Expert Analysis

• Managing Public Pension Plans During An Election Cycle

  

  With the 2024 elections fast approaching, investment advisers managing public pension plan assets must consider political contributions by their personnel in order to ensure compliance with the pay-to-play rule and other statutory, regulatory and contractual requirements, say attorneys at Dechert.

• High Court Cert Denial Puts New Spotlight On Plea Bargains

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court’s refusal to hear Davis v. U.S. — provoking two justices’ dissent — highlights a lesser-known circuit split on whether an attorney's failure to pursue a plea agreement constitutes ineffective assistance of counsel, and will likely spur several key changes in criminal law practice, says Spencer Gottlieb at Perkins Coie.

• How Courts Are Treating SEC Disgorgement 3 Years After Liu

  

  Following the U.S. Supreme Court's 2020 Liu decision on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's ability to seek equitable disgorgement of defendants' net profits, case law is veering significantly in the SEC's favor, and there are four key issues to follow, say Amy Jane Longo and Brooke Cohen at Ropes & Gray.

• Concerns Emerging On TM Cases Against Undisclosed Parties

  

  There has been a dramatic increase in the number of cases filed by brands against hundreds of counterfeiters as undisclosed defendants, and given these suits' debatable success in curbing counterfeiting, courts and Congress could view them as a drain on judicial resources, say Bea Swedlow and David Roulo at Honigman.

• 5 Management Tips To Keep Law Firm Merger Talks Moving

  

  Many law firm mergers that make solid business sense still fall apart due to the costs and frustrations of inefficient negotiations, but firm managers can increase the chance of success by effectively planning and executing merger discussions, say Lisa Smith and Kristin Stark at Fairfax Associates.

• Opinion

  2 Critical Shortfalls In Fla. Condo Safety Amendments

  

  New amendments to Florida's Building Safety Act provide condominium associations with more flexibility to comply with inspection deadlines, but vaguely defined extension criteria and unambiguous lines of responsibility warrant further legislative action, say Jordan Isrow and Andrew Ingber at Government Law Group.

• 3 Abortion Enforcement Takeaways 1 Year After Dobbs

  

  A year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, confusion continues to abound amid the quagmire of state-level enforcement risks, federal efforts to protect reproductive health care, and fights over geolocation data, say Elena Quattrone and Sarah Hall at Epstein Becker.

• Rethinking In-Office Attendance For Associate Retention

  

  The hybrid office attendance model doesn't work for all employees, but it does for many — and balancing these two groups is important for associate retention and maintaining a BigLaw firm culture that supports all attorneys, says Summer Eberhard at Major Lindsey.

• Hospitality Biz Must Prep For Seaweed Damage Coverage

  

  With the Great Atlantic Sargassum Seaweed Belt, a 10-million-ton mass of brown seaweed, potentially about to approach the coasts of the U.S. Southeast, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, affected policyholders should consider whether their losses are covered by their property insurance policies, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

• Attendance Policies, ADA May Be In EEOC's Crosshairs

  

  While a recent matter before the Eleventh Circuit primarily involved the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s subpoena power, the case's factual details suggest that the agency wants to determine whether certain attendance policies violate the Americans with Disabilities Act, potentially on a nationwide scale, say Anne Yuengert and William Manuel at Bradley Arant.

• Opinion

  ALI, Bar Groups Need More Defense Engagement For Balance

  

  The American Law Institute and state bar committees have a special role in the development of the law — but if they do not do a better job of including attorneys from the defense bar, they will come to be viewed as special interest advocacy groups, says Mark Behrens at Shook Hardy.

• Murdaugh Trials Offer Law Firms Fraud Prevention Reminders

  

  As the fraud case against Alex Murdaugh continues to play out, the evidence and narrative presented at his murder trial earlier this year may provide lessons for law firms on implementing robust internal controls that can detect and prevent similar kinds of fraud, say Travis Casner and Helga Zauner at Weaver and Tidwell.

• What Courts Say About Workers' Comp And Medical Marijuana

  

  Whether employers and insurance carriers are required or allowed to reimburse employees for out-of-pocket costs for treating work-related injuries with medical marijuana has spawned a debate, and the state courts that have addressed this matter are split on a number of issues, say Alexandra Hassell and Anthony Califano at Seyfarth.

• COVID Fraud Crackdown Should Prompt Compliance Review

  

  Recent federal actions against businesses that allegedly perpetrated pandemic-related fraud show why health care providers should confirm that all COVID-19 relief funds were obtained in accordance with contemporary guidance and move to repair any potential compliance breaches, say Anthony Burba and Megha Mathur at Barnes & Thornburg.

• Cos. Should Stay Alert After Florida's Mini-TCPA Amendment

  

  Despite an amendment narrowing the scope of the Florida Telephone Solicitation Act to curtail frivolous litigation, businesses that advertise using telephone calls and text messages should still maintain robust compliance, as the law could lead to challenges regarding its meaning and application, says Alexis Buese at Gunster.