Alan N. Walter 
SUMMARY The SEC and CFTC have ended years of crypto regulatory ambiguity with a joint interpretation that sorts digital assets into five categories and tells the market which are securities and which are not. Promises matter most. A token becomes a security when its issuer makes specific commitments to buyers and stops being one when … Read more
Two juries delivered consecutive verdicts last week that could permanently reshape how social media platforms operate in the United States. On Tuesday, March 24, a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million for failing to protect children from predators on Instagram and Facebook. On Wednesday, March 25, a Los Angeles jury found both Meta and Google’s YouTube liable for … Read more
SUMMARY Major insurers are already imposing absolute AI exclusions, sub-limits and intentional acts triggers that leave attorneys personally exposed, and that financial pressure will drive AI governance in legal practice far more effectively than any ethics opinion. Firms that cannot document their AI due diligence, vendor relationships and disclosure practices will find themselves uninsured, undefended … Read more
SUMMARY Most people assume their “financial adviser” is legally required to act in their best interest. Often that is not true. Brokers, registered investment advisers, dual registrants and credentialed planners operate under different legal standards, compensation structures and disclosure requirements. The differences directly affect what you pay and the quality of advice you receive. Knowing … Read more
SUMMARY The federal antitrust trial of Live Nation and Ticketmaster is live in Manhattan, and your wallet has a stake in the outcome. Decades of vertical control over concert promotion, venues and ticketing have pushed average ticket prices past $136 before fees. A DOJ settlement fell short of a breakup. Three dozen states are pressing … Read more
SUMMARY Fee resistance is universal, but legal fees provoke a uniquely intense reaction. Legal work is invisible by design, its best outcomes defined by what never happened. Hourly billing creates cost uncertainty that no other profession imposes. Clients arrive in crisis and leave with a bill that feels like a second wound. The fix is not … Read more
SUMMARY The Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger is a $110 billion bet that two debt-laden Hollywood giants can outcompete Netflix by combining their studios, streaming platforms and cable networks under the Ellison family’s control. Antitrust regulators and a coalition of state attorneys general have raised concerns about higher prices and reduced consumer choice. The deal will … Read more
SUMMARY AI chatbots sound like lawyers. They are not. They have no license, no malpractice coverage and no ethical obligations to you. Research shows general-purpose AI tools hallucinate on legal questions between 58% and 88% of the time. Courts have sanctioned attorneys who trusted them blindly. Use AI to get oriented, not to make decisions. … Read more
SUMMARY Cryptocurrency can build real wealth, but mostly for insiders who create and issue tokens, not retail investors who buy them later. The Trump family’s $1 billion+ in crypto profits illustrates exactly how that works. New federal laws changed the rules dramatically in 2025. Before investing, understand the tax consequences, the legal risks, and who’s … Read more
February means it’s time for my semi-annual check-in on the state of humor in Artificial Intelligence. This time I tried something a little different — I had AI create a weekly comic strip featuring a lawyer, his dog and his AI. I used ChatGPT to write the strips, then turned to Grok to draw them. … Read more
SUMMARY Something is quietly going wrong with artificial intelligence. Not the dramatic failures that make headlines. Not rogue chatbots or biased algorithms. Something more fundamental is happening beneath the surface of the AI industry, and it carries profound implications for investors, companies and regulators alike. Researchers call it model collapse. The phenomenon occurs when AI systems … Read more
SUMMARY The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 today that IEEPA, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977, does not authorize the President to impose tariffs. The decision in Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, 607 U.S. __ (2026), invalidates roughly half of all tariff revenue the government has collected over the past year. Trump responded within hours by … Read more