Expert Analysis

• West Point Prof's Suit Tests Public Employee Speech Limits

  

  A recent complaint in New York federal court alleging that West Point unlawfully terminated a professor who challenged a directive banning references to human causes of climate change could illuminate how academic freedom and public employee speech protections apply at a military academy, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

• Bid Protest Spotlight: Bait-And-Switch, Scope, Performance

  

  In this month's bid protest roundup, Michael Ols at MoFo offers takeaways from recent decisions examining bait-and-switch protest claims, the scope of a contractor teaming agreement and the use of an affiliate’s past performance.

• Midterm Elections Outlook For Financial Services

  

  A change in congressional control after the upcoming midterm elections could bring about slower regulatory approvals, intensified oversight and shifting enforcement priorities for the financial services industry, say attorneys at Covington.

• GAO Marketplace Ruling Untangles FAR Overhaul Conflicts

  

  The U.S. Government Accountability Office recently ruled that the U.S. Army’s solicitation for a professional services acquisition marketplace was sufficiently clear, guiding agencies on integrating Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul deviations with existing rules, and underscoring why contractors must challenge material ambiguities before proposals are due, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

• 3 Strategies To Reduce AI Sycophancy In Legal Work

  

  The tendency of generative artificial intelligence models to tell users what they want to hear can reinforce attorneys’ confirmation bias when testing the strength of arguments, and it can’t simply be prompted away — but a few practices can help mitigate it, says Michael Ott at Ice Miller.

• DOJ Directive Gives Contractors A Fraud Risk Road Map

  

  For government contractors, the 10 factors described in the U.S. Department of Justice's recent corporate fraud enforcement directive function as a de facto scoring rubric for internal audits that mirrors what prosecutors will prioritize, say attorneys at Spencer Fane.

• 2nd Circ. EFAA Ruling Shifts Employer Litigation Strategy

  

  In Diaz-Roa v. Hermes Law, the Second Circuit recently held that, under the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, employers can't carve out nonharassment claims and send them to arbitration, which has implications for discovery, litigation costs and resolution strategy in EFAA-covered disputes, say attorneys at Krevolin Horst.

• Uniting BSA, Sanctions Compliance As Treasury Targets Iran

  

  The past 18 months of Treasury Department policies demonstrate expectations that financial institutions not merely obey sanctions against Iran, but also help expose how it moves money, making it essential that banks eliminate silos between their Bank Secrecy Act and sanctions compliance teams for an integrated response, says Jonathan Harrington at Bradley Arant.

• Balancing Independence And Costs In Ch. 11 Investigations

  

  A dispute in the Hughes Satellite Systems Chapter 11 case, pending in Texas bankruptcy court, raises a recurring issue in corporate restructurings: preserving the value of an independent corporate investigation and the investigative authority the Bankruptcy Code gives other constituencies, without making the estate pay twice for the same work, says attorney Kenneth Rosen.

• 4 Steps For Cos. Amid Russia Sanctions Law Uncertainty

  

  Russian companies, their U.S. subsidiaries and businesses with Russian commercial relationships should take concrete steps to determine their exposure under ambiguous provisions of legislation that recently expanded the scope of U.S. sanctions, notwithstanding an Oct. 16 executive order waiving most of its restrictions, say attorneys at Wilk Auslander.

• 5 Issues To Watch As Fed. Circ. Hears Moderna Vax IP Case

  

  Upcoming oral arguments before the Federal Circuit in Arbutus v. Moderna will test whether patent liability protections for government contractors extend to vaccines distributed to the public, and the resolution of certain questions, such as how to define “for the government,” may be key to the outcome, say attorneys at Honigman.

• How DC Circ. Ruling Permits Playacting Bribery Defense

  

  The D.C. Circuit’s recent U.S. v. Burke decision appears to create a circuit split on whether prosecutors must prove public officials’ intent in bribery cases, and opens a gap between what appears to be corrupt conduct and what the law can reach, says Liz Aloi at MoFo.

• Series

  Being In The Peace Corps Made Me A Better Lawyer

  

  When I served in the Peace Corps, the people of the West African village where I was stationed helped me acclimate to my new surroundings and enabled me to develop problem-solving, teamwork and empathy skills that have bolstered my legal practice far beyond the ability to offer technical advice, says Brian Bewley at McGuireWoods.

• Immunity May Not Protect Gov't-Backed Cyber Operators

  

  Companies considering participation in a National Coordination Center program that authorizes private actors to conduct offensive cyber operations on the government’s behalf should understand the limits of sovereign immunity and the operational and legal risks lurking in the details and undefined parameters of the program, say attorneys at Steptoe.

• Tariffs Could Be Behind Surge In FTZ Production Filings

  

  As tariffs reshape production sourcing decisions, manufacturers are seeking foreign trade zone production authority at more than twice last year's pace, making it important to consider the potential duty and export benefits, along with review delays and restrictions that can curb savings, say attorneys at Sidley.