AI transcription tools that record, transcribe, and summarize calls are attractive to lawyers and clients alike and are becoming ubiquitous in some circles. But lawyers must take care to use these tools ethically and avoid pitfalls that could compromise privilege and confidentiality. The New York City Bar Association’s Professional Ethics Committee recently issued Formal Opinion
On January 15, 2026, the United States and Taiwan agreed to a trade deal to establish “a strategic economic partnership … to decisively strengthen U.S. domestic semiconductor supply chains and secure America’s technological and industrial leadership.” While the text and full terms of the trade deal were not released, the Department of Commerce released a fact
The SEC encouraged a discussion of advisers’ proxy arrangements in response to President Trump’s recent proxy voting executive order. In a December 11, 2025, Executive Order, President Trump directed the SEC to consider a number of actions to materially reshape the proxy advisory landscape, including a direction to address the influence that proxy advisors
As we welcome 2026 with high hopes and new resolutions, let’s review some highlights from 2025 and consider practices that should be carried forward into the new year and those which should be left behind.
Ethics Opinions Issued in 2025
In Texas Ethics Opinion 701, the Professional Ethics Committee concluded that an attorney
On November 14, 2025, the White House released a Fact Sheet providing details on The Korea Strategic Trade and Investment deal first announced in July 2025. The Fact Sheet provides an overview on the following issues:
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced the appointment of Brian T. Daly as the new Director of the Division of Investment Management, effective July 8, 2025. Daly, a highly regarded figure in the investment management industry, brings decades of experience advising fund managers and sponsors on regulatory compliance and legal matters.
Daly’s
On May 13, 2025, the Department of Commerce announced that it was rescinding a January 15, 2025 Interim Final Rule that revised the controls under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) on advanced computing integrated circuits (ICs) and added a new control on artificial intelligence (AI) model weights for certain advanced closed-weight dual-use AI models. See
From our SmartTrade Group at Thompson Hine!
President Trump issued the America First Investment Policy Memorandum on February 21, 2025 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/america-first-investment-policy/ proclaiming that the United States “is committed to maintaining the strong, open investment environment that benefits our economy and our people, while enhancing our ability to protect the United States from new and evolving
The administration announced Thursday that it replaced the unit responsible for many of the SEC’s crypto registration suits with a new fraud-focused unit that will take a broader review of “cyber and emerging technologies.”
The Cyber and Emerging Technologies Unit will prioritize fraud cases that leverage novel tech including crypto, artificial intelligence, machine learning and
Last week I took time to attend the N40 Digital Asset Summit which brought together industry leaders, innovators, and family offices to discuss the future of blockchain, digital assets, Web3, crypto and the role for AI in the space. The event was robust with fabulous panels and a wealth of information and insight. As US