Expert Analysis

• Terrorist Label For Maduro Poses New Risks for US Firms

  

  The State Department's recent designation of President Nicolás Maduro, and other Venezuelan government and military officials, as members of a foreign terrorist organization drastically increases the level of caution companies must exercise when doing business in the region to mitigate potential civil, criminal and regulatory risk, say attorneys at Freshfields.

• Series

  The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Getting The Message Across

  

  Communications and brand strategy during a law firm merger represent a crucial thread that runs through every stage of a combination, and should include clear messaging, leverage modern marketing tools and embrace the chance to evolve, says Ashley Horne at Womble Bond.

• How Bank-Fintech Partnerships Changed In 2025

  

  The 2025 transition to the Trump administration, augmented by the reversal of Chevron deference in 2024, has resulted in unprecedented shifts, and bank-fintech partnerships are no exception, with key changes affecting a number of areas including charters, regulatory oversight and anti-money laundering, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

• 2 Early Settlement Alternatives In Federal Securities Litigation

  

  Most class actions brought under the federal securities laws are either settled or won by the defendants following a motion to dismiss, but two alternative strategies have the potential to lower discovery costs and allow defendants to obtain judgment without the uncertainty of jury trials on complex matters, says Richard Zelichov at DLA Piper.

• Opinion

  Horizontal Stare Decisis Should Not Be Casually Discarded

  

  Eliminating the so-called law of the circuit doctrine — as recently proposed by a Fifth Circuit judge, echoing Justice Neil Gorsuch’s concurrence in Loper Bright — would undermine public confidence in the judiciary’s independence and create costly uncertainty for litigants, says Lawrence Bluestone at Genova Burns.

• Grounding Netflix's 'Death By Lightning' In Patent History

  

  In Netflix’s "Death by Lightning," U.S. President James Garfield's assassin declares that patent lawyers lack original ideas, but real-life 19th-century patent attorney-inventors were key to technological progress and the success of the American patent system, say Tasha Gerasimow at Kirkland & Ellis and David Gerasimow at Gerasimow Law.

• How Fed. Circ. Shaped Subject Matter Eligibility In 2025

  

  The Federal Circuit's most impactful patent eligibility decisions this year, touching on questions about obviousness and abstractness, provide a toolbox of takeaways that can be utilized during patent preparation and prosecution to guard against potential challenges, says Reilley Keane at Banner Witcoff.

• Key Takeaways From Armed Services Board's FY 2025 Report

  

  The Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals’ annual report reveals an increase in new cases filed, but a decrease in cases resolved, and fewer parties choosing alternative dispute resolution, despite the likely reduction in time and expenses incurred during a prolonged appeal process, say attorneys at Miller & Chevalier.

• Categorical Exclusions Bring New NEPA Litigation Risks

  

  With recent court rulings and executive actions shifting regulatory frameworks around the National Environmental Protection Act — especially regarding the establishment, adoption and use of categorical exclusions to expedite projects — developers must carefully evaluate the risks presented by this altered and uncertain legal landscape, says Stacey Bosshardt at Greenberg Traurig.

• DC Circ. Decision Reaffirms SEC Authority Post-Loper Bright

  

  The recent denial of a challenge to invalidate 2024 amendments to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's tick size and fee-cap rules reinforces the D.C. Circuit's deference to SEC expertise in market structure regulation, even after Loper Bright, though implementation of the rules remains uncertain, say attorneys at Sidley.

• 10 Commandments For Agentic AI Tools In The Legal Industry

  

  Though agentic artificial intelligence has demonstrated significant promise for optimizing legal work, it presents numerous risks, so specific ethical obligations should be built into the knowledge base of every agentic AI tool used in the legal industry, says Steven Cordero at Akerman LLP.

• Fed. Circ. In Oct.: Spotlight On Wording Beyond Patent Claims

  

  The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Barrette Outdoor Living v. Fortress Iron provides useful guidance on how patent prosecutors should avoid language that triggers specification disclaimer and prosecution disclaimer, doctrines that may be used to narrow the scope of patent infringement claims, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

• NY Tax Talk: New ALJs, New Rules, Apportionment, Bundling

  

  Attorneys at Eversheds review the top New York tax law developments from last quarter, including appointments to the New York City Tax Appeals Tribunal and the city's proposed rules to clarify income taxation of foreign corporations, and highlight two litigation matters to watch.

• What Trump's Scientific Discovery AI Order Will Mean For Cos.

  

  Although private organizations will not see an immediate change in their compliance obligations from President Trump's recent executive order establishing a government effort to use artificial intelligence to accelerate scientific discovery, large enterprises and critical infrastructure operators will face pressure to demonstrate that their AI practices are comparable, says Shawn Tuma at Spencer Fane.

• 9th Circ. Ruling Upholds Employee Speech Amid Stalled NLRB

  

  The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in National Labor Relations Board v. North Mountain Foothills Apartments shows that courts are enforcing National Labor Relations Act protections despite the board's current paralysis, so employers must tread carefully when disciplining employee speech, whether at work or online, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.