As courts in 2025 sharpened scrutiny of expert testimony, Law360 guest writers mapped out practical courtroom strategies, including juror psychology principles to demystify complex testimony, trust-fall questions to head off witness credibility questions, and a less-is-more approach to cross-examination.

Guest authors this year tackled some of the profession’s most charged ethical flashpoints, from Trump administration actions that tested lawyers’ professional obligations, to the boundaries of attorney online speech after Charlie Kirk’s murder, to renewed debate over who should be allowed to own and control law firms.

Amid a federal crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion programs, Law360 Expert Analysis articles dissected the executive orders, agency guidance, enforcement shifts and court rulings that are transforming compliance, insurance and litigation exposure across the public and private sectors.

As artificial intelligence becomes an increasingly integral part of legal practice, Law360 guest commentary this year examined evolving ethical obligations, how the plaintiffs bar is using AI to level the playing field against corporate defense teams, and the attendant risks of adoption.

Tariffs were a major focus of Law360 Expert Analysis this year, with guest writers examining court challenges and regulatory uncertainty, potential changes to rules of origin, heightened customs fraud and False Claims Act enforcement, and the ripple effects across contracts, disclosures, insurance and intellectual property.

Law360 guest writers covered a wide range of class action topics in 2025, including shifting circuit court standards for class certification and diversity jurisdiction, emerging trends in consumer and securities class actions, and the expanding — and increasingly scrutinized — role of artificial intelligence.

With crypto regulation in flux this year, Law360 Expert Analysis contributors​​​​​​​ considered changes in federal and state crypto oversight, emerging enforcement trends, compliance issues tied to staking and tokenization, intensifying efforts to curb crypto fraud, and the legal lessons from prominent prosecutions.

Readers gravitated to employment law analysis spanning a variety of developments in 2025, including the Trump administration's sweeping impact on diversity, equity and inclusion programs; Title VII litigation and religious accommodation issues; state-level noncompete laws; and federal agencies lacking a quorum.

This year, popular guest article topics explored major shifts in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission leadership and enforcement priorities, particularly its evolving stance on crypto, as well as the implications of Delaware corporate law amendments and emerging trends in securities class actions.

Law360 guest commentary addressed several emerging access to justice issues this year, including courtroom transparency and public access, the constitutional and practical implications of new policing and surveillance technologies, and the importance of trauma-informed practices in sensitive cases.

Shifting U.S. Patent and Trademark Office policy was one of the top intellectual property topics tackled in Law360's Expert Analysis section this year, along with the intersection of artificial intelligence and fair use, and the patent-drafting implications of new Federal Circuit rulings.

Reforms to implement a warfighting acquisition system included in the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, signed on Dec. 18, are likely to reduce the burdens, risks and barriers that have previously impeded nontraditional defense contractors, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has implemented significant changes since President Donald Trump took office in January, including dismissing actions with prejudice, withdrawing guidance and rescinding rules, casting the bureau in uncertain light heading into 2026, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

California continued to shape the national insurance landscape in 2025, issuing a series of decisions that may recalibrate claims handling, underwriting strategy and policy drafting in areas from property damage claims after a wildfire to automobile coverage for delivery drivers in the gig economy, say attorneys at Nicolaides Fink.

Fashion, beauty and cosmetic companies getting ready for 2026 shouldn't neglect important insurance considerations, including stand-alone policies for specialized risk and check-ins with supply chain partners on policy requirements, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

Shepherding nuclear power projects to completion requires navigating more risks and obligations than almost any other infrastructure undertaking, but with the right strategies, states, developers, vendors and contractors can overcome these hurdles in 2026 and beyond, say attorneys at Squire Patton.

The combination of statutory reform, registration mandates and enforcement activity in 2025 signals that California's financial regulatory landscape is focused on consumer protection, particularly in the areas of crypto kiosk fee practices, earned wage access providers and elder fraud, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

The past 12 months saw increased regulator focus on disclosures concerning artificial intelligence, signs of growing judicial scrutiny at the class certification stage, and shifting regulatory priorities at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission — all major developments that may significantly affect securities litigation strategy in 2026 and beyond, say attorneys at Debevoise.

With more than a thousand opinions issued this year, three rulings from the Sixth Circuit stood out for the impact they'll have on the practice of civil procedure, including a net neutrality decision, a class certification standards ruling and an opinion about vulgarity in school, say attorneys at Ice Miller.