Expert Analysis

• 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.

• How Spending Clause Ruling May Affect Medicaid Litigation

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Health and Hospital Corp. v. Talevski preserves an important avenue for health providers and beneficiaries to use the Civil Rights Act to sue state Medicaid agencies in a landscape that has steadily narrowed potential paths for challenging state violations of spending clause legislation, say attorneys at Hooper Lundy.

• Opinion

  States Must Fight Predatory Real Estate Listing Agreements

  

  As momentum against long-term real estate listing agreements continues to grow, states should take action to render existing agreements unenforceable and discourage future unfair and deceptive trade practices in real estate, says Elizabeth Blosser at the American Land Title Association.

• Steps To Success For Senior Associates

  Excerpt from Practical Guidance

  

  Adriana Paris at Rissman Barrett discusses the increased responsibilities and opportunities that becoming a senior associate brings and what attorneys in this role should prioritize to flourish in this stressful but rewarding next level in their careers.

• How To Avoid A Zombie Office Building Apocalypse

  

  With national office vacancy rates approaching 20%, policymakers, investors and developers will need to come together in order to prevent this troubling trend from sucking the life out of business districts or contaminating the broader real estate market, say Ryan Sommers and Robyn Minter Smyers at Thompson Hine.

• Legal Profession Must Do More For Lawyers With Disabilities

  

  At the start of Disability Pride month, Rosalyn Richter at Arnold & Porter looks at why lawyers with disabilities are significantly underrepresented in private practice, asserting that law firms and other employers must do more to conquer the implicit bias that deters attorneys from seeking accommodations.

• Opinion

  Appellate Funding Disclosure: No Mandate Is Right Choice

  

  The Advisory Committee on Appellate Rules' recent decision, forgoing a mandatory disclosure rule for litigation funding in federal appeals, is prudent, as third-party funding is only involved in a minuscule number of federal cases, and courts have ample authority to obtain funding information if necessary, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.

• Case Law Is Mixed On D&O Coverage For Gov't Investigations

  

  As the Fourth Circuit’s recent decision in Brown Goldstein v. Federal Insurance Co. demonstrates, federal appeals courts take different approaches to determine whether government investigations are covered by directors and officers liability insurance, so companies and individuals must review their policy language, say Chloe Law, Jan Larson and Caroline Meneau at Jenner & Block.