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Expert Analysis

• IRS Starts Clock On Energy Projects' Labor Rule Exemption

  

  A U.S. Department of the Treasury notice published this week started the 60-day clock for clean energy projects seeking to be grandfathered from having to meet new labor requirements to qualify for enhanced tax credits, and uncertainty about how the provisions will apply should be incentive for some investors to begin construction soon, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

• Law Schools Are Right To Steer Clear Of US News Rankings

  

  By opting out of participating in the U.S. News & World Report annual rankings, law schools abandon a profoundly flawed system and free up their resources to adapt to the tsunami of changes overtaking the profession, says Nicholas Allard at Jacksonville University College of Law.

• Litigation Funders Seek Transparency In Disclosure Debate

  

  Litigation funders want to correct the record on calls for funding disclosure in the name of transparency, as this purported justification obscures the disclosure's adverse effects — prejudicing plaintiffs' cases and discouraging the assertion of meritorious legal claims, say Dai Wai Chin Feman and William Weisman at Parabellum Capital.

• 5 Principles For Better Professional Development Programs

  

  The pandemic and ensuing "great resignation" have resulted in a more transient legal work force, but law firms can use effective professional development programs to bridge a cultural gap with new associates and stem associate attrition, says Matthew Woods at Robins Kaplan.

• My Favorite Law Prof: How I Learned To Practice With Passion

  

  First Circuit Judge Gustavo Gelpí recalls how Suffolk University Law School's Joseph Glannon taught the importance of the law as both a tool and a profession, and that those who wish to practice law successfully must do so with love, enthusiasm and passion.

• ESA Listing Change Shows Conservation Partnership Benefits

  

  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's recent decision to narrow the range of the gopher tortoise’s Endangered Species Act status demonstrates that public-private voluntary conservation partnerships can help leverage landowners' knowledge of their working lands to the benefit of species, the ecosystem and the landowners, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

• State-Led Programs Can Speed Up Brownfield Development

  

  Too often, publicly funded brownfields programs are not optimized to achieve redevelopment in the near term, but policymakers can address this problem by directing additional resources toward state-level brownfields programs that offer thoughtfully designed tax incentives and liability protection, says Gerald Pouncey at Morris Manning.

• Questions To Ask Before Making A Lateral Move As Partner

  

  Law firm partners considering lateral moves should diligently interview prospects — going beyond standard questions about compensation to inquire about culture, associate retention and other areas that can provide a more comprehensive view, says Lauren Wu at VOYLegal.

• My Favorite Law Prof: How I Learned To Argue Open-Mindedly

  

  Queens College President Frank Wu reflects on how Yale Kamisar’s teaching and guidance at the University of Michigan Law School emphasized a capacity to engage with alternative worldviews and the importance of the ability to argue for both sides of a debate.

• Outlook For Offshore Wind Development In The Gulf Of Mexico

  

  Jana Grauberger and Stephen Wiegand at Liskow & Lewis discuss the current status of wind development in the Gulf of Mexico and the qualification requirements for holding offshore wind leases, and look ahead to potential effects that the Inflation Reduction Act may have on the offshore wind leasing timeline.

• ABA's No-Contact Rule Advice Raises Questions For Lawyers

  

  The American Bar Association's ethics committee recently issued two opinions concerning the no-contact rule — one creates an intuitive and practical default for electronic communications, while the other sets a potential trap for pro se lawyers, say Lauren Snyder and Deepika Ravi at HWG.

• 4 Key Skills For An Effective Attorney Coaching Conversation

  

  As BigLaw firms are increasingly offering internal coaching as one of many talent strategies to stem ongoing lawyer attrition, Stacey Schwartz at Katten discusses how coaches can help attorneys achieve their goals.

• How Civilian Attorneys Can Help Veterans

  

  With legal aid topping the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' annual list of unmet needs of veterans facing housing insecurity, nonmilitary volunteer attorneys can provide some of the most effective legal services to military and veteran clients, say Anna Richardson at Veterans Legal Services and Nicholas Hasenfus at Holland & Knight.