Expert Analysis

• Forensic Challenges In Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Cases

  

  Lawsuits over lithium-ion battery fires and explosions often center on the core question of whether the battery was defective or combusted due to some other external factor — so both plaintiff and defense attorneys litigating these cases must understand the forensic issues involved, says Drew LaFramboise at Joseph Greenwald.

• ABA Opinion Makes It A Bit Easier To Drop A 'Hot Potato'

  

  The American Bar Association's recent ethics opinion clarifies when attorneys may terminate clients without good cause, though courts may still disqualify a lawyer who drops a client like a hot potato, so sending a closeout letter is always a best practice, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

• How Political Divisions Are Stalling Pa. Energy Development

  

  Despite possessing the nation's second-largest natural gas reserves and a legacy of energy infrastructure, Pennsylvania faces a fragmented and politically charged path to developing the energy resources it will need in the future, thanks to legislative gridlock, divided public opinion and competing energy interests, says Andrew Levine at Stradley Ronon.

• A Look At Trump Admin's Shifting Strategies To Curtail CFPB

  

  The Trump administration has so far carried out its goal of minimizing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's authority and footprint via an individualized approach comprising rule rollbacks, litigation moves and administrative tools, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

• Evading DOJ Crosshairs As Data Security Open Season Starts

  

  As the U.S. Department of Justice begins enforcing its new data security program — aimed at preventing foreign adversaries from accessing government-related and personal sensitive data — U.S. companies will need to understand the program’s contours and potential pitfalls to avoid potential civil liability or criminal scrutiny, say attorneys at Cohen & Gresser.

• How Trump's Trade Policies Are Shaping Foreign Investment

  

  Five months into the Trump administration, investors are beginning to see the concrete effects of the president’s America First Investment Policy as it presents new opportunities for clearing transactions more quickly, while sustaining risk aversion related to Chinese trade and potentially creating different political risks, say attorneys at Covington.

• How To Balance AI Adoption With Employee Privacy Risks

  Excerpt from Practical Guidance

  

  As artificial intelligence transforms the workplace, organizations must learn to leverage AI's capabilities while safeguarding against employee privacy risks and complying with a complex web of regulations, including by vetting vendors, mitigating employee misuse and establishing a governance framework, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

• Tesla's Robotaxi Push Exposes Gaps In Product Liability Law

  

  As Tesla's deployment of robotaxis on public roads in Austin, Texas, faces regulatory scrutiny and legislative pushback, the legal community confronts an unprecedented challenge: how to apply traditional fault principles, product liability laws and insurance practices to vehicles that operate as rolling computers, says Don Fountain at Clark Fountain.

• Series

  My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.

• FTC Focus: Enforcers Study AI Innovation And Entrenchment

  

  The Federal Trade Commission and other regulators setting their sights on the burgeoning artificial intelligence ecosystem are considering how the government should approach innovation in tech markets that tend, almost inevitably, toward concentration, say attorneys at Proskauer.

• Opinion

  Subject Matter Eligibility Test Should Return To Preemption

  

  Subject matter eligibility has posed challenges for patentees due to courts' arbitrary and confusing reasoning, but adopting a two-part preemption test could align the applicant, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the courts, says Manav Das at McDonnell Boehnen.

• 8 Ways Lawyers Can Protect The Rule Of Law In Their Work

  

  Whether they are concerned with judicial independence, regulatory predictability or client confidence, lawyers can take specific meaningful actions on their own when traditional structures are too slow or too compromised to respond, says Angeli Patel at the Berkeley Center of Law and Business.

• 3 Cautionary Tales For Cos. Using Facial Recognition Tech

  

  Whether a business intends to develop its own facial recognition applications or contract with another company to use such services, three recent case studies should be kept in mind to help lower the risk of litigation or regulatory enforcement, says Adam Nyenhuis at Hilgers Graben.

• How Insurance Policies Are Adapting To AI Risk

  

  While many risks related to artificial intelligence may still fit under existing commercial insurance policies, the rise of broad AI exclusions, the definitional uncertainties surrounding what qualifies as AI and the emergence of affirmative AI coverage signal a shift toward a more fragmented and complex coverage environment, say attorneys at Hunton.

• Google Damages Ruling Offers Lessons For Testifying Experts

  

  The Federal Circuit's recent decision in EcoFactor v. Google represents a shift in how courts evaluate expert testimony in patent cases, offering a practical guide for how litigators and testifying experts can refine their work, says Adam Rhoten at Secretariat.