Consider writing about:
Provisional patent applications; what they consist of; how they work; and their role in the patenting process. What are the pros and cons of filing a provisional application? What situations are they best suited for, and what potential pitfalls should someone be aware of before filing a provisional application?
Consider writing about:
Actions by China’s courts relating to artificial intelligence and intellectual property; what AI developers, IP owners, and others should know about the evolving legal landscape in China and what it means for patents, copyrights, or other IP matters affected by artificial intelligence.
Consider writing about:
An Office Action by the United States Patent and Trademark Office; when the USPTO issues such letters; differences between non-final and final Office Actions; how to respond in either instance (or alternatively or additionally, how to recognize potential issues that might lead to a USPTO Office Action before the fact, and how to act accordingly).
Related information:
https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/maintain/responding-office-actions
Consider writing about:
An Oct. 22 executive order, “Decreasing Housing Costs for the American People;” key points worth noting; who stands to be most affected by the objectives described in the executive order; what participants in the real estate industry or other interested parties should be watching for from the federal agencies and task force named in the executive order.
Related information:
Consider writing about:
The spread of automated license plate readers; who can legally install these devices (in the state or country of your choice); how this technology could create legal issues for property owners; what property owners who have, or are contemplating, the installation of automated license plate readers should know about related privacy rights, data collection, disclosure obligations, interaction with law enforcement authorities, state laws restricting the use of the automated readers, potential lawsuits by individuals, growing opposition to automated license plate readers, and more.
Consider writing about:
Real estate-related issues that may be impacted by the midterm elections this November; any ballot measures or candidate proposals of note on this front; how a shakeup of Congress could impact the housing market or other components of the real estate sector.
Consider writing about:
A Healthcare False Claims Act Self-Disclosure Pilot Program, announced by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services this month; program start date and duration; main goals of the program; who may qualify for participation in the program and how; types of activities covered by this pilot program; pros and cons of participating in the program; how the self-disclosure process (and its pluses and minuses) under this new program may compare to self-disclosure processes in the white-collar enforcement sphere more generally.
Related information:
Consider writing about:
A lawsuit filed against OpenAI over ChatGPT’s advice to a young woman on cutting back on anti-seizure medication that she was taking for epilepsy; basis for the claim that ChatGPT was essentially practicing medicine without a license; any similar lawsuits against OpenAI or other AI companies; how legislators or enforcement authorities are responding to potential health risks posed by AI tools; what physicians or other practitioners should be aware of as regards patients’ use of artificial intelligence for health advice.
Consider writing about:
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ evolving stance regarding certain peptides; rationale for a recent policy shift on peptides, how soon it could be implemented, and what it could mean for compounding pharmacies, potential peptide users, and the healthcare sector; how peptides are currently regulated, marketed, and sold; how big a business peptides represent; any potential downsides to the HHS’ action; what else consumers or healthcare practitioners should know about the HHS’ action regarding peptides.
Related information:
https://apnews.com/article/peptides-kennedy-drugs-trump-bpc157-fb12641dfe791f443f7b7d1eb3bd4a0a
https://www.npr.org/2026/10/28/nx-s1-6021030/peptides-compounding-enforcement
Consider writing about:
A New Mexico judge’s order that Meta Platforms pay $25 billion over the handling of data from millions of Facebook users; whether the large dollar penalty will stand up; what other companies should be considering as regards their own data practices and related data privacy obligations under the law.
Related information:
Consider writing about:
A new whistleblower program announced by the U.S. Department of Justice on Oct. 20; main emphases of the program; how the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program differs from other whistleblower programs; how this new program may raise new risks for companies; internal processes that companies should review in response to the DOJ announcement.
Related information:
Consider writing about:
The Manhattan district attorney’s office recently formed Corporate Crime and Antitrust Task Force; key areas on which the task force will be focusing; practical takeaways from the DA office’s announcement; related enforcement trends, whether statewide, regionally, or nationally.
Consider writing about:
Labor- and employment-related issues that tend to arise in connection with the political election season, whether they involve internal issues (speech rights, or limitations, in the workplace; potential disputes between employees, or even workplace violence or outsider threats; employee rights to time off for voting or requests for time off for volunteering, etc.) or external issues (ballot measures or key races that employers – either generally, or in a particular region or industry – should be paying attention to, and what the midterm results could mean for worker rights and protections).
Consider writing about:
The ongoing problem of North Korea-linked workers posing as legitimate job applicants; forms that this type of fraud has taken, how pervasive it’s believed to be, and how the risk to current or would-be employers is evolving; what businesses can do to protect themselves from this persistent threat; what the U.S. government or other authorities are doing to combat this problem; related federal guidance for employers.
Related information:
Consider writing about:
A $5 million settlement that Maplebear (parent company of online delivery operation Instacart) has agreed to pay to resolve allegations that Instacart discriminated against U.S. workers based on citizenship status and national origin; hiring and recruitment practices at issue in this case; takeaways for other employers from this case; related immigration enforcement trends that employers should be heeding.
Related information:
https://finance.yahoo.com/small-business/articles/instacart-settles-us-probe-over-180425194.html
Consider writing about:
A final rule released Oct. 13 by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security regarding foreign nationals’ work authorization; background to the rule; when the final rule takes effect and what it means for Employment Authorization Document holders and the EAD renewal process; whether the final rule applies retroactively; practical pointers for employers and their workforce on the nuts and bolts of the EAD process and possible options for avoiding or minimizing work gaps and disruptions to workplace operations.
Related information:
Consider writing about:
Temporary Protected Status developments involving Ukrainian and Sudanese workers in the United States; where their work and residency eligibility or other rights or protections currently stand; any guidance (or lack thereof) from immigration authorities; how workers and their employers can best navigate an uncertain, and perhaps quickly shifting, terrain.
Related information:
Consider writing about:
Pro bono efforts that are currently being (or have previously been) undertaken by you or your firm regarding voting rights, redistricting, voter suppression or intimidation, election process integrity, and election law; noteworthy challenges and successes on these fronts; how these types of cases have evolved over the years; how your pro bono work on these issues dovetails with your firm’s overall culture and pro bono priorities.
Consider writing about:
The stakes for state attorney general races in this November’s midterm elections; key issues or enforcement priorities or trends that could be impacting these races; any especially noteworthy face-offs that businesses should be paying attention to.
Consider writing about:
Attorney-client privilege. When does it apply or not apply? What client misunderstandings persist about the scope, relevance, and limitations of attorney-client privilege? What are some common ways in which clients risk getting themselves in trouble on this front?
Consider writing about:
A million-dollar fine that New Jersey regulators recently imposed over a data infrastructure company’s unpermitted gas generators; local requirements or state or federal environmental regulations that may apply in this instance; litigation that DataOne is facing, in addition to the fine by state regulators; what this case may illustrate regarding scrutiny (whether by regulators or other individuals or entities) of data center operations and energy supply issues; how the DataOne dispute could shape regulatory treatment and overall decisionmaking regarding data center operations, and requested approval of data centers, both in New Jersey and elsewhere.
Related information:
Consider writing about:
Religious accommodation claims that employers could face over environmental issues; what to know about an employee’s recent lawsuit over 401(k) options; whether other employers are facing similar religion-based claims over environmental or energy-based decisions; how the religious accommodation landscape is evolving; how employers should respond to these types of claims.
Related information:
Consider writing about:
Your choice of trends or recent developments involving solar energy, whether lawsuits and rulings over the Trump administration’s termination of a multibillion-dollar solar grant program; trends in residential or commercial solar energy use and related investments and innovations (in the country of your choice, or globally); challenges facing plans for continued expansion of solar energy use; and more.
Related information:
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20261023-how-solar-became-bigger-than-nuclear
Consider writing about:
A final rule issued on Oct. 5 by the Trump administration; timeline for its implementation; what the changes to price transparency rules mean for insurers, employers, or individuals, in terms of potential improvements, rights, obligations, compliance risks, and more; how the final rule compares to earlier iterations.
Related information:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/10/06/2026-20447/transparency-in-coverage
https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-20447.pdf
Consider writing about:
An insurance privacy measure signed into law by California’s governor last month; when the California Insurance Information and Privacy Protection Act takes effect; types of information covered; principal types of entities affected by the new law; how the insurance industry should prepare for the California Insurance Information and Privacy Protection Act; whether other states have implemented, or are considering, similar insurance privacy measures.
Consider writing about:
An Ohio federal court’s September ruling in Fire-Dex, LLC v. Admiral Ins. Co.; significance of this ruling for PFAS-related cases, and more broadly, for product liability cases and/or for disputes involving occupational diseases; how policyholders should be viewing their current insurance coverage and potential liability risks in light of the Fire-Dex ruling.
Consider writing about:
A recent California federal court ruling regarding product descriptions and related disclosures on product packages; what the Barilla ruling may illustrate regarding acceptable practices or related do’s and don’ts; how this ruling compares to other lawsuits (whether in the food and beverage industry specifically, or more generally) over allegedly misleading marketing language and description placement.
Related information:
https://www.opb.org/article/2022/10/27/barilla-pasta-lawsuit
Consider writing about:
Product safety concerns involving a popular squeeze toy also known as squishies or squishy bun toys (among other names); any lawsuits or product recalls that have emerged in response to these toys; related safety alerts issued by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission; what this toy craze and related safety concerns may demonstrate regarding the dangers of counterfeit products and also of viral online videos; how toys or other products intended for children’s use are regulated; how consumers can determine whether a product is authentic.
Related information:
https://www.businessinsider.com/squishy-toys-safety-exploding-burns-kids-2026-9
https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/squishy-toy-hazards-9.7324705
Consider writing about:
An Oct. 7 announcement by the U.S. Department of the Treasury regarding the first civil penalty the department has levied under the Outbound Investment Security Program (OISP); what to know about the OISP’s focus and its history under the Biden and Trump administrations; key requirements set by the OISP; alleged OISP violations that led to the penalty announced by the Treasury Department; how other entities can avoid running afoul of the OISP.
Related information:
Consider writing about:
A report released this month by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency regarding purported “debanking” actions by nine major banks; what “debanking” consists of (generally speaking or in these specific instances), and how debanking-related allegations are treated under the law; criticisms of the OCC report’s analysis and conclusions; how the OCC and other financial regulators are expected to follow up on the OCC’s findings; how financial institutions can best defend themselves against allegations of debanking.
Related information:
https://www.occ.gov/news-issuances/news-releases/2026/nr-occ-2026-90.html