Expert Analysis

• NEPA Repeal Could Slow Down Environmental Review

  

  As the Trump administration has rescinded the Council on Environmental Quality's long-standing National Environmental Policy Act regulations, projects that require NEPA review may be bogged down by significant regulatory uncertainty and litigation risks, potentially undermining the administration's intent to streamline the permitting process, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

• Compliance Lessons From Warby Parker's HIPAA Fine

  

  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' civil money penalty against Warby Parker highlights the emerging challenges that consumer-facing brands encounter when expanding into healthcare-adjacent sectors, with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliance being a potential focus of regulatory attention, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.

• 5th Circ. Ruling Is Latest Signal Of Shaky Qui Tam Landscape

  

  In his recent concurring opinion in U.S. v. Peripheral Vascular Associates, a Fifth Circuit judge joined a growing list of jurists suggesting that the False Claims Act's whistleblower provisions are unconstitutional, underscoring that acceptance of qui tam relators can no longer be taken for granted, say attorneys at Miller & Chevalier.

• Foreign Countries Have Strong Foundation To Fill FCPA Void

  

  Though the U.S. has paused enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, liberal democracies across the globe are well equipped to reverse any setback in anti-corruption enforcement, potentially heightening prosecution risk for companies headquartered in the U.S., says Stephen Kohn at Kohn Kohn.

• How Attys Can Use A Therapy Model To Help Triggered Clients

  

  Attorneys can lean on key principles from a psychotherapeutic paradigm known as the "Internal Family Systems" model to help manage triggered clients and get settlement negotiations back on track, says Jennifer Gibbs at Zelle.

• A Tale Of Two Admins: Parsing 1st Half Of SEC's FY 2025

  

  The first half of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's fiscal year 2025, which ended March 31, was unusually eventful, marked by a flurry of enforcement actions in the last three months of former Chair Gary Gensler's tenure and a prompt pivot after Inauguration Day, say attorneys at Jones Day.

• How Banks Can Manage Risk As AI Adoption Expands

  

  Following new, supportive comments from financial regulatory leaders about the use of artificial intelligence in the industry, banks may move toward wider, less-tentative adoption of the technology, but will also need to deploy important risk management measures, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

• Medicare Advantage Enforcement Strong Amid Agency Cuts

  

  The second Trump administration's actions thus far suggest that Medicare Advantage enforcement remains a bipartisan focus despite challenges presented by evolving trends in federal agency staffing and resources, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

• What Banks Must Do To Attract Gen Z Customers

  

  The young adults of Generation Z bank differently, so financial institutions must engage appropriately if they wish to attract this key population, including by leveraging savvy marketing, well-designed online interfaces and top-notch customer service, says Madeline Thieschafer at Fredrikson & Byron.

• What Bank Regulator Consolidation Would Mean For Industry

  

  Speculation over the Trump administration’s potential plans to consolidate financial service regulators is intensifying uncertainty, but no matter the outcome for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the industry should expect continued policy changes, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

• Getting Ahead Of The SEC's Continued Focus On Cyber, AI

  

  The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is showing it will continue to scrutinize actions involving cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, but there are proactive measures that companies and financial institutions can take to avoid regulatory scrutiny going forward, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

• 3 Steps For In-House Counsel To Assess Litigation Claims

  

  Before a potential economic downturn, in-house attorneys should investigate whether their company is sitting on hidden litigation claims that could unlock large recoveries to help the business withstand tough times, says Will Burgess at Hilgers Graben.

• IRS And ICE Info Sharing Could Drive Payroll Tax Enforcement

  

  Tax crimes are historically difficult to prosecute, but the Internal Revenue Services’ recent agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to share taxpayer records of non-U.S. citizens could be used to enhance payroll tax-related enforcement against their employers, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

• Breaking Down Ill. Bellwether Case For Bank Preemption

  

  The banking industry's pending lawsuit against the state of Illinois stands to permanently enjoin state regulation of bank card processing, as well as clarify the outstanding and consequential issue of whether conflict preemption continues to cover third parties in certain circumstances, says Tom Witherspoon at Stinson.

• Despite SEC Climate Pause, Cos. Must Still Heed State Regs

  

  While businesses may have been given a reprieve from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's rules aimed at standardizing climate-related disclosures, they must still track evolving requirements in states including California, Illinois, New Jersey and New York that will soon require reporting of direct and indirect carbon emissions, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.