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'Best Efforts,' 'Commercially Reasonable' and Other Terms No One Understands
Contracting parties routinely use terms like “commercially reasonable” and “best efforts” to describe future performance, sometimes for strategic reasons, but usually because the demands of the deal do not permit the time needed to negotiate what steps will actually occur, or because the parties cannot agree and prefer to table the issue for another day, hoping it will not become a problem. As clients come to learn, however, adopting such undefined terms often leads to costly, time-consuming disputes.
In this article, we explore why these vague contractual terms are routinely used, explain how they have been inconsistently interpreted by the courts, and offer some practical tips to minimize the havoc ambiguous terms can wreak.
The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later
The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.
Use of Deferred Prosecution Agreements In White Collar Investigations
This article discusses the practical and policy reasons for the use of DPAs and NPAs in white-collar criminal investigations, and considers the NDAA's new reporting provision and its relationship with other efforts to enhance transparency in DOJ decision-making.
How AI Has Affected PR
When we consider how the use of AI affects legal PR and communications, we have to look at it as an industrywide global phenomenon. A recent online conference provided an overview of the latest AI trends in public relations, and specifically, the impact of AI on communications. Here are some of the key points and takeaways from several of the speakers, who provided current best practices, tips, concerns and case studies.
New York's Latest Cybersecurity Commitment
On Aug. 9, 2023, Gov. Kathy Hochul introduced New York's inaugural comprehensive cybersecurity strategy. In sum, the plan aims to update government networks, bolster county-level digital defenses, and regulate critical infrastructure.