Expert Analysis

• Opinion

  Private Equity Owners Can Remedy Law Firms' Agency Issues

  

  Nonlawyer, private-equity ownership of law firms can benefit shareholders and others vulnerable to governance issues such as disparate interests, and can in turn help resolve agency problems, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.

• Biden Admin's Mental Health Proposal May Not Be Enough

  

  The Biden administration's recent proposed updates to federal mental health care rules acknowledge the difficulty that Americans face in finding and affording care, but may have limited impact due to enforcement challenges, a lack of providers and other issues, say Khaled Klele and Jessica Osterlof at Riker Danzig.

• How To Protect Atty-Client Privilege While Using Generative AI

  

  When using generative artificial intelligence tools, attorneys should consider several safeguards to avoid breaches or complications in attorney-client privilege, say Antonious Sadek and Christopher Campbell at DLA Piper.

• What FERC-PJM Negotiations Mean For The Energy Industry

  

  Following the aftermath of Winter Storm Elliot, disputes associated with the PJM Interconnection settlement negotiations taking place at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission have brought to the fore a potential legal minefield arising out of extreme weather events that could lead to commercial risks for power generating companies, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

• How New Lawyers Can Leverage Feedback For Growth

  

  Embracing constructive criticism as a tool for success can help new lawyers accelerate their professional growth and law firms build a culture of continuous improvement, says Katie Aldrich at Fringe Professional Development.

• A Cautionary Tale Of Flawed Debt Accounting And SEC Fines

  

  The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent improper-accounting charges against Malvern Bancorp and its ex-CFO highlight crucial practice issues, including the need to objectively evaluate borrowers' credit, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

• Deepfakes Remain A Threat Ahead Of 2024 Elections

  

  Although this electoral season has already seen phony videos and images created to deceive the voting public — and deepfakes are surely destined to become all the more pervasive — there is still a lack of legislative progress on this issue, says Douglas Mirell at Greenberg Glusker.

• Minn. Product Case Highlights Challenges Of Misuse Defense

  

  The recent decision by a Minnesota federal court in McDougall v. CRC Industries illustrates that even where a product that is clearly being misused results in personal injuries, manufacturers cannot necessarily rely on the misuse defense to absolve them of liability exposure, says Timothy Freeman at Tanenbaum Keale.

• Twitter Legal Fees Suit Offers Crash Course In Billing Ethics

  

  X Corp.'s suit alleging that Wachtell grossly inflated its fees in the final days of Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition provides a case study in how firms should protect their reputations by hewing to ethical billing practices and the high standards for professional conduct that govern attorney-client relationships, says Lourdes Fuentes at Karta Legal.

• Avoid Telehealth Pitfalls In A Post-Pandemic Environment

  

  As federal and state governments roll out various changes to regulation of telehealth services, health practitioners should remain vigilant and ensure that necessary professional standards — such as proper note-taking and documentation — are not neglected in a remote environment, say attorneys at Kaufman Borgeest.

• Offshore Wind Auction Results Portend Difficulties In Gulf

  

  Results of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's recent auction of the Gulf of Mexico lease areas tell different stories about the future of offshore wind in the U.S., with the Gulf’s low interest suggesting uncertainty and the Mid-Atlantic’s strong interest suggesting a promising market, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

• ABA's Money-Laundering Resolution Is A Balancing Act

  

  While the American Bar Association’s recently passed resolution recognizes a lawyer's duty to discontinue representation that could facilitate money laundering and other fraudulent activity, it preserves, at least for now, the delicate balance of judicial, state-based regulation of the legal profession and the sanctity of the attorney-client relationship, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

• 2 High Court Cases Could Upend Administrative Law Bedrock

  

  Next term, the U.S. Supreme Court will be deciding two cases likely to change the nature and shape of agency-facing litigation in perpetuity, and while one will clarify or overturn Chevron, far more is at stake in the other, say Dan Wolff and Henry Leung at Crowell & Moring.

• Law Firm Professional Development Steps To Thrive In AI Era

  

  As generative artificial intelligence tools rapidly evolve, professional development leaders are instrumental in preparing law firms for the paradigm shifts ahead, and should consider three strategies to help empower legal talent with the skills required to succeed in an increasingly complex technological landscape, say Steve Gluckman and Anusia Gillespie at SkillBurst Interactive.

• Employer Defenses After High Court Religious Bias Decision

  

  Following the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Groff v. DeJoy — which raised the bar for proving that a worker’s religious accommodation presents an undue hardship — employers can enlist other defense strategies, including grounds that an employee's belief is nonsectarian, say Kevin Jackson and Jack FitzGerald at Foley & Lardner.