, says Michael Loucks at Skadden.

• Strategies For Managing Calif. Litigation As Courts Reopen

  

  As state and federal courts in California begin to reopen, strategic decisions need to be made about where cases should be filed, public and private perception of litigation conduct, alternative plans for discovery, and more, says attorney Steven Brower.

• Where We Are In The US Trade Secret Crackdown On China

  

  As the U.S. Department of Justice continues to focus on prosecuting trade secret theft by China, U.S. companies are also filing private civil lawsuits against Chinese companies in federal courts, relying on both the Defend Trade Secrets Act and state trade secret laws, say attorneys at Wiggin and Dana.

• Opinion

  Don't Cancel Your Summer Associate Programs

  

  While pulling off an effective summer associate program this year will be no easy feat, law firms' investments in their future attorneys should be considered necessary even during this difficult time, says Summer Eberhard at Major Lindsey.

• How Hollywood Can Inspire Courtroom Presentations

  

  As attorneys patiently wait for jury trials to resume, they can explore three effective transition techniques commonly used in movies to bring their courtroom PowerPoint presentations to the next level, say Adam Bloomberg and David Metz at Litigation Insights.

• A Bankruptcy Probe Primer For White Collar Attorneys

  

  As white collar attorneys are increasingly asked to assist with bankruptcy-related investigations by unsecured creditors due to the current economic environment, they should follow best practices concerning discovery, appointment of independent board members, and malpractice claims, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

• Pandemic Elevates Cos.' Compliance Risks In Latin America

  

  While Latin American governments respond to pandemic-related financial needs, multinational companies face elevated compliance risks from increased interaction with government officials, and new enforcement policies related to the misappropriation of funds, expedited government contracting, increased transparency and monitoring, and international cooperation, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

• Defending Remote Testimony In White Collar, Securities Cases

  

  The COVID-19 shift to remote witness testimony in white collar and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigations changes how both sides handle documents, investigate and interact, and will require defense lawyers to reconsider how they present their clients, say attorneys at Richards Kibbe.

• Trial By Webcam: Tips From A Firsthand Experience

  

  Initially incomprehensible, it turns out that conducting trial by video is reasonable and relatively convenient, as long as lawyers do not try to recreate the courtroom experience, say Wheeler Trigg attorneys Joel Neckers and Peter Herzog, who recently participated in an online bench trial in United Power v. Tri-State before the Colorado Public Utilities Commission.

• 5 Ways To Reduce Post-Pandemic Legal Malpractice Exposure

  

  History suggests that legal malpractice claims will rise following the current economic downturn, and while a certain percentage of the claims will be unavoidable, there are prophylactic steps that law firms can take, says John Johnson at Cozen O'Connor.

• Opinion

  Justices Should Construe Computer Fraud Law Narrowly

  

  In U.S. v. Van Buren, the U.S. Supreme Court should follow burglary and trespass cases to limit the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act’s scope to accessing or misusing employer data and avoid the absurd result of criminalizing an employee's unauthorized Facebook visit, say Anthony Volini and Karen Heart at DePaul University.

• Opinion

  Fla. Felon Voting Decision Interprets Constitution Incorrectly

  

  The recent Florida federal court ruling in Jones v. DeSantis — that preventing convicted felons from voting if they can’t afford their legal financial obligations is unconstitutional — was wrongly decided because disenfranchisement neither violates equal protection nor constitutes a poll tax, says attorney R. D. Kelly.

• Justices' SEC Disgorgement Ruling May Shape FCPA Matters

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court’s upcoming opinion in Liu v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission may call into question when Foreign Corrupt Practices Act settlements should be subject to disgorgement, say Matthew Rutter and Neal Hochberg at Charles River Associates.

• What OFAC Means By A Risk-Based Approach To Compliance

  

  Even though the Office of Foreign Assets Control has acknowledged COVID-19 challenges, the agency still expects companies to take a risk-based approach to sanctions compliance by routinely updating programs that reflect their individual business models, customer bases and geographic operations, say Mario Mancuso and Abigail Cotterill at Kirkland & Ellis.