How much political contribution disclosure is too much?

Plus: 6 important fall events for lawyers.

Raise The Bar

Sep 5, 2024 • 3 min read

Do you know how to properly advise your clients on political contribution transparency? Disclosure is necessary, but if they say too much, it can backfire. Plus: Can an AI assistant truly replace a human in a law firm? Let's dig in.

In today's newsletter:
⚫ Looking good in the court of public opinion
⚫ Fall conferences for law firms to attend
⚫ What will you do with AI-provided time?
⚫ Bar exam pass rates are on the rise

How should companies disclose political contributions?

Public and shareholder pressure has increased for companies to disclose their political contributions and other election-based activity. But as companies become more transparent, there can be consequences, like recent SEC enforcement actions over inaccurate information. Lawyers from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP discuss considerations for what and how much a company should disclose.

See what they advise.

Why lawyers should care about public opinion

In the wake of high-profile public relations snafus from Disney and American Airlines based on their litigation positions, David Lat encourages lawyers to use "common sense and empathy." He points to the ABA Model Rules for Professional Conduct, which state that legal advice can take into account factors other than the law."

"Lawyers who fail to consider factors beyond the letter of the law, however, sometimes can disserve their clients," Lat noted.

What will lawyers do with AI-provided free time?

In its 2024 "Future of Professionals Report," Thompson Reuters predicts that in five years, all professionals will use a generative AI assistant. What will they do with extra time freed up when AI takes over some tasks? Nearly a quarter of all professionals surveyed said that they would use the time for work-life balance, but law firm professionals are more likely to use the time for marketing and business development.

Check out the survey to find out more.

Thank you for reading Raise The Bar.

Every Thursday, you'll hear from our team about the most pressing issues facing legal practices today. We'll also try to include some quick-hit reads that touch on interesting cases and precedents being set worldwide.

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Edited by Katie Parsons