Consumer Protection

Expert Analysis

• Diversity's Next Step: Developing Minority Partners

  

  The lack of minority partners comes at a high cost to firms, say attorneys at Lightfoot Franklin & White LLC, as they suggest several practical ways to tackle this problem.

• A 2019 Field Guide To Calif. Class Actions

  

  For those navigating the California class action landscape in 2019, it pays to know what happened in 2018. William Stern of Covington & Burling LLP looks back at the most important developments and discusses what to expect going forward.

• Expect More SEC Cybersecurity Enforcement This Year

  

  The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission turned its attention to cybersecurity last year, and those efforts will intensify throughout 2019. There are at least four likely areas of enforcement activity, say attorneys with Linklaters LLP.

• Arbitrators And Mediators Should Reflect Society's Diversity

  

  Alternative dispute resolution providers have made great strides toward diversity, but recent statistics show there is still work to be done. There are certain steps ADR providers can take to actively recruit more women and minority candidates to serve as arbitrators and mediators, says James Jenkins of the American Arbitration Association.

• Why AFAs Are Key To The Future Of Legal Practice

  

  Alternative fee agreements can help align law firm and client interests, increase efficiency and eliminate corporate extortion, among other benefits. They are the best thing to happen to the practice of law in decades, says Kelly Eisenlohr-Moul at Dinsmore & Shohl LLP.

• 5 Lessons From State AGs' HIPAA Data Breach Suit

  

  The allegations in State of Indiana v. Medical Informatics Engineering — the first federal lawsuit filed by multiple state attorneys general over a data breach based upon alleged Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act violations — provide some guidance on adequate network security, say Hanley Chew and Tyler Newby of Fenwick & West LLP.

• The Trump Administration's Latest Drug Pricing Initiatives

  

  In 2018, the Trump administration took few concrete steps that will significantly impact drug prices in the near future. The most consequential ideas lack political support, while the more feasible ideas are unlikely to change much, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray LLP.

• Series

  Judging A Book: Barron Reviews 'The Clamor Of Lawyers'

  

  Can lawyers lead a revolution? According to "The Clamor of Lawyers: The American Revolution and Crisis in the Legal Profession" — a slim but elegant volume by Peter Charles Hoffer and Williamjames Hull Hoffer — they can and they did, says First Circuit Judge David Barron.

• Why Apple Customers Lost A Suit Over Storage Capacity

  

  A California federal court recently dismissed a lawsuit filed by Apple customers over the advertised storage capacity of iPhones and iPads. The case illustrates the importance of accurate advertising about the technical specifications of products, but also the need for plaintiffs to draft their complaints with care, says Jeffrey Edelstein of Manatt Phelps & Phillips LLP.

• How Calif. Privacy Act Could Prompt Private Plaintiff Suits

  

  Even absent a private right of action, businesses subject to the California Consumer Privacy Act should still be concerned about the possibility of private lawsuits — including class actions — arising from the law, says Joshua Jessen of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP.