Expert Analysis

• Simple Secrets For Writing A Killer Brief

  

  These days, the legal profession offers meager opportunity for oral argument, so we need to focus on being better, brighter, tighter writers. And the key to writing a better brief is grabbing your judge's attention with a persuasive, well-crafted story, says Daniel Karon of Karon LLC.

• What 2019 Has In Store For UK Data Protection

  

  Many of the big data protection compliance themes of 2018 will continue on this year, including even General Data Protection Regulation preparation, but the possibility of a no-deal Brexit may complicate matters, says Stewart Room of PwC LLP.

• Opinion

  Brexit International Arbitration Clause Is Misunderstood

  

  Much of the criticism aimed at the international arbitration clause in the recent Brexit withdrawal agreement unfairly identifies a perceived lack of transparency and appears to be based on a lack of understanding about the process, says Margarita Michael of O'Melveny & Myers LLP.

• The Lawyer's Daily

  How To Requalify As A Lawyer In Canada

  

  Becoming a lawyer in Canada is a challenging experience for foreign qualified lawyers. In addition to the bar exam, hurdles include obtaining certification from the National Committee on Accreditation, and complications from moving to Canada halfway through the process, says Kyle Abrey, in-house counsel at the Royal Bank of Canada.

• Legal Technology Is Likely To Flourish In The UK

  

  The U.K. may soon surpass the U.S. in legal technology, thanks to regulatory reform, law firm investment and an entrepreneurial environment, says Bridget Deiters of InCloudCounsel.

• Opinion

  Legal Operations Teams Are Gaining Popularity In EU

  

  As the European and global economies continue to change, any legal department that does not want to get outflanked by faster, more agile competitors should consider the value that legal operations teams have to offer, says Hans Albers, president of the Association of Corporate Counsel Europe.

• Why Proper Document Redaction May Be An Ethical Duty

  

  Paul Manafort's attorneys recently filed a court document containing incompletely redacted information, highlighting the need for attorneys to become competent at redaction — or at least at verifying that redaction has been performed correctly. Failure to do either could be construed as legal malpractice, says Byeongsook Seo of Snell & Wilmer LLP.

• Why The Flood Of GDPR Litigation Has Been Delayed

  

  Eight months into the General Data Protection Regulation regime, we have not yet seen the expected deluge of U.K. class actions, but be warned — the floodgates will not remain closed, says Bryony Hurst of Bird & Bird LLP.

• Opinion

  Law Schools Should Be More Like Medical Centers

  

  Medical centers and their faculty matter to the practice of medicine. Law schools and their faculty do not matter to the practice of law, says J.B. Heaton of J.B. Heaton PC.

• Opinion

  Courts Are Getting It Right On Litigation Funding Discovery

  

  Earlier this month, a California federal court denied discovery into the identification of third-party funders with a financial interest in the outcome of an underlying patent infringement action. This decision in MLC v. Micron follows a long line of well-reasoned precedent across U.S. federal courts, say Matthew Harrison and Sarah Jacobson of Bentham IMF.

• Worldwide Freezing Orders Can Backfire Without Proper Care

  

  Worldwide freezing orders, which preserve a respondent's assets until the outcome of the substantive case, are an important weapon in the arsenal of a commercial litigant. However, as FSDEA v. Dos Santos demonstrates, courts lay heavy obligations upon WFO applicants, says Nicola McKinney of Grosvenor Law Ltd.

• UK Litigation And Guidance Highlight Cybersecurity Risk

  

  Recent developments in the United Kingdom emphasize the importance of companies implementing cybersecurity measures proactively both to prevent incidents and to argue in mitigation when, not if, the company does suffer a data breach, say Guillermo Christensen of Ice Miller LLP and Anupreet Amole of Brown Rudnick LLP.

• 2 BVI Cases Explore Scope Of Proper Purpose Test

  

  Two recent cases in the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal have presented British Virgin Island courts an opportunity to develop a local jurisprudence regarding the BVI Business Companies Act and provide guidance on how the proper purpose test is to be applied, says Rosalind Nicholson of Walkers Global.

• Last-Minute Brexit Preparations For EU Financial Firms

  

  As the deadline for a hard Brexit draws ever closer, financial firms operating in the United Kingdom or European Union must consider how possible outcomes will impact transactions and contractual relationships, and take steps to mitigate business interruptions, say Gilles Kolifrath and Linda Sharkey of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP.

• What To Expect From Serious Fraud Office In 2019

  

  The coming year looks to be an interesting one for the U.K. Serious Fraud Office. With new Director Lisa Osofsky firmly in post, expectations are high that she will shake things up in the next few months, say Anna Gaudoin and Alison Geary of WilmerHale.