Class Action

Financial Planning Tips For Retiring Law Firm Partners

As the pandemic accelerates retirement plans for many, Michael Delgass at Wealthspire Advisors outlines some financial considerations unique to law firm partners, including the need for adequate liquidity whether they have capital accounts or pension plans.

New TCPA Rulings Suggest Shorter Life For Autodialer Suits

In the six months since the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Facebook v. Duguid, which narrowed the scope of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, a growing number of rulings provide hope that meritless lawsuits based on automatic telephone dialing systems can be stopped at the pleadings stage, say Becca Wahlquist and Lauri Mazzuchetti at Kelley Drye.

Preparing Remote Deposition Defenses For Corporate Entities

As remote depositions will remain common for the foreseeable future, attorneys defending a deposition notice or subpoena to a corporation should implement certain strategies to mitigate unique challenges, such as less planning time and increased difficulty of establishing rapport with witnesses, say attorneys at Sidley.

7th Circ. Ruling Offers Arbitration Clarity For ERISA Claims

Although the Seventh Circuit recently decided a retirement plan arbitration provision was unenforceable in Smith v. Board of Directors of Triad Manufacturing, the ruling is the court’s first broad approval of the dispute-resolution method for Employee Retirement Income Security Act claims, and provides arbitration clause guidance for plans covered by the statute, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

Perspectives

Why Law Schools Should Require Justice Reform Curriculum

Criminal defense attorney Donna Mulvihill Fehrmann argues that law schools have an obligation to address widespread racial and economic disparities in the U.S. legal system by mandating first-year coursework on criminal justice reform that educates on prosecutorial misconduct, wrongful convictions, defense 101 and more.

2nd Circ. ERISA Ruling Offers Lessons On Proof Of Loss

The Second Circuit’s recent decision in Sacerdote v. New York University, reviving several retirement plan fiduciary breach claims, illustrates why defendants must avoid terminology that conflates loss and damages, and why they should develop affirmative evidence to show plans were not harmed by alleged breaches, say Deanna Rice and Randall Edwards at O'Melveny & Myers.

Girardi Scandal Provides Important Ethics Lessons

The litigation and media maelstrom following allegations that famed plaintiffs attorney Thomas Girardi and his law firm misappropriated clients' funds provides myriad ethics and professional responsibility lessons for practitioners, especially with regard to misconduct reporting and liability insurance, says Elizabeth Tuttle Newman at Frankfurt Kurnit.

How Social Media, Mass Torts Affect Adverse Event Reports

Increases in mass tort litigation e-discovery and social media use are driving a surge in the amount of adverse event information received by manufacturers from the public about their drugs and medical devices, so companies must proactively consider how they will handle this data while remaining compliant with their reporting obligations, says Adam Pierson at DLA Piper.

Practical Implications Of Delaware's New Demand-Futility Test

In United Food and Commercial Workers Union v. Zuckerberg, the Delaware Supreme Court adopted a new universal test for assessing a board’s ability to independently assess a shareholder litigation demand, which may close off certain paths for plaintiffs who seek to plead demand futility, say Courtney Worcester and Roger Lane at Holland & Knight.

Series

Embracing ESG: Jabil GC Talks Compliance Preparation

Tried-and-true compliance lessons from recent decades can be applied to companies’ environmental, social and governance efforts, especially with regard to employee training and consistent application of policies — two factors that can create a foundation for ESG criteria to flourish, says Robert Katz at Jabil.

3 Ways CLOs Can Drive ESG Efforts

Chief legal officers are specially trained to see the legal industry's flaws, and they can leverage that perspective to push their companies toward effective environmental, social and governance engagement, says Mark Chandler at Stanford Law School.

ComEd Ruling Invites Plaintiffs To Bypass Filed Rate Doctrine

An Illinois federal court's recent ruling on a putative class action claim against Commonwealth Edison could encourage future plaintiffs to avoid dismissal by failing to mention in their complaints that they paid the rates listed in a public utility's filed tariff, says Tyson Covey at Duane Morris.

2 Cases Will Help Shape Opioid Litigation Insurance Coverage

Upcoming decisions from the Ohio and Delaware high courts in Acuity v. Masters Pharmaceutical and Rite Aid Corp. v. ACE American Insurance, respectively, on whether insurers must defend policyholders in prescription opioid litigation filed by government entities are sure to provide precedent for resolution of these coverage issues nationwide, say Courtney Horrigan and Kateri Persinger at Reed Smith.

How Law Firms Can Rethink Offices In A Post-Pandemic World

Based on their own firm's experiences, Kami Quinn and Adam Farra at Gilbert discuss strategies and unique legal industry considerations for law firms planning hybrid models of remote and in-office work in a post-COVID marketplace.

Opinion

Time To Restore Arbitration's Promise Of Efficiency For All

As companies like Amazon.com turn away from mandatory arbitration clauses, it may seem that the popularity of this litigation alternative is waning, but there are effective ways for parties to fine-tune their arbitration agreements to ensure the process remains quick and inexpensive, says Janice Sperow at Sperow ADR.