Expert Analysis

• Landmark Product Safety Prosecution May Signal Sea Change

  

  U.S. v. Chu, a novel prosecution and guilty verdict of corporate executives for failing to report product defects under a consumer safety law, will certainly not be the last case of its kind, and companies will need to prepare for the government’s increasingly aggressive enforcement approach, say attorneys at Cooley.

• Top Considerations For Retailers Using AI To Combat Theft

  

  The Federal Trade Commission's recent enforcement action against Rite Aid indicates a significant evolution in the landscape surrounding biometric information and artificial intelligence data collection by retailers, meaning retailers should take reasonable measures to prevent harm to customers, say attorneys at Dentons.

• 5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2024

  

  Over the next year and beyond, litigation funding will continue to evolve in ways that affect attorneys and the larger litigation landscape, from the growth of a secondary market for funded claims, to rising interest rates restricting the availability of capital, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.

• Key Issues When Navigating A Tenant's Bankruptcy

  

  In light of recent Chapter 11 filings by Rite Aid and WeWork — companies with thousands of commercial leases — practitioners should review issues that can arise when bankruptcy is used to exit a lease, including the consequences of lease rejection and the statutory cap on landlord damage claims for a rejected lease, say attorneys at Proskauer.

• 5 Securities Litigation Issues To Watch In 2024

  

  There is yet another exciting year ahead for securities litigation, starting with the U.S. Supreme Court hearing argument next week in a case presenting a key securities class action question that has eluded review for the last eight years, say attorneys at Willkie.

• Breaking Down The New FCC Lead Generation Rules

  

  The Federal Communications Commission's new rules to close the so-called lead generator robocall and robotexts loophole herald a transformative halt to the traditional lead generation industry, necessitating the development of entirely new marketplace solutions to align with the impending compliance requirements, says Alexis Buese at Bradley Arant.

• Cannabis Banking Bill Uncertainty May Actually Be A Blessing

  

  The passage of a cannabis banking law is alluring, but little will be lost if the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation Banking Act — facing stiff competition from other congressional priorities — gets tabled because the bill ultimately does little to meaningfully propel the industry toward full legalization, says Michael Rosenblum at Thompson Coburn.

• Series

  ESG Around The World: South Africa

  

  While South Africa has yet to mandate the reporting of nonfinancial and environmental, social, and corporate governance issues, policy documents and recent legislative developments are likely to have a material impact in the country's transition to a low-carbon economy and in meeting its international obligations, say Glynn Kent at Eversheds Sutherland.

• Lessons In Navigating Collateral Estoppel Of Similar Patents

  

  The Patent Trial and Appeal Board's recent holding in Google v. Parus that rehearing was appropriate under collateral estoppel illustrates best arguments in inter partes review for any issue that could arise in a later proceeding, including dependent claim limitations, say attorneys at Akin.

• 4 Legal Ethics Considerations For The New Year

  

  As attorneys and clients reset for a new year, now is a good time to take a step back and review some core ethical issues that attorneys should keep front of mind in 2024, including approaching generative artificial intelligence with caution and care, and avoiding pitfalls in outside counsel guidelines, say attorneys at HWG.

• FTC Rite Aid Order Holds Biometrics And AI Compliance Tips

  

  The Federal Trade Commission's recent enforcement action against Rite Aid over its use of facial biometric technology on customers provides lessons that can be leveraged to reduce and manage the risk of regulatory scrutiny of biometrics and artificial intelligence, says David Oberly at Baker Donelson.

• 2 Cases Highlight NJ Cannabis Employment Law Uncertainties

  

  More than two years after its enactment, the employee protections and employer obligations in New Jersey's Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance and Marketplace Modernization Act remain unsettled, and two recent lawsuits draw attention to the law's enforceability and its intersection with federal law, say Ruth Rauls at Saul Ewing and David White at Seton Hall.

• Fed. Circ. Patent Decisions In 2023: An Empirical Review

  

  The Federal Circuit decided 306 patent cases last year, which is still well down from the pre-pandemic norm of around 440, and on the whole the court's decisions were markedly less patentee-friendly in 2023 than in 2022, says Dan Bagatell at Perkins Coie.

• What The Law Firm Of The Future Will Look Like

  

  As the legal landscape shifts, it’s become increasingly clear that the BigLaw business model must adapt in four key ways to remain viable, from fostering workplace flexibility to embracing technology, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.

• 4 PR Pointers When Your Case Is In The News

  

  Media coverage of new lawsuits exploded last year, demonstrating why defense attorneys should devise a public relations plan that complements their legal strategy, incorporating several objectives to balance ethical obligations and advocacy, say Nathan Burchfiel at Pinkston and Ryan June at Castañeda + Heidelman.