With the recent and rapid spread of COVID-19 in the U.S., government contractors have already started experiencing contract performance delays, which inevitably will have a significant financial impact ...
When a client or customer files for bankruptcy, a business’ treatment of that customer’s account must change. Many businesses have dedicated bankruptcy departments or teams that deal with these accounts. However, it can take a while before the account is flagged or transferred to the bankruptcy team. Further, some smaller business bankruptcy teams are comprised of other department employees just wearing a “bankruptcy hat” when working on those accounts ...
Mortgage servicers are currently being inundated with requests from borrowers impacted by COVID-19 for forbearance and other types of payment relief. Tracking, making sense of, and then complying with the guidance and requirements that are being issued and then modified – seemingly on a daily basis – by the federal government, the GSEs, and various states is proving to be a challenge for many, especially at a time when resources may already be limited or stretched thin ...
For over 240 years, Congress has allowed citizens of different states to litigate in federal court and, for equally as long, has permitted defendants to remove such cases from state court to federal court in cases exceeding the jurisdictional minimum. Judiciary Act of 1789, 1 Stat. 79 Section 12 ...
"The Package” The day begins like any other. Your client opens for business at 9:00 a.m. All employees are at their desks as customers begin calling, emailing, and walking in with various questions and needs. Except this time, when the employees attempt to access customer records from your client’s computer network, they immediately notice something is wrong. None of the customer files will open. The data is a garbled mess ...
COVID-19's impact on contract performance looms large over business and industries across the globe. This presentation will address whether and how COVID-19 operates contractually as a force majeure event in the US and key foreign markets including Canada, Mexico, Asia, Europe and Australia ...
On March 27, 2020, President Donald Trump signed into law the third major coronavirus-related legislation in the last several weeks – the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act – in response to the pandemic and resulting economic crisis. The CARES Act includes substantial federal spending and loan commitments that will benefit individuals and businesses. But that is not all ...
Governor Ivey in her State of the State address on February 4 argued forcefully that Alabama must do more to attract physicians (and nurse-practitioners) to practice in the rural, under-served areas of the state. Unfortunately, one of the only current tax incentives to do so—a $5,000 income tax credit that can be claimed over a 5 consecutive year period--has been the source of many audits and administrative and Alabama Tax Tribunal appeals ...
There are some things in life everyone needs. A bathroom, for example. Moving from the construction and energy industries to a once family-owned now multibillion-dollar business, Andy Iverson says he was a perfect match to serve as general counsel for American Bath Group, a fast-paced manufacturing company looking to change the bathware industry. “I get to play problem solver,” Iverson says ...
Please join Bradley and the Business Council of Alabama for a live webinar addressing key questions our clients are asking about navigating the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) ...
Even in pandemic-free times, the world of labor laws and employment regulations is at best confusing to an employer, and at worst, overwhelming. Adding the stress of emergency paid sick leave, ever-evolving unemployment qualifications, and shelter-in-place orders is enough to make any boss’s head spin. Business owners want to keep their employees healthy and safe. They also want to operate in a way that garners at least enough income to keep their doors open ...
Cryptocurrency, blockchain technology and fintech companies are well experienced in dealing with legal and regulatory issues that are unique, unprecedented and global. While usually creative and oriented to solving problems, even the most flexible of teams are stretched with the onslaught of issues unfolding in the wake of COVID-19 ...
Since the coronavirus pandemic began, the volume of counterfeit goods produced by Chinese manufacturers appears to be on the rise again. While counterfeit goods have been a challenge that online retailers have been fighting for years, the risk has become greater in the COVID-19 era when more consumers are turning to online shopping. Counterfeit goods result in lost revenue and reputational harm to retailers ...
Since the coronavirus pandemic began, the volume of counterfeit goods produced by Chinese manufacturers appears to be on the rise again. While counterfeit goods have been a challenge that online retailers have been fighting for years, the risk has become greater in the COVID-19 era when more consumers are turning to online shopping. Counterfeit goods result in lost revenue and reputational harm to retailers ...
On April 10, 2020 the Department of Health and Human Services distributed the first $30 billion in healthcare relief funds. On April 22, HHS followed by allocating another $40 billion in relief funds. These funds will provide much needed assistance to healthcare providers absorbing costs and suffering losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic ...
In the midst of a global pandemic, much attention and praise are rightfully being showered on healthcare and pharmaceutical providers. While the world watches with awe at the sacrifices that pharmaceutical and healthcare providers are making during this difficult time, government prosecutors too are watching—albeit for a different reason ...
Those with the greatest need for the financial relief afforded by a successful bankruptcy case often lack the financial resources necessary to secure adequate legal representation, particularly in the context of individual chapter 7 cases. ABI has devoted substantial resources toward addressing this dilemma ...
The landmark CARES Act provides many Alabama employers with several options to increase liquidity and cash flow during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. And only nine days before that legislation was enacted, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) also created two other payroll tax-related incentives for certain employers, and self-employed individuals ...
Now that it appears the COVID-19 quarantine may be on the verge of ending, there are issues to consider before re-starting collection operations. When is too soon? Are there any special notices that could or should be sent? What about voluntary surrender of collateral during shelter in place? We will address these issues as well as lien priority and credit reporting ...
Among the many extraordinary measures taken by the federal government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is the issuance of blanket waivers of certain provisions of the federal self-referral prohibition commonly known as the Stark Law. The waivers loosen significant restrictions on physician financial relationships in an effort to provide health care providers with greater flexibility to meet the challenges of the pandemic ...
Marijuana’s legal status has flummoxed industry observers for more than a decade. Several current proposals could provide clarity at the federal level. And Alabama appeared to be on the brink of implementing a medical marijuana regime just before the COVID-19 pandemic ground the legislative process to a halt ...
Among the many extraordinary measures taken by the federal government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is the issuance of blanket waivers of certain provisions of the federal self-referral prohibition commonly known as the Stark Law. The waivers loosen significant restrictions on physician financial relationships in an effort to provide health care providers with greater flexibility to meet the challenges of the pandemic ...
Join our Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights team and special guests Karlene Archer from Karlene Archer Law and Andrea Cobery, Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at U.S. Bank, for a discussion of bankruptcy servicing best practices in the time of the coronavirus. We will offer legal insights and practical guidance related to providing notice of forbearance plans in bankruptcy courts ...
All banks rely upon their critical vendors, including law firms that handle sensitive, complicated, and high-risk matters. And yet vendor oversight of law firms has been awkward for all parties involved – fitting square pegs into round holes. We believe opportunities exist to ameliorate this awkwardness and enhance law firm oversight ...
With much fanfare, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has rolled out a series of headlines detailing its enforcement efforts in the wake of COVID-19. At the end of March, the government announced a kickback case against a marketer who allegedly steered patients towards COVID-19 and genetic cancer testing ...