Expert Analysis

• Post-Siegel Trustee Fee Rulings Further Debtor-Friendly Trend

  

  One year after the U.S. Supreme Court’s bankruptcy ruling in Siegel v. Fitzgerald left the matter of trustee fee refunds open to lower courts, related rulings have sided with debtors, reminding practitioners of the importance of the constitutional backdrop to statutory law, say Daniel Lowenthal and Jonah Wacholder at Patterson Belknap.

• Firm Tips For Helping New Lawyers Succeed Post-Pandemic

  

  Ten steps can help firms significantly enhance the experience of attorneys who started their careers in the coronavirus pandemic era, including facilitating opportunities for cross-firm connection, which can ultimately help build momentum for business development, says Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners.

• Tackling Judge-Shopping Concerns While Honoring Localism

  

  As the debate continues over judge-shopping and case assignments in federal court, policymakers should look to a hybrid model that preserves the benefits of localism for those cases that warrant it, while preventing the appearance of judge-shopping for cases of a more national or widespread character, says Joshua Sohn at the U.S. Department of Justice.

• Perspectives

  How Attorneys Can Help Combat Anti-Asian Hate

  

  Amid an exponential increase in violence against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, unique obstacles stand in the way of accountability and justice — but lawyers can effect powerful change by raising awareness, offering legal representation, advocating for victims’ rights and more, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

• Opinion

  Congress Needs To Enact A Federal Anti-SLAPP Statute

  

  Although many states have passed statutes meant to prevent individuals or entities from filing strategic lawsuits against public participation, other states have not, so it's time for Congress to enact a federal statute to ensure that free speech and petitioning rights are uniformly protected nationwide in federal court, say attorneys at Skadden.

• As Subchapter V's Popularity Rises, So Do Its Boundaries

  

  Recent data and bankruptcy court rulings give greater context to Subchapter V’s popularity, but also show how courts continue to interpret its provisions to establish limits and contours, such as the sequence of filing for affiliate debtors, say Jack O’Connor and Heidi Hockberger at Levenfeld Pearlstein.

• A Comparison Of 2 Bank Failures, With Regulatory Lessons

  

  Though the factors that contributed to the downfalls of Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic Bank were similar, differences in federal regulators' handling of the banks' sales — and the additional two weeks it took to find a buyer for SVB — may help illuminate how regulators can improve their response to future financial panic, say attorneys at Lewis Brisbois.

• Some Client Speculations On AI And The Law Firm Biz Model

  

  Generative artificial intelligence technologies will put pressure on the business of law as it is structured currently, but clients may end up with more price certainty for legal services, and lawyers may spend more time being lawyers, says Jonathan Cole at Melody Capital.

• Shkreli Cos. Bankruptcy Illustrates Novel Subchapter V Trend

  

  Vyera Pharmaceuticals and related companies founded by convicted "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli recently filed for bankruptcy under Subchapter V in Delaware, becoming the latest case to show the appeal of the subchapter for debtors with large contingent or unliquidated liabilities seeking a more efficient form of bankruptcy, says Sam Ashuraey at Paul Hastings.

• A Lawyer's Guide To Approaching Digital Assets In Discovery

  

  The booming growth of cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens has made digital assets relevant in many legal disputes but also poses several challenges for discovery, so lawyers must garner an understanding of the technology behind these assets, the way they function, and how they're held, says Brett Sager at Ehrenstein Sager.

• Opinion

  High Court's Ethics Statement Places Justices Above The Law

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court justices' disappointing statement on the court's ethics principles and practices reveals that not only are they satisfied with a status quo in which they are bound by fewer ethics rules than other federal judges, but also that they've twisted the few rules that do apply to them, says David Janovsky at the Project on Government Oversight.

• Bankruptcy Ruling Guides Secured Lenders On Proxy Rights

  

  The Delaware bankruptcy court’s recent ruling in the case of CII Parent is an example of how a secured lender can utilize proxy rights to affect a borrower's ability to use bankruptcy as a protective tool against lender action, say David Wender and Nathaniel DeLoatch at Eversheds Sutherland.

• Opinion

  Time For Law Schools To Rethink Unsung Role Of Adjuncts

  

  As law schools prepare for the fall 2023 semester, administrators should reevaluate the role of the underappreciated, indispensable adjunct, and consider 16 concrete actions to improve the adjuncts' teaching experience, overall happiness and feeling of belonging, say T. Markus Funk at Perkins Coie, Andrew Boutros at Dechert and Eugene Volokh at UCLA.

• Ch. 13 Ruling Issues Warning To Mortgage Servicers

  

  The Ninth Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel’s recent ruling in Orlansky, which held that the mortgage servicer violated the automatic stay in its post-petition communication to debtors, suggests that circuit bankruptcy courts may more closely scrutinize how certain fees are presented in monthly statements, say Justin Paget and Jennifer Wuebker at Hunton.

• Good Faith Buyer Lessons From 5th Circ. Bankruptcy Ruling

  

  The Fifth Circuit’s recent ruling in Palm Springs II, affirming the sale of property to a senior lender, is notable for its guidance on Section 363(m), including the ability of a senior lender to remain a good faith purchaser despite squeezing out a junior lender, says Shane Ramsey at Nelson Mullins.