Expert Analysis

• USPTO Under Squires: A Look At The First Month

  

  New U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires' opening acts — substantive and symbolic — signal a posture that is more welcoming to technological improvements and focused on rebalancing the office's gatekeeping role, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

• Opinion

  Expert Reports Can't Replace Facts In Securities Fraud Cases

  

  The Ninth Circuit's 2023 decision in Nvidia v. Ohman Fonder — and the U.S. Supreme Court's punt on the case in 2024 — could invite the meritless securities litigation the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act was designed to prevent by substituting expert opinions for facts to substantiate complaint assertions, say attorneys at A&O Shearman.

• Opinion

  High Court, Not A Single Justice, Should Decide On Recusal

  

  As public trust in the U.S. Supreme Court continues to decline, the court should adopt a collegial framework in which all justices decide questions of recusal together — a reform that respects both judicial independence and due process for litigants, say Michael Broyde at Emory University and Hayden Hall at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

• Series

  Traveling Solo Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Traveling by myself has taught me to assess risk, understand tone and stay calm in high-pressure situations, which are not only useful life skills, but the foundation of how I support my clients, says Lacey Gutierrez at Group Five Legal.

• Latest PTAB Moves Suggest A Subtle Recalibration

  

  Recent decisions from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, as U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires transitions into his new role, offer new procedural and substantive tools for patent owners in procuring patent rights and enforcing them against would-be petitioners, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

• Opinion

  DOJ's Tracing Rule For Pandemic Loan Fraud Is Untenable

  

  In conducting investigations related to COVID-19 relief fraud, the government's assertion that loan proceeds are nonfungible and had to have been segregated from other funds is unsupported by underlying legislation, precedent or the language establishing similar federal relief programs, say Sharon McCarthy, Jay Nanavati and Lasya Ravulapati at Kostelanetz.

• Del. Ruling Reaffirms High Bar To Plead Minority Control

  

  The Delaware Court of Chancery's recent decision in Witmer v. Armistice maintains Delaware's strict approach to control and provides increased predictability for minority investors in their investment and corporate governance decisions, says Elena Davis at Ropes & Gray.

• Series

  Law School's Missed Lessons: Client Service

  

  Law school teaches you how to interpret the law, but it doesn't teach you some of the key ways to keeping clients satisfied, lessons that I've learned in the most unexpected of places: a book on how to be a butler, says Gregory Ramos at Armstrong Teasdale.

• How Occasional Activists Have Reshaped Proxy Fights

  

  The sophistication and breadth of first-time activist engagement continue to shape corporate governance and strategic outcomes, as evidenced across corporate annual meetings this summer, meaning advisers should anticipate continued innovation in tactics, increased regulatory complexity, and a persistent focus on board accountability, say attorneys at MoFo.

• What To Expect After FDA Warnings To GLP-1 Compounders

  

  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recent warning letters to companies advertising compounded versions of GLP-1 medications raise questions not just about the enforcement outlook for marketing such products, but also about the future of drug compounding as a whole, say attorneys at Spencer Fane.

• Where 4th And 9th Circ. Diverge On Trade Secret Timing

  

  Recent Fourth and Ninth Circuit decisions have revealed a deepening circuit split over when plaintiffs must specifically define their alleged trade secrets, turning the early stages of trade secret litigation into a key battleground and elevating the importance of forum selection, say attorneys at Skadden.

• Series

  Adapting To Private Practice: 3 Tips On Finding The Right Job

  

  After 23 years as a state and federal prosecutor, when I contemplated moving to a law firm, practicing solo or going in-house, I found there's a critical first step — deep self-reflection on what you truly want to do and where your strengths lie, says Rachael Jones at McKool Smith.

• Series

  Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Painting trains me to see both the fine detail and the whole composition at once, enabling me to identify friction points while keeping sight of a client's bigger vision, but the most significant lesson I've brought to my legal work has been the value of originality, says Jana Gouchev at Gouchev Law.

• Courts Are Still Grappling With McDonnell, 9 Years Later

  

  The Seventh and D.C. Circuits’ recent decisions in U.S. v. Weiss and U.S. v. Paitsel, respectively, demonstrate that courts are still struggling to apply the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2016 ruling in McDonnell v. U.S., which narrowed the scope of “official acts” in federal bribery cases, say attorneys at Quinn Emanuel.

• AI Will Transform Patent Examination For The Better

  

  The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's increasing use of artificial intelligence tools will result in patents that are more thoroughly vetted, and patent applicants and practitioners will need to adapt their drafting strategies and address stronger and more sophisticated rejections, say attorneys at Troutman.