Telecommunications

Expert Analysis

• Can A Single FTC Commissioner Constitute A Quorum?

  

  With Federal Trade Commissioner Terrell McSweeny resigning on April 28, it is possible that Acting Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen will be left as the sole commissioner. The FTC appears to believe that it can take formal action by a 1-0 vote, but to allow this would be possibly not lawful and certainly not wise, say professor Stephen Calkins of Wayne State University and John Villafranco of Kelley Drye & Warren LLP.

• Rule 23 Changes: Avoid Delays In Class Settlement Approval

  

  Among the proposed amendments to Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which are scheduled to take effect Dec. 1, 2018, are specific requirements related to “front-loading.” They outline the process for seeking preliminary court approval of class action settlements and related notice plans, say Shandarese Garr and Niki Mendoza of Garden City Group LLC.

• Best Practices For Building A Better Meeting

  

  How can we improve meetings in the legal industry, which tends to evolve with the speed of a tranquilized water buffalo mired in quicksand? Breaking it down to three phases can yield significant benefits, says Nicholas Cheolas of Zelle LLP.

• Highlights Of ABA Antitrust Spring Meeting: Part 3

  

  In the final article of their series on the American Bar Association’s 66th Antitrust Law Spring Meeting, attorneys with Perkins Coie LLP offer key takeaways from some of the sessions on consumer protection.

• NASCAR Drone Countermeasures May Be Illegal

  

  Law enforcement officials and private entities should view NASCAR's endorsement of DroneGun radio jammers skeptically and investigate the legality of drone countermeasures before deploying them. Otherwise, they may find themselves trying to outrun a visit from federal authorities, say Joshua Turner and Sara Baxenberg of Wiley Rein LLP.

• DC Circ. Puts Union Blocking Charges On Chopping Block

  

  The D.C. Circuit's recent decision in T-Mobile v. National Labor Relations Board reminds employers there is no selective negotiation during union status challenges, likely incentivizing them to withdraw recognition, and suggesting changes to the board’s blocking charge policy, say Kevin Brown and Hollis Peterson of Paul Plevin Sullivan & Connaughton LLP.

• 5 Ways Law Firms Are Becoming More Like Hotels

  

  One way law firms differentiate themselves from the competition to attract and retain top talent is through their real estate and workplace strategies. Taking a lead from the hospitality industry can help create a more inviting, welcoming and collaborative workspace environment, says Bella Schiro of Jones Lang LaSalle Inc.

• Opinion

  Gorsuch's 1st Year Shows He Is A Conservative Activist

  

  In his first year on the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Neil Gorsuch has proven to be a narrow-minded elitist who consistently votes in favor of corporations and the powerful, acting to roll back protections for workers, consumers, LGBTQ individuals and other marginalized communities, says Elliot Mincberg of People for the American Way.

• Finance-Savvy Millennials Are Shifting Business Of Law

  

  The impact of millennials has already been felt within the legal community by our eagerness to embrace new technologies. One way that we will have potentially even more impact lies in our willingness to embrace new ways of developing business and financing law, says Michael Perich of Burford Capital LLC.

• Opinion

  Attorney-Client Privilege Is Alive And Well

  

  The FBI raid of the office of President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer set off a firestorm of controversy about the sanctity of the attorney-client privilege, epitomized by Trump's tweet that the "privilege is dead." But attorney-client privilege is never taken lightly — I have battle scars from the times I have sought crime-fraud exceptions, says Genie Harrison of the Genie Harrison Law Firm.