Expert Analysis

• A Calif. Law May Aid Homeowner Recovery After LA Fires

  

  Reconstruction bottlenecks following the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires mean that certain homeowners insurance gaps are only now emerging, and for counsel aiding policyholders in recovery, a regulation regarding insurers' replacement cost estimates may be critical to obtaining coverage, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

• Tracking The Rare 'Quick Look' Win In FTC's Zillow-Redfin Suit

  

  The Federal Trade Commission’s suit claiming that Zillow illegally paid Redfin to exit the apartment rental market is one to watch because its early success under the less rigorous “quick look” standard of antitrust review could turn into a rare case won under the doctrine, say attorneys at Axinn.

• Why Highly Specialized Experts May Risk Exclusion At Trial

  

  Expert witnesses with highly specific areas of focus may be vulnerable to exclusion in court, making it important for attorneys to check how potential witnesses' qualifications can be bolstered by their publications and other professional activities, say Evan Weisberg and Christopher Cunio at Hunton, and Kevin Cahill at FTI Consulting.

• How Reserve Studies Fit Into Condo Association Compliance

  

  In the five years since the Surfside condominium collapse and as states like New Jersey establish related safety mandates, reserve planning has emerged as a central compliance concern for community associations, acting as a practical tool for responsible disclosure and managing long-term capital obligations, say attorneys at Dilworth Paxson.

• Drawing A Line Between Settlement Pressure And Extortion

  

  U.S. v. Luo, pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, may force courts to address anew when settlement negotiations become criminal extortion, particularly in the age of easily fabricated digital evidence, says attorney Denis Kiely.

• Series

  Founding An Autism Academy Made Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Starting a nonprofit autism school with no building, no funding model and no guarantee that families would trust us taught me the importance of mission, patience and purpose — lessons that sharpened my practice and showed how meaningful work outside the office can make lawyers better, says Phillip Russell at Ogletree Deakins.

• Mapping US-China Investment Compliance For EB-5 Deals

  

  Chinese capital deployment through the U.S.'s EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, alongside China's recently established outbound investment security framework, creates compliance gaps with the U.S. framework, and unique risks and considerations for practitioners, says Xuan Zhang at Reid & Wise.

• Opinion

  Rule Of Law Requires Gov't Engagement With Bar, Not Retreat

  

  A federal agency's absence from national and local bar conferences, most recently illustrated by the U.S. Department of Justice's withdrawal from a New York City Bar Association white collar conference, disserves the bar, the government lawyers themselves and, ultimately, the administration of justice, says Muhammad Faridi at Linklaters.

• AG Watch: Oregon's Strategic Civil Enforcement Approach

  

  Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield’s recent antitrust litigation activity and proposed staffing increase are the latest in a series of structural and policy changes that signal that the state Department of Justice is taking a more aggressive approach to civil enforcement, says Keturah Taylor at Cozen O'Connor.

• Fannie, Freddie AI Rules Raise Stakes For Mortgage Lenders

  

  Artificial intelligence governance frameworks recently released by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac impose monitoring and vendor oversight standards on mortgage lenders, potentially reshaping secondary-market eligibility, fair lending reviews and risk management as compliance deadlines approach, says Brendan Palfreyman at Harris Beach.

• The Paradoxical Duty To Adopt AI When You Can't Bill For It

  

  Both billing for hours saved using artificial intelligence and preserving billable time by not adopting AI may violate rules of professional conduct, but until bar associations' ethics rules catch up to this emerging economic dilemma, firms must decide how to adjust fee structures themselves, says Ines Lassalle at Peyrot & Associates.

• USTR Forced Labor Tariff Plan Pushes Trade Recourse Limits

  

  Tariffs recently proposed by the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office, which determined that 60 countries failed to implement adequate forced labor protections, expand the use of existing trade remedies to address global supply chain labor standards, potentially inviting both practical adjustments by businesses and careful legal scrutiny, says attorney Sohan Dasgupta.

• Series

  Cow Horse Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Moving an unwilling 800-pound cow while riding a horse at high speed is exhilarating, a little unhinged and, at least for me, a surprisingly effective training ground for litigation — both demand focus, preparation over rigid planning and the willingness to act despite fear, says Ashley Zitrin at Glenn Agre.

• How Tenants Can Guard Against Unpaid Build-Out Allowances

  

  As market pressures on landlords intensify liquidity problems and reimbursement disputes, commercial tenants negotiating office leases should proactively address the risk of delayed or unpaid construction allowances by implementing strategies including escrow protections, letters of credit, guaranties and offset rights, say attorneys at White & Williams.

• Checking For AI Errors Is Now A Two-Way Street

  

  A handful of recent federal and state cases demonstrate the importance of checking for errors generated by artificial intelligence not only in your own court submissions, but also your opponent's, as well as when catching opposing counsel's AI mistakes could result in an award for attorney fees, says Tamara Barago at Hollingsworth.