State & Local

3 Things To Know About Florida v. California At High Court

Maria Koklanaris
Senior Tax Correspondent

Florida startled many in the state tax community in late October by telling the U.S. Supreme Court the state has been harmed by a special tax rule that California uses along with its single-sales-factor apportionment method. Here, Law360 explores things to know about the case.

The Tax Angle: Letter Ruling Debate, Experts' Role In Policy

Stephen K. Cooper
Editor-at-Large

From a discussion on whether seeking a private letter ruling risks sparking more IRS oversight to a former Congressional Budget Office director's thoughts on tax experts' role in policymaking, here's a peek into a reporter's notebook on stories from the National Tax Association's annual conference in Boston.

Justices Cast Constitutional Clouds Over Trump's Tariffs

Dylan Moroses

Several U.S. Supreme Court justices appeared skeptical of the government's arguments seeking to salvage President Donald Trump's emergency tariffs, signaling that the high court may come down with a ruling that reinforces Congress' constitutional authority to impose tariffs.

Litigation Funding Could Create Ethics Issues For Attorneys

A litigation investor’s recent complaint claiming a New York mass torts lawyer effectively ran a Ponzi scheme illustrates how litigation funding arrangements can subject attorneys to legal ethics dilemmas and potential liability, so engagement letters must have very clear terms, says Matthew Feinberg at Goldberg Segalla.

E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Dynamic Databases

Several recent federal court decisions illustrate how parties continue to grapple with the discovery of data in dynamic databases, so counsel involved in these disputes must consider how structured data should be produced consistent with the requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, say attorneys at Sidley.

The Biz Court Digest: How It Works In Massachusetts

Since its founding in 2000, the Massachusetts Business Litigation Session's expertise, procedural flexibility and litigant-friendly case management practices have contributed to the development of a robust body of commercial jurisprudence, say James Donnelly at Mirick O’Connell, Felicia Ellsworth at WilmerHale and Lisa Wood at Foley Hoag.

A Wealth Of Wrong Steps: SALT In Review

From a proposed tax on billionaires to what could be a drastic reform in Kansas, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.

Why Appellees Should Write Their Answering Brief First

Though counterintuitive, appellees should consider writing their answering briefs before they’ve ever seen their opponent’s opening brief, as this practice confers numerous benefits related to argument structure, time pressures and workflow, says Joshua Sohn at the U.S. Department of Justice.

Attys Beware: Generative AI Can Also Hallucinate Metadata

In addition to the well-known problem of AI-generated hallucinations in legal documents, AI tools can also hallucinate metadata — threatening the integrity of discovery, the reliability of evidence and the ability to definitively identify the provenance of electronic documents, say attorneys at Law & Forensics.

When Atty Ethics Violations Give Rise To Causes Of Action

Though the Model Rules of Professional Conduct make clear that a violation of the rules does not automatically create a cause of action, attorneys should beware of a few scenarios in which they could face lawsuits for ethical lapses, says Brian Faughnan at Faughnan Law.

Law School's Missed Lessons: Educating Your Community

Nearly two decades prosecuting scammers and elder fraud taught me that proactively educating the public about the risks they face and the rights they possess is essential to building trust within our communities, empowering otherwise vulnerable citizens and preventing wrongdoers from gaining a foothold, says Roger Handberg at GrayRobinson.

Strategies For Merchants As Payment Processing Costs Rise

As current economic pressures and rising card processing costs threaten to decrease margins for businesses, retail merchants should consider restructuring how payments are made and who processes them within the evolving legal framework, says Tom Witherspoon at Stinson.

5 Crisis Lawyering Skills For An Age Of Uncertainty

As attorneys increasingly face unprecedented and pervasive situations — from prosecutions of law enforcement officials to executive orders targeting law firms — they must develop several essential competencies of effective crisis lawyering, says Ray Brescia at Albany Law School.

It's Time For The Judiciary To Fix Its Cybersecurity Problem

After recent reports that hackers have once again infiltrated federal courts’ electronic case management systems, the judiciary should strengthen its cybersecurity practices in line with executive branch standards, outlining clear roles and responsibilities for execution, says Ilona Cohen at HackerOne.

A Potential Attack On Good Sense In Chicago: SALT In Review

From Chicago's possible resurrection of a head tax to an assortment of proposals in Massachusetts, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.

Rules Of Origin Revamp May Be Next Big Trade Development

The rules of origin for determining what tariff applies to any given import appear to be on the cusp of an important rethink, and it seems likely that the administration will try to align the rule with its overall tariff strategy in one of three ways, says Ted Posner at Baker Botts.