Expert Analysis

• CFIUS Clampdown Will Deter Allied-Country Investment

  

  The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States’ recent redefinition of transaction "completion date" is the latest in a series of steps taken in the name of U.S. security that are likely to deter investments from friendly countries and increase capital costs for U.S. startups, says Stephen Heifetz at Wilson Sonsini.

• Navigating Europe's New Game-Changing Unified Patent Court

  

  Europe's recently opened Unified Patent Court has ushered in a new era in patent law focused on the power of provisional relief, and adapting to both broad protections and compressed timelines is essential for plaintiffs and defendants alike, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

• Opinion

  When Corporate Self-Disclosure Threatens Individuals' Rights

  

  The prosecution of former Cognizant executives in New Jersey federal court demonstrates how the U.S. Department of Justice’s corporate enforcement policy can contravene the constitutional rights of individual defendants who are employed by cooperating companies, says Gideon Mark at the University of Maryland.

• Courts Can Overturn Deficient State Regulations, Too

  

  While suits challenging federal regulations have become commonplace, such cases against state agencies are virtually nonexistent, but many states have provisions that allow litigants to bring suit for regulations with inadequate cost-benefit analyses, says Reeve Bull at the Virginia Office of Regulatory Management.

• Tales From The Trenches Of Remote Depositions

  

  As practitioners continue to conduct depositions remotely in the post-pandemic world, these virtual environments are rife with opportunities for improper behavior such as witness coaching, scripted testimony and a general lack of civility — but there are methods to prevent and combat these behaviors, say Jennifer Gibbs and Bennett Moss at Zelle.

• How Multiagency Sanctions Enforcement Alters Compliance

  

  Recent indictments and guidance emphasizing scrutiny of third-party intermediaries make clear the government's increasingly interagency approach to sanctions enforcement and its view that financial institutions are the first line of defense against evasion efforts, particularly in connection with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

• The Supreme Court Is At War With Itself On Extraterritoriality

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court recently issued two conflicting pronouncements about the presumption against extraterritoriality without acknowledging the tensions between these decisions, which leaves lower courts, practitioners and potential defendants in the dark, says Jonah Knobler at Patterson Belknap.

• Level Up Lawyers' Business Development With Gamification

  

  With employee engagement at a 10-year low in the U.S., there are several gamification techniques marketing and business development teams at law firms can use to make generating new clients and matters more appealing to lawyers, says Heather McCullough at Society 54.

• Mallory Ruling Leaves Personal Jurisdiction Deeply Unsettled

  

  In Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Railway, a closely divided U.S. Supreme Court recently rolled back key aspects of its 2017 opinion in Daimler AG v. Bauman that limited personal jurisdiction, leaving as many questions for businesses as it answers, say John Cerreta and James Rotondo at Day Pitney.

• 5 Ways Firms Can Rethink Office Design In A Hybrid World

  

  As workplaces across the country adapt to flexible work, law firms must prioritize individuality, amenities and technology in office design, says Kristin Cerutti at Nelson Worldwide.

• Opinion

  Bar Score Is Best Hiring Metric Post-Affirmative Action

  

  After the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling striking down affirmative action admissions policies, law firms looking to foster diversity in hiring should view an applicant's Multistate Bar Examination score as the best metric of legal ability — over law school name or GPA, says attorney Alice Griffin.

• Ghosting In BigLaw: How To Come Back From Lack Of Feedback

  

  Junior associates can feel powerless when senior colleagues cut off contact instead of providing useful feedback, but young attorneys can get back on track by focusing on practical professional development and reexamining their career priorities, says Rachel Patterson at Orrick.

• Steps To Success For Senior Associates

  Excerpt from Practical Guidance

  

  Adriana Paris at Rissman Barrett discusses the increased responsibilities and opportunities that becoming a senior associate brings and what attorneys in this role should prioritize to flourish in this stressful but rewarding next level in their careers.

• Cannabis Seed Importation Carries CBP Enforcement Risks

  

  Though cannabis seed importation may be arguably legal, potential importers — such the recent MMJ-Global Cannabis partnership to bring cannabis THC products into the U.S. — risk action from U.S. Customs and Border Protection until the agency issues an official ruling on cannabis seed admissibility, say Adams Lee and Vince Sliwoski at Harris Bricken.

• FARA Advisory Opinions Raise Questions For Digital Media

  

  The U.S. Department of Justice's latest advisory opinions on the Foreign Agents Registration Act indicate that the broad geographic reach of the internet and digital media could bring a wide variety of activities within the scope of FARA, but lawyers are left to try to discern nuggets of guidance from these heavily redacted letters, say attorneys at Covington.