International Trade

Expert Analysis

• Dismissal Of Amazon Seizure Case May Limit Title III's Reach

  

  A Florida federal judge's recent order dismissing allegations that Amazon trafficked in property previously confiscated by the Cuban government in violation of the Helms-Burton Act reiterates a plain-language limitation of the act's Title III, say Pedro Freyre and Lolita Sosa at Akerman.

• How UK National Security Merger Reviews May Change Soon

  

  The U.K. is planning a revamped national security review regime that will present a number of challenges for foreign investors — including U.S.-based private equity sponsors and American operating companies — that seek to purchase or invest in target companies with operations in the U.K., say attorneys at Kirkland.

• 2 Tested Alternatives To Unavoidable Court Delays

  

  Those seeking resolution in commercial disputes that are stuck in an unavoidable but lengthy court backlog due to the pandemic must consider the advantages of arbitration and mediation over court proceedings, says former U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin now at Stroock.

• Opinion

  Minn. Ruling Represents Sensible Stance On Legal Finance

  

  The Minnesota Supreme Court's Maslowski v. Prospect Funding Partners decision this week reaffirms that the doctrine of champerty is archaic, impedes important litigation finance activity, and should be abolished in the handful of states where it remains alive, says Andrew Cohen at Burford Capital.

• Best Practices For A Paperless Law Practice

  

  A significant challenge in practicing law remotely is the use and handling of documents without paper, because common digital tools such as email or even secure file transfer applications are problematic, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

• FERC's New Return On Equity Formulas Are Out Of Sync

  

  The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's recent orders revising its methods to estimate electric, natural gas and oil utilities' returns on equity lay out significantly different approaches for electric utilities and pipelines, raising questions as to whether such deviations are actually supported by each industry's risks, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

• Opinion

  Lawyers Must Address Racial Injustice With Radical Candor

  

  The legal industry is uniquely positioned, and indeed obligated, to respond to the racial disparities made clear by the recent killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, but lawyers must be willing to be uncomfortable, says Tiffani Lee at Holland & Knight.

• How Lawyers Can Network Better, Virtually And In Person

  

  The current decrease in formality and increase in common ground due to the work-from-home environment can make it easier to have a networking conversation, says Megan Burke Roudebush at Keepwith.

• Practical Tips For Presenting Your Case To Litigation Funders

  

  One mistake that attorneys commonly make when presenting a case to a third-party funder is focusing almost exclusively on liability and giving short shrift to the damages analysis — resulting in an aspirational damages estimate that falls apart under scrutiny, say Cindy Ahn and Justin Maleson at Longford Capital and Casey Grabenstein at Saul Ewing.

• Compliance Tips For Development Bank COVID-19 Projects

  

  Companies that bid on projects financed wholly or in part by multilateral development banks to combat the crises caused by the pandemic must have appropriate anti-corruption mechanisms in place to limit the risks of sanctions investigations several years down the road, say Lauren Muldoon and Spencer Bruck at Orrick.

• Avoiding Inadvertent Privilege Waivers In E-Communications

  

  Attorneys at WilmerHale highlight recent developments in privilege law, the significant challenges raised by nontraditional working arrangements popularized during the pandemic, and ways to avoid waiving attorney-client privilege when using electronic communications.

• How Anti-Terrorism Act Extension Affects Mainstream Cos.

  

  Expansion of the Anti-Terrorism Act to include secondary aiding and abetting claims, in conjunction with a stream of pro-plaintiff legislation, is increasing both liability and loss-of-reputation risk for private companies and banks operating in troubled foreign regions, say attorneys at Skadden.

• Where We Are In The US Trade Secret Crackdown On China

  

  As the U.S. Department of Justice continues to focus on prosecuting trade secret theft by China, U.S. companies are also filing private civil lawsuits against Chinese companies in federal courts, relying on both the Defend Trade Secrets Act and state trade secret laws, say attorneys at Wiggin and Dana.

• Opinion

  Keystone XL Ruling Paralyzes Infrastructure Permit Process

  

  A Montana federal judge's recent ruling revoking water permits for the Keystone XL pipeline and imposing a nationwide moratorium on dredging and filling operations by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers seriously undermines a tried and true regulatory process, say Tom Magness at Grow America's Infrastructure Now and Patrice Douglas at Spencer Fane.

• Opinion

  Don't Cancel Your Summer Associate Programs

  

  While pulling off an effective summer associate program this year will be no easy feat, law firms' investments in their future attorneys should be considered necessary even during this difficult time, says Summer Eberhard at Major Lindsey.