Expert Analysis

• Shifts At DOJ Alter Corporate Self-Disclosure Calculus

  

  Though the Justice Department's new criminal enforcement policy clarifies the benefits of corporate self-disclosure, recent changes to prosecutorial priorities and resources mean that companies should reassess whether cooperation incentives still outweigh the risks of nondisclosure, says Hui Chen at CDE Advisors.

• Series

  Law School's Missed Lessons: How To Draft Pleadings

  

  Most law school graduates step into their first jobs without ever having drafted a complaint, answer, motion or other type of pleading, but that gap can be closed by understanding the strategy embedded in every filing, writing with clarity and purpose, and seeking feedback at every step, says Eric Yakaitis at Haug Barron.

• Evaluating Congressional Investigation Risk In Deal Diligence

  

  Given the increasing frequency and sophistication of congressional investigations into corporate business practices, companies conducting transactional due diligence should add procedures to assess and mitigate the unique challenges and wide-ranging risks that can arise from Capitol Hill’s scrutiny, say attorneys at Covington.

• E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On ESI Control

  

  Several recent federal court decisions have perpetuated a split over what constitutes “control” of electronically stored information — with judges divided on whether the standard should turn on a party's legal right or practical ability to obtain the information, say attorneys at Sidley.

• The Challenge Of Stabilizing Rural Hospitals On The Brink

  

  The outlook for rural hospitals has grown more concerning, as recent policy and regulatory developments are decreasing hospital revenues and increasing the cost of uncompensated care, which may result in additional hospital closures, service reductions, or mergers and acquisitions, say Omur Celmanbet, Kristy Piccinini and Sabiha Quddus at FTI Consulting.

• Del. Ruling Shows Power Of Postclose Governance Provisions

  

  After the Delaware Court of Chancery reinstated a target company's CEO as part of the equitable remedy in Fortis Advisors v. Krafton, deal parties should emphasize the importance of postclosing governance provisions to earnout economics, knowing that they will have to live with these provisions for the duration of the earnout period, say attorneys at Sidley.

• Employer Considerations After FTC's Noncompete Warning

  

  In light of Federal Trade Commission leadership's recent message that the agency remains committed to challenging noncompetes that operate as restraints of trade, employers should take several practical steps in order to reduce regulatory risk, including auditing existing agreements and narrowing restrictions, says Christopher Pickett at UB Greensfelder.

• 2 Discovery Rulings Break With Heppner On AI Privilege Issue

  

  While a New York federal court’s recent ruling in U.S. v. Heppner suggests that some litigants’ communications with AI tools are discoverable, two other recent federal court decisions demonstrate that such interactions generally qualify for work-product protection under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, says Joshua Dunn at Brown Rudnick.

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  Isshin-Ryu Karate Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  My involvement in martial arts, specifically Isshin-ryu, which has principles rooted in the eight codes of karate, has been one of the most foundational in the development of my personality, and particularly my approach to challenges — including in my practice of law, says Kaitlyn Stone at Barnes & Thornburg.

• Opinion

  State Bars Need To Get Specific About AI Confidentiality

  

  Lawyers need to put actual client information into artificial intelligence tools to get their full value, but they cannot confidently do so until state bars offer clear, formal authority on which plan tiers of the three most popular generative AI tools are safe to use when sharing specific client details, says attorney Nick Berk.

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  Alpine Skiing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Skiing has shaped habits I rely on daily as an attorney — focus, resilience and the ability to remain steady when circumstances shift rapidly — and influences the way I approach legal strategy, client counseling and teamwork, says Isaku Begert at Marshall Gerstein.

• Senior Housing Demands A Distinct Dealmaking Playbook

  

  An aging population and evolving state regulations underscore a critical reality that senior housing assets can undergo operational or compliance shifts during dealmaking, highlighting the need for unique contractual safeguards like expanded disclosures, anchored notice obligations, and targeted closing conditions and remedies, say attorneys at Goodwin.

• Seeking A Policy Fix As Merger Reporting Fight Continues

  

  A recently announced request by the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice for public comment on the Hart-Scott-Rodino premerger reporting requirements, as litigation challenging the commission's updated requirements continues, suggests the government's willingness to address how best to support modern merger enforcement without unduly burdening filing parties, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

• 2 Rulings Poke Holes In Mandatory Restitution Framework

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Ellingburg v. U.S., as well as the Third Circuit’s recent ruling in U.S. v. Abrams, provide criminal defense practitioners with new tools to challenge Mandatory Victims Restitution Act orders, and highlight several restitution-related issues that converged in the recent prosecution of former Frank CEO Charlie Javice, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

• What A Court Doc Audit Reveals About Erroneous Filings

  

  My audit of 1,522 court documents from last month found that over 95% contained at least one verifiable error, with fewer than 1% showing clear indicators of artificial intelligence use — highlighting above all else that lawyers may want to focus most on strengthening their review processes, says Elliott Ash at ETH Zurich.