State & Local Tax Takeaways From May

Maria Koklanaris
Senior Tax Correspondent

From a New York opinion on federal preemption of a state rule to an argument on income-producing activity in South Carolina and a New Hampshire dispute over capital loss carrybacks in a combined group, May was a busy month for state and local tax cases. Here, Law360 looks at these and other highlights from the past month.

Law360 Reveals Titans Of The Plaintiffs Bar

Rachel Rippetoe

This past year, 10 lawyers across the country at plaintiffs' firms big and small helped secure millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for their clients, going up against powerful defendants like Google, Monsanto and the Trump administration, earning the attorneys recognition as Law360's Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar for 2026.

Bears' Best Gameplan: Playing Ill. And Ind. Off Of Each Other

David Steele

Creating a multibillion-dollar competition between Illinois and Indiana to build the Chicago Bears' new stadium is a strategy that has become increasingly popular among pro franchises that can leverage tax and financial incentives, and even real estate deals.

A Playground Of Unsound Tax Policy: SALT In Review

From the California governor's proposed taxing of software sales to a Minnesota bill that targets executive pay, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.

Your Next Litigation Hold Should Cover AI Chat Logs

The Delaware Chancery Court’s recent decision in Fortis Advisors v. Krafton to treat a CEO’s artificial intelligence chats as substantive evidence is being read as a discovery warning to litigators, but there is a second duty-to-preserve lesson that is especially pertinent to in-house counsel, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

Tax Highlights From Georgia's 2026 Legislative Session

Georgia's two-year legislative cycle recently concluded with the enactment of several significant tax bills that reflect efforts to modernize tax policy in response to evolving economic priorities, and a broader trend toward increased scrutiny of administrative agency interpretations, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

Studying Foreign Languages Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Studying Italian and Japanese has shown me that learning a new language can benefit a legal career in several ways, including by demonstrating the importance of approaching problems from a fresh perspective and the value of practicing patience with colleagues and clients, says Anna King at Genworth Financial.

Sold Inventory May Drive Tax Treatment Of Tariff Refunds

Companies determining the tax treatment of refunds expected following the U.S. Supreme Court's February decision invalidating tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act should consider whether the tariff costs have already reduced their income considering the cost of goods sold, say attorneys at McDermott.

Tax Teams Get No Bright-Line Rule From AI Privilege Cases

Three recent appellate decisions that considered artificial intelligence in the context of attorney-client privilege protections illustrate that taxpayers and tax practitioners alike must consider the pertinent facts on a case-by-case basis, with particular attention to confidentiality, disclosure risk and system design, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

NY Times Word Puzzles Make Me A Better Lawyer

Every morning I let The New York Times humble me with word games, which offer a chance to recalibrate my brain before the day's chaos arrives and remind me that a solution — whether to a puzzle or employment law issue — almost always exists once I find the right angle, says Amy Epstein Gluck at Pierson Ferdinand.

Law School's Missed Lesson: Diagnose Before Arguing

Law school often skips over explicitly teaching students how to determine what kind of problem a case presents before they commit to a particular doctrinal path, which risks building arguments that are internally coherent but externally misaligned, says Melanie Oxhorn at Kobre & Kim.

Judges On AI: How Courts Can Survive The Tech Revolution

Colorado Supreme Court Justice Maria Berkenkotter and Colorado Court of Appeals Judge Lino Lipinsky de Orlov discuss how artificial intelligence has already fundamentally altered the legal system and offer tips for courts navigating deepfakes, hallucinations and a gap in access to AI tools.

A Ruling That Defies Logic In New York: SALT In Review

From a ruling on P.L. 86-272 in New York state to the Illinois governor's call to defund his state's independent tax tribunal, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.

3 AI Adoption Mistakes GCs Should Avoid

The pressure in-house legal teams face to quickly adopt artificial intelligence tools, combined with budget constraints and the need to evaluate a crowded market of options, sets the stage for implementation mistakes that are often difficult to undo, says former 23andMe general counsel Guy Chayoun.

4 Emerging Approaches To AI Protective Order Language

Over the last year, at least five federal district courts have issued or analyzed specific protective order provisions restricting the use of generative artificial intelligence platforms with protected materials, establishing that proactive AI-specific provisions are now standard practice and demonstrating that no single model works for every case, says Joel Bush at Kilpatrick.

Heppner Ruling Left AI Privilege Risk For Lawyers Unresolved

While a New York federal judge’s recent ruling in U.S. v. Heppner resolved a privilege question surrounding client-side artificial intelligence use, it did not address how to mitigate the risks that can arise when confidential information enters the operative context of an AI system used by an attorney, says Jianfei Chen at Quarles & Brady​​​​​​​.