Expert Analysis

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  Teaching Business Law Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Teaching business law to college students has rekindled my sense of purpose as a lawyer — I am more mindful of the importance of the rule of law and the benefits of our common law system, which helps me maintain a clearer perspective on work, says David Feldman at Feldman Legal Advisors.

• SEC's Crypto Statement Offers Clarity On Disclosures

  

  While the crypto industry awaits a definitive rule from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on whether a crypto-asset is a security, its recent guidance provides a road map for registrants seeking to comply with current disclosure requirements and shows the commission is working toward a comprehensive regulatory framework, say attorneys at Debevoise.

• Evolving Federal Rules Pose Further Obstacles To NY LLC Act

  

  Following the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's recent changes to beneficial ownership information reporting under the federal Corporate Transparency Act — dramatically reducing the number of companies required to make disclosures — the utility of New York's LLC Transparency Act becomes less apparent, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

• Deregulation Memo Presents Risks, Opportunities For Cos.

  

  A recent Trump administration memo providing direction to agencies tasked with rescinding regulations under an earlier executive order — without undergoing the typical notice-and-review process — will likely create much uncertainty for businesses, though they may be able to engage with agencies to shape the regulatory agenda, say attorneys at Blank Rome.

• 4th Circ. 'Actionable Inaccuracy' Finding Deepens FCRA Split

  

  The Fourth Circuit's March finding in Roberts v. Carter-Young Inc. that an actionable inaccuracy under the Fair Credit Reporting Act can be both legal and factual widens an existing circuit split and should prompt furnishers to review their processes for investigating readily verifiable information, say attorneys at Blank Rome.

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  Law School's Missed Lessons: Mastering Discovery

  

  The discovery process and the rules that govern it are often absent from law school curricula, but developing a solid grasp of the particulars can give any new attorney a leg up in their practice, says Jordan Davies at Knowles Gallant.

• DOJ Signals Major Shift In White Collar Enforcement Priorities

  

  In a speech on Monday, an official outlined key revisions to the U.S. Department of Justice’s voluntary self-disclosure, corporate monitorship and whistleblower program policies, marking a meaningful change in the white collar enforcement landscape, and offering companies clearer incentives and guardrails, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.

• Web Tracking Ruling Signals Potential Broadening Of CCPA

  

  The Northern District of California's recent decision in Shah v. Capital One Financial Corp. is notable, as it signals a potential broadening of the California Consumer Privacy Act's private right of action beyond data breaches to unauthorized, nonbreach disclosures involving the use of now-ubiquitous tracking technologies, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.

• Breaking Down 4th Circ. 'Actual Knowledge' Ruling For Banks

  

  A recent decision from the Fourth Circuit finding that banks must have "actual knowledge" to be found liable for losses arising from an automated clearinghouse transfer warns that the more financial institutions know about a name mismatch issue for any particular transaction, the more liability they may face, say attorneys at Katten.

• Strategies To Limit Inherent Damage Of Multidefendant Trials

  

  As shown by the recent fraud convictions of two executives at the now-shuttered education startup Frank, multidefendant criminal trials pose unique obstacles, but with some planning, defense counsel can mitigate the harm and maximize the chances of a good outcome, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

• Russia Sanctions Spotlight: Divergent Approaches Emerge

  

  With indications of greater divergence and uncertainty in Russia sanctions policy between the U.K., European Union and U.S., there are four general principles and a range of compliance steps that businesses should bear in mind when assessing the impact of a potentially shifting landscape, says Alexandra Melia at Steptoe.

• CFTC Memos Clarify When 'Sorry' Still Gets You Subpoenaed

  

  A pair of Commodity Futures Trading Commission advisories released in February and April open a new path to self-reporting but emphasize that serious breaches still warrant a trip to the penalty box, prompting firms to weigh whether — and how — to disclose potential violations in the future, say attorneys at Pryor Cashman.

• Reassessing Corporate Separateness After Explosion Of LLCs

  

  Following the dramatic increase of limited liability companies in the U.S., the Corporate Transparency Act's enactment and the Trump administration's subsequent narrowing of that law, it's worth revisiting the underlying legal principles that govern shell companies in order to remedy the problems that initially motivated the CTA, says Jeff Newton at Omni Bridgeway.

• What Banks Should Note As Regulators Plan To Nix CRA Rule

  

  While federal bank regulators’ recently announced intent to rescind a Biden-era Community Reinvestment Act final rule will loosen the framework for evaluating banks’ lending, service and investing activities, the decision means industry innovations and changes will remain unaddressed, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

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  Playing Guitar Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Being a lawyer not only requires logic and hard work, but also belief, emotion, situational awareness and lots of natural energy — playing guitar enhances all of these qualities, increasing my capacity to do my best work, says Kosta Stojilkovic at Wilkinson Stekloff.