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.

• Issues Ahead As Psychedelic Medicine Faces Pivotal Moment

  

  Recent regulatory changes and decriminalization efforts have opened doors for research and development in psychedelic medicine, but challenges like stigma, access and funding persist, meaning companies will need to address these issues to support the industry’s credibility, say consultants at FTI Consulting.

• 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.

• Series

  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.

• 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.

• NY Cannabis Licensing Row Compounds State Industry Woes

  

  A New York trial court’s recent injunction, preventing state regulators from issuing any new cannabis retail licenses, is the latest setback in a program rollout riddled with legal challenges and other delays, and will likely have negative impacts on operators, applicants, consumers and the state economy, say Meaghan Feenan and William Wolfe at Harris Beach.

• 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.

• Series

  ESG Around The World: Australia

  

  Clive Cachia and Cathy Ma at K&L Gates detail ESG-reporting policies in Australia and explain how the country is starting to introduce mandatory requirements as ESG performance is increasingly seen as a key investment and corporate differentiator in the fight for global capital.

• In Ga., Promptness Is Key To Setting Aside Default Judgments

  

  The Georgia Court of Appeals' recent vacating of a lower court's decision to set aside a default judgment against Samsung Electronics America is a reminder of the processes and arguments provided by Georgia's statutes for challenging default judgments — including the importance of responding quickly, says Katy Robertson at Swift Currie.

• 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.

• Opinion

  Laws Based On Rapid Drug Tests Are Unscientific And Unfair

  

  Given the widespread legalization of marijuana, states are increasingly implementing laws to penalize drivers under the influence of drugs, but the laws do more harm than good as the rapid tests they rely on do not accurately measure impairment, say Josh Bloom and Henry Miller at the American Council on Science and Health.

• Avoid Telehealth Pitfalls In A Post-Pandemic Environment

  

  As federal and state governments roll out various changes to regulation of telehealth services, health practitioners should remain vigilant and ensure that necessary professional standards — such as proper note-taking and documentation — are not neglected in a remote environment, say attorneys at Kaufman Borgeest.

• 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.