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Expert Analysis

• The Hidden Pitfalls Of Letters Of Credit In Lease Negotiations

  

  Amid a surge in commercial office leasing driven by artificial intelligence firms, it's crucial for landlords to be aware of the potential downside of accepting letters of credit — in particular, for amounts of security that are less than the statutory bankruptcy claim cap, say attorneys at Allen Matkins.

• Series

  The Biz Court Digest: Welcome To Miami

  

  After nearly 20 years in operation, the Miami Complex Business Litigation Division is a pioneer upon which other jurisdictions in the state have been modeled, adopting many innovations to keep its cases running more efficiently and staffing experienced judges who are accustomed to hearing business disputes, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

• Identifying And Resolving Conflicts Among Class Members

  

  As the Fifth Circuit's recent decision in Nova Scotia Health Employees' Pension Plan v. McDermott International illustrates, intraclass conflicts can determine the fate of a class action — and such conflicts can be surprisingly difficult to identify, says Andrew Faisman, a clerk at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

• How AI Exec Order May Tee Up Legal Fights With States

  

  The Trump administration's draft executive order would allow it to challenge and withhold federal dollars from states with artificial intelligence laws, but until Congress passes comprehensive AI legislation, states may have to defend their regulatory frameworks in extended litigation, says Charles Mills, a clerk at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia.

• Adapting To A Plaintiff-Side Mindset For Patent Monetization

  

  A recent decrease in risk for patent owners at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, combined with increased corporate interest in monetizing patent assets, creates an attractive case for evaluating patents from a plaintiff-side mindset, but in-house counsel transitioning from a defense-side mindset to a plaintiff-side mindset should study certain considerations, says Kate Tellez at Steptoe.

• Recent Proposals May Spell Supervision Overhaul For Banks

  

  A slew of rules recently proposed by the federal banking agencies with approaching comment deadlines would rewrite supervision standards to be further tailored to banks' size and activities, while prioritizing financial risks over process, documentation and other nonfinancial risks, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

• AI Evidence Rule Tweaks Encourage Judicial Guardrails

  

  Recent additions to a committee note on proposed Rule of Evidence 707 — governing evidence generated by artificial intelligence — seek to mitigate potential dangers that may arise once machine outputs are introduced at trial, encouraging judges to perform critical gatekeeping functions, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

• Terrorist Label For Maduro Poses New Risks For US Firms

  

  The State Department's recent designation of President Nicolás Maduro, and other Venezuelan government and military officials, as members of a foreign terrorist organization drastically increases the level of caution companies must exercise when doing business in the region to mitigate potential civil, criminal and regulatory risk, say attorneys at Freshfields.

• Series

  The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Getting The Message Across

  

  Communications and brand strategy during a law firm merger represent a crucial thread that runs through every stage of a combination and should include clear messaging, leverage modern marketing tools and embrace the chance to evolve, says Ashley Horne at Womble Bond.

• How Bank-Fintech Partnerships Changed In 2025

  

  The 2025 transition to the Trump administration, augmented by the reversal of Chevron deference in 2024, has resulted in unprecedented shifts, and bank-fintech partnerships are no exception, with key changes affecting a number of areas including charters, regulatory oversight and anti-money laundering, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

• 2 Early Settlement Alternatives In Federal Securities Litigation

  

  Most class actions brought under the federal securities laws are either settled or won by the defendants following a motion to dismiss, but two alternative strategies have the potential to lower discovery costs and allow defendants to obtain judgment without the uncertainty of jury trials on complex matters, says Richard Zelichov at DLA Piper.

• Opinion

  Horizontal Stare Decisis Should Not Be Casually Discarded

  

  Eliminating the so-called law of the circuit doctrine — as recently proposed by a Fifth Circuit judge, echoing Justice Neil Gorsuch’s concurrence in Loper Bright — would undermine public confidence in the judiciary’s independence and create costly uncertainty for litigants, says Lawrence Bluestone at Genova Burns.

• Grounding Netflix's 'Death By Lightning' In Patent History

  

  In Netflix’s "Death by Lightning," U.S. President James Garfield's assassin declares that patent lawyers lack original ideas, but real-life 19th-century patent attorney-inventors were key to technological progress and the success of the American patent system, say Tasha Gerasimow at Kirkland & Ellis and David Gerasimow at Gerasimow Law.

• How Fed. Circ. Shaped Subject Matter Eligibility In 2025

  

  The Federal Circuit's most impactful patent eligibility decisions this year, touching on questions about obviousness and abstractness, provide a toolbox of takeaways that can be utilized during patent preparation and prosecution to guard against potential challenges, says Reilley Keane at Banner Witcoff.

• Key Takeaways From Armed Services Board's FY 2025 Report

  

  The Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals’ annual report reveals an increase in new cases filed, but a decrease in cases resolved, and fewer parties choosing alternative dispute resolution, despite the likely reduction in time and expenses incurred during a prolonged appeal process, say attorneys at Miller & Chevalier.