State & Local

La. Officials Aim To Salvage Redo Of Constitution's Tax Rules

Paul Williams
Tax Correspondent

An effort to open the door for Louisiana's Legislature to make wholesale changes to the state's tax system might take center stage this summer during a tax-focused constitutional convention that could be called after a broader convention was shelved amid concerns about its scope and pace.

Taxes Take Center Stage In Pot Industry Amid Fed. Policy Shift

Stephen K. Cooper
Editor-at-Large

The federal government's move to loosen restrictions on cannabis is expected to trigger a wave of mergers and acquisitions structured as asset deals in the industry, especially among struggling retail operations willing to restructure in order to raise profits and lower their tax liabilities.

Calif. Tax Director Sees AI Aiding Tax Administration

Maria Koklanaris
Senior Tax Correspondent

Nicolas Maduros, as director of the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, is leading an effort to modernize sales tax administration through the use of artificial intelligence. He's also president of the board of trustees of the Federation of Tax Administrators. Law360 spoke to him about both roles.

A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence

The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.

To Make Your Legal Writing Clear, Emulate A Master Chef

To deliver clear and effective written advocacy, lawyers should follow the model of a fine dining chef — seasoning a foundation of pure facts with punchy descriptors, spicing it up with analogies, refining the recipe and trimming the fat — thus catering to a sophisticated audience of decision-makers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

Circuit Judge Writes An Opinion, AI Helps: What Now?

Last week's Eleventh Circuit opinion in Snell v. United Specialty Insurance, notable for a concurrence outlining the use of artificial intelligence to evaluate a term's common meaning, is hopefully the first step toward developing a coherent basis for the judiciary's generative AI use, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.

Ohio Tax Talk: The Legislative Push For Property Tax Relief

As Ohio legislators attempt to alleviate the increasing property tax burden, four recent bills that could significantly affect homeowners propose to eliminate replacement property tax levies, freeze property taxes for longtime homeowners, adjust homestead exemptions annually for inflation, and temporarily expand the homestead exemption, say Raghav Agnihotri and Rachael Chamberlain at Frost Brown.

Looking South With A Smile: SALT In Review

From Mississippi's long walk toward repealing its personal income tax to a welcome stroke for open government in Kentucky, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.

Trauma-Informed Legal Approaches For Pro Bono Attorneys

As National Trauma Awareness Month ends, pro bono attorneys should nevertheless continue to acknowledge the mental and physical effects of trauma, allowing them to better represent clients, and protect themselves from compassion fatigue and burnout, say Katherine Cronin at Stinson and Katharine Manning at Blackbird.

How Attys Can Avoid Pitfalls When Withdrawing From A Case

The Trump campaign's recent scuffle over its bid to replace its counsel in a pregnancy retaliation suit offers a chance to remind attorneys that many troubles inherent in withdrawing from a case can be mitigated or entirely avoided by communicating with clients openly and frequently, says Christopher Konneker at Orsinger Nelson.

Using A Children's Book Approach In Firm Marketing Content

From “The Giving Tree” to “Where the Wild Things Are,” most children’s books are easy to remember because they use simple words and numbers to tell stories with a human impact — a formula law firms should emulate in their marketing content to stay front of mind for potential clients, says Seema Desai Maglio at The Found Word.

Tax Assessment: Recapping Georgia's Legislative Session

Jonathan Feldman and Alla Raykin at Eversheds Sutherland examine tax-related changes from Georgia’s General Assembly — such as the governor’s successful push to accelerate income tax cuts — and suggest steps to take before certain tax incentives are challenged in the state's next legislative session.

Geothermal Energy Has Growing Potential In The US

Bipartisan support for the geothermal industry shows that geothermal energy can be an elegant solution toward global decarbonization efforts because of its small footprint, low supply chain risk, and potential to draw on the skills of existing highly specialized oil and gas workers and renewable specialists, say attorneys at Weil.

Bad Ideas That Won't Go Away: SALT In Review

From California's latest move toward a digital ad tax to Kansas' proposed tax credits for film production, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.

Exploring An Alternative Model Of Litigation Finance

A new model of litigation finance, most aptly described as insurance-backed litigation funding, differs from traditional funding in two key ways, and the process of securing it involves three primary steps, say Bob Koneck, Christopher Le Neve Foster and Richard Butters at Atlantic Global Risk LLC.

Trump Hush Money Case Offers Master Class In Trial Strategy

The New York criminal hush money trial of former President Donald Trump typifies some of the greatest challenges that lawyers face in crafting persuasive presentations, providing lessons on how to handle bad facts, craft a simple story that withstands attack, and cross-examine with that story in mind, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.