Corporate

Expert Analysis

• Policing Bad Claims In Consolidated Litigation: Part 1

  

  With the proliferation of consolidated litigation, courts have lamented the lack of scrutiny often given to individual cases in these proceedings. Recent federal court decisions demonstrate an increased willingness to police meritless claims by assessing whether counsel’s pre-suit investigation was adequate, say Danielle Bagwell and Anne Gruner of Duane Morris LLP.

• Exxon Investors' Climate Suit Turns Up The Heat On Oil Cos.

  

  A Texas federal judge's decision last week in Ramirez v. Exxon Mobil — the first climate change-related securities class action against a major oil and gas company — is strikingly pro-shareholder and departs from opinions of numerous federal courts, say Mike Biles and Jessica England of King & Spalding LLP.

• 'High Availability' — A Key Term In Law Firm IT Strategy

  

  While most law firm executives and partners may instinctively want to tune out terms like "high availability" and "disaster recovery" — concepts that IT managers usually worry about — there are five reasons you should lean in and wrestle with the vocabulary, say Jeff Norris of Managed Technology Services LLC and Greg Inge of information security consulting firm CQR.

• The 'Post-Fact' Jury In The 'Fake News' Era

  

  The "fake news" phenomenon is ever more prominent in the political arena — but not in the jury box. At a trial, jurors don’t have to rely on the media or any other source to tell them the facts and issues, since they have a front-row seat to the action, says Ross Laguzza, a consultant at R&D Strategic Solutions LLC.

• Plan Sponsors Should Consider Pension De-Risking

  

  For some plan sponsors, the prospect of engaging in a pension risk transfer may seem cost-prohibitive. However, the cost of transferring risk is lower than what many sponsors perceive, says Elliott Dinkin of Cowden Associates Inc. 

• Series

  Judging A Book: Lipez Reviews 'Last Great Colonial Lawyer'

  

  In his new book, "The Last Great Colonial Lawyer: The Life and Legacy of Jeremiah Gridley," Charles McKirdy argues that Gridley — someone I had never heard of — was the last great colonial lawyer, and that his cases illuminate his times. The author largely substantiates both claims, says First Circuit Judge Kermit Lipez.

• Tax Enforcers Unite Against International Tax Crime

  

  In light of the launch of the Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement alliance against transnational tax crime and money laundering, it is more important than ever for corporations and professional services firms to carefully manage their exposure to higher risk clients and business activity, say Kyle Wombolt and Jeremy Birch of Herbert Smith Freehills LLP.

• A Teachable Moment On Adequate Disclosures

  

  Full and accurate disclosure of information by a corporation to its stockholders is a basic component of obtaining consent to mergers and other fundamental transactions. But the Delaware Supreme Court's decision in Morrison v. Berry is a stark reminder that implementing adequate disclosures is easier said than done, say Marc Casarino and Lori Smith of White and Williams LLP.

• A Close Look At IRS Proposed Pass-Through Deduction Rules

  

  Last week, the IRS proposed regulations under Internal Revenue Code Section 199A, providing guidance on the new deduction available to pass-through entities and sole proprietorships. Mostly taxpayer friendly, the lengthy proposed regs are likely to undergo some changes before becoming finalized, say Stephen Looney and Edward Waters of Dean Mead Egerton Bloodworth Capouano & Bozarth PA.

• An Update, Not A Transformation, Of CFIUS Review Process

  

  The Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act, a reform of the review process overseen by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, has just been signed into law. But to a great extent, it merely codifies CFIUS’ current practice of expansively interpreting its jurisdiction, stretching review timelines and taking a broad view of national security, say attorneys with Paul Hastings LLP.