Expert Analysis

• Why Employers Should Refrain From 'Quiet Firing'

  

  While quiet firing — when an employer deliberately makes working conditions intolerable with the goal of forcing an employee to quit — has recently been identified in the news as a new trend, such constructive discharge tactics have been around for ages, and employers would do well to remember that, comparatively, direct firings may provide more legal protection, says Robin Shea at Constangy.

• Opinion

  A Telecom Attorney's Defense Of The Chevron Doctrine

  

  The Chevron doctrine, which requires judicial deference to federal regulators, is under attack in two U.S. Supreme Court cases — and while most telecom attorneys likely agree that the Federal Communications Commission is guilty of overrelying on it, the problem is not the doctrine itself, says Carl Northrop at Telecommunications Law Professionals.

• Attorneys Have An Ethical Duty To Protect The Judiciary

  

  The tenor of public disagreement and debate has become increasingly hostile against judges, and though the legislative branch is trying to ameliorate this safety gap, lawyers have a moral imperative and professional requirement to stand with judges in defusing attacks against them and their rulings, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.

• Ga. Appeal Shows Benefits Of Questioning Jury Instructions

  

  A Georgia Court of Appeals’ October decision, holding a trial court erred in using pattern jury instructions that refer to a long-repealed standard of evidence, underscores the importance of scrutinizing language in established jury instructions and seizing the opportunity to push back against outdated patterns, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

• Perspectives

  In Culley, Justices Unlikely To Set New Forfeiture Standards

  

  As the U.S. Supreme Court considers Culley v. Marshall — a case with the potential to reshape civil asset forfeiture practices — the justices' recent comments at oral argument suggest that, while some of them may be concerned about civil forfeiture abuse, they are unlikely to significantly change the status quo, say attorneys at Jackson Walker.

• 'Trump Too Small' Args Show Justices Inclined To Reverse

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments in the "Trump Too Small" trademark case Vidal v. Elster — and the tenor of the justices' feedback makes it clear that the refusal to register a mark under the Lanham Act most likely does not violate free speech rights, as opposed to the Federal Circuit's decision last year, says Brian Brookey at Tucker Ellis.

• When Courts Engage In Fact-Finding At The Pleading Stage

  

  It remains to be seen whether the Ninth Circuit's pleading-stage factual determination in a securities class action against Nvidia was sui generis or part of a trend, but the court has created a template for district courts to follow, says Jared Kopel at Alto Litigation.

• 9th Circ. ERISA Ruling Informs DOL's New Fiduciary Proposal

  

  The Ninth Circuit's reasoning in its recent Bugielski v. AT&T decision illustrates the importance of the U.S. Department of Labor's proposals to expand the reach of Employee Retirement Income Security Act third-party compensation disclosure rules and their effect on investment adviser fiduciaries, says Jeff Mamorsky at Cohen & Buckmann.

• AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier

  

  Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.

• Total Stay Of CFPB Small Biz Data Rule Is Boon To Lenders

  

  The Southern District of Texas’ nationwide halt of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Small Business Lending Rule would end if the CFPB wins a pending U.S. Supreme Court case, but the interim pause allows valuable extra time for financial institutions to plan their compliance strategies, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

• What To Expect After Colo. Nixes Special Standing Rules

  

  Two recent Colorado Supreme Court decisions have abandoned a test to preclude standing in lawsuits challenging government decisions brought by subordinate government entities, which will likely lead to an admixture of results, including opening the door to additional legal challenges between government entities, says John Crisham at Crisham & Holman.

• Harvard's Broker Fight Shows Active Risk Management Is Key

  

  Harvard University’s recently filed suit against its insurance broker for alleged malpractice in handling the Students for Fair Admissions claim illustrates that risk management requires the concerted effort of policyholders, brokers and insurers to protect against disastrous losses, say William McMichael and David Klein at Pillsbury.

• 2nd Circ. Holding Could Disrupt SEC Disgorgement Methods

  

  A recent Second Circuit decision in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Govil that held disgorgement to be an equitable remedy has the potential to substantially disrupt the SEC's long-standing approach to monetary remedies in many of the cases the agency brings, say attorneys at Debevoise.

• High Court's Old, Bad Stats Analysis Can Miss Discrimination

  

  Courts and practitioners should reconsider a common statistical test for evidence of employment discrimination, created by the U.S. Supreme Court for its 1977 Castaneda and Hazelwood cases, because its “two or three standard deviations” criteria stems from a misunderstanding of statistical methods that can dramatically minimize the actual prevalence of discrimination, says Daniel Levy at Advanced Analytical Consulting Group.

• Opinion

  What 5th Circ. Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Ruling Got Wrong

  

  The Fifth Circuit’s recent ruling in National Press Photographers Association v. McGraw threatens to dilute the First Amendment rights of photographers using uncrewed aircraft systems and undermine federal control of the airspace, and is indicative of how other courts may misinterpret the Federal Aviation Administration's new fact sheet down the line, say attorneys at Wiley Rein.