Expert Analysis

• Corporate Compliance Lessons From FirstEnergy Scandal

  

  Fallout from a massive bribery scheme involving Ohio electric utility FirstEnergy and state officeholders — including the recent sentencing of two defendants — has critical corporate governance takeaways for companies and individuals seeking to influence government policymaking, say attorneys at Wilson Sonsini.

• Minn. Product Case Highlights Challenges Of Misuse Defense

  

  The recent decision by a Minnesota federal court in McDougall v. CRC Industries illustrates that even where a product that is clearly being misused results in personal injuries, manufacturers cannot necessarily rely on the misuse defense to absolve them of liability exposure, says Timothy Freeman at Tanenbaum Keale.

• Twitter Legal Fees Suit Offers Crash Course In Billing Ethics

  

  X Corp.'s suit alleging that Wachtell grossly inflated its fees in the final days of Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition provides a case study in how firms should protect their reputations by hewing to ethical billing practices and the high standards for professional conduct that govern attorney-client relationships, says Lourdes Fuentes at Karta Legal.

• A Higher Bar For Surviving Summary Judgment In SC Courts

  

  The South Carolina Supreme Court's recent decision in Kitchen Planners v. Friedman, rejecting a lower court's usage of the mere scintilla standard for allowing cases to proceed, suggests that the mere existence of an alleged factual dispute between parties will no longer be sufficient to thwart a well-supported motion for summary judgment, says Denver Smith at Butler Snow.

• 3rd Circ. Ruling Fine-Tunes The 'But It's Hemp' Defense

  

  The Third Circuit’s recent U.S. v. Rivera decision, upholding the appellant’s conviction for marijuana possession, clarifies that defendants charged with trafficking marijuana have the burden of proving that the cannabis is actually federally legal hemp under the 2018 Farm Bill, say attorneys at McGlinchey Stafford.

• ABA's Money-Laundering Resolution Is A Balancing Act

  

  While the American Bar Association’s recently passed resolution recognizes a lawyer's duty to discontinue representation that could facilitate money laundering and other fraudulent activity, it preserves, at least for now, the delicate balance of judicial, state-based regulation of the legal profession and the sanctity of the attorney-client relationship, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

• Tapping The Full Potential Of The Juror Questionnaire

  

  Most litigators know that questionnaires can reveal biases that potential jurors would never reveal in voir dire, but to maximize this tool’s utility, attorneys must choose the right questions, interpret responses effectively and weigh several other considerations, say George Speckart and Steve Wood at Courtroom Sciences.

• Law Firm Professional Development Steps To Thrive In AI Era

  

  As generative artificial intelligence tools rapidly evolve, professional development leaders are instrumental in preparing law firms for the paradigm shifts ahead, and should consider three strategies to help empower legal talent with the skills required to succeed in an increasingly complex technological landscape, say Steve Gluckman and Anusia Gillespie at SkillBurst Interactive.

• Lessons From High-Profile Witness Tampering Allegations

  

  As demonstrated by recent developments in the cases against former President Donald Trump and FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, allegations of witness tampering can carry serious consequences — but attorneys can employ certain strategies to mitigate the risk that accusations arise, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

• Opinion

  A New Strategy For Defending Spine Injury Claims

  

  With spinal injury claims proliferating — often with verdicts in the seven-figure range — defense counsel can expand their current trial playbook by retaining experts to prepare and publish peer-reviewed scientific studies that can then be used in the courtroom to help juries understand the issues, says Nicholas Hurzeler at Lewis Brisbois.

• The Basics Of Being A Knowledge Management Attorney

  Excerpt from Practical Guidance

  

  Michael Lehet at Ogletree Deakins discusses the role of knowledge management attorneys at law firms, the common tasks they perform and practical tips for lawyers who may be considering becoming one.

• Perspectives

  'True Threat' Ruling May Ensnare Kids' Online Speech

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Counterman v. Colorado decision correctly held that a showing of intent is required to prosecute someone for true threats, but the amorphous standard adopted by the court risks overcriminalizing children’s use of social media and text-based communications, say Adam Pollet at Eversheds Sutherland and Suzanne La Pierre at Human Rights for Kids.

• Mont. Kids' Climate Decision Reflects 3 Enviro Trends

  

  A Montana district court's recent ruling in Held v. Montana represents a rare win for activist plaintiffs seeking to use rights-based theories to address climate change concerns — and calls attention to three environmental trends that are increasingly influencing climate litigation and policy, says J. Michael Showalter at ArentFox Schiff.

• How 'Purely Legal' Issues Ruling Applies To Rule 12 Motions

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court's recent Dupree v. Younger holding that purely legal issues resolved on summary judgment need not be reraised in post-trial motions guides litigators on when to preserve certain arguments for appeal, but raises the question of how Rule 12(b) and (c) motion denials will be affected, say Blaine Evanson and Jeremy Christiansen at Gibson Dunn.

• 3 Lessons From Mock Trials That Attys Can Use In Practice

  

  The hordes of data gleaned from mock trial competitions can isolate the methods that maximize persuasion, providing key principles that attorneys in every practice area can incorporate into their real-world trial work, say Spencer Pahlke at Walkup Melodia and Justin Bernstein at UCLA.