Expert Analysis

• The Future Of DOL Judge Removal Challenges After Slaughter

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Trump v. Slaughter calls into question whether U.S. Department of Labor administrative law judges exercising significant governmental authority remain insulated from presidential removal, but the answer depends on the governing statute, its severability provisions and other factors, says Mark Ishu at Conn Maciel.

• 2nd Circ. Ruling Lays Out Administrative Right-Of-Access Blueprint

  

  In Civil Rights Corps v. LaSalle, the Second Circuit recently held that the First Amendment dictates a presumptive right of access to sealed attorney grievance proceedings, providing a framework for challenging other administrative regimes that operate behind closed doors, says Jonathan Ginsberg at Carlton Fields.

• How Rogue AI May Shape Corporate Liability, Responsibility

  

  Recent artificial intelligence cyber incidents offer a window into how companies deploying autonomous systems should document risk controls even when systems exceed their intended boundaries, as jurors may treat unexpected AI conduct as foreseeable evidence of inadequate safeguards, says Jorge Monroy at Verdict Insight Partners.

• Meta Layoff Suit Serves As Early Test Of AI Bias Claims

  

  A lawsuit in California federal court alleging that Meta's use of artificial intelligence in recent layoffs negatively affected employees on protected leave provides insight for plaintiffs about what evidence to preserve and how to build these discrimination claims, says Manny Starr at Frontier Law Center.

• 11th Circ. FCA Qui Tam Revival Queues Up Next Challenges

  

  Though the Eleventh Circuit on Sept. 1 upheld the constitutionality of the False Claims Act's qui tam provision, it will probably face continued litigation since the appellate court declined to rule on other constitutional challenges and the decision will likely be petitioned to the U.S. Supreme Court, say attorneys at Sheppard.

• Series

  Ballet Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  A lifetime of learning and performing ballet taught me that success — whether in dance or practicing law — comes only through hours of thorough preparation, boundless energy and relentless effort, says Sharon Katz-Pearlman at Greenberg Traurig.

• AI Prompt-Injection Hacking Creates Emerging Legal Risks

  

  Last month, the first decision sanctioning a prompt-injection attack aimed at a U.S. court highlights the risks that this tactic — attempting to manipulate artificial intelligence systems by hiding invisible instructions in a document — poses for trade secrets, patent prosecution and other areas, say attorneys at Kilpatrick.

• Rejection Of NLRB Successor Bar Renews An Employer Tool

  

  Although the D.C. Circuit's recent ruling in Hospital Menonita v. National Labor Relations Board does not allow purchasers to disregard incumbent unions, employers acquiring a unionized business have regained a tool to challenge a union's majority support, say attorneys at Bass Berry.

• NY Ethics Opinion Warns Attys On Qui Tam Deception

  

  A recent New York State Bar Association ethics opinion cautions that counsel representing whistleblowers may not induce, supervise or facilitate a client's deceptive prefiling investigations, creating a potential vulnerability for qui tam complaints built on questionable evidence-gathering methods, say attorneys at Sidley.

• New F-1 Rule Will Cloud Day 1 Practical Training Backup Plans

  

  A new F-1 visa rule scheduled to take effect Sept. 15 could significantly affect employers of international students by replacing duration of status with fixed admission periods and making curricular practical training a less predictable retention option, says Dillon Colucci at Greenberg Traurig.

• Tackling DOL Tips On When Midday Commutes Are Paid Time

  

  Two recent U.S. Department of Labor opinion letters explain when travel between home and work is compensable, providing wage compliance guidance to employers that want to offer flexible work schedules, and establishing clearer rules as litigation over travel time compensability heats up, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

• 9th Circ. Wage Ruling Shows Arbitration Pacts Are Still Useful

  

  After years of uncertainty for California employers, the Ninth Circuit’s recent Cocom v. ABM Aviation decision signals that workplace arbitration agreements remain a powerful and enforceable tool — if thoughtfully drafted and employment-focused, says Benjamin Runge at Thompson Coburn.

• NLRB Ruling Highlights Risk From Employee Handbook Test

  

  A National Labor Relations Board judge's recent decision to strike down a workplace rule that only theoretically inhibited protected employee activity highlights the great risks employers face under the board's 2023 ruling in Stericycle and explains why this strict standard may be rolled back under the newly Republican-majority board, says Daniel Johns at Cozen O'Connor.

• ERC Filing Deadlines Raise Tax Adviser Liability Risk

  

  To minimize their risk, employee retention credit providers and tax advisers should understand that agreements to extend clients’ two-year deadline for challenging disallowances are not effective until the IRS countersigns, and implement an action plan to track filing deadlines and consider other proactive steps, says Michael Williams at CFOMW.

• Series

  Taekwondo Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Taekwondo has taught me to recognize when to fight for a position and when to focus on finding a solution, and that the best outcomes are often achieved by solving problems — all of which has improved my work as a bankruptcy lawyer, mediator and Subchapter V trustee, says Amy Denton Mayer at Berger Singerman.