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Expert Analysis

• NCAA Rulings Signal Game Change For Athlete Classification

  

  A Tennessee federal court's recent decision in Pavia v. NCAA adds to a growing call to consider classifying college athletes as employees under federal law, a change that would have unexpected, potentially prohibitive costs for schools, says J.R. Webster Cucovatz at Gilson Daub.

• 6 Laws Transforming Calif.'s Health Regulatory Framework

  

  Attorneys at Hooper Lundy discuss a number of new California laws that raise pressing issues for independent physicians and small practice groups, ranging from the use of artificial intelligence to wage standards for healthcare employees.

• Cos. Should Prepare For Mexican Payments Surveillance Tool

  

  The recent designation of six Mexican cartels as "specially designated global terrorists" will allow the Treasury Department to scrutinize nearly any Mexico-related payment through its Terrorist Finance Tracking Program — a rigorous evaluation for which even sophisticated sanctions compliance programs are not prepared, says Jeremy Paner at Hughes Hubbard.

• How Foreign Cos. Should Prep For New UK Fraud Law

  

  As the U.K. prepares to hold companies criminally liable for failing to prevent fraudulent acts of their associates, U.S. and global companies should review their compliance measures against the broad language of this new offense, which could permit prosecution of acts committed entirely abroad, say attorneys at Latham & Watkins.

• Opinion

  NCAA Name, Image, Likeness Settlement Is A $2.8B Mistake

  

  While the plaintiffs in House v. NCAA might call the proposed settlement on name, image and likeness payments for college athletes a breakthrough, it's a legally dubious Band-Aid that props up a system favoring a select handful of male athletes at the expense of countless others, say attorneys at Clifford Chance.

• What FERC Scrutiny Of Directors, Assets Means For Investors

  

  The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has recently paid dramatically increased attention to appointments of power company directors by investors, and ownership of vertical assets that provide inputs for electric power production and sale — so investors in FERC-regulated entities should be paying more attention to these matters as well, say attorneys at Day Pitney.

• What's Potentially In Store For CFTC Under New Leadership

  

  Under the leadership of acting U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Caroline Pham, and with the nomination of former commissioner Brian Quintenz to serve as permanent chair, the commission is set to widely embrace digital assets and event contracts, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

• Revived Executive Order Is A Deregulatory Boon To Banks

  

  A recently reinstated 2019 executive order reveals the Trump administration’s willingness to provide unprecedented protections for regulated parties — including financial institutions — but to claim them, banks and other entities must adopt a forward-leaning posture to work with the regulators, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

• 3 Ways Civil Plaintiffs Could Fill An FCPA Enforcement Gap

  

  While the Department of Justice recently announced it would deprioritize Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigations into U.S. businesses without obvious ties to international crime, companies should stay alert to private plaintiffs, who could fill this enforcement void — and win significant civil damages — through several legal channels, says Eric Nitz at MoloLamken.

• CO2 Oil Recovery Vs. Carbon Capture: Key Legal Differences

  

  As more states seek primacy over carbon capture and storage wells, it is increasingly important for companies to understand the regulations surrounding CCS, and how they differ from the arguably less complex legal framework for the closely related technology of carbon dioxide-enhanced oil recovery, says Sarah Milocco at Husch Blackwell.

• Examining Trump Meme Coin And SEC's Crypto Changes

  

  While the previous U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission tended to view most crypto-assets as securities, the tide is rapidly changing, and hopefully the long-needed reevaluation of this regulatory framework is not tarnished by an arguable conflict of interest due to President Donald Trump's affiliation with the $Trump meme coin, say attorneys at Thompson Coburn.

• Steps For Federal Grantees Affected By Stop-Work Orders

  

  Broad changes in federal financial assistance programs are on the horizon, and organizations that may receive a stop-work order from a federal agency must prepare to be vigilant and nimble in a highly uncertain legal landscape, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

• Opinion

  State FCAs Should Cover Local Fund Misuse, State Tax Fraud

  

  New Jersey and other states with similar False Claims Acts should amend them to cover misappropriated municipal funding, and state and local tax fraud, which would encourage more whistleblowers to come forward and increase their recoveries, says Kenneth Levine at Stone & Magnanini.

• Dewberry Ruling Is A Wakeup Call For Trademark Owners

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Dewberry v. Dewberry hones in on the question of how a defendant's affiliates' profits should be treated under the Lanham Act, and should remind trademark litigants and practitioners that issues involving monetary relief should be treated seriously, say attorneys at Finnegan.

• Anticipating Calif. Oversight Of PE Participation In Healthcare

  

  A new bill recently introduced in the California Senate revives last year's attempt to increase oversight of healthcare transactions involving private equity groups and hedge funds, meaning that attorneys may soon need to assess the compliance status of existing management relationships and consider modifying contract terms, says Andrew Demetriou at Husch Blackwell.