Expert Analysis

• 3 Ways Courts Approach Patent Eligibility At Trial And After

  

  Sorin Zaharia and Mark Liang at O’Melveny analyze all 36 district court cases where patent eligibility under Section 101 was decided at trial or post-trial after Alice, specifically focusing on how different districts address step two of the Alice inquiry, as well as the impact of each approach on the outcome.

• Employer Drug-Testing Policies Must Evolve With State Law

  

  As multistate employers face ongoing challenges in drafting consistent marijuana testing policies due to the evolving patchwork of state laws, they should note some emerging patterns among local and state statutes to ensure compliance in different jurisdictions, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

• Understanding Illinois' Temp Worker Obligation Updates

  

  Recent amendments to the Illinois Day and Temporary Labor Services Act would significantly expand the protection for temporary workers in the state, impose new compliance obligations on staffing agencies and their client companies, and add significant enforcement teeth to the act, say Nicholas Anaclerio and Ellie Hemminger at Vedder Price.

• Level Up Lawyers' Business Development With Gamification

  

  With employee engagement at a 10-year low in the U.S., there are several gamification techniques marketing and business development teams at law firms can use to make generating new clients and matters more appealing to lawyers, says Heather McCullough at Society 54.

• Mallory Ruling Leaves Personal Jurisdiction Deeply Unsettled

  

  In Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Railway, a closely divided U.S. Supreme Court recently rolled back key aspects of its 2017 opinion in Daimler AG v. Bauman that limited personal jurisdiction, leaving as many questions for businesses as it answers, say John Cerreta and James Rotondo at Day Pitney.

• 5 Ways Firms Can Rethink Office Design In A Hybrid World

  

  As workplaces across the country adapt to flexible work, law firms must prioritize individuality, amenities and technology in office design, says Kristin Cerutti at Nelson Worldwide.

• A Midyear Look At How AI Is Affecting Lawyers

  

  The past six months have been a notable period for advancements in artificial intelligence and generative AI, and as we head into the second half of the year, we must review the implications that AI has for the legal industry, including how lawyers will be advising clients on use of AI technology, says Natasha Allen at Foley & Lardner.

• False Ad Snapshot Shows Risks Of Geographic Origin Claims

  

  A look at recent and historical cases involving deceptive use of geographic origin descriptors show that companies proclaiming they are American, but that sell products originating from outside the U.S., could be at risk under unfair competition laws or Federal Trade Commission enforcement, say attorneys at Carlson Gaskey.

• NY, Minn. Set Pace For Employee Breastfeeding Protections

  

  Breastfeeding employees have gotten increased legal protections through recently effective amendments in New York and Minnesota, and the laws underline the need for employers to watch for state-level legislative efforts to extend these protections beyond federal requirements, say John Litchfield and Miranda Curtis at Foley & Lardner.

• Opinion

  Bar Score Is Best Hiring Metric Post-Affirmative Action

  

  After the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling striking down affirmative action admissions policies, law firms looking to foster diversity in hiring should view an applicant's Multistate Bar Examination score as the best metric of legal ability — over law school name or GPA, says attorney Alice Griffin.

• As Biometric Privacy Laws Grow, Cos. Must Up Transparency

  

  As more states begin to introduce biometric privacy legislation, it's imperative for businesses collecting biometric data to proactively address prior notice, disclosure, collection and deletion directives, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

• Piecing Together The Blockchain Evidentiary Hurdles

  

  There are common challenges to introducing blockchain evidence at trial and a lack of uniformity in evidentiary codes at the state and federal levels means litigants must carefully navigate the uncertain blockchain puzzle, says Brett Sager at Ehrenstein Sager.

• Ghosting In BigLaw: How To Come Back From Lack Of Feedback

  

  Junior associates can feel powerless when senior colleagues cut off contact instead of providing useful feedback, but young attorneys can get back on track by focusing on practical professional development and reexamining their career priorities, says Rachel Patterson at Orrick.

• Wash. Health Privacy Bill May Affect Cos. Across Industries

  

  Washington’s recently enacted My Health My Data Act — a comprehensive privacy framework for companies that handle consumer health — will likely apply to companies outside the state and the health care industry, and may result in more privacy litigation than we have seen under any other state privacy statute to date, says Jenny Colgate at Rothwell Figg.

• Why 7th Circ.'s BIPA Insurance Analysis Is Significant

  

  The Seventh Circuit's ruling in Citizens v. Wynndalco is the first appellate opinion on one of the three major exclusions raised by insurers faced with a duty to defend alleged violations of the Biometric Information Privacy Act and could foreshadow future BIPA opinions favoring policyholders, say John Vishneski and Adrienne Kitchen at Reed Smith.