Expert Analysis

• 2 Del. Rulings Reinforce Proof Needed For Records Demands

  

  Two recent Delaware Court of Chancery decisions involving Amazon and Paramount Global illustrate the significance of the credible basis standard on books and records requests, underscoring that stockholders seeking to investigate wrongdoing must come forward with actual evidence of misconduct — not mere allegations, say attorneys at Cleary.

• How To Accelerate Your Post-Attorney Career Transition

  

  Professionals seeking to transition to nonattorney careers may encounter skepticism as nontraditional candidates, but there are opportunities for thought leadership and to leverage speaking and writing to accelerate a post-attorney career transition, say Janet Falk at Falk Communications and Evgeny Efremkin at Toronto Metropolitan University.

• Series

  Law School's Missed Lessons: Be An Indispensable Associate

  

  While law school teaches you to research, write and think critically, it often overlooks the professional skills you will need to make yourself an essential team player when transitioning from a summer to full-time associate, say attorneys at Stinson.

• Series

  Birding Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Observing and documenting birds in their natural habitats fosters patience, sharpens observational skills and provides moments of pure wonder — qualities that foster personal growth and enrich my legal career, says Allison Raley at Arnall Golden.

• Justices May Clarify What IP Competitors In Litigation Can Say

  

  If the U.S. Supreme Court agrees to weigh in on Atturo Tire v. Toyo Tire, it may be able to provide guidance on the murky questions surrounding what companies enforcing their intellectual property against competitors are allowed to say in public, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

• How Del. Law Rework Limits Corporate Records Requests

  

  Newly enacted amendments to a section of the Delaware General Corporation Law that allows stockholders and beneficial owners to demand inspection of Delaware corporations' books and records likely curtails the scope of such inspections and aids defendants in framing motions to dismiss at the pleading stage, says Jonathan Richman at Brown Rudnick.

• A Recurring Atty Fee Question Returns To Texas High Court

  

  As the Texas Supreme Court is poised to decide if it will once again address — in Maciejack v. City of Oak Point — when a party must segregate attorney fees it seeks to recover, litigators would be wise to contemporaneously classify fees as either recoverable or unrecoverable, say attorneys at Munck Wilson.

• Alien Enemies Act Case Could Reshape Executive Power

  

  President Donald Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan nationals raises fundamental questions about statutory interpretation, executive power and constitutional structure, which now lay on the U.S. Supreme Court's doorstep, says Mauni Jalali at Quinn Emanuel.

• An Update On IPR Issue Preclusion In District Court Litigation

  

  Two recent Federal Circuit rulings have resolved a district court split regarding issue preclusion based on Patent Trial and Appeal Board outcomes, potentially counseling petitioners in favor of challenging not only all the claims of an asserted patent, but also related patents that have not yet been raised in district court, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

• Series

  Adapting To Private Practice: From DOJ Leadership To BigLaw

  

  The move from government service to private practice can feel like changing one’s identity, but as someone who has left the U.S. Department of Justice twice, I’ve learned that a successful transition requires patience, effort and the realization that the rewards of practicing law don’t come from one particular position, says Richard Donoghue at Pillsbury.

• Fed. Circ. Ruling Reaffirms Listing Elements Separately Is Key

  

  The Federal Circuit's decision last month in Regeneron v. Mylan reaffirms a critical principle in patent law: When a claim lists elements separately, the clear implication is that they are distinct elements, say attorneys at Taft.

• Nev. Fraud Ruling Raises Stakes For Proxy Battles

  

  Though a Nevada federal court’s recent U.S. v. Boruchowitz decision involved unusual facts, the court's ruling that board members can be defrauded of their seat through misrepresentations increases fraud risks in more typical circumstances involving board elections, especially proxy fights, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

• Law Firm Executive Orders Create A Legal Ethics Minefield

  

  Recent executive orders targeting BigLaw firms create ethical dilemmas — and raise the specter of civil or criminal liability — for the government attorneys tasked with implementing them and for the law firms that choose to make agreements with the administration, say attorneys at Buchalter.

• NLRB Firing May Need Justices' Input On Removal Power

  

  President Donald Trump's unprecedented removal of National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox spurred a lawsuit that is sure to be closely watched, as it may cause the U.S. Supreme Court to reexamine a 1935 precedent that has limited the president's removal powers, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

• Firms Must Embrace Alternative Billing Models Or Fall Behind

  

  As artificial intelligence tools eliminate inefficiencies and the Big Four accounting firms enter the legal market, law firms that pivot from the entrenched billable hour model to outcomes-based pricing will see a distinct competitive advantage, says attorney William Brewer.