Expert Analysis

• Lessons As Joint Employer Suits Shift From Rare To Routine

  

  Joint employer allegations now appear so frequently that employers should treat them as part of the ordinary risk landscape, and several recent decisions demonstrate how fluid the liability doctrine has become, says Thomas O’Connell at Buchalter.

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  Power To The Paralegals: How And Why Training Must Evolve

  

  Empowering paralegals through new models of education that emphasize digital fluency, interdisciplinary collaboration and human-centered lawyering could help solve workforce challenges and the justice gap — if firms, educators and policymakers get on board, say Kristine Custodio Suero and Kelli Radnothy.

• Mortality Table Defenses In Actuarial Equivalent Cases

  

  Employee Retirement Income Security Act class action plaintiffs are filing claims against defined benefit pension plans over the actuarial factors used to calculate alternative forms of annuity payments, including by arguing that employers may use mortality tables from the Middle Ages, but several defenses are available to reframe this debate, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

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  Playing Softball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  My time on the softball field has taught me lessons that also apply to success in legal work — on effective preparation, flexibility, communication and teamwork, says Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty.

• How Securities Test Nuances Affect State-Level Enforcement

  

  Awareness of how different states use their securities investigation and enforcement powers, particularly their use of the risk capital test over the federal Howey test, is critical to navigating the complicated patchwork of securities laws going forward, especially as states look to fill perceived federal enforcement gaps, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

• 11th Circ.'s FCRA Standing Ruling Offers Compliance Lessons

  

  The Eleventh Circuit's recent decision in Nelson v. Experian on establishing Article III standing under the Fair Credit Reporting Act should prompt businesses to survey FCRA compliance programs, review open matters for standing defenses and refresh training materials, say attorneys at Nixon Peabody.

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  Law School's Missed Lessons: Mastering Time Management

  

  Law students typically have weeks or months to prepare for any given deadline, but the unpredictability of practicing in the real world means that lawyers must become time-management pros, ready to adapt to scheduling conflicts and unexpected assignments at any given moment, says David Thomas at Honigman.

• How Hyperlinks Are Changing E-Discovery Responsibilities

  

  A recent e-discovery dispute over hyperlinked data in Hubbard v. Crow shows how courts have increasingly broadened the definition of control to account for cloud-based evidence, and why organizations must rethink preservation practices to avoid spoliation risks, says Bree Murphy at Exterro.

• Recent Precedent May Aid In Defending Ad Tech Class Actions

  

  An emergent line of appellate court precedent regarding the indecipherability of anonymized advertising technology transmissions can be used as a powerful tool to counteract the explosion of advertising technology class actions under myriad statutory theories, say attorneys at Duane Morris.

• 11th Circ. Equitable Tolling Ruling Deepens Circuit Split

  

  The Eleventh Circuit recently held that equitable tolling was unavailable to extend a deadline to object to discharge of debt, becoming the most recent circuit court decision to address this issue, and deepening a split that requires resolution by the U.S. Supreme Court, says Paul Avron at Berger Singerman.

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  Writing Musicals Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  My experiences with writing musicals and practicing law have shown that the building blocks for both endeavors are one and the same, because drama is necessary for the law to exist, says Addison O’Donnell at LOIS Law.

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  Adapting To Private Practice: From Va. AUSA To Mid-Law

  

  Returning to the firm where I began my career after seven years as an assistant U.S. attorney in Virginia has been complex, nuanced and rewarding, and I’ve learned that the pursuit of justice remains the constant, even as the mindset and client change, says Kristin Johnson at Woods Rogers.

• 7 Document Review Concepts New Attorneys Need To Know

  

  For new associates joining firms this fall, stepping into the world of e-discovery can feel like learning a new language, but understanding a handful of fundamentals — from coding layouts to metadata — can help attorneys become fluent in document review, says Ann Motl at Bowman and Brooke.

• FTC Actions Highlight New Noncompete Enforcement Strategy

  

  Several recent noncompete-related actions from the Federal Trade Commission — including its recent dismissal of cases appealing the vacatur of a Biden-era noncompete ban — reflect the commission's shift toward case-by-case enforcement, while confirming that the agency intends to remain active in policing such agreements, say attorneys at Debevoise.

• Agentic AI Puts A New Twist On Attorney Ethics Obligations

  

  As lawyers increasingly use autonomous artificial intelligence agents, disciplinary authorities must decide whether attorney responsibility for an AI-caused legal ethics violation is personal or supervisory, and firms must enact strong policies regarding agentic AI use and supervision, says Grace Wynn at HWG.