Insights

 August 24, 2026: Crowell & Moring has been ranked in PitchBook’s Q2 2026 Global League Tables among the top law firms for venture capital transactions. These rankings showcase the leading firms in venture capital based on a variety of criteria, including geography, transaction type, and sectors.

Los Angeles – May 18, 2026: The Los Angeles Business Journal has named Crowell & Moring partner Jennie Wang VonCannon to its 2026 Women of Influence: Attorneys list. 

March 9, 2026: Crowell & Moring has been ranked in PitchBook’s 2025 annual Global League Tables among the top law firms for venture capital transactions. These rankings showcase the leading firms in venture capital based on a variety of criteria, including geography, transaction type, and sectors.

The rapid emergence of AI/ML tools in drug discovery, from target identification to generative molecular design, lead optimization, and repurposing, has transformed how life sciences companies build some of their most valuable assets. As AI/ML tools take on an increasingly significant role in the drug discovery process, companies face a set of largely unresolved IP challenges that require careful planning and proactive governance.  

The wait is over. As of today, manufacturers of connected products (both hardware and software) must comply with the Cyber Resilience Act’s (“CRA”) vulnerability and incident reporting obligations. The CRA’s Single Reporting Platform (“SRP”), operated by the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (“ENISA”), is now the EU-wide gateway through which those notifications must flow.

In our previous client alert, we addressed how algorithms and platform features that rely on user generated speech might not receive Section 230 protections because those features may not be considered platform user content.  In these instances, the platform might not carry user generated water through the pipe, but adds its own to the mixture.  At the same time, if it is true that there is less Section 230 protection, these same elements should then imbue the content with First Amendment protections as the expressive content of the platform.

After a surge in privacy class action lawsuits in 2024, San Francisco-based Crowell & Moring partner Kristin Madigan says she expects to see more of the same in the year ahead, as plaintiffs’ lawyers continue testing out new legal theories to bring claims against any company that collects, uses, or sells customer data.

Crowell & Moring Partner Sari Depreeuw, a partner in Crowell & Moring’s Brussels office and a member of the firm’s Technology & Brand Protection Group, will be speaking at this year's Academy of European Law's Summer Course on European Information Technology Law, taking place in Trier, Germany on September 19-23. Her presentation, "The EU Legal Framework for Data, Big Data and Databases," will take place on September 22nd at 1:30 p.m. (local time).

Endless articles rattle on about the brave new world of the metaverse, as if it’s an unprecedented step for commercial and social life. As lawyers, however, we know that there is precedent for everything. This presentation looks at the legal precedent that will likely inform the development of metaverse law. We will look at virtual-world cases involving both common law and federal law. We’ll also look at the pockets where virtual-world caselaw has yet to be developed and consider what types of precedent will fill those gaps. Finally, we’ll discuss what this all means for practitioners who hope to guide their clients in the metaverse.

Crowell & Moring Partner Kristin Madigan, a member of the firm's Privacy & Cybersecurity Group, will be speaking at this year's Annual Internet of Things Virtual National Institute, hosted by ABA's Science and Technology Law Section, will be taking place virtually September 12-13. Her presentation, "Privacy in the Multiverse of Madness: Protecting Data in Real Life and Beyond," will take place on September 13th from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. ET (CLE Offered).

In Collaboration with the IBJ/IJE Intellectual property and information technology law has a broad scope and raises numerous concerns for company lawyers. Furthermore, the question often arises whether traditional concepts can still be applied in a digital environment. Our Technology & IP team will address some of the questions raised in the day-to-day practice, such as:

On June 2, 2026, Partners Sharmi Das, Matthew F. Ferraro, and Rajeev Raghavan convened an in-person Congressional simulation with clients at the firm’s San Francisco office. This dynamic, hands-on experience provided participants with a first-hand view of the complexities of investigations conducted by the U.S. Congress. In the face of upcoming midterm elections, participants explored the realities of Congressional engagement, from responding to a request or a subpoena to managing witness preparation and public communications. The event, which built on an article Ms. Das and Mr. Ferraro had written several months before, Three Steps Tech Companies Can Take Today To Prepare To Ride A Blue Wave In 2026, focused on the particular interests of technology companies facing Congressional scrutiny.

Key Takeaways: The UAE’s reclassification to Country Group A:5 in the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”) is one of the most significant expansions of U.S. export licensing flexibility extended to a Middle Eastern partner in recent years. Exporters should promptly assess whether existing licensed shipments or pending BIS applications can now be restructured under a license exception under the EAR. This easing of export controls on the UAE likely will benefit U.S. aerospace and defense, oil and gas, and advanced technology sectors, including AI-enabling semiconductors.