Telecommunications

Expert Analysis

• Defenses Remain For Companies In Calif. Call Recording Suits

  

  Many defendants settle California Invasion of Privacy Act cases out of fear that courts will find violations even where no confidential information is recorded and where no one is harmed. But several decisions in the first half of 2018 provide these defendants with additional strategies, say Joshua Briones and Crystal Lopez of Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC.

• #MeToo At Law Firms And What We Can Do About It

  

  While some may say it’s ironic, it’s also embarrassing and enraging that the very industry that offers anti-harassment training, policies and counsel now finds itself the subject of #MeToo headlines. The American Bar Association recommendation that will bring about the greatest change is the call to provide alternative methods for reporting violations, says Beth Schroeder, chair of Raines Feldman LLP's labor and employment group.

• Knowledge Lawyers Can Help Firms Stay Ahead Of The Curve

  

  In a profession notoriously averse to change, it should come as no surprise that there is skepticism about the value of having attorneys perform nonbillable tasks. But U.S. law firms have slowly begun to incorporate knowledge lawyers into their operations — and the trend is likely to continue, says Vanessa Pinto Villa of Hogan Lovells.

• FTC In Full Force: What To Expect From New Leadership

  

  While headlines proliferate about the recent political shake-ups at the nascent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the century-old Federal Trade Commission, with less fanfare, finally has a full slate of five commissioners for the first time since 2015, say Lucy Morris and Kavitha Subramanian of Hudson Cook LLP.

• An Unprecedented Look Inside The FARA Unit

  

  For close observers of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, the June 8 release by the U.S. Department of Justice of over 50 FARA advisory opinions was a watershed. These opinions offer an unprecedented glimpse into how the FARA Registration Unit interprets the law, say Brian Fleming and Andrew Herman of Miller & Chevalier Chtd.

• Why Lawyers Shouldn't Accept Fees In Cryptocurrency: Part 2

  

  The legal industry has already begun to feel the impact of anti-bribery and anti-money laundering requirements. When involved with cryptocurrency trading and remittance, law firms face more than the risk of being perceived as organizations that support money laundering practices, says John Reed Stark of John Reed Stark Consulting LLC.

• Why Lawyers Shouldn't Accept Fees In Cryptocurrency: Part 1

  

  Law firms are increasingly accepting cryptocurrency as payment for services. While this might seem innovative and forward-thinking, ironically it is much more of a throwback, says John Reed Stark of John Reed Stark Consulting LLC.

• A Look At 2 GDPR-Inspired Privacy Bills In Senate

  

  The very public and high-profile allegations against Facebook have led to more discussion about data privacy than ever before within the U.S. Two pieces of proposed legislation have the potential to considerably change the U.S. data privacy regime, but it is not clear that either has a realistic chance of passing, say attorneys with Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP.

• Impediments To Legal Industry's 'Inevitable' Future: Part 2

  

  I agree with the legal pundits speculating that NewLaw’s present and future disruptors will radically change the legal services industry, but that change may not come quite as rapidly as predicted. Regardless, now is the time for both the incumbents and the challengers to best position themselves for the eventual shakeup, says Craig Levinson, founder of Levity Partners.

• Impediments To Legal Industry's 'Inevitable' Future: Part 1

  

  Legal pundits continue to make predictions that newer entrants into the industry — NewLaw firms, the Big Four and alternative legal service providers — will progressively seize greater amounts of market share from traditional law firms. But the BigLaw response has been underwhelming at best, and a glimpse at the market forces puts its lack of urgency into perspective, says Craig Levinson, founder of Levity Partners.