The Valuers, Appraisers and Estate Agents (Amendment) Act 2017 “Amendment Act”. The Act amended the Valuers, Appraisers and Estate Agents Act 1981 “Principal Act”. The Amendment Act Prior to coming into force of the Amendment Act, only a registered valuer, appraiser or estate agent duly authorized by the Board of Valuers, Appraisers and Estate Agents (as it was then known) was permitted to undertake property management ...
In the last quarter of 2018, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued an opinion letter ending what had become known as the “80/20 rule” for tipped employees. The new rule, which eases restrictions on an employer’s application of the tip credit, is a reissuance of a 2009 opinion letter that had been supplanted by contrary guidance since 2011 ...
What Does it All Mean? With the new Democratic House majority and Republicans maintaining control of the Senate, Washington, D.C., now enters a period of divided government in the run up to the 2020 presidential election. Democrats and Republicans, including President Trump, will have to compromise on a budget and impending debt limit and sequestration, as well as spending levels for the coming fiscal years in order to avoid a government shutdown ...
Companies wanting to do good through corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives face a quandary: how to ensure their aid is going where it is needed most. [Editor’s note: Last month, our firm was honoured to have won the President’s Volunteerism and Philanthropy Awards (PVPA) in the Small and Medium Enterprises category ...
Article PDF On October 19, 2018, the Treasury Department released proposed regulations regarding certain aspects of the new qualified opportunity funds ("QOF") and related qualified opportunity zones ...
Governor Brown signed into law a number of bills, which significantly impact employers. Unless otherwise indicated, each new law takes effect the begining of 2019. For an in-depth analysis of how each law might affect your organization, contact one of Hanson Bridgett's experienced labor and employment lawyers ...
Launch of the New Rental Good Conduct Certificate Service On 8 October, the Rental Disputes Centre in Dubai launched the Rental Good Conduct Certificate service. This service is a first-of-its-kind initiative in the world. We set out below what the service will provide and how to access it ...
In Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation Trust Ltd v Lakehouse Contracts Ltd [2018] EWHC 558 (TCC), England’s Technology and Construction Court had to decide on the extent of coverage (or inclusion) of a project insurance policy for a construction project and how that coverage was affected by a sub-contractor having its own insurance cover ...
Recently, California legislators passed SB 954 creating a new pre-mediation requirement – the prospective Mediation Disclosure. "As soon as reasonably possible" before agreeing to mediate, attorneys are to present to clients a Mediation Disclosure affirmatively explaining mediation's confidentiality restrictions, execution of which acknowledges the client's understanding of the restriction's impact ...
To coincide with its 250th anniversary, Shepherd and Wedderburn commissioned the University of Strathclyde’s Fraser of Allander Institute to consider the future challenges and, more importantly, opportunities for Scotland’s economy ...
Destruction of evidence can be fatal in any lawsuit, but it is especially troubling in construction defect disputes. It's always important to allow an opponent and their expert the opportunity to inspect premises and review the alleged defects. A recent Pennsylvania appellate decision highlights the need to do more than just allow a site visit in a defect case. It also drives home the need for clients to advise counsel of any repairs or changes to work at issue in a lawsuit ...
Impact of Trump Administration, Midterm Elections and the Rise of Automotive M&ARespondents to Dykema’s 14th Annual M&A Outlook Survey expressed the highest level of optimism for the M&A market in the 14-year history of the firm’s survey. Sixty-five percent of respondents expect the M&A market to strengthen over the next 12 months, significantly up from the mid- to high 30s where it has remained for the past several years ...
With an estimated economic growth of 5.1% – 5.2% for 20181, economicactivities in Indonesia are expected to show a strong improvement. One ofthe indications of strong economic activities is the growing need for officespace for businesses. It is expected that office space in Jakarta will increaseby another 1.5 million square meters in 2018 – 20202 from 6 million squaremeters at the end of 20173 ...
On October 3, 2018, the IRS issued guidance for employers on how to claim tax deductions for business meals this year. Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, ("TCJA") business expenses for "entertainment" are no longer deductible, effective for 2018. However, the TCJA did not modify the separate 50% deduction for expenses for business meals, which left employers wondering how to distinguish a business meal from entertainment ...
Many companies are currently facing challenges in relation to the GDPR compliance of their video surveillance. Main issues in this respect are questions related to transparency requirements and information notices, the need for a data protection impact assessment as well as questions concerning retention requirements and retention periods. The German Federal Labor Court (BAG) has recently commented on the admissible storage duration of lawful video recordings ...
The rise of e-commerce and the struggle many brick-and-mortar retail stores face is nothing new. Customers are increasingly choosing to shop for clothes, furniture and even groceries from the convenience of their own homes. More recently, however, this shift in the way consumers shop has given rise to new types of retail stores – small showrooms and “pop-up shops ...
In its green paper on corporate governance reform, the Government sought views on measures designed to address "a widespread perception that executive pay has become increasingly disconnected from both the pay of ordinary working people and the underlying long-term performance of companies" ...
Not-for-profit Reforesting Scotland’s "Thousand Huts" campaign has spearheaded the regrowth of the hutting community, previously almost entirely eradicated by increasingly strict building regulations. The new Building (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2017 sets out the framework for ecologically sustainable hut development. What is a Hut? A hut must be a single storey building used as recreational accommodation ...
On September 11, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced its first enforcement actions alleging that entities offering certain investments in cryptocurrencies should be registered as an investment adviser or broker-dealer ...
The beginning of 2018 has brought certain amendments in the field of construction and infrastructure projects in Romania, by means of a new enactment which shivered the contractors' professional life who were used to the FIDIC provisions until this moment. The Government Decision no. 1/10.01.2018 (the “GD no ...
Lawyers are often criticised for using overly complex legal and technical wording in contracts. The purpose of a contract is, amongst other things, to clearly set out the rights and obligations of the contracting parties, and to limit uncertainty during the particular project. To this end, it is important to use plain English in contract drafting and as a general rule, to use short sentences, defined terms and a clear and logical structure ...
As we reported in our May 31, 2018 Alert, the California Legislature has been considering legislation to prevent joint powers authority (JPA) member agencies from contracting out of liability for the JPA's pension obligations ...
On August 31, 2018 California’s legislature passed Senate Bill 1402. Unless vetoed by Governor Brown on or before September 30, SB 1402 will allow shippers to be held jointly liable for state labor and employment law violations by port trucking companies. The bill, which was authored by Senator Lara (D-Bell Gardens), is aimed at ending the purported “exploitation of truck drivers who haul cargo from California’s ports ...
