Expert Analysis

• Assessing The 9th Circ.'s Recent Stock Drop Dismissal Trend

  

  The recent decision in Nova Scotia Health Employees' Pension Plan v. Comerica is an important circuit-level addition to the growing trend of Ninth Circuit securities class action dismissals on loss causation grounds, which have used a contextual analysis premised on stock drops that are modest, typical and short-lived, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

• How Data Center Accounting May Draw Enforcement Scrutiny

  

  As public and media scrutiny of the data center industry intensifies, regulators, enforcement authorities and Congress will likely focus on accounting judgments that rely on aggressive assumptions, opaque financing structures or rapidly evolving collateral classes, heightening the risk of investigations and inquiries, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

• How 'Spillover' Effects Can Skew AI Securities Class Actions

  

  Event study evidence is often central in securities litigation at class certification and beyond, but in an environment where earnings forecasts and statements can have spillover market implications, particularly when concerning artificial intelligence, the task of parsing out the price impact of news requires careful consideration, say Erik Johannesson, Olivia Wurgaft and Nguyet Nguyen at Brattle Group.

• Opinion

  Tribal Gaming Law Is Paramount In Prediction Market Cases

  

  Whatever the outcome of the preemption question in prediction market litigation involving states and the federal government, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act deals very specifically with gaming on Indian lands and almost certainly trumps the general federal laws at issue, says Kevin Washburn at the University of California, Berkeley.

• Series

  Playing Magic: The Gathering Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  The competitive card game Magic: The Gathering offers me a training ground for the strategic thinking skills crucial to litigation, challenging me to adapt to oft-updated rules, analyze text as complicated as any statute and anticipate my opponent’s next moves, says Christopher Smith at Lash Goldberg.

• Why The Wells Process Is No Longer A One-Sided Exercise

  

  The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently revamped Enforcement Manual rewrites the informational asymmetry that has defined SEC defense for decades, providing counsel with several new strategies to produce better submissions, give better advice and achieve better outcomes, says Ashwin Ram at Buchalter.

• Improving Well-Being In Law, 10 Years After Landmark Study

  

  An important 2016 study revealed significant substance abuse and mental health issues among lawyers, and while the findings helped normalize the conversation around these topics, a decade later, structural change is still needed, says Denise Robinson at PLI.

• 8 Reasons To Consider Maryland As A 'DExit' Option

  

  While Nevada and Texas have garnered the most attention as alternative states of incorporation for companies considering leaving Delaware, Maryland offers considerable benefits too, including a predictable statutory framework, robust anti-takeover protections, sophisticated business courts with decades of experience, and more, say attorneys at Miles & Stockbridge.

• Mapping Philly US Atty's White Collar Enforcement Push

  

  Attorneys at Blank Rome discuss the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania David Metcalf’s commitments and priorities, survey early results from his first year, and suggest practical action items for companies operating under the office's jurisdiction.

• Opinion

  Exxon's Retail Voting Program Is A Trap For Retail Investors

  

  The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved Exxon Mobil's first-of-its-kind proxy voting program last September, but ahead of the company's annual shareholder meeting next month, it's clear that retail shareholders have delegated their voice to the entity their vote exists to check, says Christina Sautter at Southern Methodist University.

• What DOL Proposal Signals For 401(k)s, Alternative Assets

  

  The U.S. Department of Labor recently published a highly anticipated proposed rule that could establish more defined pathways for 401(k) plan fiduciaries to consider investment options with greater alternative asset exposure, and help fund sponsors and investment managers develop such options, say attorneys at Cleary.

• SEC's Enforcement Slowdown May Raise Oversight Questions

  

  After six months of enforcement activity, it's clear that fiscal year 2026 will see an unprecedented decline in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement activity relative to past years, but whether the SEC will be viewed as sufficiently policing the securities markets at the end of the fiscal year is more uncertain, say attorneys at Covington.

• What To Expect From The SEC's New SOX Group

  

  In a potential shift away from Public Company Accounting Oversight Board enforcement, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's formation of a new group to investigate and litigate potential violations of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act brings both risks and benefits for auditors, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

• Contract Language Reigned Supreme In Bancorp Dismissal

  

  A Minnesota federal court's recent dismissal of claims over U.S. Bancorp's cash sweep program underscores that clear contractual disclosures hold weight in class actions, demonstrating the power of contract language that plainly indicates terms, fiduciary limits and institutional benefits to customers, says Quin Seiler at Winthrop & Weinstine.

• Why Justices Seem Skeptical Of Curbing SEC Disgorgement

  

  Sripetch v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission presents an opportunity for the U.S. Supreme Court to clarify the disgorgement limits it set six years ago in Liu v. SEC, with recent oral arguments suggesting the court sees disgorgement as an equitable remedy akin to unjust enrichment, say attorneys at Hueston Hennigan.