Expert Analysis

• Series

  Law School's Missed Lessons: How To Draft Pleadings

  

  Most law school graduates step into their first jobs without ever having drafted a complaint, answer, motion or other type of pleading, but that gap can be closed by understanding the strategy embedded in every filing, writing with clarity and purpose, and seeking feedback at every step, says Eric Yakaitis at Haug Barron.

• At The Fed. Circ., Means-Plus-Function Is Not Quite Dead

  

  Recent Federal Circuit opinions confirm that means-plus-function claims continue to be drafted, issued, litigated and even infringed — but minding the restrictions imposed over the years by courts and statute requires three steps, says Jay Yates at Patterson & Sheridan.

• How Cos. Can Prep For Conn. Data Privacy Amendments

  

  Effective July 1, 2026, amendments to the Connecticut Data Privacy Act narrow the safe harbor for data used by banks, insurance companies and other financial services businesses, highlighting how state regulators plan to focus on how companies handle sensitive data and honor the data rights of the state's residents, say attorneys at Day Pitney.

• E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On ESI Control

  

  Several recent federal court decisions have perpetuated a split over what constitutes “control” of electronically stored information — with judges divided on whether the standard should turn on a party's legal right or practical ability to obtain the information, say attorneys at Sidley.

• Opinion

  USPTO Should Let Inventors Valuate Patents In Prosecution

  

  By building patent valuation into the application process, rather than waiting until potential litigation years down the line, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office would streamline the process for inventors protecting and enforcing their patents, says John Powers at Powers IP.

• Del. Ruling Shows Power Of Postclose Governance Provisions

  

  After the Delaware Court of Chancery reinstated a target company's CEO as part of the equitable remedy in Fortis Advisors v. Krafton, deal parties should emphasize the importance of postclosing governance provisions to earnout economics, knowing that they will have to live with these provisions for the duration of the earnout period, say attorneys at Sidley.

• Insurer Lessons From 1st Wave Of GenAI Coverage Rulings

  

  Several pending cases target the issue of whether generative AI may appropriately replace human professional decision-making, and though each case is still in discovery, the decisions thus far provide insurers with guidance on how courts may view these claims, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

• The Role Of Operational Data In Tech Platform Liability Suits

  

  As litigation becomes a de facto substitute for the regulation of major technology platforms, with plaintiffs advancing claims under product liability, public nuisance and consumer protection laws, among others, courts are evaluating how platform systems operate in practice based on large-scale operational data, say attorneys at Brattle.

• Australia's Computer Patent Ruling Will Aid Global Companies

  

  While courts around the world have struggled to articulate a technology-neutral test for patentability of computer-implemented inventions, a recent decision by Australia's top court offers a decisive answer, creating strategic opportunities for overseas applicants, say attorneys at Mallesons.

• 7 Tips For Employers On Calif. Decision-Making Tech Rules

  

  Over the next eight months, many California employers must prepare to comply with challenging new requirements under the California Consumer Privacy Act that constitute the most comprehensive set of rules in the country on the use of automated decision-making technology, say attorneys at Littler.

• 2 Discovery Rulings Break With Heppner On AI Privilege Issue

  

  While a New York federal court’s recent ruling in U.S. v. Heppner suggests that some litigants’ communications with AI tools are discoverable, two other recent federal court decisions demonstrate that such interactions generally qualify for work-product protection under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, says Joshua Dunn at Brown Rudnick.

• Series

  Isshin-Ryu Karate Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  My involvement in martial arts, specifically Isshin-ryu, which has principles rooted in the eight codes of karate, has been one of the most foundational in the development of my personality, and particularly my approach to challenges — including in my practice of law, says Kaitlyn Stone at Barnes & Thornburg.

• Lessons Orgs Facing Cyberattacks Can Learn From Iran War

  

  Amid cyberattacks following the outbreak of the Iran war, the U.S. government is acutely concerned about significant threats to U.S.-based infrastructure, but organizations can take several steps to prepare for such threats by being proactive and responding promptly to incidents, say attorneys at Vedder.

• Opinion

  CBP's $166B Tariff Refund Portal Needs 4 Safeguards

  

  Before launching its automated web portal to process tariff-refund disbursements on April 20, U.S. Customs and Border Protection should apply the expensive lessons learned from the pandemic-era employee retention credit, says Peter Gariepy at RubinBrown.

• USPTO's AI Search Pilot May Reshape Patent Filing Strategy

  

  The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's new artificial intelligence search pilot aims to introduce earlier visibility into the prior art landscape, potentially influencing patent filing considerations and shifting the role of counsel to an earlier stage of the prosecution process, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.