Expert Analysis

• 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.

• 4 Ways State Oversight May Change Nationwide Health Deals

  

  With California soon to become the most recent state to increase its oversight of health care mergers, acquisitions and investments, attorneys should consider how these updated state regulations may increase the costs, timelines and disclosure requirements for national deals, say John Saran and Jaclyn Freshman at Ropes & Gray.

• Pennsylvania Is Gathering Momentum On Adult-Use Cannabis

  

  Though Pennsylvania has been relatively slow-moving on cannabis reform, recent support from state leaders and pressure from neighboring states signal that legalization efforts are picking up steam, and could lead to the enactment of adult-use legislation soon, says Devin Malone at Clark Hill.

• Pending NCAA Ruling Could Spell Change For Unpaid Interns

  

  The Third Circuit's upcoming Johnson v. NCAA decision, over whether student-athletes can be considered university employees, could reverberate beyond college sports and force employers with unpaid student interns to add these workers to their payrolls, say Babak Yousefzadeh and Skyler Hicks at Sheppard Mullin.