The Latest

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  26% of execs targeted by deepfakes said fraudster’s aim was financial and accounting data

  And nearly half were targeted multiple times, according to new data from Deloitte. 

  Emerging Issues

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  OceanFirst to pay $15M in DOJ redlining settlement

  The bank failed to provide mortgage lending services to predominantly nonwhite neighborhoods in three New Jersey counties, the agency said. The OCC downgraded the bank’s CRA rating in 2021.

  Lawsuits and Litigation

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  AT&T settles a 2023 data breach for $13M. Recent incidents are much worse.

  Telecom cybersecurity remains a challenge with widespread impacts. AT&T is not alone in experiencing a pattern of extensive breaches exposing customer data.

  Compliance

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  Raytheon decision shows Delaware’s high bar to meet demand futility

  The ruling poses a hurdle to shareholders hoping to sue board members for how they tweaked equity valuations when Raytheon and United Technologies merged.

  Lawsuits and Litigation

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  Inside closing arguments from the FTC’s challenge to Kroger-Albertsons merger

  The federal agency’s attorneys highlighted how the deal would impact local communities while the grocers’ lawyers said the agency was out of touch with the realities the industry and shoppers face.

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  Bayer and other seed giants defeat farmer price-fixing lawsuit

  A judge dismissed claims that agricultural chemical companies such as Syngenta and Corteva purposefully avoided e-commerce sites as a tactic to skirt price competition.

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  Cigna drug intermediary sues FTC for defamation

  Express Scripts says it’s facing lawsuits and reputational damage because of a poorly researched agency report on pharmacy benefit managers.

  Lawsuits and Litigation

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  SEC charges Kubient CEO, CFO with accounting fraud, misleading investors

  Kubient’s ex-CEO, ex-CFO and former head of audit each lied to the business’ independent auditor and reported $1.3 million in false revenue, the SEC alleges.

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  Corporate counsel merit raises averaged 4% in 2023: salary survey

  In-house lawyers have very different views of their work-life balance satisfaction depending on whether they work fully remote or in the office, according to an annual survey.

  Hiring/Talent

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  Court tosses journalists’ ‘reverse discrimination’ challenge to Gannett’s diversity policy

  The plaintiffs still have a chance to amend their complaint to sufficiently allege a cause of action for disparate treatment, the court said.

  Hiring/Talent

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  Wendy’s hires US operations lead, chief legal officer as executive shuffle continues

  The burger brand remade much of its leadership this year as it looks to return to net unit growth in the U.S.

  Hiring/Talent

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  Tech companies in EU face 100 laws, 270 regulators

  Without the wherewithal of U.S. tech giants, companies find EU laws overbearing, a report says. 

  Compliance

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  TikTok fights for a legal path to continue its U.S. business

  The online video platform argues that a law forcing it to divest its U.S. operation or shut down violates its First Amendment rights.

  Lawsuits and Litigation

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  SEC charges leaders of online pharmacy in $170M fraud case

  SEC Chair Gary Gensler has stepped up enforcement since 2021, targeting investor fraud, cyber-related misconduct and misleading financial reporting.

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  BMO’s $564M Ponzi verdict tossed by appeals court

  A panel of judges at the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals threw out a bankruptcy court ruling that the bank aided and abetted the Ponzi scheme of former businessman Tom Petters.

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  Legal chief is at center of Norfolk Southern CEO’s ouster

  After quickly rising to the top legal seat, Nabanita Nag was let go, along with her boss, Alan Shaw, after the two were found to be having an affair.

  Hiring/Talent

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  Legal budgets will get an AI-inspired makeover in 2025: survey

  Nearly every general counsel is budgeting to add generative AI tools to their departments — and they’re all expecting to realize efficiencies by doing so.

  Legal Operations

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  Inside the chaotic legal battle between SQRL and Blue Owl

  Even after Blue Owl terminated the leases for 223 c-stores this spring, SQRL’s owner, Gas Hub, is refusing to vacate the locations. But a new court ruling, if upheld, may change that.

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  FTC cracks down on subscription traps

  The Biden-Harris administration is taking to task companies that trap consumers in recurring subscriptions and make it nearly impossible to cancel.

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  3rd Circuit revives lawsuit against DOL’s home care wage-and-hour final rule

  The agency argued that a lawsuit filed by several home care companies was barred by a federal statute of limitations, but the court disagreed, overturning a district court decision.

  Lawsuits and Litigation

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  Q&A

  Lessons from a legal career in the military, the NFL and government

  As he leaves pro football, lawyer Todd Jones discusses NFL conduct rules and how states could fill federal regulatory gaps under a second Trump term.

  Hiring/Talent

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  Opinion

  Applying Six Sigma principles to in-house legal departments

  The widely recognized technique for operational improvements was pioneered by manufacturing companies but its principles can work well for legal teams. 

  Legal Operations

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  How to make generative AI legal tools valuable in your workflows

  Once this new legal tool has arrived, there are some clear tips on how to succeed with implementation — and a few responsibilities lawyers assume when using it.

  Legal Technology

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  House Financial Services panel hearing probes proxy advisors’ ESG influence

  Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., said advisors are becoming “de facto standard setters” for governance, while a witness compared them to consultants who help investors “sift through mountains of data.”

  Emerging Issues

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  Businesses mull derisking as uncertainty persists

  While the “boil” appears to be coming off inflation, companies are still grappling with uncertainty around elections and rates, Citigroup’s Mark Mason said Monday.

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