Expert Analysis

• What SEC Retreat In Ripple Case Means For Crypto Regulation

  

  The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has chosen a regulation-by-enforcement approach to cryptocurrency policy rather than through rulemaking, but the agency's recently aborted enforcement action against two Ripple Labs executives for alleged securities law violations demonstrates the limits of this piecemeal tactic, says Keith Blackman at Bracewell.

• 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.

• Paths Forward For RE Buyers In Turbulent Market Conditions

  

  Real estate borrowers are facing significant challenges in financing new acquisitions or developments amid escalating interest rates, but opportunistic debt funds may be able to help bridge through the present environment, say Jon Gallant and Jared Hodges at Knowles Gallant.

• Why The Debt Maturity Wall Is Still A Figment, For Now

  

  While the phenomenon of the debt maturity wall — a growing wall of staggered corporate debt maturities — has been considered a looming problem since the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis, it’s unlikely to have significant consequences before 2025 due to factors such as quantitative easing and evolved lending practices, says Michael Eisenband at FTI Consulting.

• 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.

• A Deep Dive Into FSOC's Expansion Of Nonbank Oversight

  

  The Financial Stability Oversight Council's new nonbank guidance, designed to provide the council with added flexibility in risk response, not only modifies the process for designating nonbanks as systemically important institutions, but also sends a clear signal that the FSOC may assume a more active role in addressing financial stability risks across the economy, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

• 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.

• Are CCOs Really In The SEC's Crosshairs?

  

  U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Enforcement Director Gurbir Grewal recently gave a speech to address the concerns of chief compliance officers in light of recent enforcement actions taken against them, but CCOs need to understand when to push back against management, quit, or report issues to the board or to regulators, say Brian Rubin and Adam Pollet at Eversheds Sutherland.

• 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.

• Breaking Down The SEC's 2024 Examination Priorities

  

  The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s recently released examination priorities for the year ahead signal a steady course from prior years, but they also include some specific new concerns and important twists on perennial risk areas, say Kurt Gottschall and Kit Addleman at Haynes Boone.

• Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World

  

  As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the legal landscape, law schools must integrate technology and curricula that address AI’s innate challenges — from ethics to data security — to help students stay ahead of the curve, say Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics, Ryan Abbott at JAMS and Karen Silverman at Cantellus Group.

• SolarWinds Ushers In New Era Of SEC Cyber Enforcement

  

  The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent lawsuit against software company SolarWinds Corp. and its chief information security officer is the first time the SEC has ever filed suit over scienter-based fraud involving cybersecurity failures, illustrating that both companies and CISOs need to be extra cautious in how they describe their cybersecurity practices, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

• General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI

  

  With the rise of accessible and powerful generative artificial intelligence solutions, it is imperative for general counsel to understand the use and application of data for myriad important activities, from evaluating the e-discovery process to monitoring compliance analytics and more, says Colin Levy at Malbek.

• A Tale Of 2 SVB Reports: Where The Fed's Barr And OIG Differ

  

  Some have said the recent report on Silicon Valley Bank's failure prepared by the Federal Reserve Board's Office of Inspector General is nearly identical to one conducted by Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr earlier in the year, but in reality, the OIG report is far more critical and less forgiving of the Fed supervisory staff, say attorneys at Davis Polk.