Legal Insights
Thought leaders from around the world contribute their perspectives on landmark cases, new legislation, and legal perspectives on new technologies, business practices, and civil procedure.
Featured Articles

An Interview With Serhiy V. Piontkovsky of Baker McKenzie
Best Lawyers
The head of Baker McKenzie's Real Estate practice group in Ukraine discusses the firm's standout attorneys.
USA v. Moss Limits Regulatory Jurisdiction on the OCS
Grady S. Hurley
The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has primary regulatory jurisdiction over OCS oil and gas operations. Following the Deepwater Horizon incident in 2011, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) was created to issue leases and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) established to promote safety, protect the environment, and conserve national resources.
Medical Malpractice Litigation In New York and New Jersey
Jeff S. Korek
The dramatic difference between these two states in obtaining the opinion of a qualified medical expert has made it much more difficult for those injured in the state of New Jersey by medical negligence.
Cross-Border Listings of Swiss Companies
Jacques Iffland and Ariel Ben Hattar
The law of unintended consequences.
Recent Case Law on Cross-Border Reorganizations
Marie-Hélène Raffin
The Euro Park decision is bound to facilitate the application of the French favorable tax regime to cross border mergers and spin-offs.
Piercing Limitation of Liability in the Admiralty and Maritime Context
Ethan Price-Livingston & David Y. Loh
One of the hallmarks of American admiralty and maritime law is the Limitation of Liability Act, which has been in existence since 1851 and permits a shipowner to limit its liability to the value of the vessel after the casualty.
Section 7 v. Title VII = Heavyweight Match
Ann Holden Kendell
In Cooper Tire & Rubber Company v. NLRB (Case 08–CA–087155), a bargaining unit employee yelled racist statements to African-American replacement workers while he was on a picket line.
Q&A with Andrew Smulian of Akerman
Best Lawyers
A Q&A with Advisory Board member Andrew Smulian at Akerman.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. v. Superior Court of California, San Francisco
Clifford J. Zatz and Josh Thomas Foust
The decision “may make it impossible to bring certain mass actions at all.”
Supreme Court Slams Door on Out-of-State Plaintiffs’ Suits
Dona Szak
In Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. v. Superior Court of California, multiple plaintiffs sued Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMS) in a California state court to recover damages allegedly caused by their use of BMS’ anti-clotting drug, Plavix.
Supreme Court of New Jersey Affirms Rules as to Priority of Discretionary Advance Mortgages
Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti
Send, Serve, or Both
Holly M. Polglase and Matthew E. Bown
The Supreme Court decides the meaning of Article 10(A) of the Hague Service Convention.
Justice Gorsuch’s Strange Detour in Alien Tort Statute Case
Motley Rice
Justice Neil Gorsuch wasn’t a member of the U.S. Supreme Court back in 2004, when the justices ruled in Sosa v. Alvarez-Machain (124 S.Ct. 2739) that in certain limited circumstances, foreign nationals can use a 1789 law, the Alien Tort Statute, to sue in U.S. courts for violations of the law of nations.
The Parade of Horribles
Amy Gunn
Lawsuits about a blood-thinning drug that prevents platelets from clumping together now prevents plaintiffs from joining together to bring state law claims against a corporation when not every plaintiff was harmed in that state.
Defending against Claims of Bad Faith Failure to Settle
Sharon D. Stuart
Recent lessons from the Eleventh Circuit.
Where Does Roe Go From Here?
Amanda Martinsek
Georgia, Alabama, Missouri, and Ohio are among the states fighting to overturn legal abortion in America. With a favorable bench, how might Roe v. Wade look in the future?
Limited I-140 Standing for Beneficiaries Recognized by Agency
Adam Rosen
The adoption by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services of Matter of V-S-G- Inc., Adopted Decision 2017-06 (AAO Nov. 11, 2017), finally positions foreign workers with pending Form I-485 applications and green card applicants to realize the full potential of the law.
Supreme Court further Restricts Where Plaintiffs Can Sue in Mass Torts
Gregory Bubalo and Katherine A. Dunnington
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. v. Superior Court of California will significantly impact the plaintiffs’ choices of forums for the filing of mass torts actions.
Discretion under Fire
Charles F. Seemann III
ERISA plan fiduciaries face new challenges to their decision-making.
Recent Case Law Defining ‘Bodily Injury’ under the Montreal Convention
Christopher B. Kende
In a nutshell, the Convention makes an airline strictly liable for bodily injury or death of a passenger caused by an “accident” occurring while embarking, on board the aircraft, or disembarking.
Could the Feds Make a Felony Case out of a Lost Lunch Receipt?
Jesse Gessin
“If this is the law, nobody is safe.”
WA Supreme Court Holds Vesting Rights Do Not Extend to Stormwater...
Heather Burgess
The result of the case is likely to have immediate and significant implications for a large number of property owners and developers in Washington.
Victory for The Slants and Redskins
Carol Steinour Young and Emily Hart
On June 19, 2017, the United States Supreme Court settled the issue of whether an offensive name—in this case, an Asian-American rock band called “The Slants”—can properly be registered as a trademark.
Driven, Obsessed, and Loving Every Minute
Arguedas, Cassman, Headley & Goldman
Cris Arguedas on defending the accused.
When Purchasing Property, Take Note of What You See
Robert M. Steeg
A recent case in the Louisiana Court of Appeal highlights an area of law anyone in real estate needs to know.
Going Global
Joseph K. Reinhart, Esq. and Meredith Odato Graham, Esq.
Expanding the scope of environmental review for the energy sector.
Taking a Gamble
George Skibine and Alan Fedman
A look at the problems and opportunities for Native American tribes amid the uncharted territory of legal sports betting.
What the Harvard Trial Means for Affirmative Action
John Saxon
Students for Fair Admissions is challenging Harvard's policy of holistic admissions—and might change the future of affirmative action.