Class Action

Expert Analysis

• Ethics Reminders As Employees Move To Or From Gov't

  

  Many organizations are making plans for executives to go into government jobs, or for government officials to join a private sector team, but they must understand the many ethics rules that can put a damper on just how valuable the former employee or new hire can be, say Scott Thomas and Jennifer Carrier at Blank Rome.

• 5 Tips For In-House Counsel Anticipating Cyber Class Actions

  

  In light of a 270% increase in data breaches this year, and the attendant class actions, in-house counsel can prepare to efficiently manage litigation by focusing on certain initial steps, ranging from multidistrict litigation strategy to insurance best practices, say David McDowell and Nancy Thomas at MoFo.

• UnitedHealth ERISA Ruling Exposes Faults In Health Coverage

  

  Perhaps one of the most significant health insurance decisions ever, a California federal court’s recent ruling that Employee Retirement Income Security Act violations require a UnitedHealth subsidiary to reconsider 50,000 denied mental health treatment claims reveals how insurers' decisions sometimes disregard generally accepted care standards, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Sherman.

• A Key To Helping Clients Make Better Decisions During Crisis

  

  As the pandemic brings a variety of legal stresses for businesses, lawyers must understand the emotional dynamic of a crisis and the particular energy it produces to effectively fulfill their role as advisers, say Meredith Parfet and Aaron Solomon at Ravenyard Group.

• NY Auto-Renewal Law Raises Compliance, Litigation Concerns

  

  A new law in New York that requires businesses to obtain consumer consent for automatic contract renewals could warrant extensive revisions to existing terms and conditions, and courts could eventually create a private right of action if they follow California’s trend of permitting individuals to sue under separate statutes, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

• Ethics Considerations For Law Firms Implementing AI

  

  Richard Finkelman and Yihua Astle at Berkeley Research Group discuss the ethical and bias concerns law firms must address when implementing artificial intelligence-powered applications for recruiting, conflict identification and client counseling.

• When A Product Liability Case Can't Survive Outside An MDL

  

  Baca v. Johnson & Johnson, a recent pelvic mesh lawsuit brought in Arizona federal court, is a perfect example of how some product liability cases that might be accepted in a multidistrict litigation contain deficiencies that cannot withstand scrutiny when tried individually, says Rachel Weil at Reed Smith.

• Picking The Right Location And Tools For Virtual Courtrooms

  

  Attorneys should consider the pros and cons of participating in virtual court proceedings from home versus their law firm offices, and whether they have the right audio, video and team communication tools for their particular setup, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

• Insurance Considerations For Schools Harmed By COVID-19

  

  Schools facing lawsuits associated with both shutting down and reopening amid the COVID-19 pandemic may be able to find relief through their consumer general liability and educators legal liability insurance policies, says Michael Rush at Gilbert.

• Beware Atty Ethics Rules When Reporting COVID-19 Fraud

  

  Attorneys considering blowing the whistle on False Claims Act violations by recipients of COVID-19 relief may face a number of ethical constraints on their ability to disclose client information and file qui tam actions, say Breon Peace and Jennifer Kennedy Park at Cleary.

• Looking For Judicial Activists? Check The Footnotes

  

  U.S. Supreme Court nominees typically face intense questioning over potential judicial activism, but a better way to gauge judges' activist tendencies may be to look at the footnotes in their opinions, say Christopher Collier at Hawkins Parnell and Michael Arndt at Rohan Law.

• Rebuttal

  Courts Are Not Confused About Opioid Insurance Suits

  

  Although a recent Law360 guest article claimed that confusion has seeped into decisions concerning insurance coverage for opioid lawsuits, courts have addressed the issue clearly and consistently in holding that commercial general liability policies cover the defense of such cases, say attorneys at Miller Friel.

• Best Practices For Legal Technology Adoption

  

  The pandemic has accelerated the need to improve the practice of law through technology, but law firms and in-house legal departments must first ensure they have employee buy-in and well-defined processes for new digital tools, say Dan Broderick at BlackBoiler and Daryl Shetterly at Orrick.

• The Pandemic's Long-Term Impact On Law Firm Operations

  

  Brian Burlant at Major Lindsey looks at how pandemic-era remote work has changed the way law firms operate — from shifts in secretarial functions to associate professional development — and explains why some alterations may be here to stay.

• Divergent Insurance Rulings Portend More Virus Litigation

  

  A North Carolina state court and Mississippi federal court recently reached opposing conclusions in COVID-19 insurance coverage lawsuits despite analyzing similar business interruption policy language, likely encouraging further litigation over unsettled coverage questions, says Mark Binsky at Abrams Gorelick.