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Expert Analysis

• Criminal Healthcare Fraud Takeaways From 4th Circ. Reversal

  

  After the Fourth Circuit reversed a doctor’s postconviction acquittal in U.S. v. Elfenbein last month, defense attorneys should consider three strategies when handling complex criminal healthcare matters, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

• Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: August Lessons

  

  In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses key takeaways from federal appellate decisions involving topics including antitrust, immigration, consumer fraud, birthright citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment, and product defects.

• A Look At Justices' Rare Decision Not To Limit Agency Powers

  

  The Supreme Court's recent denial of Alpine's cert petition in its long-running case against the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority sends a strong signal that litigation strategies dependent on the elimination of government agencies merit caution, even from a court that lately hasn't been shy about paring back agency authority, say attorneys at Venable.

• Notable Q2 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

  

  Vehicle valuation challenges regarding the use of projected sale adjustments continued apace in insurance class actions this quarter, where insurers have been scoring victories on class certification decisions in federal circuit courts, says Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler.

• Series

  Hiking Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  On the trail, I have thought often about the parallels between hiking and high-stakes patent litigation, and why strategizing, preparation, perseverance and joy are important skills for success in both endeavors, says Barbara Fiacco at Foley Hoag.

• 6 Tips On Drafting Machine Learning Patents Post-Recentive

  

  While the Federal Circuit's decision in Recentive v. Fox narrows the scope of patent-eligible machine learning applications, there are several drafting and prosecution strategies that may help practitioners navigate Section 101 challenges, say attorneys at BCLP.

• Regulating Online Activity After Porn Site Age Check Ruling

  

  A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding an age verification requirement for accessing online adult sexual content applied a lenient rational basis standard, raising questions for how state and federal courts will determine what kinds of laws regulating online activity will satisfy this standard going forward, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

• Opinion

  3rd Circ. H-2A Decision Mistakenly Relies On Jarkesy

  

  The Third Circuit's decision last month in Sun Valley v. U.S. Department of Labor found that the claims required Article III adjudication under the U.S. Supreme Court's Jarkesy decision — but there is an alternative legal course that can resolve similar H-2A and H-2B cases on firmer constitutional ground, says Alex Platt at the University of Kansas School of Law.

• DC Circ. Ruling Augurs More Scrutiny Of Blanket Gag Orders

  

  The D.C. Circuit’s recent ruling in In re: Sealed Case, finding that an omnibus nondisclosure order was too sweeping, should serve as a wake-up call to prosecutors and provide a road map for private parties to push back on overbroad secrecy demands, says Gregory Rosen at Rogers Joseph.

• Series

  Law School's Missed Lessons: Negotiation Skills

  

  I took one negotiation course in law school, but most of the techniques I rely on today I learned in practice, where I've discovered that the process is less about tricks or tactics, and more about clarity, preparation and communication, says Grant Schrantz at Haug Barron.

• Conflicting Developments In Homelessness Legal Landscape

  

  Looking at an executive order and Third Circuit opinion from last month highlights the ongoing tension in homelessness-related legal issues facing state and local governments, property owners, and individuals experiencing homelessness, says Josh Collins, an attorney for the City of South Salt Lake.

• What Justices Left Unsaid About The Federal Tort Claims Act

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Martin v. U.S. rejected the Eleventh Circuit's interpretation of the Federal Tort Claims Act in the case of a botched police raid — but left unresolved many questions about plaintiffs' ability to hold the government accountable for officers' misdeeds, says Scott Brooks at Levy Firestone.

• Opinion

  Bar Exam Reform Must Expand Beyond A Single Updated Test

  

  Recently released information about the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ new NextGen Uniform Bar Exam highlights why a single test is not ideal for measuring newly licensed lawyers’ competency, demonstrating the need for collaborative development, implementation and reform processes, says Gregory Bordelon at Suffolk University.

• Texas High Court Decision Could Reshape Contract Damages

  

  The Texas Supreme Court recently held that an order of specific performance for a real property transaction doesn't preclude a damage award, establishing a damages test for this scenario while placing the onus on lower courts to correctly determine the proper remedies and quantum of damages, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

• The Patent Eligibility Eras Tour: 11 Years Of Post-Alice Tumult

  

  A survey of recent twists and turns in patent eligibility law highlights the confusion created by the U.S. Supreme Court's 2014 Alice decision and reveals that the continually shifting standards have begun to diverge in fundamental ways between the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, says Michael Shepherd at Fish & Richardson.