Expert Analysis

• 3rd Circ. Ruling Offers Tools To Manage Exempt Employees

  

  The Third Circuit’s recent opinion in Higgins v. Bayada Home Health, finding the Fair Labor Standards Act allows employers to deduct paid time off for missed employee productivity targets, gives companies another resource for managing exempt employee inefficiency or absenteeism, says Laura Lawless at Squire Patton.

• How CMS Proposal Would Change PE Deal Transparency

  

  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently proposed a new rule that would require the disclosure of additional ownership regarding Medicare and Medicaid nursing facilities, an approach that many states have started to take and reflects the Biden administration's scrutiny on private equity deals, say attorneys at Kirkland.

• 3rd Circ. Samsung Opinion Is A Plaintiffs' Arbitration Playbook

  

  The Third Circuit's recent precedential opinion in White v. Samsung exemplifies language plaintiffs can use when a defendant delays in moving to compel arbitration — and its criticism of pro-arbitration rules invented by other courts can also help plaintiffs avoid the dispute resolution method altogether, say Raphael Janove and Josh Brooks at Pollock Cohen.

• Navigating High Court's Options In Insurer Choice Of Law

  

  Depending on how the U.S. Supreme Court approaches the question of when insurers may invoke choice-of-law clauses in maritime contracts to dodge state-specific liability, the Great Lakes v. Raiders Retreat Realty decision may mean significant changes not only for admiralty law disputes, but for the insurance industry more broadly, say Lara Cassidy and Adriana Perez at Hunton.

• Opinion

  Federal Judge's Amici Invitation Is A Good Idea, With Caveats

  

  An Arkansas federal judge’s recent order — inviting amicus briefs in every civil case before him — has merit, but its implementation may raise practical questions about the role of junior attorneys, economic considerations and other issues, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation.

• Fox Ex-Producer Case Is A Lesson In Joint Representation

  

  A former Fox News producer's allegations that the network's lawyers pressured her to give misleading testimony in Fox's defamation battle with Dominion Voting Systems should remind lawyers representing a nonparty witness that the rules of joint representation apply, says Jared Marx at HWG.

• A Tale Of 2 State Tax Sourcing Decisions: The Pa. Court's Path

  

  The Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s recent decision in Synthes v. Commonwealth appropriately effectuated the Legislature's intent that ambiguous provisions in Section 17 of the Uniform Division of Income for Tax Purposes Act be construed to reflect the marketplace for the taxpayer's services, says Bruce Fort at the Multistate Tax Commission.

• And Now A Word From The Panel: Baseball And MDLs

  

  With the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation meeting on MLB opening day, Alan Rothman at Sidley explores connections between the national pastime and MDL, including sports-related proceedings in the areas of antitrust, personal injury, and marketing and sales.

• A Tale Of 2 State Tax Sourcing Decisions: The Va. Court's Path

  

  The Virginia Supreme Court's textualist approach in Department of Taxation v. R.J. Reynolds diverges from a recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court analysis and mistakenly precludes consideration of the goals and history underlying provisions of the Uniform Division of Income for Tax Purposes Act, says Bruce Fort at the Multistate Tax Commission.

• Opinion

  Stanford Law Protest Highlights Rise Of Incivility In Discourse

  

  The recent Stanford Law School incident, where students disrupted a speech by U.S. Circuit Judge Kyle Duncan, should be a reminder to teach law students how to be effective advocates without endangering physical and mental health, says Nancy Rapoport at the University of Nevada.

• How FLSA Actions Are Playing Out Amid Split On Opt-In Issue

  

  Courts are currently split on whether opt-in plaintiffs in collective actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act who join a lawsuit filed by another employee must establish personal jurisdiction, but the resolution could come sooner than one might expect, say Matt Abee and Debbie Durban at Nelson Mullins.

• Dispute Prevention Strategies To Halt Strife Before It Starts

  

  With geopolitical turbulence presenting increased risks of business disputes amid court backlogs and ballooning costs, companies should consider building mechanisms for dispute prevention into newly established partnerships to constructively resolve conflicts before they do costly damage, say Ellen Waldman and Allen Waxman at the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution.

• The Important Role Of Contra Proferentem In ERISA Cases

  

  A Pennsylvania federal court's recent decision in Stein v. Paul Revere Life Insurance illustrates what happens when ERISA plan terms are unclear, and why the contra proferentem principle should be applied uniformly in all ERISA cases, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.

• Defamation Alternatives For Suing Hoax Social Media Users

  

  A recent proliferation of false or hoax social media content has targeted public figures and corporate accounts, and for plaintiffs seeking redress there are three types of claims that may be less-risky alternatives to defamation and libel litigation, say Charles Schafer and Ross Kloeber at Sidley.

• Practical Skills Young Attorneys Must Master To Be Happier

  

  For young lawyers, finding happiness on the job — with its competitive nature and high expectations for billable hours — is complicated, but three skills can help them gain confidence, reduce stress and demonstrate their professional value in ways they never imagined, says career counselor Susan Smith Blakely.