Expert Analysis

• 11th Circ. Ruling Offers Guidance On Compensable Work Time

  

  In Villarino v. Pacesetter Personnel Service, the Eleventh Circuit recently ruled that commuting does not become compensable simply because an employer offers transportation, emphasizing that courts will examine whether employees retain meaningful choice and how policies operate, says Lauren Swanson at Hinshaw.

• The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Leadership Strategy After Day 1

  

  For law firm leaders, ensuring a newly combined law firm lives up to its promise, both in its first days of operation and well after, includes tough decisions, clear and specific communication, and cheerleading, says Peter Michaud at Ballard Spahr.

• Calif.'s Civility Push Shows Why Professionalism Is Vital

  

  The California Bar’s campaign against discourteous behavior by attorneys, including a newly required annual civility oath, reflects a growing concern among states that professionalism in law needs shoring up — and recognizes that maintaining composure even when stressed is key to both succeeding professionally and maintaining faith in the legal system, says Lucy Wang at Hinshaw.

• Series

  Trivia Competition Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Playing trivia taught me to quickly absorb information and recognize when I've learned what I'm expected to know, training me in the crucial skills needed to be a good attorney, and reminding me to be gracious in defeat, says Jonah Knobler at Patterson Belknap.

• Series

  Law School's Missed Lessons: What Cross-Selling Truly Takes

  

  Early-career attorneys may struggle to introduce clients to practitioners in other specialties, but cross-selling becomes easier once they know why it’s vital to their first years of practice, which mistakes to avoid and how to anticipate clients' needs, say attorneys at Moses & Singer.

• How AI Data Centers Are Elevating Development Risk In 2026

  

  As thousands of artificial intelligence data center constructions continue to pop up across the U.S., such projects must be treated not as simple real estate developments, but as infrastructure programs where power, supply chains and technology integration all drive both schedule and risk, say attorneys at Cozen O’Connor.

• How State FCA Activity May Affect Civil Fraud Enforcement

  

  A growing trend of state attorneys general enforcing their False Claims Act analogues independently of the U.S. Department of Justice carries potential repercussions for civil fraud enforcement and qui tam litigation considerations, say Li Yu at Bernstein Litowitz, Ellen London at London & Naor and Gwen Stamper at Vogel Slade.

• Wage-Based H-1B Rule Amplifies Lottery Risks For Law Firms

  

  Under the wage-based H-1B lottery rule taking effect Feb. 27, law firms planning to hire noncitizen law graduates awaiting bar admission should consider their options, as the work performed by such candidates may sit at the intersection of multiple occupational classifications with differing chances of success, says Jun Li at Reid & Wise.

• Series

  Judges On AI: Practical Use Cases In Chambers

  

  U.S. Magistrate Judge Allison Goddard in the Southern District of California discusses how she uses generative artificial intelligence tools in chambers to make work more efficient and effective — from editing jury instructions for clarity to summarizing key documents.

• Notable Q4 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

  

  Last quarter featured a novel class action theory about car rental reimbursement coverage, another win for insurers in total loss valuations, a potentially broad-reaching Idaho Supreme Court ruling about illusory underinsured motorist coverage, and homeowners blaming rising premiums on the fossil fuel industry, says Kevin Zimmerman at BakerHostetler.

• Opinion

  Criminalizing Officials' Speech Erodes Trust In Justice System

  

  Federal prosecutors reportedly investigating whether Minnesota officials’ public statements illegally impeded immigration enforcement is a dangerous overextension of obstruction law that would criminalize dissent and sow public distrust in law enforcement, say Marc Levin and Khalil Cumberbatch at the Council on Criminal Justice.

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  Trail Running Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Navigating the muddy, root-filled path of trail marathons and ultramarathons provides fertile training ground for my high-stakes fractional general counsel work, teaching me to slow down my mind when the terrain shifts, sharpen my focus and trust my training, says Eric Proos at Next Era Legal.

• Trade Secret Steps To Take As Exposure Risk Increases

  

  Against the backdrop of rising trade secret litigation, greater employee mobility and constraints on noncompetes, recent cases highlight the importance of minimizing trade secret risks when employees leave or when new hires join, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.

• Reflections From High Court Oral Args Over Fed Gov. Removal

  

  In the oral arguments last month for Trump v. Cook, which asks the U.S. Supreme Court to clarify the circumstances under which the president can remove a Federal Reserve Board governor, the justices appeared skeptical about ruling on the substantive issues in view of the limited record and analysis, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

• What's At Stake In Possible Circuit Split On Medicaid Rule

  

  A recent Eleventh Circuit decision, reviving Florida's lawsuit against a federal rule that reduces Medicaid funding based on agreements between hospitals, sets up a potential circuit split with the Fifth Circuit, with important ramifications for states looking to private administrators to run provider tax programs, say Liz Goodman, Karuna Seshasai and Rebecca Pitt at FTI Consulting.