Expert Analysis

• Improving Well-Being In Law, 10 Years After Landmark Study

  

  An important 2016 study revealed significant substance abuse and mental health issues among lawyers, and while the findings helped normalize the conversation around these topics, a decade later, structural change is still needed, says Denise Robinson at PLI.

• Small And Midsize Business Finance Faces More State Regs

  

  Recent developments in state credit disclosure, consumer debt collection, and lender licensing and registration requirements suggest that companies extending financing to small and midsize businesses are likely to encounter a significantly more stringent legal climate moving forward, say attorneys at Manatt.

• Structuring Bank-Fintech Ties To Avert Risk

  

  Bank-fintech relationships that can hold up to recent increased scrutiny must take into account a broad swath of structuring considerations including due diligence, compliance, documentation, and planning for a potential wind-down and termination, say attorneys at Nelson Mullins.

• What DOL Proposal Signals For 401(k)s, Alternative Assets

  

  The U.S. Department of Labor recently published a highly anticipated proposed rule that could establish more defined pathways for 401(k) plan fiduciaries to consider investment options with greater alternative asset exposure, and help fund sponsors and investment managers develop such options, say attorneys at Cleary.

• DOJ's Superseding Policy Muddies Trade Crime Disclosures

  

  The U.S. Department of Justice’s first agencywide voluntary self-disclosure policy is intended to standardize approaches across DOJ components, but the shift may prove difficult in trade controls cases under the National Security Division, which has long viewed sanctions and export control offenses as uniquely serious, say attorneys at Covington.

• Why Justices Seem Skeptical Of Curbing SEC Disgorgement

  

  Sripetch v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission presents an opportunity for the U.S. Supreme Court to clarify the disgorgement limits it set six years ago in Liu v. SEC, with recent oral arguments suggesting the court sees disgorgement as an equitable remedy akin to unjust enrichment, say attorneys at Hueston Hennigan.

• 4 True Lender State Laws And 1 Appeal For Fintechs To Watch

  

  The fintech industry faces increased scrutiny through proposed true lender laws from several states, as well as ongoing litigation regarding the impact of Colorado's opt-out from the Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act — all of which should heighten industry participants' vigilance, say attorneys at Womble Bond.

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  Officiating Football Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Though they may seem to have little in common, officiating football has sharpened many of the same skills that define effective lawyering in management-side labor and employment: preparation, judgment, composure, credibility and ability to make difficult decisions in real time, says Josh Nadreau at Fisher Phillips.

• Shifts At DOJ Alter Corporate Self-Disclosure Calculus

  

  Though the Justice Department's new criminal enforcement policy clarifies the benefits of corporate self-disclosure, recent changes to prosecutorial priorities and resources mean that companies should reassess whether cooperation incentives still outweigh the risks of nondisclosure, says Hui Chen at CDE Advisors.

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  Law School's Missed Lessons: How To Draft Pleadings

  

  Most law school graduates step into their first jobs without ever having drafted a complaint, answer, motion or other type of pleading, but that gap can be closed by understanding the strategy embedded in every filing, writing with clarity and purpose, and seeking feedback at every step, says Eric Yakaitis at Haug Barron.

• Tokenized Securities Have Capital Parity, But Details Matter

  

  Recent guidance from the federal banking agencies clarifies that the use of distributed ledger technologies to issue and transact in securities will not affect the capital treatment of those instruments, but banks looking to apply parity treatment to tokenized securities should be prepared to document their qualification processes, say attorneys at Davis Polk.

• At The Fed. Circ., Means-Plus-Function Is Not Quite Dead

  

  Recent Federal Circuit opinions confirm that means-plus-function claims continue to be drafted, issued, litigated and even infringed — but minding the restrictions imposed over the years by courts and statute requires three steps, says Jay Yates at Patterson & Sheridan.

• Crypto Trading App Statement Advances SEC's New Direction

  

  While the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's staff statement from last week carving out an exemption from broker-dealer registration for crypto-trading apps isn't a formal or permanent rule, it's the clearest signal yet of a quickly emerging coherent regulatory framework for digital assets, says Stephen Aschettino at Fox Rothschild.

• How Cos. Can Prep For Conn. Data Privacy Amendments

  

  Effective July 1, 2026, amendments to the Connecticut Data Privacy Act narrow the safe harbor for data used by banks, insurance companies and other financial services businesses, highlighting how state regulators plan to focus on how companies handle sensitive data and honor the data rights of the state's residents, say attorneys at Day Pitney.

• E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On ESI Control

  

  Several recent federal court decisions have perpetuated a split over what constitutes “control” of electronically stored information — with judges divided on whether the standard should turn on a party's legal right or practical ability to obtain the information, say attorneys at Sidley.