Expert Analysis

• And Now A Word From The Panel: Tracking MDL Geography

  

  In recent years, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has predominantly selected states east of the Mississippi River as venues for new MDLs — but with half of the proceedings it has created in recent months venued in Arizona and California, the panel is not neglecting the western part of the country, says Alan Rothman at Sidley.

• Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI

  Excerpt from Practical Guidance

  

  Attorneys and businesses must adapt to the unique discovery challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence, such as chatbot content and prompts, while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency and compliance with legal obligations in federal civil litigation, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

• Why Criminal No-Poach Cases Can Be Deceptively Complex

  

  Mark Rosman at Wilson Sonsini discusses the reasons many criminal no-poach cases that appear simple are actually more complicated than they seem, following several jury trial acquittals and two dismissed cases.

• An Overview Of Circuit Courts' Interlocutory Motion Standards

  

  The Federal Arbitration Act allows litigants to file an immediate appeal from an order declining to enforce an arbitration agreement, but the circuit courts differ on the specific requirements for the underlying order as well as which motion must be filed, as demonstrated in several 2023 decisions, says Kristen Mueller at Mueller Law.

• The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms

  

  In today's competitive legal hiring market, an intentionally designed training program for law school graduates awaiting bar admission can be an effective way of creating a pipeline of qualified candidates, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.

• CFPB, DOJ Signal Focus On Fair Lending To Immigrants

  

  New joint guidance from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the U.S. Department of Justice effectively broadens the scope of protected classes under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to include immigration status, indicating a significant shift in regulatory scrutiny, say Alex McFall and Leslie Sowers at Husch Blackwell.

• Attorneys Have An Ethical Duty To Protect The Judiciary

  

  The tenor of public disagreement and debate has become increasingly hostile against judges, and though the legislative branch is trying to ameliorate this safety gap, lawyers have a moral imperative and professional requirement to stand with judges in defusing attacks against them and their rulings, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.

• Questions Linger Over Texas Business Court's Jurisdiction

  

  If parties to a case in Texas' new business court do not agree on whether the court has supplemental jurisdiction over their claims, then those claims may proceed concurrently in another court — creating significant challenges for litigants, and raising questions that have yet to be answered, says Ryan Sullivan at Reichman Jorgensen.

• Cross-Market Implications In FTC's Anesthesia Complaint

  

  The Federal Trade Commission's recent complaint against a private equity firm's acquisition of anesthesiology practices highlights the controversial issue of cross-market harm in health care provider mergers, and could provide important insights into how a court may view such theories of harm, say Christopher Lau and Dina Older Aguilar at Cornerstone Research.

• AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier

  

  Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.

• 10 Essential Bankruptcy Litigation Tips For In-House Counsel

  

  Bankruptcy litigation is a complex and multifaceted area of law that poses unique challenges for in-house counsel, and there are several tools at legal professionals' disposal, like appraisals and understanding jurisdictions, to stay well-informed and protect their companies' interests, says Alison Ashmore at Dykema.

• Total Stay Of CFPB Small Biz Data Rule Is Boon To Lenders

  

  The Southern District of Texas’ nationwide halt of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Small Business Lending Rule would end if the CFPB wins a pending U.S. Supreme Court case, but the interim pause allows valuable extra time for financial institutions to plan their compliance strategies, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

• Why The Effect Of Vivint Has Been Minimal

  

  A survey of recent ex parte reexamination decisions since the Federal Circuit’s 2021 In re: Vivint decision appears to support the court’s conclusion that the ruling was limited in scope and would have limited impact, says Yao Wang at Fish & Richardson.

• Opinion

  What 5th Circ. Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Ruling Got Wrong

  

  The Fifth Circuit’s recent ruling in National Press Photographers Association v. McGraw threatens to dilute the First Amendment rights of photographers using uncrewed aircraft systems and undermine federal control of the airspace, and is indicative of how other courts may misinterpret the Federal Aviation Administration's new fact sheet down the line, say attorneys at Wiley Rein.

• What Texas Business Court Could Mean For Oil, Gas Cases

  

  While the new business court in Texas might seem an ideal venue for the numerous oil and gas disputes litigated in that state, many of these cases may remain outside its reach under the rules governing the court's jurisdiction — at least for now, say Conrad Hester and Emily Fitzgerald at Alston & Bird.