In this installment of the Five Questions, Five Answers podcast, Birgit Matthiesen talks trade policy with Flavio Volpe, the President of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers of Canada.

On March 24, 2022, in the case of Patel v. 7-Eleven, Inc. (No. SJC-13166), the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC), the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, ruled that whether a franchisee is an independent contractor or an employee

Co-hosts Hunter Carter and Malcolm McNeil talk about Mexico trade issues dominating the headlines, with Sánchez Devanny Law Firm Partner Eduardo Sotelo Cauduro.

Rules Effective Now for New Program Leasing Agreements, Although Appeal is Pending

A recent court ruling related to Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election serves as an evergreen reminder that the attorney-client privilege and work product doctrine do not insulate documents and communications created in furtherance of a crime or fraud from disclosure.

The European Union (EU) and the United States (US) government have now reached an agreement in principle for a “Privacy Shield 2.0” to replace the original Privacy Shield Framework that was invalidated under the Schrems II decision in July 2020.

Whether we like it or not, COVID-19 continues to pose challenges for everyone. One way to help mitigate the risk of contracting the virus is getting fresh air.

Gears on a blueprint

Parents across the country are often on the lookout for the latest “hot” items for their kids and social media can be one way parents find out about what’s popular. One toy that has been popular on social media is the Pop It fidget.

California law generally requires employers to provide employees with a safe place to work. What, if anything, does this obligation entail when an employee works at home or another employee visits that private residence for work-related activities?

On March 10, Major League Baseball (MLB) and the MLB Players Association agreed to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement, ending a 99-day lockout that was the first official MLB work stoppage since 1994. Both sides agreed to allow MLB teams to sell advertising positions on team jerseys.

Headlines that Matter for Companies and Executives in Regulated Industries

The Metaverse is a new frontier of innovation in social and business interaction, and pioneers of this technology are rushing to develop its building blocks and protect their intellectual property (IP) rights. However, patenting this cutting-edge technology is not without challenges.

As more and more companies are developing and/or utilizing artificial intelligence (AI), it is important to consider risk management and best practices to address issues like bias in AI. The National Institute of Standards and Technology recently released a draft of its AI Risk Management Framework.

On February 28, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lifted a nearly two-decade long stay on formaldehyde air emissions limits for two types of stationary combustion turbines.

In this installment of the Five Questions, Five Answers podcast, Birgit Matthiesen and Antonio J. Rivera talk with Steve Griffith, Senior Industry Director of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), about what vehicle component manufacturers need to know.

On March 21, the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed far-reaching climate-related disclosure rules for public companies that do business in the United States.

On March 3, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021 (the “Act”). The Act voids pre-dispute arbitration agreements that require a party to arbitrate sexual assault or sexual harassment claims.

The Fifth Circuit has permitted the Biden Administration to resume using its preferred metric for calculating the “social cost of carbon.”

Last week, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) each held a hearing on the US Intelligence Community’s (IC) 2022 Annual Threat Assessment, a mandatory annual report prepared by the various US intelligence agencies.

Adding to seemingly ever-shifting paid sick leave requirements in different places, the San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE) has issued updated guidance under the San Francisco paid sick leave ordinance. The City approved the nation’s first paid sick leave ordinance in 2007.

On March 9, 2022, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rescinded a rule promulgated by the Trump Administration and revived California’s Clean Air Act waiver, allowing the state to set its own greenhouse gas emissions for cars and establish a zero-emissions vehicle program.

On February 22, 2022, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced that vaccinated health care workers with documented recent infection will be allowed to defer booster shot by up to 90 days from infection.

Last fall, we wrote about the EPA’s strategic roadmap regarding its goals for investigating, regulating, and remediating Per- and Polyfluroalkyl Substances (PFAS).