Expert Analysis

• Attorneys' Busiest Times Can Be Business Opportunities

  

  Attorneys who resolve to grow their revenue and client base in 2024 should be careful not to abandon their goals when they get too busy with client work, because these periods of zero bandwidth can actually be a catalyst for future growth, says Amy Drysdale at Alchemy Consulting.

• In The World Of Legal Ethics, 10 Trends To Note From 2023

  

  Lucian Pera at Adams and Reese and Trisha Rich at Holland & Knight identify the top legal ethics trends from 2023 — including issues related to hot documents, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity — that lawyers should be aware of to put their best foot forward.

• Del. Dispatch: The 2023 Corporate Cases You Need To Know

  

  Corporate and mergers and acquisitions litigation has continued at a fevered pace this year, with the Delaware courts addressing numerous novel issues with important practical implications, including officer exculpation and buyer aiding-and-abetting liability, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

• NCAA Proposal Points To A New NIL Compensation Frontier

  

  Although NCAA President Charlie Baker's recent proposal for Division I institutions to pay student-athletes for name, image and likeness licensing deals is unlikely to pass in its current form, it shows that direct compensation for student-athletes is a looming reality — and member institutions should begin preparing in earnest, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

• How Attorneys Can Be More Efficient This Holiday Season

  

  Attorneys should consider a few key tips to speed up their work during the holidays so they can join the festivities — from streamlining the document review process to creating similar folder structures, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

• 5 Trends To Watch In Property And Casualty Class Actions

  

  In 2023, class action decisions have altered the landscape for five major types of claims affecting property and casualty insurers — total loss vehicle valuation, labor depreciation, other structural loss estimating theories, total loss vehicle tax and regulatory fees, and New Mexico's uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage sale requirements, say Mark Johnson and Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler.

• Class Action-Style Claims Are On The Horizon In 2024

  

  Following the implementation of an EU directive enabling consumers to bring actions for collective redress, 2024 will likely see the first serious swathe of class action-style cases in Europe, particularly in areas such as cyber exposures, ESG and product liability, says Henning Schaloske at Clyde & Co.

• Series

  Children's Book Writing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Becoming a children's book author has opened doors to incredible new experiences of which I barely dared to dream, but the process has also changed my life by serving as a reminder that strong writing, networking and public speaking skills are hugely beneficial to a legal career, says Shaunna Bailey at Sheppard Mullin.

• A Review Of 2023's Most Notable Securities Litigation

  

  There is much to be learned from the most prominent private securities cases of 2023, specifically the Tesla trial, the U.S. Supreme Court's Slack decision and the resolution of Goldman Sachs litigation, but one lesson running through all of them is that there can be rewards at the end of the line for defendants willing to go the distance, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

• How Clients May Use AI To Monitor Attorneys

  Excerpt from Practical Guidance

  

  Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly enable clients to monitor and evaluate their counsel’s activities, so attorneys must clearly define the terms of engagement and likewise take advantage of the efficiencies offered by AI, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

• When Patients Have Standing For Hospital Antitrust Suits

  

  Brown v. Hartford Healthcare Corp., recently decided by a Connecticut state court, provides a useful examination of how antitrust standing issues may be analyzed when patients directly sue a healthcare system for anti-competitive conduct, says Charles Honart at Stevens & Lee.

• DOJ's RealPage Notice Signals Focus On Pricing Algorithms

  

  The U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division recently filed a statement of interest in the Realpage multidistrict litigation to stake out its position that price-fixing algorithms pose a great anti-competitive threat, which suggests that the DOJ and private parties may continue to bring similar actions in the future, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

• What 3rd Circ. Gets Wrong About Arbitration Enforcement

  

  The Third Circuit and other courts should correct their current law, exemplified by the Third Circuit's recent decision in Henry v. Wilmington Trust, requiring a motion to dismiss based on an arbitration clause because it conflicts with the Federal Arbitration Act, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and — with regard to the improper-venue approach — U.S. Supreme Court precedent, says David Cinotti at Pashman Stein.

• Series

  The Pop Culture Docket: Judge D'Emic On Moby Grape

  

  The 1968 Moby Grape song "Murder in My Heart for the Judge" tells the tale of a fictional defendant treated with scorn by the judge, illustrating how much the legal system has evolved in the past 50 years, largely due to problem-solving courts and the principles of procedural justice, says Kings County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Matthew D'Emic.

• The Key To Defending Multistate Collective FLSA Claims

  

  Federal circuit courts are split on the reach of a court's jurisdiction over out-of-state employers in Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions, but until the U.S. Supreme Court agrees to review the question, multistate employers should be aware of a potential case-changing defense, say Matthew Disbrow and Michael Dauphinais at Honigman.