Expert Analysis

• Finding Borrower Risk In The Private Credit Covenant Mix

  

  Amid rising caution over private credit defaults, investors and their counsel can gain key insights about borrower risk from the particular combination of financial metrics included in a loan's covenants, not just the number of covenants, say Christopher Armstrong at Stanford University, and Carlo Gallimberti and David Tsui at Analysis Group.

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  Studying Foreign Languages Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Studying Italian and Japanese has shown me that learning a new language can benefit a legal career in several ways, including by demonstrating the importance of approaching problems from a fresh perspective and the value of practicing patience with colleagues and clients, says Anna King at Genworth Financial.

• Treasury Proposal Maps Compliance Road For Stablecoins

  

  Stablecoin issuers should prepare for bank-style anti-money laundering and sanctions obligations under, and consider submitting comments on, the Treasury Department's proposed Genius Act rules, which are reshaping compliance expectations for digital asset businesses and affiliated financial institutions alike, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

• Adapting To AI-Driven Scrutiny Of Foreign Asset Disclosures

  

  As the government expands AI-driven, cross-agency fraud detection, foreign asset disclosure should be viewed as part of a broader, data‑driven enforcement ecosystem that prioritizes consistency, documentation and proactive governance, says Logan Koehring at FBT Gibbons.

• Sizing Up The Rescheduling Hurdles Medical Pot Cos. Face

  

  The Justice Department’s recent lowering of certain medical marijuana products to Schedule III means operators — particularly those simultaneously offering federally illegal adult-use cannabis — must implement greater structural discipline to navigate an increasingly fragmented legal landscape if they hope to benefit from new tax deductions and access to capital, say attorneys at Akerman.

• Claiming The Narrative Before The SEC Files Charges

  

  Following the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent rescission of its no-deny rule, Scott Schneider at FTI Consulting, a former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission communications official, details when and how to publicly respond to news of a pending regulatory inquiry targeting your company.

• Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: May Lessons

  

  In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses four recent rulings from cases involving allegations of Title VII violations, the Employment Retirement Income Security Act, prison dental care violations and overcharging for PACER access.

• 5 Rules In 10 Weeks: Inside Genius Act's Implementation Blitz

  

  Regulators have proposed five Genius Act rules in a striking span of 10 weeks, building a stablecoin framework that, with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency at its operational center, will shape oversight and force issuers, banks and fintechs to take action as deadlines approach, say attorneys at Cahill.

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  NY Times Word Puzzles Make Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Every morning I let The New York Times humble me with word games, which offer a chance to recalibrate my brain before the day's chaos arrives and remind me that a solution — whether to a puzzle or employment law issue — almost always exists once I find the right angle, says Amy Epstein Gluck at Pierson Ferdinand.

• Revised Fed Principles Balance Risk And Remediation

  

  The Federal Reserve's recently updated supervisory principles sharpen standards for enforcement actions while rewarding self-identification and remediation, signaling a more transparent approach that could reduce uncertainty and reshape how banks manage examination risk and regulator engagement going forward, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

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  Law School's Missed Lesson: Diagnose Before Arguing

  

  Law school often skips over explicitly teaching students how to determine what kind of problem a case presents before they commit to a particular doctrinal path, which risks building arguments that are internally coherent but externally misaligned, says Melanie Oxhorn at Kobre & Kim.

• Becoming The Biz-Savvy GC That Portfolio Companies Need

  

  Candidates for general counsel roles at private equity-backed portfolio companies should prioritize proving their sector-specific experience, commercial judgment and ease with uncertainty — and attorneys hoping to be candidates in five to 10 years should start working on those skills now, says Dimitri Mastrocola at Major Lindsey.

• Del. Dispatch: The Hurdles To Early Fraud Claim Dismissal

  

  Particularly where the alleged facts may suggest potentially blatant or egregious misconduct, the pleading-stage standards highlighted in the Delaware Court of Chancery's recent decision in Diem v. Maisonette provide a ready route for the nondismissal of claims before a trial, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

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  Judges On AI: How Courts Can Survive The Tech Revolution

  

  Colorado Supreme Court Justice Maria Berkenkotter and Colorado Court of Appeals Judge Lino Lipinsky de Orlov discuss how artificial intelligence has already fundamentally altered the legal system and offer tips for courts navigating deepfakes, hallucinations and a gap in access to AI tools.

• Startup Founder Disputes Increasingly Turn On Governance

  

  Recent Delaware developments suggest that as courts place increasing emphasis on board process, independence and oversight in founder-led startups, the growing intersection of governance, technology risk and investor oversight is accelerating both the emergence and escalation of founder disputes, says mediator Frank Burke.