Expert Analysis

• Avoiding The Ethical Pitfalls Of Crowdfunded Legal Fees

  

  The crowdfunding of legal fees has become increasingly common, providing a new way for people to afford legal services, but attorneys who accept crowdsourced funds must remember several key ethical obligations to mitigate their risks, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.

• Tornado Cash Saga Presents Thorny Issues For Fintechs

  

  A recent Texas federal court ruling and a U.S. Department of Justice indictment concerning the cryptocurrency mixer service Tornado Cash raise novel and important issues regarding smart contracts that could complicate the development and nature of decentralized crypto projects, as well as the future of fintech business models, say attorneys at Venable.

• The Likable Witness: Key Traits And Psychological Concepts

  

  Though witnesses must appear credible to juries, they should also be likable in order to make an emotional connection, and certain gestural, behavioral and psychological aspects of their testimony can be modified to improve their perceived likability, says Gillian Drake at On Trial Associates.

• Takeaways From Recent Corporate Cooperation Rulings

  

  Recent decisions from New York and New Jersey federal courts in U.S. v. Coburn and U.S. v. Tournant suggest that a company’s consistent communication and cooperation with prosecutors does not render it a government actor, but also highlight certain internal investigation pitfalls for corporations to avoid, say attorneys at Sidley.

• Biden Impeachment Probe May Turn On Definition Of 'Benefit'

  

  The U.S. House of Representatives’ impeachment inquiry into whether President Joe Biden benefited from his son Hunter Biden's business dealings could turn on a narrow interpretation of “personal benefit,” but a broader definition also has legal precedent in securities and bribery laws, says Andrew Vollmer at George Mason University.

• What Large Language Models Mean For Document Review

  

  Courts often subject parties using technology assisted review to greater scrutiny than parties conducting linear, manual document review, so parties using large language models for document review should expect even more attention, along with a corresponding need for quality control and validation, say attorneys at Sidley.

• Checking In On How SuperValu Has Altered FCA Litigation

  

  Four months after the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in U.S. ex rel. Chutte v. SuperValu, the decision's reach may be more limited than initially anticipated, with the expansion of the scienter standard counterbalanced by some potential defense tools for defendants, say Elena Quattrone and Olivia Plinio at Epstein Becker.

• Tossed FIFA Bribery Convictions May Spur New DOJ Offense

  

  After a New York federal court vacated the bribery convictions of two defendants in the U.S. Department of Justice’s sprawling FIFA probe, prosecutors may continue to pursue foreign commercial corruption through other means, albeit with some limitations, say attorneys at Cleary.

• Participating In Living History Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  My role as a baron in a living history group, and my work as volunteer corporate counsel for a book series fan association, has provided me several opportunities to practice in unexpected areas of law — opening doors to experiences that have nurtured invaluable personal and professional skills, says Matthew Parker at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

• Opinion

  Private Equity Owners Can Remedy Law Firms' Agency Issues

  

  Nonlawyer, private-equity ownership of law firms can benefit shareholders and others vulnerable to governance issues such as disparate interests, and can in turn help resolve agency problems, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.

• Opinion

  Calif. Ruling Got It Wrong On Trial Courts' Gatekeeping Role

  

  Ten years after the California Supreme Court reshaped trial judges’ role in admitting expert opinion testimony, a state appeals court's Bader v. Johnson & Johnson ruling appears to undermine this precedent and will likely create confusion about the scope of trial courts’ gatekeeping responsibility, say Robert Wright and Nicole Hood at Horvitz & Levy.

• How Jan. 6 Riot Cases Could Affect White Collar Defendants

  

  Though the prosecutions of individuals involved in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol deal with fact patterns markedly different from white collar offenses, the emerging case law on what it means to act “corruptly” will likely pose risks and opportunities for white collar defendants and their attorneys, says Ben Jernigan at Zuckerman Spaeder.

• How To Protect Atty-Client Privilege While Using Generative AI

  

  When using generative artificial intelligence tools, attorneys should consider several safeguards to avoid breaches or complications in attorney-client privilege, say Antonious Sadek and Christopher Campbell at DLA Piper.

• Futility Exception To Remanding Rule Could Be On Last Legs

  

  A recent Fifth Circuit decision squarely confronting the futility exception to remanding cases with insufficient subject matter jurisdiction leaves the Ninth Circuit alone on one side of a circuit split, portending a tenuous future for the exception, say Brett Venn and Davis Williams at Jones Walker.

• How New Lawyers Can Leverage Feedback For Growth

  

  Embracing constructive criticism as a tool for success can help new lawyers accelerate their professional growth and law firms build a culture of continuous improvement, says Katie Aldrich at Fringe Professional Development.