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For the Public

IP and AI Deepfakes: Can you really “Trademark Yourself?” Should You?

Z. Peter Sawicki and Amanda Prose July 8, 2026

Artificial Intelligence can use online content from creators to produce various “new works” online, whether those original content creators are globally famous, locally famous, or anonymous. These new works might be “deepfakes,” parodies, funny memes, or advertisements meant to trade off the goodwill of another party. Are there really ways to stop others from using that content when the content

Form I-864: The Federal Contract Hiding Inside Marriage-Based Immigration (Why Family Lawyers Ignore It at Their Peril)

Richard Thomas Herman June 24, 2026

A family lawyer negotiates a divorce settlement. Property is divided. Spousal support is waived. The final decree is entered. The file is closed. Two years later, the former husband is served with a lawsuit seeking support under a document he signed years earlier while sponsoring his spouse for a green card. He assumed the divorce ended his obligations. It didn’t.

AI and Life After Death

Z. Peter Sawicki and Amanda Prose June 23, 2026

“Who Wants to Live Forever” was a song written by Queen for the film Highlander (1986). Who knew that in 2025 Meta in obtaining U.S. Patent No. 12,513,102 would provide a method of a virtual life after death. What once sounded like science fiction, or perhaps a rejected subplot from a dystopian television series, may become a virtual reality and

Handshake Deal to Lawsuit: The Risks of Informal Agreements

David Olsky June 22, 2026

Not every deal starts with a contract. Sometimes, people assume that a shared understanding is enough, that a written agreement isn’t necessary, or that they’ll document it later. Sometimes that works. Informal arrangements are fine when things are going well. But when a business relationship breaks down, the lack of a legal contract can cause significant problems. A recent case

FinCEN’s Residential Real Estate Rule: Essential Insights for New York Attorneys

Laura A. Colca and Jason A. Ganfer June 16, 2026

The FinCEN Residential Real Estate Rule, which took effect on March 1, 2026, has been closely followed by real estate transactional attorneys, but many practitioners in related fields, especially trusts and estates and litigation, may be less familiar with its implications. While the court in Flowers Title Companies, LLC v. Scott Bessent, 2026 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 57418 (E.D. TX 2026)

How Ontario’s New Optional Accident Benefits Regime Will Reshape Personal Injury Litigation

Warren WhiteKnight June 9, 2026

On July 1, 2026, Ontario will implement a significant structural change to the province’s standard automobile insurance policy. The Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule (SABS), O. Reg. 34/10, (s. 2(1.0.1)), enacted through O. Reg. 383/24, is meant to transform how accident benefits function within Ontario’s no-fault system. Policies issued or renewed after that date will no longer include the many benefits

Protect… Prevent… and Invent Again!

Z. Peter Sawicki and Amanda Prose May 11, 2026

Our articles frequently focus on the mechanisms available to protect various forms of intellectual property (IP) and what types of IP can be protected with federal registration or a patent. But how can your client (the IP creator or owner) really prevent the theft of that protected IP – in the real world? How do you protect it once it

Before You Contact a Lawyer: How to Evaluate Lawsuit Information Online in the AI Era

David Meldofsky May 8, 2026

When people think they may have a legal claim, they usually do not start by calling a lawyer. They start by searching online. They look up symptoms after an exposure. They search for product recalls. They try to understand terms like mass tort, class action, settlement, and statute of limitations. Often, they are not ready to contact anyone yet. They

Born in a Vanished Empire: How U.S. Legal Precedent Matter of B-R- Creates Impossible Hurdles for Asylum Seekers

Vitalii Maliuk April 21, 2026

A quirk of history and a rigid legal precedent are creating an impossible dilemma for some asylum seekers in the United States. For individuals born in countries that no longer exist, like the Soviet Union, a 2013 legal decision known as Matter of B-R- can turn the quest for safety into a bewildering catch-22, forcing them to prove a fear

The True Intent of Personal Injury Claims

Marc L. Shapiro April 17, 2026

Imagine you are sitting at a red light on your way home from work. It’s an ordinary day. Then another car slams into you from behind, and in a few seconds, your normal routine is replaced by doctor visits, missed work, and a stack of bills you never asked for. For a lot of people in that situation, the biggest

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