JONES DAY TALKS®: A Trip to the Dark Side – Venture Capital Down Rounds and Recaps

Artificial intelligence presents so many opportunities, but there are still so many questions in relation to copyright law. What constitutes fair use? How much human input satisfies the human authorship requirement? Can federal or state legislation address the "deepfake" problem? And what makes adjusting to AI adoption so challenging? Listen to partners Meredith Wilkes and Emily Tait talk about the current legal landscape and the practical implications companies face when bringing AI to the workplace.

Corporate fraud remains a persistent and potentially damaging threat to companies across industries, sectors, and borders. The risks are substantial and the penalties are daunting. Jones Day partner Jeff Schenk, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney who led the prosecutions of Theranos executive Elizabeth Holmes and Pacific Gas & Electric, gives a first-hand account of those high-profile trials, and explains what corporate counsels need to know about keys issues involving corporate fraud investigations.

The challenges and mechanics of growing a new venture are complex, and when the competing interests of different investor classes are considered, trouble and conflict are possible. As part of a continuing series of podcasts on early stage and venture capital investing, Jones Day partners Tim Curry, Taylor Stevens, and Alex Wibaux discuss the “five pillars” Series A and later investors should understand to ensure their rights and interests are protected.

Though rare, cases of prosecutorial misconduct do occur in cases at all court levels and across jurisdictions. Partner Neal Stephens, co-author of Prosecutorial Misconduct: A Practical Guide for Criminal Defense Lawyers, recently published by the American Bar Association, talks about what defense lawyers must know and do to protect their clients at every stage of a criminal case. Read the full transcript.

Finishing law school is just the beginning. The transition from law student to lawyer comes with its own set of challenges and opportunities. Tiffany Lipscomb-Jackson and Josh Pittman share stories, insights, and practical advice for law students and new lawyers leaving school and embarking on their career paths. Read the full transcript.

Down round financings recently reached their highest levels in 15 years, leaving investors, growth-stage companies, and other venture capital market participants searching for guidance and clarity. Jones Day partners Tim Curry, Taylor Stevens, and Alexandre Wibaux explain how down rounds work, and talk about what affected parties need to know as we look toward 2025. Read the full transcript.

“First Gen” law students and lawyers often face challenges different than those encountered by their peers. In this edition of Perspectives and Pathways, Jones Day partner Rasha Shields and associate Eli Jones talk about their backgrounds, discuss making the move from law school to life as a lawyer, and share tips for students and new lawyers coming from similar circumstances. Read the full transcript.

Jurisdictions are requiring large corporations and other entities to report on the environmental risks they face and how their business operations impact the climate. In the second in a series of JONES DAY TALKS® podcasts regarding significant climate disclosure rules, our panel discusses the SEC’s rules announced in early March, the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), and the State of California’s Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act and Climate-Related Financial Risk Act. Read the full transcript here.

On Friday, March 15, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granted an administrative stay of the SEC’s final Climate Disclosure Rules, adopted just over a week earlier. All of the challenges to the Rules filed in various courts will be coordinated for review before one court. As written, the Rules will require publicly traded corporations to make significant, new climate-related disclosures. In the first of a series of JONES DAY TALKS® programs examining the new Rules and related topics, Amy Pandit and Olga Gidalevitz discuss key implementation considerations for affected companies. Read the full transcript here.

Corporate Venture Capital, or CVC, continues to play a major role in investment and deal activity across numerous growth industries. Jones Day partners Tim Curry and Taylor Stevens discuss who's investing, the opportunities they're targeting, and the special factors to consider in a corporate venture investment. Read the full transcript here.