Â鶹´«Ã½

Expert Analysis

• What FCA Liability Looks Like In The Cybersecurity Realm

  

  ​Two recent settlements highlight how whistleblowers and the U.S. Department of Justice have been utilizing the False Claims Act to allege fraud predicated on violations of cybersecurity standards — timely lessons given new bipartisan legislation introducing potential FCA liability for artificial intelligence use, say​ attorneys Rachel Rose and Julie Bracker.

• How Attorneys Can Become Change Agents For Racial Equity

  

  As the administration targets diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and law firms consider pulling back from their programs, lawyers who care about racial equity and justice can employ four strategies to create microspaces of justice, which can then be parlayed into drivers of transformational change, says Susan Sturm at Columbia Â鶹´«Ã½ School.

• Running Marathons Makes Me A Better Â鶹´«Ã½yer

  

  After almost five years of running marathons, I’ve learned that both the race itself and the training process sharpen skills that directly translate to the practice of law, including discipline, dedication, endurance, problem-solving and mental toughness, says Lauren Meadows at Swift Currie.

• Water Cooler Talk: Performance Review Tips From 'Severance'

  

  In the hit series "Severance," the eerie depiction of performance reviews, which drone on for hours and focus on frivolous issues, can instruct employers about best practices to follow and mistakes to avoid when conducting employee evaluations, say Tracey Diamond and Emily Schifter at Troutman.

• Â鶹´«Ã½ School's Missed Lessons: Supporting A Trial Team

  

  While students often practice as lead trial attorneys in law school, such an opportunity likely won’t arise until a few years into practice, so junior associates should focus on honing skills that are essential to supporting a trial team, including organization, adaptability and humility, says Lucy Zelina at Tucker Ellis.

• Adapting To Private Practice: From US Attorney To BigÂ鶹´«Ã½

  

  When I transitioned to private practice after government service — most recently as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia — I learned there are more similarities between the two jobs than many realize, with both disciplines requiring resourcefulness, zealous advocacy and foresight, says Zach Terwilliger at V&E.

• Employer-Friendly Fla. Â鶹´«Ã½ Ushers In New Noncompete Era

  

  Florida's CHOICE Act is set to take effect July 1, and employers are welcoming it with open arms as it would create one of the most favorable environments in the country for the enforcement of noncompete and garden leave agreements, but businesses should also consider the nonlegal implications, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

• Measuring The Impact Of Attorney Gender On Trial Outcomes

  

  Preliminary findings from our recent study on how attorney gender might affect case outcomes support the conclusion that there is little in the way of a clear, universal bias against attorneys of a given gender, say Jill Leibold, Olivia Goodman and Alexa Hiley at IMS Legal Strategies.

• The Ins And Outs Of Consensual Judicial References

  

  As parties consider the possibility of judicial reference to resolve complex disputes, it is critical to understand how the process works, why it's gaining traction, and why carefully crafted agreements make all the difference, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

• The BigÂ鶹´«Ã½ Settlements Are About Risk, Not Profit

  

  The nine Am Â鶹´«Ã½ 100 firms that settled with the Trump administration likely did so because of the personal risk faced by equity partners in today's billion‑dollar national practices, enabled by an ethics rule primed for modernization, says Adam Forest at Scale.

• Buyer Beware Of Restrictive Covenants In Delaware

  

  Based on recent Delaware Chancery Court opinions rejecting restricted covenants contained in agreements in the sale-of-business context, businesses need to craft narrowly tailored restrictions that have legitimate interests, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.

• Brazilian Jiujitsu Makes Me A Better Â鶹´«Ã½yer

  

  Competing in Brazilian jiujitsu – often against opponents who are much larger and younger than me – has allowed me to develop a handful of useful skills that foster the resilience and adaptability necessary for a successful legal career, says Tina Dorr of Barnes & Thornburg.

• Oft-Forgotten Evidence Rule Can Be Powerful Trial Tool

  

  Rule 608 may be one of the most overlooked provisions in the Federal Rules of Evidence, but as a transformative tool that allows attorneys to attack a witness's character for truthfulness through opinion or reputation testimony, its potential to reshape a case cannot be overstated, says Marian Braccia at Temple University Beasley School of Â鶹´«Ã½.