Expert Analysis

• Cos. Must Address Growing Chatbot Class Action Risk

  

  Following a new wave of chatbot-related consumer data privacy litigation and expanding compliance obligations created by state legislatures, businesses using such technology face a high-risk environment for wiretapping allegations, with inconsistent court rulings to date and uncertain legal holdings ahead, say attorneys at Pierce Atwood.

• Regulatory Shift May Offer Lifeline To NY's Cannabis Industry

  

  Recent developments may help to open up the regulatory log jam and increase the number of licensed dispensaries in New York state, and can eventually allow the licensed cannabis market to win out over unlicensed dispensaries, say attorneys at Davis+Gilbert.

• Key Points From NY Regulators' Crypto Listing Update

  

  Virtual currency entities should review the New York State Department of Financial Services' recently proposed guidance for self-certification of coins, which features heightened listing standards and a new delisting framework, and evaluate its impact on their existing practices and coin-listing procedures, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

• Why Hemp-Synthesized Intoxicants Need Uniform Regs

  

  State laws regulating hemp-synthesized intoxicants are a patchwork with little consistency between any given state, and without the adoption of a uniform regulatory framework, producers and consumers alike will need to be very cautious, say Dylan Anderson and Seth Goldberg at Duane Morris.

• Opinion

  Life Sciences Regulators Must Write Cloud-Specific Guidance

  

  As cloud services continue to revolutionize the life sciences industry's ability to conduct regulated activities, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other regulators should update their data management policies to clearly support and encourage use of cloud technology, say Nate Brown and Marlee Gallant at Akin.

• Key Employer Takeaways From USCIS' H-1B Visa Proposal

  

  There are several steps employers can take, like reviewing job descriptions and assessing cap-exempt eligibility, to be well positioned for the sweeping changes that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services proposes to implement next year to improve the H-1B visa program, say Brian Coughlin and Angelica Ochoa at Fisher Phillips.

• Evaluating Calif. Law On Litigation During Arbitration Appeals

  

  While a recently enacted California law makes it possible for cases to proceed to trial in state court even while appeal of an arbitration denial is pending, the legislation may be preempted by the Federal Arbitration Act and a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, says Benny Osorio at Signature Resolution.

• California's Offshore Turbine Plans Face Stiff Headwinds

  

  To realize its innovative plans for floating offshore wind farms, California will face numerous challenges as companies investing in the industry will be looking for permitting transparency, predictable timelines, and meaningful coordination between jurisdictions, agencies, and stakeholders, say David Smith and David McGrath at Manatt.

• Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence

  

  Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

• Inside The Current State Of International Crypto Compliance

  

  A recent Financial Action Task Force report regarding adoption of international virtual asset compliance standards reflects a fairly grim state of affairs, but a broader look at providers' risk mitigation efforts and developments is encouraging, say Leah Moushey and Franco Jofré at Miller & Chevalier, and Meredith Fitzpatrick at Forensic Risk Alliance.

• 5 Telecom Issues To Watch Amid FCC Broadband Proposal

  

  The Federal Communications Commission's recent proposal to restore net neutrality rules and reassert its regulatory authority over broadband providers is likely to spark debate over certain issues, including privacy rules and questions surrounding the commission's legal authority, says Matthew DelNero at Covington.

• Why Public Cos. Should Also Comply With SEC's Names Rule

  

  While the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's updated Names Rule specifically clarifies that funds must consider ESG factors in their investment strategies if their names so imply, public companies should also heed the message and conduct business consistent with the way they market or advertise themselves, says Spencer Feldman at Olshan Frome.

• Lost In A Maze Of USCIS Policy On Child Immigration Status

  

  A succession of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services policy updates, erroneous denials and conflicting messages have limited practitioners' ability to know which clients qualify under a federal law that protects children from aging out of their parents' immigrant petitions, say Jeffrey Galkin and Anna Stepanova at Murthy Law Firm.

• Why 7th Circ. Libel Ruling Is Crucial For The Media

  

  As more defamation plaintiffs attorneys argue that allowing a published statement to remain online after additional evidence of falsity emerges equates to actual malice, the Seventh Circuit's recent National Police Association v. Gannett opinion should be lauded by the media and online publishers as a favorable decision, say attorneys at Vedder Price.

• Biden Admin's M&A Rhetoric Outpaces Enforcement Numbers

  

  Despite the Biden administration's rhetoric about the need to reinvigorate antitrust efforts, merger enforcement actions by the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division are at 20-year lows, with the agencies opting for deterrence instead, says Ryan Quillian at Covington.