Expert Analysis

• Calif.'s Civility Push Shows Why Professionalism Is Vital

  

  The California Bar’s campaign against discourteous behavior by attorneys, including a newly required annual civility oath, reflects a growing concern among states that professionalism in law needs shoring up — and recognizes that maintaining composure even when stressed is key to both succeeding professionally and maintaining faith in the legal system, says Lucy Wang at Hinshaw.

• Tips For Consumer Finance GCs Navigating AI In Pro Se Suits

  

  There are several avenues for consumer finance in-house counsel to make artificial intelligence use disclosure requirements a standardized tool when facing pro se litigants, including preservation demands and discovery requests to ease friction and root out inaccurate legal representations, says Lee Barrett at Planet Home Lending.

• Should Prediction Markets Allow Trading On Nonpublic Info?

  

  Recent trading activity, such as the Polymarket wager on the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, has raised questions about whether some participants may be engaging in trading that is based on material nonpublic information, and highlights ongoing uncertainty about how existing derivatives and anti-fraud rules apply to event-based contracts, say economic consultants at the Brattle Group.

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  Trivia Competition Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Playing trivia taught me to quickly absorb information and recognize when I've learned what I'm expected to know, training me in the crucial skills needed to be a good attorney, and reminding me to be gracious in defeat, says Jonah Knobler at Patterson Belknap.

• What FDA Guidance Means For Future Of Health Software

  

  Two significant final guidance documents released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last month reflect a targeted effort to ease innovation friction around specific areas, including singular clinical decision support recommendations and sensor-based wearables, while maintaining established regulatory boundaries, say attorneys at Covington.

• Coinbase Ruling Outlines Litigation Committee Conflict Risks

  

  The Delaware Court of Chancery's recent rejection in Grabski v. Andreessen of a special litigation committee's motion to terminate or settle — its first such decision in over a decade — over conflict concerns highlights why the independence of SLC counsel matters just as much as that of committee members, says Joel Fleming at Equity Litigation Group.

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  Law School's Missed Lessons: What Cross-Selling Truly Takes

  

  Early-career attorneys may struggle to introduce clients to practitioners in other specialties, but cross-selling becomes easier once they know why it’s vital to their first years of practice, which mistakes to avoid and how to anticipate clients' needs, say attorneys at Moses & Singer.

• OCC Mortgage Escrow Rules Add Fuel To Preemption Debate

  

  Two rules proposed in December by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which would preempt state laws requiring national banks to pay interest on mortgage escrow accounts, are a bold new federal gambit in the debate over how much authority Congress intended to hand state regulators under the Dodd-Frank Act, says Christian Hancock at Bradley Arant.

• CFIUS Initiative May Smooth Way For Some Foreign Investors

  

  A new program that will allow certain foreign investors to be prevetted and admitted to fast-track approval by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States will likely have tangible benefits for investors participating in competitive M&A, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

• When Tokenized Real-World Assets Collide With Real World

  

  The city of Detroit's ongoing case against Real Token, alleging building code and safety violations across over 400 Detroit residential properties, highlights the brave new world we face when real estate assets are tokenized via blockchain technology — and what happens to the human tenants caught in the middle, say Biying Cheng and Cornell law professor David Reiss.

• Drafting Tech Patents After USPTO's Eligibility Memos

  

  Two recent U.S. Patent and Trademark Office memos on subject matter eligibility declarations provide an evidentiary playbook for artificial intelligence and software patent applications, highlighting how targeted, stand‑alone SMEDs that present objective, claim‑anchored facts can improve patent application outcomes, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

• How Lenders Can Be Ready For Disparate Impact Variabilities

  

  Amid state attorneys general's and regulators' mixed messaging around disparate impact liability, financial institutions can take several steps to minimize risk, including ensuring compliance management aligns with current law and avoiding decisions that impede growth in business and service, says Elena Babinecz at Baker Donelson.

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  Judges On AI: Practical Use Cases In Chambers

  

  U.S. Magistrate Judge Allison Goddard in the Southern District of California discusses how she uses generative artificial intelligence tools in chambers to make work more efficient and effective — from editing jury instructions for clarity to summarizing key documents.

• A Closer Look At California Financial Regulator's 2026 Agenda

  

  California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation Commissioner KC Mohseni in recent remarks demonstrated the regulator's growing importance amid the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's retreat by debuting expansive goals for 2026, including finalizing rulemaking for the state's digital asset law and expanding enforcement authority around consumer complaints, says John Kimble at Hinshaw.

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  Trail Running Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Navigating the muddy, root-filled path of trail marathons and ultramarathons provides fertile training ground for my high-stakes fractional general counsel work, teaching me to slow down my mind when the terrain shifts, sharpen my focus and trust my training, says Eric Proos at Next Era Legal.