Property

Expert Analysis

• Safeguarding Privileged Communications In A Remote World

  

  With the pandemic ushering in remote collaboration tools, counsel must revisit fundamentals of the attorney-client privilege and the work-product doctrine, study cases involving email and other recent technologies, and follow 10 best practices to protect confidentiality, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

• Questions Following 2 Recent Cyber Insurance Developments

  

  A Minnesota federal court's recent decision in Target v. ACE and guidance from the New York State Department of Financial Services have furthered confusion surrounding how insurance policy language should be applied to the unique circumstances of cyber incidents, say Huiyi Chen and David Kroeger at Jenner & Block.

• For Law Firm Digital Marketing, Less Is Sometimes More

  

  Attorneys and law firms often look to cast the widest net possible and maximize online impressions, when they should be focusing their digital marketing efforts on fewer, better-qualified prospects, says Guy Alvarez at Good2BSocial.

• 1 Year Into Pandemic, It's Time To Rethink Law Firm Billing

  

  The particular tasks for which a law firm client can expect to be billed have become unpredictable in the era of COVID-19, making flat fees and other alternative fee arrangements more attractive for both in-house and outside counsel, says Jessica Hodkinson at Panasonic.

• Rogue High Court Citation May Spark Legal Writing Changes

  

  Justice Clarence Thomas’ unexpected use of a new citation format in the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Brownback v. King opinion is the most notable citation change in the court's writing in 25 years, and could inspire receptiveness for other innovations in legal writing and beyond, says Carrie Garrison at Porter Wright.

• Ethics Tips For Attorneys Telecommuting Across State Lines

  

  Attorneys working remotely from jurisdictions in which they are not admitted should take precautionary steps to avoid engaging in unauthorized practice of law, say John Schmidt and Michael Seaman at Phillips Lytle.

• 6 Ways Legal Employers Can Help Pandemic-Weary Parents

  

  Parenting during the pandemic has introduced a series of competing personal and professional obligations for attorneys and professional staff, and even organizations that are supportive of their parent employees can take steps to do better, says Meredith Kahan at Saul Ewing.

• COVID-19 Insurance Issues To Watch In Civil Law Countries

  

  A recent decision from a Spanish court of appeals shows that COVID-19 business interruption coverage disputes may not have outcomes that would be expected in common law countries, say Miguel Torres at Martínez-Echevarría & Rivera Abogados and José Umbert at Zelle.

• Remote Working Tips For Lawyer Trainees And Their Firms

  

  The prospect of joining a law firm during the pandemic can cause added pressure, but with a few good practices — and a little help from their firms and supervising attorneys — lawyer trainees can get ahead of the curve while working remotely, say William Morris and Ted Landray at King & Spalding.

• Punishing Bar Exam Policies On Menstrual Products Must Go

  

  Law graduates across the states are sitting for the grueling two-day bar exam this week despite menstruation-related barriers, such as inadequate menstrual product and bathroom access, which could be eradicated with simple policy tweaks, say law professors Elizabeth Cooper, Margaret Johnson and Marcy Karin.

• It's Time For Law Firms To Start Loving And Leveraging Data

  

  The volume and diversity of data managed by law firms today — from client files to internal financial records — may seem daunting, but when properly organized, good data can help practitioners stay competitive by providing sharper insight into firm resources and cost of work, say Jaron Luttich and Barry Wiggins at Element Standard.

• Biz Interruption Insurance Considerations After Texas Storms

  

  Businesses that have suffered losses from the snow and utility interruptions in Texas should consider the broad range of commercial property insurance policy triggers that may apply, says Micah Skidmore at Haynes and Boone.

• An In-House Counsel's Guide To Better Work Management

  

  Amid economic uncertainty and increasing pressure on corporate legal departments to do more with less, work management processes should be aimed at tracking legal teams' every contribution, including routine matters that can be reallocated to nonlegal staff, says Aaron Pierce at LexisNexis CounselLink.