Expert Analysis

• GAO Decision Underscores Complexity Of '180-Day Rule'

  

  The Government Accountability Office's ruling last month in Washington Business Dynamics, evaluating its eligibility for a small business set-aside contract, provides an important reminder for companies to stay vigilant of developments around the evolving "180-day rule" for submitting a proposal, say Stephen Ramaley and Adam Bartolanzo at Miles & Stockbridge.

• Perspectives

  6 Practice Pointers For Pro Bono Immigration Practice

  

  An attorney taking on their first pro bono immigration matter may find the law and procedures beguiling, but understanding key deadlines, the significance of individual immigration judges' rules and specialized aspects of the practice can help avoid common missteps, says Steven Malm at Haynes Boone.

• Bank M&A Considerations Amid 2024's Regulatory Uncertainty

  

  Following the decline in banking mergers to the lowest level in more than a decade last year, receptiveness to community bank combinations and positive macroeconomic factors may help banks with less than $50 billion in assets see increased deal-making opportunities this year, despite regulatory uncertainty, say Robert Azarow and Amber Hay at Arnold & Porter.

• Lessons From Country Singer's Personal Service Saga

  

  Recent reports that country singer Luke Combs won a judgment against a Florida woman who didn’t receive notice of the counterfeit suit against her should serve as a reminder for attorneys on best practices for effectuating service by electronic means, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

• Inside Del. Determinations Of Specific Performance In M&A

  

  Delaware M&A rulings, including several from the end of 2023, shed light on the facts that courts may consider when determining whether a party to a transaction is entitled to specific performance, say attorneys at White & Case and Odeko.

• 9 Contractual Issues Tech Startups Should Be Wary Of

  

  Technology startups often overlook relatively simple but crucial contracting steps that are essential to owning and protecting their intellectual property, and the consequences of this will almost always surface at some point, typically in connection with a key investment or other significant transaction involving the business, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

• A Potential Proactive Tool For Public-Private Joint Ventures

  

  In the current environment of heightened antitrust enforcement, the National Cooperative Research and Production Act seems tailor-made for the collaborative work among competitors encouraged by the Biden administration's infrastructure and green energy funding legislation, say Jeetander Dulani and Susan Ebner at Stinson.

• Bracing For Calif.'s New Health Transaction Framework

  

  As California's new cost and market impact review regulations' April 1 date for its updated notice and review process approaches, healthcare entities should ready themselves for dramatic changes to the state's regulatory landscape and prepare for potentially substantial transaction delays, say Jordan Grushkin and Matthew Goldman at Sheppard Mullin.

• FERC Actions Signal Concern Over Investors' Utility Stakes

  

  Two recent orders and a notice of inquiry from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on the subject of whether large investors are asserting control of public utilities signal increasing regulatory scrutiny of the investment community's influence over the electric power industry, say attorneys at Day Pitney.

• 10 Global Antitrust Trends To Anticipate In 2024

  

  Proactive navigation of the antitrust enforcement environment remains crucial this year as legal policy and tools evolve to meet intensifying global economic complexity, including geopolitical tensions, trade realignment, market volatility and inflation, say attorneys at Freshfields.

• Series

  Baking Bread Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  After many years practicing law, and a few years baking bread, I have learned that there are a few keys to success in both endeavors, including the assembly of a nourishing and resilient culture, and the ability to learn from failure and exercise patience, says Rick Robinson at Reed Smith.

• Federal Courts And AI Standing Orders: Safety Or Overkill?

  

  Several district court judges have issued standing orders regulating the use of artificial intelligence in their courts, but courts should consider following ordinary notice and comment procedures before implementing sweeping mandates that could be unnecessarily burdensome and counterproductive, say attorneys at Curtis.

• Time To Step Up PFAS Due Diligence In Cross-Border M&A

  

  Regulations in the U.S. and EU governing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances will likely evolve to become global standards out of necessity and scale, so PFAS due diligence — particularly for buyers, sellers, and lenders and investors involved in multijurisdictional mergers and acquisitions — will be essential in 2024, say attorneys at Shipman & Goodwin.

• What Can Be Learned From Adobe-Figma Merger Termination

  

  The Competition and Markets Authority’s role in the recent termination of the proposed Adobe-Figma merger deal indicates the regulator's intention to be seen as a strong enforcer in the technology sphere, and serves as a warning for companies to address antitrust risks early on in the merger process, say Deirdre Taylor and Molly Heslop at Gibson Dunn.

• Wachtell-X Ruling Highlights Trend On Arbitrability Question

  

  A growing body of case law, including a California state court's recent decision in X Corp. v. Wachtell, holds that incorporation of specific arbitral body rules in an arbitration provision may in and of itself constitute clear and unmistakable evidence of delegation of arbitrability to an arbitrator, and thus such clauses should be drafted carefully, say attorneys at Norton Rose.