What’s New in Practical Guidance: February 2026 Highlights

Legal teams continue to face increased pressure to manage evolving regulatory requirements, shifting case law, and growing client expectations. The February 2026 update to Practical Guidance reflects these demands with new and expanded resources across a wide range of practice areas. 

This release introduces additional trackers, templates, practice notes, and resource kits that support day-to-day legal work. The updates focus on improving visibility into legal developments, strengthening drafting workflows, and expanding jurisdiction-specific guidance. 

Expanded Corporate, Securities, and Transactional Resources 

Business and corporate practitioners see meaningful additions in Business Entities, Capital Markets, and Corporate and M&A. In Business Entities, new materials include a Business Entities resource kit highlighting recently added content, alongside templates and clauses such as a certificate of dissolution for Delaware not-for-profit corporations and a clause addressing corporate books and records inspection in California. 

Capital Markets and Corporate Governance now includes full Blue Sky Regulations Q&A coverage across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, accessible through the State Law Comparison Tool. New client alert digests address SEC compliance and disclosure developments, along with updates to corporate disclosure review activity. 

Corporate and M&A content expands with new payoff letter templates for transactions and additional tax-focused practice notes addressing acquisitive reorganizations. These resources are supported by recent articles examining developments in purchase price adjustments and arbitration trends in M&A and securities disputes. 

Litigation, Investigations, and Enforcement Content Growth 

Litigation-focused content continues to expand across Civil Litigation, Securities Litigation, and White Collar. A new Early Case Assessment series covers multiple jurisdictions, including federal and key state courts, providing structured guidance for evaluating claims, conflicts, and potential clients. 

The Securities Litigation, Enforcement & White Collar area adds new checklists and practice guidance addressing internal investigations, SEC enforcement processes, and FINRA regulatory compliance. New client alert digests highlight developments in privilege considerations, DOJ enforcement priorities, and regulatory oversight trends. 

Bankruptcy practitioners benefit from continued expansion of tracker coverage, including updates to trackers monitoring legal developments, asset purchase agreements, mega Chapter 11 filings, third-party releases, and Subchapter V decisions. Additional tools include new charts comparing bankruptcy code provisions and templates supporting objections and disclosure statements. 

Data Privacy, Environmental, and Regulatory Developments 

The February update strengthens content supporting regulatory compliance and risk monitoring. In Data Security & Privacy, new and updated trackers cover California privacy legislation, federal privacy developments, and litigation trends. A new incident response plan template and a practice note addressing data ownership and usage rights in commercial agreements provide practical drafting support. 

Environmental content continues to expand with new templates, checklists, and state Q&As addressing topics such as Clean Air Act citizen suits, recycling and waste management, and environmental justice laws. Additional materials address emerging topics, including agrivoltaics and biosolids regulation under the Clean Water Act. 

Federal Government and Financial Services Regulation updates introduce new practice notes, checklists, and litigation tools addressing federal grants, constitutional provisions, and banking law claims.  

Construction and Real Estate Content 

Construction content expands with new prevailing wage Q&As across multiple jurisdictions and practical guidance on engineering agreements and site inspections. A new Construction Law Case Tracker and additional client alert digests address developments affecting infrastructure projects and data center investments. 

Real Estate practitioners gain a broad set of new resources, including a Real Estate resource kit, non-jurisdictional tools such as a Qualified Opportunity Zone investment checklist, and state-specific materials covering leases, air rights transactions, and enforcement remedies. 

Finance content also grows with new materials addressing private equity acquisition financing, securitization structures, and security interest opinions across emerging asset classes. 

Labor, Employment, and Family Law Enhancements 

Labor & Employment content includes new policies, templates, and practice notes addressing employee device usage, petty cash management, settlement agreements, and employment litigation issues. Additional materials cover state-specific compliance topics, including discrimination defense and whistleblower protections. 

Family Law updates introduce new practice notes and templates addressing high-conflict divorces, premarital agreements, cohabitation agreements, and parenting-related court orders. 

Healthcare content expands with new practice notes, checklists, and resource kits addressing government healthcare programs, nonprofit hospital governance, and managed care contracting. 

Trusts, Estates, and Private Client Planning 

Trusts & Estates content continues to grow with new templates, clauses, and practice notes addressing asset protection trusts, estate planning considerations, and trustee authority. State-specific materials include tax-focused guidance and surveys addressing fiduciary liability. 

Additional clause and template updates support drafting for wills, trusts, and estate administration, including materials addressing beneficiary distributions, trust modifications, and probate procedures. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

What is included in the Practical Guidance February 2026 update? 
The February 2026 update includes new practice notes, templates, checklists, trackers, and resource kits across multiple legal practice areas, supporting both research and drafting tasks. 

What are Practical Guidance resource kits and how are they used? 
Resource kits organize related content such as practice notes, templates, and checklists into a single location, helping attorneys access materials relevant to a specific legal task or topic. 

How do legal trackers in Practical Guidance help attorneys? 
Trackers provide ongoing updates on legal developments, including case law, regulatory changes, and filings, allowing attorneys to monitor changes without conducting repeated manual research. 

Are Practical Guidance resources jurisdiction-specific? 
Yes. Many resources are tailored to specific states or jurisdictions, including templates, checklists, and Q&A materials that reflect local legal requirements. 

Can Practical Guidance be used for both research and drafting? 
Yes. The platform connects legal analysis with practical tools such as templates and checklists, allowing attorneys to move from research to drafting within the same workflow. 

The February 2026 Practical Guidance update reflects continued investment in practical, task-oriented legal content. Across practice areas, the additions expand access to current legal developments, provide structured drafting support, and strengthen the connection between research and execution. 

Explore the latest Practical Guidance updates. 

For the latest legal developments in your practice area, sign up for the weekly Practical Guidance Newsletter.