Expert Analysis

• Understanding How Jurors Arrive At Punitive Damage Awards

  

  Much of the rising trend of so-called thermonuclear verdicts can be tied to punitive damages amounts that astonish the imagination, so attorneys must understand the psychological underpinnings that drive jurors’ decision-making calculus on damages, says Clint Townson at Townson Litigation.

• Legal Ethics Considerations For Law Firm Pro Bono Deals

  

  If a law firm enters into a pro bono deal with the Trump administration in exchange for avoiding or removing an executive order, it has an ethical obligation to create a written settlement agreement with specific terms, which would mitigate some potential conflict of interest problems, says Andrew Altschul at Buchanan Angeli.

• Series

  Playing Football Made Me A Better Lawyer

  

  While my football career ended over 15 years ago, the lessons the sport taught me about grit, accountability and resilience have stayed with me and will continue to help me succeed as an attorney, says Bert McBride at Trenam.

• Opinion

  It's Time To Reform Mass Arbitration

  

  A number of recent lawsuits demonstrate how problematic practices in mass arbitration can undermine its ability to function as a tool for fair and efficient dispute resolution — so reforms including early case filtering, stronger verification requirements and new fee structures are needed to restore the arbitration system's integrity, says Kennen Hagen at FedArb.

• 10 Arbitrations And A 5th Circ. Ruling Flag Arb. Clause Risks

  

  The ongoing arbitral saga of Sullivan v. Feldman, which has engendered proceedings before 10 different arbitrators in Texas and Louisiana along with last month's Fifth Circuit opinion, showcases both the risks and limitations of arbitration clauses in retainer agreements for resolving attorney-client disputes, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin and Lodgen.

• Aviation Watch: New FAA Chief Will Face Strong Headwinds

  

  Once confirmed, Bryan Bedford, President Donald Trump's nominee to head the Federal Aviation Administration, will face steep challenges — including a shortage of air traffic controllers, a recent spate of high-profile crashes, and the difficulty of working within an administration intent on cutting staffing and funding, says Alan Hoffman, a retired attorney and aviation expert.

• Perspectives

  The Benefits Of Aligning States On Legal Paraprofessionals

  

  Texas' proposal to become the latest state to license paraprofessional providers of limited legal services could help firms expand their reach and improve access to justice, but consumers, attorneys and allied legal professionals would benefit even more if similar programs across the country become more uniform, says Michael Houlberg at the University of Denver.

• 10 Soft Skills Every GC Should Master

  

  As businesses face shifting regulatory and technological uncertainty, general counsel will need to strengthen certain soft skills to succeed, from admitting when they make a mistake to maintaining a healthy dose of dispassion, says Douglas Brown at Manatt.

• 6 Criteria Can Help Assess Executive Branch Actions

  

  With new executive policy changes announced seemingly every day, several questions can help courts, policymakers and businesses determine whether such actions are proper, effective and in keeping with our democratic norms, say Marc Levin and Khalil Cumberbatch at the Council on Criminal Justice.

• Learning From COVID-19 Enforcement Against Nursing Homes

  

  Five years after the COVID-19 outbreak caused a high number of deaths in nursing homes, an examination of enforcement actions against nursing homes in New York and elsewhere in the country highlights obstacles that may arise when bringing cases of this type, and ways to overcome them, says Kenneth Levine at Stone & Magnanini.

• An Unrestrained, Bright-Eyed View Of Legal AI's Future

  

  Todd Itami at Covington offers a bright-eyed, laughing-all-the-way, skydive look at what the legal industry could look like after an artificial intelligence revolution, which he believes may happen much sooner and more dramatically than we expect.

• Tracking The Evolution In Litigation Finance

  

  Despite continued innovation, litigation finance remains an immature market with borrowers recieving significantly different terms as lenders learn to value cases, which firms need a strong handle on to ensure lending terms do not overwhelm collateral value, says Robert Wilkins at Lightfoot Franklin.

• Opinion

  Asbestos Trusts' Records Purge Threatens Claims Process

  

  Recent announcements by 11 asbestos bankruptcy trusts that they plan to destroy legacy data and documents related to resolved claims risks further damage to the integrity of a compensation system long marked by a lack of oversight and transparency, says Peter Kelso at Roux.

• Series

  Volunteer Firefighting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  While practicing corporate law and firefighting may appear incongruous, the latter benefits my legal career by reminding me of the importance of humility, perspective and education, says Nicholas Passaro at Ford.

• Takeaways From Alaska Justices' Pollution Exclusion Ruling

  

  A recent Alaska Supreme Court ruling that a total pollution exclusion in a homeowners policy didn't bar coverage for carbon monoxide poisoning shows that even when policy language appears unambiguous on its face, courts can still consider the reasonable expectations of an insured to determine applicability, say attorneys at Hunton.