Expert Analysis

• Customs Fraud Enforcement In The Age Of Tariffs

  

  In the wake of the Trump administration’s new approach toward tariffs, two recent Justice Department developments demonstrate aggressive customs fraud enforcement, with the DOJ emphasizing competitive harm to American businesses, and signaling that investigations will likely involve both civil and criminal enforcement tools, say attorneys at Bernstein Litowitz and London & Naor.

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  Power To The Paralegals: An Untapped Source For Biz Roles

  

  Law firms looking to recruit legal business talent should consider turning to paralegals, who practice several key skills every day that prepare them to thrive in marketing and client development roles, says Vanessa Torres at Lowenstein Sandler.

• A Path Forward For Colo. Pot Products After Failed Safety Test

  

  As cannabis products in Colorado face increasingly rigorous contamination testing, decontamination and remediation can be an alternative to destruction after a failed safety check, in certain circumstances, so understanding the nuances of these procedures is vital, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

• International Ramifications Of Canada's Health AI Moves

  

  Recent artificial intelligence developments in Canada's health industry are creating ripple effects for global investors, cross-border innovators and legal practitioners, and may create opportunities for U.S. companies rethinking their international strategies, says Atoussa Mahmoudpour at AMR Law.

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  Playing Poker Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Poker is a master class in psychology, risk management and strategic thinking, and I’m a better attorney because it has taught me to read my opponents, adapt when I’m dealt the unexpected and stay patient until I'm ready to reveal my hand, says Casey Kingsley at McCreadyLaw.

• What EU 'Killer Acquisition' Study Means For Pharma Deals

  

  The European Commission’s recent study of pharmaceutical companies' acquisitions of emerging competitive threats, the first of its kind globally, has important implications for the industry, and may lead to increased awareness of merger control risks in collaborative agreements, say lawyers at Paul Weiss.

• Legal Risks For Providers Discussing Psychedelic Therapies

  

  The emergence of psychedelic therapies as potential treatments for mental health conditions and other ailments continues to garner significant attention, but the legal landscape surrounding discussions and referrals remains fraught with complexity, creating potential risks for healthcare providers and institutions, says Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell.

• Why Texas Should Slow Down On Healthcare Merger Bills

  

  More time is needed to study three Texas bills aimed at considering the effects of healthcare consolidation to increase affordability and access to healthcare, which could have the opposite effect, say John Saran and Harshita Rathore at Holland & Knight and Robbie Allen at U.S. Heart and Vascular.

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  Law School's Missed Lessons: Becoming A Firmwide MVP

  

  Though lawyers don't have a neat metric like baseball players for measuring the value they contribute to their organizations, the sooner new attorneys learn skills frequently skipped in law school — like networking, marketing, client development and case evaluation — the more valuable, and less replaceable, they will be, says Alex Barnett at DiCello Levitt.

• How NY's FAIR Act Mirrors CFPB State Recommendations

  

  New York's proposed FAIR Business Practices Act, which targets predatory lending and junk fees, reflects the Rohit Chopra-era Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recommendations to states in a number of ways, including by defining "abusive" conduct and adding a new right to file class actions, says Christian Hancock at Bradley Arant.

• A Breakdown Of Trump's Order On Drug Pricing

  

  The Trump administration may attempt to effectuate through rulemaking a recently issued executive order on lowering drug prices, which would likely have an adverse effect on stakeholders and trigger litigation, say attorneys at Debevoise.

• Takeaways From DOJ's 1st Wage-Fixing Jury Conviction

  

  U.S. v. Lopez marked the U.S. Department of Justice's first labor market conviction at trial as a Nevada federal jury found a home healthcare staffing executive guilty of wage-fixing and wire fraud, signaling that improper agreements risk facing successful criminal prosecution, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.

• Bid Protest Spotlight: Size, Supply Schedules, SINs

  

  In this month's bid protest roundup, Alissandra McCann at MoFo examines three recent decisions, two of which offer helpful reminders for U.S. General Services Administration schedule holders drafting blanket purchase agreement proposals, and one for small-business joint ventures to avoid running afoul of the U.S. Small Business Administration's two-year rule.

• Del. Bill Reflects Nat'l Tug-Of-War Between Cannabis, Alcohol

  

  As Delaware's bill targeting hemp-derived THC beverages and ingestible products moves through the general assembly, it reads like a local regulatory fix — but in reality, it's a microcosm of a national power struggle playing out state-by-state across the cannabis frontier, says attorney Peter Murphy.

• $38M Law Firm Settlement Highlights 'Unworthy Client' Perils

  

  A recent settlement of claims against law firm Eckert Seamans for allegedly abetting a Ponzi scheme underscores the continuing threat of clients who seek to exploit their lawyers in perpetrating fraud, and the critical importance of preemptive measures to avoid these clients, say attorneys at Lockton Companies.