Expert Analysis

• Series

  The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Espinosa On 'Lincoln Lawyer'

  

  The murder trials in Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” illustrate the stark contrast between the ethical high ground that fosters and maintains the criminal justice system's integrity, and the ethical abyss that can undermine it, with an important reminder for all legal practitioners, say Judge Adam Espinosa and Andrew Howard at the Colorado 2nd Judicial District Court.

• New DOJ Roles Underscore National Security Focus

  

  The U.S. Department of Justice’s recent creation of two new leadership positions signals to the private sector that federal law enforcement is pouring resources into corporate investigations to identify potential national security violations, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

• What Justices' Cert. Denial Of Terrorism Suit Means For Banks

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court's denial of certiorari in Freeman v. HSBC Holdings lets stand the Second Circuit's decision on the narrow scope of conspiracy liability under the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, providing protection for banks that otherwise could have faced liability for finance activities with limited connections to third parties' unlawful acts, say attorneys at Sidley.

• How Hamas' Attack May Further Complicate Sanctions Risk

  

  In the wake of Hamas' attack on Israel, we anticipate that Western governments' attempts to further target Hamas and its enablers will make sanctions compliance for organizations operating within Gaza and the West Bank even more challenging, say Jason Prince and Sophie Davis at Crowell & Moring.

• Why US Should Help European Efforts To Fix SEP Licensing

  

  The European Commission's proposed reform of standard-essential patent licensing aims to fix a fundamental problem stemming from the asymmetry and obscurity of information about SEPs, and U.S. agencies exploring regulation of foreign regimes should support and improve these efforts, say David McAdams at Duke University and David Katz at WilmerHale.

• Opinion

  Newman Suspension Shows Need For Judicial Reform

  

  The recent suspension of U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman following her alleged refusal to participate in a disability inquiry reveals the need for judicial misconduct reforms to ensure that judges step down when they can no longer serve effectively, says Aliza Shatzman at The Legal Accountability Project.

• Opinion

  Forging A Fair Path For Standard-Essential Patents In India

  

  The Delhi High Court's standard-essential patents decision in Intex v. Ericsson has the potential to derail important progress for India's technology industry, so Indian regulators and courts should be developing an SEP licensing ecosystem that inspires and protects innovation, say Brian Scarpelli and Priya Nair at ACT.

• Considerations And Calculations For DOJ Clawback Program

  

  The U.S. Department of Justice’s clawback pilot program announced earlier this year presents numerous questions for businesses, and both hypothetical and recent real-world examples capture how companies’ cost-benefit analyses about whether to claw back compensation in exchange for penalty reductions may differ, say Yogesh Bahl and Jonathan Hecht at Resolution Economics.

• What Case Trends Reveal About Life Sciences Results At ITC

  

  A look at recent U.S. International Trade Commission case data shows that pharmaceuticals, medical devices and other life sciences products constitute a growing share of the technologies involved in Section 337 investigations, with overwhelmingly positive results for companies seeking to protect their IP rights from foreign competitors, say Brian Busey and Daniel Muino at MoFo.

• How And Why Your Firm Should Implement Fixed-Fee Billing

  

  Amid rising burnout in the legal industry and client efforts to curtail spending, pivoting to a fixed-fee billing model may improve client-attorney relationships and offer lawyers financial, logistical and stress relief — while still maintaining profit margins, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.

• A Case For The Green Investment Regime Under The ECT

  

  The EU and U.K.'s potential plans to exit the Energy Charter Treaty, which has been criticized as protecting fossil fuel investments to the detriment of energy transition, ignore the significant strides taken to modernize the treaty and its ability to promote investment in cleaner energy forms, say Amy Frey and Simon Maynard at King & Spalding.

• Opinion

  Judicial Independence Needs Defense Amid Political Threats

  

  Amid recent and historic challenges to the judiciary from political forces, safeguarding judicial independence and maintaining the integrity of the legal system is increasingly urgent, says Robert Peck at the Center for Constitutional Litigation.

• How Law Firms Can Use Account-Based Marketing Strategies

  

  Amid several evolving legal industry trends, account-based marketing can help law firms uncover additional revenue-generating opportunities with existing clients, with key considerations ranging from data analytics to relationship building, say Jennifer Ramsey at stage LLC and consultant Gina Sponzilli.

• Strategic Succession Planning At Law Firms Is Crucial

  

  Senior partners' reluctance to retire, the rise of the nonequity partner tier and generational differences in expectations are all contributing to an increasing number of departures from BigLaw, making it imperative for firms to encourage retirement among senior ranks and provide clearer leadership pathways to junior attorneys, says Laura Leopard at Leopard Solutions.

• UK Mozambique Ruling Will Have Int'l Ramifications

  

  The recent U.K. Supreme Court judgment in Mozambique v. Privinvest considered for the first time stay proceedings under the Arbitration Act, offering guidance on whether claims are a "matter" within the scope of an arbitration clause, which could become a point of reference for foreign courts in the future, say lawyers at Herbert Smith.