Expert Analysis

• Handling Hostile Depositions: Keep Calm And Make A Record

  

  When depositions turn contentious, attorneys should, among other strategies, maintain a professional demeanor and note any objectionable conduct on the record, thereby increasing chances of a favorable outcome for the client while preserving the integrity of the legal process, say attorneys at Steptoe & Johnson.

• Using Counterfactuals To Shift Jurors' Hindsight Bias

  

  Counterfactuals can reduce or increase jurors’ hindsight bias by helping them imagine how events could have unfolded differently, but before attorneys make use of this key tool at trial, they should keep several important principles in mind, say Merrie Jo Pitera and David Metz at IMS Consulting, and John Ursu at Faegre Drinker.

• 5 Ways Firms Can Rethink Office Design In A Hybrid World

  

  As workplaces across the country adapt to flexible work, law firms must prioritize individuality, amenities and technology in office design, says Kristin Cerutti at Nelson Worldwide.

• Opinion

  Bar Score Is Best Hiring Metric Post-Affirmative Action

  

  After the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling striking down affirmative action admissions policies, law firms looking to foster diversity in hiring should view an applicant's Multistate Bar Examination score as the best metric of legal ability — over law school name or GPA, says attorney Alice Griffin.

• Recent Changes Mark A Key Moment For New York High Court

  

  Recent developments in the New York Court of Appeals — from rapid turnover and increasing diversity, to a perception among some of growing politicization — mark an important turning point, and the court will continue to evolve in the coming year as it considers a number of important cases, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

• Ghosting In BigLaw: How To Come Back From Lack Of Feedback

  

  Junior associates can feel powerless when senior colleagues cut off contact instead of providing useful feedback, but young attorneys can get back on track by focusing on practical professional development and reexamining their career priorities, says Rachel Patterson at Orrick.

• How Spending Clause Ruling May Affect Medicaid Litigation

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Health and Hospital Corp. v. Talevski preserves an important avenue for health providers and beneficiaries to use the Civil Rights Act to sue state Medicaid agencies in a landscape that has steadily narrowed potential paths for challenging state violations of spending clause legislation, say attorneys at Hooper Lundy.

• Steps To Success For Senior Associates

  Excerpt from Practical Guidance

  

  Adriana Paris at Rissman Barrett discusses the increased responsibilities and opportunities that becoming a senior associate brings and what attorneys in this role should prioritize to flourish in this stressful but rewarding next level in their careers.

• Georgia-Pacific Ruling Furthers Texas Two-Step Challenges

  

  With its recent ruling in the case of Bestwall, barring asbestos injury litigation against nondebtor Georgia-Pacific, the Fourth Circuit joins a growing body of courts addressing the Texas Two-Step's legality, fueled by concerns over the proper use of bankruptcy as a tool for addressing such claims, says George Singer at Holland & Hart.

• What 6th Circ. Ruling May Portend For PFAS Coverage Cases

  

  The Sixth Circuit's recent decision in Admiral Insurance v. Fire-Dex, rejecting the insurer's attempt to avoid coverage, shows that federal courts may decline to resolve novel PFAS state-law issues, and that insurers may have less confidence than originally intimated in the applicability of the pollution exclusion to PFAS claims, say attorneys at Hunton.

• Legal Profession Must Do More For Lawyers With Disabilities

  

  At the start of Disability Pride month, Rosalyn Richter at Arnold & Porter looks at why lawyers with disabilities are significantly underrepresented in private practice, asserting that law firms and other employers must do more to conquer the implicit bias that deters attorneys from seeking accommodations.

• A Look At Section 230 After High Court's Refusal To Clarify

  

  In light of the U.S. Supreme Court's declining to address Section 230 in a group of actions against major social media platforms, website operators and their counsel should err on the side of caution when engaging with or verifying users' content, say Neusha Etemad and Anne Marie Ellis at Buchalter.

• Opinion

  Appellate Funding Disclosure: No Mandate Is Right Choice

  

  The Advisory Committee on Appellate Rules' recent decision, forgoing a mandatory disclosure rule for litigation funding in federal appeals, is prudent, as third-party funding is only involved in a minuscule number of federal cases, and courts have ample authority to obtain funding information if necessary, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.

• Opinion

  ALI's Medical-Monitoring Proposal May Encourage Claims

  

  If the American Law Institute's Third Restatement of Torts is updated to embrace a minority view regarding claims for medical monitoring in the absence of present bodily harm, it would raise a number of troubling issues and accelerate the already rising rate of such claims, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

• Paltrow Win Offers Lesson In Celebs Staying On Brand At Trial

  

  Gwyneth Paltrow was recently cleared of liability for a ski collision by a Utah state jury, demonstrating why lawyers should consider the public's preexisting perception of a high-profile client and not be afraid to leverage it at trial, even if a celebrity’s persona is unrelatable, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.