Expert Analysis

• 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.

• UN Climate Summit: What To Watch For In Dubai

  

  The upcoming 28th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP28, may be remembered as a turning point in the emerging low-carbon economy — but only if conference commitments are successfully translated into new laws, business practices and financial support, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

• Opinion

  Proving Causation Is Key To Fairness And Justice

  

  Ongoing litigation over talc and acetaminophen highlights the important legal distinction between correlation and causation — and is a reminder that, while individuals should be compensated for injuries, blameless parties should be protected from unjust claims, say Drew Kershen at the University of Oklahoma College of Law, and Henry Miller at the American Council on Science and Health.

• Starbucks 'Memphis 7' Ruling Shows Retaliation Is A Bad Idea

  

  Starbucks’ unsuccessful attempts to quash unionization by retaliating against organizing employees — illustrated by the Sixth Circuit's recent backing of an order that forced the company to rehire seven pro-union workers in Memphis, Tennessee — demonstrates why employers should eschew hard-line tactics and instead foster genuine dialogue with their workforce, says Janette Levey at Levey Law.

• Navigating PFAS Compliance With FDA, Emerging State Laws

  

  As PFAS food packaging regulation intensifies at the state level, businesses should consider how federal action and possible preemption from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration may affect their compliance plans, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

• 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.

• 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

  In A 'Barbie' World: Boosting IP Value With Publicity Machines

  

  Mattel's history of intellectual property monitoring, including its recent challenge against Burberry over the "BRBY" trademark ahead of the "Barbie" film, shows how IP enforcement strategies can be used as publicity to increase brand value and inform potential collaborations, says Carly Duckett at Shepherd and Wedderburn.

• 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.

• 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.

• The Heat Is On For Calif. Employers Under New OSHA Rules

  

  California's Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently proposed rules would require significant efforts from employers in order to create heat safety protections for indoor workers — so they should take initiative now to get in compliance and ensure a safe and cool working environment, says Eric Fox at Quarles & Brady.

• 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.

• Chatbot Lawsuits Push Calif. Courts To Rethink Wiretap Law

  

  Recent rulings alleging that website owners illegally eavesdrop on chatbot conversations show that courts are struggling to define the scope of California's wiretap law, and that plaintiffs are learning about the level of detail needed to plead that a chatbot is a third-party eavesdropper, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

• 2 High Court Cases Could Upend Administrative Law Bedrock

  

  Next term, the U.S. Supreme Court will be deciding two cases likely to change the nature and shape of agency-facing litigation in perpetuity, and while one will clarify or overturn Chevron, far more is at stake in the other, say Dan Wolff and Henry Leung at Crowell & Moring.