Expert Analysis

• Protecting Trade Secrets When AI Agents Go Rogue

  

  In light of a recent incident in which artificial intelligence agents compromised parts of Hugging Face's production systems, and the uncertain court guidance surrounding liability in such situations, companies looking to update their trade secret protections should carefully examine agents' permissions and technical limitations, says Matt Nealon at Marshall Gerstein.

• Tips For Employers As Calif. Court Limits Harassment Liability

  

  Doe v. Wells Fargo appears to be the first published California appellate decision to determine that the harasser must have supervisory authority over the plaintiff to trigger strict liability, underscoring the value of accurately documenting job roles and reporting lines, says Ellen Connelly Cohen at Call & Jensen.

• Planning For D&O Exclusions As Risks Mount For Banks

  

  Banks should scrutinize directors and officers exclusions for artificial intelligence, disclosure and cybersecurity risks during policy renewal negotiations to preserve coverage amid the current uptick in insurer scrutiny and related shareholder litigation, say attorneys at Jones Walker.

• Clippers Salary Cap Probe Offers Investigation Tips For Cos.

  

  The NBA's recent investigation into whether the Los Angeles Clippers circumvented salary cap rules offers an unusually detailed look at how a significant organizational probe was conducted and how its findings were presented, offering practical lessons for companies conducting their own investigations, say attorneys at Wiley.

• Calif. PFAS Pesticide Reporting Law Raises Cos.' Legal Risks

  

  A new California law requiring public reporting of how registered pesticides containing intentionally added perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances are used across the state could increase regulatory scrutiny — and provide a road map for litigation involving growers, applicators, distributors, pesticide manufacturers and upstream chemical suppliers, say attorneys at O'Melveny.

• How A New Case Redefines The Birthright Citizenship Battle

  

  After the U.S. Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling last term in Trump v. Barbara, the Trump administration issued a new executive order attempting to limit the categories of individuals eligible for this status — and a pending court challenge to the new order shows where the legal battle lines are being redrawn, say attorneys at Fragomen.

• Terminix Deal Shows Risks Of Calif. Aggregating Local Lapses

  

  California district attorneys’ novel use of an unfair competition law to merge unrelated local enforcement matters against pest control providers Rentokil and Terminix into one recently settled statewide case demonstrates that lack of adequate communication between facilities and corporate compliance managers may cause isolated regulatory violations to snowball into larger challenges, say attorneys at Kazmarek Mowrey.

• What Lawyers Should Know Before Accepting Crypto Payment

  

  As clients increasingly request to pay legal fees, retainers and escrow funds using cryptocurrency, lawyers should consider how only a handful of state bar authorities have addressed the issue with varying ethics opinions, as well as the related questions that no authority has yet answered, says attorney Felix Shipkevich.

• How To Use AI In Employment Contract Drafting

  Excerpt from Practical Guidance

  

  Before using artificial intelligence to draft employment contracts, law firms and employers must assess practical ethical guardrails, appropriate use cases, core risk areas and validation workflows, says Samuel Mitchell at Smith Gambrell.

• What To Know As State 'Neural Data' Privacy Laws Emerge

  

  Attorneys at Goodwin discuss new state laws aimed at regulating consumer data generated from nervous system activity, explain why neurotechnology is attracting state and federal legislators’ attention, and highlight the compliance obligations that industry players should address now.

• Calif. Decision Shows Limits Of Self-Serving Testimony

  

  A California appellate court's recent opinion in a dispute between two home renovation partners is a reminder that where there are admissions or undisputed documentary evidence, litigants need more than self-serving testimony to overcome summary judgment, says Tyler Palmer at Tucker Ellis.

• Cos. Face Growing Exposure To Unfair Trade Practice Suits

  

  Claims against companies that were traditionally governed by tort, products liability, nuisance or environmental law are increasingly being brought under state unfair and deceptive practices statutes — and defense practitioners and in-house counsel should note these laws often provide expanded remedies and procedural advantages to plaintiffs, say attorneys at Kean Miller.

• Where The 3 Prediction Market Appellate Rulings Diverge

  

  Although the recent Third, Sixth and Ninth Circuit opinions concerning prediction markets overlap on some issues, they differ on key statutory questions, deepening a circuit split over both the classification of sports event contracts and the scope of federal preemption, says Levi Giovanetto at Sheppard.

• Series

  Calif. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3

  

  California's financial regulators spent the third quarter of 2026 focusing on consumer protection enforcement at home while resisting federal efforts to displace state oversight — reinforcing the state's intention to shape the compliance landscape for institutions operating within its borders despite federal deregulatory trends, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

• Cos. Must Prep For Changes To Calif. Battery Recycling Law

  

  With important changes to California's Responsible Battery Recycling Act taking effect in January, manufacturers and retailers should review updated format and product definitions and exclusions, determine their new responsibilities, and be prepared to submit new stewardship plans in advance of the deadline, says Thierry Montoya at FBT Gibbons.