Expert Analysis

• New US Controls May Deter Outside Support For Russia

  

  On the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. published a tranche of new rules that further complicate the sanctions and export control landscape, in part by adding non-Russian parties that help Russia evade sanctions, and Iranian exports of foreign-produced items made with U.S. technology, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

• Steps Lawyers Can Take Following Involuntary Terminations

  

  Though lawyers can struggle to recover from involuntary terminations, it's critical that they be able to step back, review any feedback given and look for opportunities for growth, say Jessica Hernandez at JLH Coaching & Consulting and Albert Tawil at Lateral Hub.

• High Court Ax Of Atty-Client Privilege Case Deepens Split

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court's recent dismissal of In re: Grand Jury as improvidently granted maintains a three-way circuit split on the application of attorney-client privilege to multipurpose communications, although the justices have at least shown a desire to address it, say Trey Bourn and Thomas DiStanislao at Butler Snow.

• 3 Job Satisfaction Questions For Partners Considering Moves

  

  The post-pandemic rise in legal turnover may cause partners to ask themselves what they really want from their workplace, how they plan to grow their practice and when it's time to make a move, says Patrick Moya at Quaero Group.

• 4 Exercises To Quickly Build Trust On Legal Teams

  

  High-performance legal teams can intentionally build trust through a rigorous approach, including open-ended conversations and personality assessments, to help attorneys bond fast, even if they are new to the firm or group, says Ben Sachs at the University of Virginia School of Law.

• Ensuring An Agreement's Arbitration Clause Is Enforceable

  

  Several recent U.K. cases show that failure to include arbitration clauses in agreements between entities, or failure to properly word and strengthen such clauses, can give rise to manifold problems when either side attempts to force the other into arbitration, says Henna Elahi at Zaiwalla.

• 8 Steps To Improve The Perception Of In-House Legal Counsel

  

  With the pandemic paving the way for a reputational shift in favor of in-house corporate legal teams, there are proactive steps that legal departments can take to fully rebrand themselves as strong allies and generators of value, says Allison Rosner at Major Lindsey.

• Procedure Rule 7.1 Can Simplify Litigators' Diversity Analysis

  

  A recent amendment to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 7.1 will help trial courts determine whether the parties to a case are diverse, and may also allow litigators to more quickly determine whether they can remove certain cases to federal court, says Steve Shapiro at Schnader Harrison.

• Abu Dhabi's Puzzling Choice To Send ICC Arbitration Offshore

  

  The Abu Dhabi Court of Cassation's perplexing ruling that an arbitration using International Chamber of Commerce rules must proceed in the Abu Dhabi Global Market, despite both parties preferring the onshore Abu Dhabi court, shows the importance of unambiguously identifying one's desired seat of arbitration before disputes arise, say Sam Song and Dara Sahab at Squire Patton.

• Atty Conflict Discussions In Idaho Murder Case And Beyond

  

  A public defender's representation of the accused University of Idaho murderer after prior representation of a victim's parent doesn't constitute a violation of conflict of interest rules, but the case prompts ethical questions about navigating client conflicts in small-town criminal defense and big-city corporate law alike, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Charles Loeser at HWG.

• Lessons From Ex-FBI Agent's Sanctions Violation Indictment

  

  The Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office recently charged former FBI agent Charles McGonigal with violating U.S. sanctions that were placed prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which could help dispel the assumption that sanctions enforcement is focused only on recent measures, says Angelika Hellweger at Rahman Ravelli.

• Why The Original 'Rocket Docket' Will Likely Resume Its Pace

  

  Though the Eastern District of Virginia, for decades the fastest federal trial court in the country, experienced significant pandemic-related slowdowns, several factors unique to the district suggest that it will soon return to its speedy pace, say Dabney Carr and Robert Angle at Troutman Pepper.

• The Discipline George Santos Would Face If He Were A Lawyer

  

  Rep. George Santos, who has become a national punchline for his alleged lies, hasn't faced many consequences yet, but if he were a lawyer, even his nonwork behavior would be regulated by the American Bar Association's Model Rules of Professional Conduct, and violations in the past have led to sanctions and even disbarment, says Mark Hinderks at Stinson.

• A Litigation Move That Could Conserve Discovery Resources

  

  Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben proposes the preliminary legal opinion procedure — seeking a court's opinion on a disputed legal standard at the outset, rather than the close, of discovery — as a useful resource-preservation tool for legally complex, discovery-intensive litigation.

• Navigating DOJ's Fresh Focus On Criminal Monopoly Charges

  

  For the first time in nearly 45 years, the U.S. Department of Justice has brought criminal charges for violations of Section 2 of the Sherman Act in two very different cases, displaying a renewed willingness to level criminal charges for price-fixing or other coordination under both Sections 1 and 2, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.