Expert Analysis

• What New Bar Exam Means For Law Students And Schools

  

  Stephanie Acosta at UWorld discusses how law students and law schools can start preparing now for the new bar exam launching in 2026, which is expected to emphasize real-world lawyering skills-based tasks over rote memorization.

• DOJ Deals Showcase Job Ad Bias Enforcement Trends

  

  Over the past four months, the U.S. Department of Justice has settled 20 claims related to job ad discrimination toward non-U.S. citizens, highlighting a clear indication of the department’s investigatory focus and reminding employers of key compliance measures, say attorneys at Quarles & Brady.

• Apple's New Messaging Features Will Complicate E-Discovery

  

  Apple's newest mobile operating system allows users to edit and recall messages and recover deleted messages, which could significantly increase the time, burden and expense of processing and analyzing cellphones if messages or their associated metadata become an area of scrutiny in a case, says Jarrett Coco at Nelson Mullins.

• Takeaways From State Department's EB-5 Visa Delays

  

  Nataliya Rymer at Greenberg Traurig discusses possible reasons behind the U.S. Department of State's unexpected announcement regarding processing delays for certain EB-5 visas, as well as key considerations for those potentially affected by the delays.

• Law Firm Inclusion Efforts Often Overlook Business Staff

  

  Law firms committed to a culture of universal inclusion can take steps to foster a sense of belonging in their business services teams, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Consulting.

• An Associate's Guide To Rebounding After A Layoff

  

  Law firm associates laid off due to economic conditions can recuperate and move forward by practicing self-care, identifying key skills to leverage during the job search, engaging in self-reflection and more, say Kate Sheikh at Major Lindsey and wellness consultant Jarrett Green.

• AML Regulation Of Lawyers Is Imminent And Controversial

  

  The U.S. House of Representatives' recently passed National Defense Authorization Act subjects lawyers engaged in certain financial-related activities to anti-money laundering regulation under the Bank Secrecy Act, which could pit lawyers against clients in ways harmful to the rule of law and administration of justice, says Jeremy Glicksman at the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office in New York.

• Key Adaptations For Law Firms Amid Quiet Quitting Movement

  

  While quiet quitting may not be sustainable at law firms with billable hour requirements, there are specific steps law firms should take to maintain engagement and otherwise respond to the trend's underlying message that associates won't spend all their waking hours at work if they don't feel it's worthwhile, says Meredith Kahan at Whiteford Taylor.

• Creating A Hybrid Work Policy? Be Intentional And Inclusive

  

  The pandemic has changed expectations for the future of work forever, and as more employees demand hybrid working options, law firms must develop policies and models that are intentional, inclusive and iterative to lead the industry into the future, says Manar Morales at the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance.

• Perspectives

  2 Legislative Reforms Would Address Many Immigration Woes

  

  Congress should pass currently pending legislation to create an Article I immigration court and update the registry process — reforms that would shield immigration courts from political pressure, enable many longtime residents to cure their immigration status, and alleviate case backlogs, says retired immigration judge Dana Leigh Marks.

• A Law Firm's Guide To Humane Layoffs As Recession Looms

  

  Amid warnings of a global recession, law firms should prepare for the possibility of associate layoffs, aiming for an empathetic approach and avoiding common mistakes that make the emotional impact on departing attorneys worse, say Jarrett Green, a wellness consultant, and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey & Africa.

• Learning From Trump And Bannon Discovery Strategies

  

  Court-imposed sanctions on both former President Donald Trump and his former aide Steve Bannon for failing to comply with subpoenas illustrate that efforts to bar the door to valid discovery can quickly escalate, so litigants faced with challenging discovery disputes should adopt a pragmatic approach, say Mathea Bulander and Monica McCarroll at Redgrave.

• The Risks In Lateral Hiring, And How To Avoid Them

  

  As law firms increasingly recruit laterals, they must account for ethics rules and other due diligence issues that can turn an inadvisable or careless hire into a nightmare of lost opportunity or disqualification, says Mark Hinderks at Stinson.

• Judges Who Use Social Media Must Know Their Ethical Limits

  

  While the judiciary is permitted to use electronic social media, judges and judicial candidates should protect themselves from accusations of ethics violations by studying the growing body of ethics opinions and disciplinary cases centering on who judges connect with and how they behave online, says Justice Daniel Crothers at the North Dakota Supreme Court.

• Rebuttal

  ABA Is Defending Profession's Values From Monied Influences

  

  A recent Law360 guest article suggested that the American Bar Association ignored new opportunities for the legal industry by opposing nonlawyer ownership of law practices, but any advantages would be outweighed by the constraints nonlawyer owners could place on the independence that lawyers require to act in the best interest of their clients, says Stephen Younger at Foley Hoag.