State & Local

Expert Analysis

• Choral Singing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Singing in the New York City Bar Chorus — a hobby partly inspired by the late U.S. District Judge Richard Owen, who infused my clerkship year with opera music — has improved my legal career by refining my abilities to listen, exude confidence and develop emotional intelligence, says Bonnie Baker at Friedman Kaplan.

• Power To The Paralegals: Burnout As A Structural Problem

  

  Law firm leadership can best retain their paralegals not by encouraging self-care, but by seeking top-down structural solutions for the quiet proliferation of responsibilities and the vicarious exposure to client trauma that particularly drive burnout in this vital role, says Erika Sneeringer at Brockstedt Mandalas.

• A Tax Costly To Everyone, Sooner Or Later: SALT In Review

  

  From Pennsylvania's move toward a gross receipts tax on digital advertisers to news of yet another Fortune 500 company leaving New Jersey, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.

• Economic Questions To Ask Amid Tariff Refund Class Actions

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court's recent holding that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act doesn't authorize the president to impose tariffs has sparked class actions, but determining whether a retailer received a windfall is complex, even if it passed tariff costs into consumer prices before receiving a refund, say economists at Ankura Consulting Group.

• Crazy Little Thing Called Unsound Tax Policy: SALT In Review

  

  From Kentucky's taxing of prediction markets to Iowa's new exemption for bees, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.

• If Upheld, Wash. Millionaire Tax Could Upend State Law

  

  The Washington Supreme Court could open the door to broader income, rental and corporate taxes if it defies precedent and the historically established desires of voters by redefining the state constitution's concepts of “income” and “property” to uphold a new tax on wages over $1 million, says Richard Birmingham at Davis Wright.

• 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.

• 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.

• 5 Things Associates Must Ask About Their Firm's Merger Plan

  

  The associates who navigate law firm mergers best ask the right questions early, such as inquiring about partners' plans, to assess how the merger could affect their workflow and career path, says Jackie Bokser-LeFebvre at Major Lindsey.

• 2 'Rocket Dockets' And The Rules That Propel Them

  

  The fastest civil trial courts in the country are currently in the Eastern District of Virginia and the Southern District of Florida, and their chief judges provide insights into the court rules that keep them ahead, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

• NY's Tax On 2nd Homes Compounds Residency Tax Risks

  

  New York’s recently enacted surcharge on high-value second homes reflects a nationwide legislative trend of using the residency tax framework more aggressively, which brings new considerations for business owners who maintain a residence while asserting domicile elsewhere, says Mark Parthemer at Glenmede.

• A Playground Of Unsound Tax Policy: SALT In Review

  

  From the California governor's proposed taxing of software sales to a Minnesota bill that targets executive pay, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.

• Your Next Litigation Hold Should Cover AI Chat Logs

  

  The Delaware Chancery Court’s recent decision in Fortis Advisors v. Krafton to treat a CEO’s artificial intelligence chats as substantive evidence is being read as a discovery warning to litigators, but there is a second duty-to-preserve lesson that is especially pertinent to in-house counsel, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.