Expert Analysis

• Wash. Class Actions Are Coming After My Health My Data Act

  

  With its expansive scope and private right of action — including possible class actions — for damages, Washington state’s recently enacted My Health My Data Act will be the basis for a great deal of litigation, and companies should be mindful that plaintiffs will need to prove actual, monetary harm, says Tom Nolan at Quinn Emanuel.

• What Courts' Deference Preference Can Mean For Sentencing

  

  The Fifth Circuit’s recent U.S. v. Vargas decision deepens the split among federal appeals courts on the level of deference afforded to commentary in the U.S. sentencing guidelines — an issue that has major real-life ramifications for defendants, and is likely bound for the U.S. Supreme Court, say Jennifer Freel and Michael Murtha at Jackson Walker.

• Caregiver Flexibility Is Crucial For Atty Engagement, Retention

  

  As the battle for top talent continues post-pandemic, many firms are attempting to attract employees with progressive hybrid working environments — and supporting caregivers before, during and after an extended leave is a critically important way to retain top talent, says Manar Morales at The Diversity & Flexibility Alliance.

• Can Class Actions Guide AI Risk Mitigation Efforts?

  

  The speed at which artificial intelligence is developing will likely outpace the legislative response, and two recently filed class actions naming OpenAI as a defendant raise the question of whether existing laws may be used to place some meaningful guardrails on the development of AI, says Thomas Carey at Sunstein.

• How A Union Fight Played A Key Role In Yellow's Bankruptcy

  

  Finger-pointing between company and union representatives appears to be front and center at the early stages of trucking company Yellow’s bankruptcy case, highlighting the failed contract negotiations' role in the company's demise, says George Singer at Holland & Hart.

• Lenders Must Look To The Law As Fla. Joins Disclosure Trend

  

  Given the varying range in scope of state commercial financing disclosure laws — including the one recently enacted in Florida — and the penalties for noncompliance, providers of commercial credit should carefully consider whether such laws apply to their commercial lending business, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

• Strategies To Help Clients When BOP Ignores Medical Needs

  

  Defense attorneys should cite recent case law and the expanded compassionate release guidelines, effective Nov. 1, when making any post-sentence application to aid incarcerated clients whose medical needs have been neglected by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, says Marissa Kingman at Fox Rothschild.

• In-Office Engagement Is Essential To Associate Development

  

  As law firms develop return-to-office policies that allow hybrid work arrangements, they should incorporate the specific types of in-person engagement likely to help associates develop attributes common among successful firm leaders, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

• Perspectives

  A Judge's Pitch To Revive The Jury Trial

  

  Ohio state Judge Pierre Bergeron explains how the decline of the jury trial threatens public confidence in the judiciary and even democracy as a whole, and he offers ideas to restore this sacred right.

• What Patent Bills Would Mean For Infringement Litigation

  

  Attorneys at Farella Braun summarize a pair of recently introduced patent bills — one that would reform patent eligibility and another that would change procedures for litigating patent invalidity — and explore the potential impact of each.

• Why Privacy And Trade Secret Law Are On A Collision Course

  

  The conflict between the legal regimes of trade secret law and data privacy law is growing as companies increasingly collect and use data about their customers, making it key for organizations to find ways to comply with both laws in order to protect their intellectual property and the privacy of their customer, says Jenny Colgate at Rothwell Figg.

• How To Recognize And Recover From Lawyer Loneliness

  

  Law can be one of the loneliest professions, but there are practical steps that attorneys and their managers can take to help themselves and their peers improve their emotional health, strengthen their social bonds and protect their performance, says psychologist and attorney Traci Cipriano.

• Opinion

  Litigation Funding Disclosure Should Be Mandatory

  

  Despite the Appellate Rules Committee's recent deferral of the issue of requiring third-party litigation funding disclosure, such a mandate is necessary to ensure the even-handed administration of justice across all cases, says David Levitt at Hinshaw.

• Recalling USWNT's Legal PR Playbook Amid World Cup Bid

  

  As the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team strives to take home another World Cup trophy, their 2022 pay equity settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation serves as a good reminder that winning in the court of public opinion can be more powerful than a victory inside the courtroom, says Hector Valle at Vianovo.

• ComEd Case Shows Wide Reach Of FCPA Accounting Clauses

  

  The recent conviction of former Commonwealth Edison executives and associates, paired with broader civil enforcement actions, demonstrates the government’s willingness to enforce the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act’s accounting provisions, even in domestic cases without a predicate violation of the statute’s anti-bribery provisions, say James Koukios and Nathan Lowry at MoFo.