Alerts

For many consumers, comprehending Shakespeare is easier than discerning which products are recyclable and which are not. California’s “Truth in Labeling” law (SB 343), which provides stricter regulations for what products or materials can display the “chasing arrows” recyclable symbol, may bring welcome clarity for consumers, even as it raises a host of new questions for manufacturers, suppliers, and brands.

For a limited time, certain H-1B workers can renew their visas from within the United States. This is a significant change that alleviates burdens on both the worker and employer.

California has long had the most restrictive laws against employee noncompete agreements. Effective January 1, two new legislative bills, Senate Bill 699 and Assembly Bill 1076, tightened California’s restrictions even further.

The Massachusetts Wage Act is one of the most punitive wage payment laws in the country. Employers who run afoul of its provisions, even unintentionally, are liable for treble damages, attorneys’ fees, and costs.

On January 12, Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser signed into law the Wage Transparency Omnibus Amendment Act of 2023. The Act amends the DC Wage Transparency Act of 2014 and is scheduled to go into effect on June 30, assuming it passes the mandatory 30-day congressional review.

Could 2024 bring renewed growth for the skilled nursing and senior housing market or will proposed regulatory changes and the lingering effects of COVID-19 stymie hopes for a potential rebound?

Headlines that Matter for Companies and Executives in Regulated Industries

On December 18, 2023, the US Departments of Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services (the Departments) issued a rule finalizing the 2024 non-refundable administrative fee parties must pay to access the arbitration process established under the No Surprises Act (the Act).

The US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) released several new FAQs this month to provide further clarity on the Corporate Transparency Act’s (CTA) provisions.

Beyond being no fun, handwashing dishes wastes water. And according to a colonel from the Montana Highway Patrol, dishwashers that complete a normal cycle in one hour or less “are desirable in the bunkhouse setting.”

Yesterday, the chairmen of the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee introduced The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024, which proposes changes to the child tax credit, low-income housing credit, deductibility of research and development expenditures.

New York’s potential ban of noncompetition agreements was curtailed by Governor Kathy Hochul. In June 2023, the state legislature passed a bill calling for a broad prohibition on noncompetes.

As 2023 came to an end, it offered a prime opportunity to examine significant legal developments in intellectual property case law and implications for the real estate industry in the year to come.

In this installment of Five Questions, Five Answers, Birgit Matthiesen is joined by Dr. Austin Brown, the Office Director at the US Department of Energy (DOE) Vehicle Technologies Office.

Prop 65 Counsel: What To Know

In the latest installment of Five Questions, Five Answers, Birgit Matthiesen is joined by Leah Scarpelli, a Partner with the firm’s International Trade & Investment Practice.

On the one hand, business insurance provides in-house counsel with the peace of mind to know that if their company is involved in a covered event, the insurer will be responsible for some or all of the damages and also may be responsible for footing the bill for legal fees and defense costs. On the other hand, insurance carriers usually are incentivized to engage inexpensive attorneys who may not have the industry, business or other expertise which in-house counsel typically desire.

Headlines that Matter for Companies and Executives in Regulated Industries

This week, the US Department of Labor (DOL) issued a final rule — Federal Register: Employee or Independent Contractor Classification Under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Climate change litigation continues in the headlines, this time with an Oregon federal court evaluating claims by 21 children that the federal government violated their constitutional right to a habitable environment.

This week, SAP SE (SAP), the German-based software company, agreed to pay over $200 million to resolve investigations by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) into violations of the Foreign Corruption Practices Act (FCPA).

The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) became effective on January 1. The CTA creates a new national database of companies, maintained by the US Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), to facilitate the government’s law enforcement and national security efforts.

Proposed bills at the federal and state level were announced January 10, both intended to protect recording artists and the music industry from unauthorized “soundalike” vocals created using artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

For readers who may not be fully apprised of what these tariffs are, we offer a short summary.

We chose to include a discussion of this important but lesser understood policy area because of the likelihood of their impact — both adverse and positive — on many companies’ procurement and production plans.