Nancy Del Pizzo and Jaana Singh wrote, “Federal Court Rejects Privilege Assertion for AI-Generated Research,” for the American Bar Association, Litigation Section Intellectual Property Litigation Committee newsletter.

The article examines a recent ruling from the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, highlighting how the use of consumer AI tools in legal

A common pathway to growth for small and midsize firms – becoming an acquisition target – is losing its luster. Many firms are not interested in being acquired or relinquishing their identity to a national platform. At the same time, they recognize that remaining competitive requires capital investment that traditional partnership structures may struggle to

In a recent decision, the New Jersey Supreme Court highlighted the importance of clearly documenting client intent and the limits of an attorney’s duty to non-clients.

In Christakos v. Boyadjis, 262 N.J. 447 (2026), defendant was retained by two brothers (collectively the “decedents”) to update their estate plans. In 2003, the brothers executed mirror wills,

First Department Finds Ambiguity In Exception To Exclusion And Interprets It In Favor Of Coverage

Mount Hawley Insurance Company issued a commercial general liability policy to a contractor that excluded coverage for property damage resulting from the insured’s labor, except for “interior tile” work. The insured contractor was retained to refurbish a bathroom. To level

Benjamin Malerba and Emily Manning wrote the Law360 article, “How to Prep as Private Equity Starts Investing in Law Firms,” which covers the emerging trend of PE investing in professional services firms.

Here is an excerpt.

Private equity investment in professional services has expanded significantly over the past decade, first gaining traction in healthcare and

It was a busy month for courts on insurance issues.

We begin in Illinois. If an insured has a permit that authorizes a certain level of emissions, are those emissions pollutants for purposes of a pollution exclusion? The Illinois Supreme Court instructs on the relevance of a permit when assessing whether a pollution exclusion applies.

On February 6, 2026, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Medical Aid in Dying Act (MAID), making New York the 13th state to adopt similar legislation along with the District of Columbia. MAID has created a new Article 28-F to the New York Public Health Law, which will be effective August 5, 2026.

What

Noncompete agreements remain in the Federal Trade Commission’s crosshairs. Although the FTC abandoned its pursuit of a nationwide ban, targeted enforcement is here, and the healthcare industry specifically has been placed on notice.

The Background

On September 5, 2025, the FTC announced it was walking away from its proposed national ban on noncompetes. However, in

Last month, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”), accompanied by other CMS officials, visited with home health and hospice providers and related industry associations to discuss ways to strengthen program integrity enforcement. CMS was reacting to calls from industry stakeholders and members of Congress to get a handle

Southern District Finds Mutual Mistake And Reforms Excess Policy To Avoid Illusory Coverage

The insured, a plumbing company, faced millions of dollars in potential liability for claims arising from a fire at an apartment building where the insured performed work. The insured sought coverage for those claims under a primary policy issued by The Travelers

Claims-made policies have automatic extended reporting periods that last for a stated amount of time. But those extensions end if the insured purchases a new policy. What if the new policy does not cover the claim? Is the extended reported period reinstated? As a Maryland federal court explains, that depends on the language of the

On December 12, 2025, Governor Hochul signed the New York Electronic Wills Act into law (the “EWA”).[i] Per the terms of the EWA, the legislation takes effect on June 10, 2027 (i.e., 545 days from its enactment), and will be codified as a new Section 3-6.1 et seq. of the New York Estates, Powers and

Recent New York decisions demonstrate a judicial trend toward enforcing contractual provisions negotiated between sophisticated parties while maintaining limited exceptions for fraud and fiduciary duty claims.

New York courts routinely enforce negotiated contractual provisions, particularly between sophisticated commercial parties, but recognize narrow exceptions in specific factual situations. Courts also continue to reaffirm that fiduciary duties

The federal estate and gift tax exemption changes from year to year, and prior to the passing of the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB), there was concern that the high exemption amount would “sunset” and be greatly reduced in 2026. Under the OBBB, the combined federal estate and gift tax exemption amount did not sunset

Stella Lellos and Lindsay Brocki wrote, “M&A Earnouts: The Devil Is in the Uncertainty,” for the Winter 2026 issue of USLAW Magazine.

The article describes the advantages and pitfalls of earnout provisions as well as the transaction types that can most benefit from this mechanism.

Click here to read the article.