As many of us continue to work from home and/or have opportunities for travel and meeting up restricted, we are continuing to run our essential webinar series for employers to ensure that our clients and contacts remain up to date and equipped to deal with all eventualities! Our latest seminar focused on the return to places of work ...
After years of uncertainty, Minister Patel has issued a long-awaited Practice Note on 18 May 2021, clarifying the treatment of discretionary collective enterprises for ownership purposes under the Broad-Based Black Economic Employment (“B-BBEE”) Codes ...
The internet may be global, but enforcement is always local—and there are plenty of (expensive) ways to find out the wrong way that you should have been doing something where you might not expect it. A typical example is the legal requirement to appoint an EU data protection representative if you’re not based in the EU, or a UK representative if you’re not based in the UK ...
On April 30th, 2021, Law No. 21,327 (hereinafter, the "Act ") was published in the Official Gazette. Its purpose is to modernize the Labor Board (the "LB" or the "Service") and itwill become effective as of October 1st, 2021 ...
Preface On 26 April 2021, the Futures Law of the People’s Republic of China (Draft for Consultation) (“Futures Law (Draft)”) was deliberated at the 28th Meeting of the 13th Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, and was later issued for public consultation on 29 April 2021, receiving keen, widespread interest of the domestic futures industry and the over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivatives market ...
For those of us in the dispute resolution world in construction, one cultural trait that is seen with nearly all contractors is a strong sense to do the job right. Most businesses are small, and closely held. And most contractors carry significant pride in their work product and in keeping their clients happy. That character extends not only to work in progress, but also to resolution of issues related to the work after it is complete ...
Recently,companies that offer platforms for the purchase of shares in foreign companies (“investment tech” or “wealth tech”)to Nigerians have been in a tussle with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Nigeria (“SEC”) over their business activities ...
Recently, several African startups have been making positive impact in their communities leading to a number ofcountriesenactingor planning to establish a Startup Act. In this article, our Oluwapelumi Omoniyi examines the benefits of a Startup legislation and considers if Nigeria’s nascent startup ecosystem needs a startup Act ...
On May 11, 2021, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new rule that will require long-term care facilities and residential facilities serving clients with intellectual disabilities to educate and offer COVID-19 vaccines to residents, clients and staff. This new requirement will closely align with current requirements for influenza and pneumococcal vaccines in long-term care facilities ...
The Cal/OSHA Standards Board is scheduled to meet on May 20, 2021 to review proposed revisions to the Emergency Temporary Standards (“ETS”) on COVID-19 Safety in the workplace that were originally adopted in November, 2020. The rules are expected to be readopted with the revisions and sent on to the Office of Administrative Law for an abbreviated five-day public notice and comment period as an emergency action before taking effect ...
The Government of B.C. has tabled legislation which, for now, entitles employees to three paid sick days for leave related to COVID-19. Employers will be required to pay employees their full wages (based on an average of the prior 30 days). The proposed law (Bill 13) also allows for a permanent paid sick leave to be prescribed in the future. The B.C ...
On May 12, Schwabe collaborated with Moss Adams to host a virtual roundtable that explored legal realities around owning and operating a hemp business in Oregon. Schwabe attorneys Lisa Schaures and Joe Hobson were joined by Jacob Crabtree of Columbia Hemp Trading Company, Sunny Summers of the Oregon Department of Agriculture, and Ryan Kuenzi of Moss Adams. Our panelists discussed the evolving nature of the hemp industry at the state and federal level in Oregon ...
The Federal Supreme Court of Brazil concluded the judgment of the lawsuit claiming the unconstitutionality of the sole paragraph of article 40, of the Industrial Property Law, referring to the minimum term of validity of patents in Brazil ...
Living in Uncertain Times More than a year has passed since our lives were turned upside by the outbreak of COVID-19. Across the globe, millions of people have succumbed to the virus and countless businesses have collapsed. In Thailand, although the loss of life has been relatively low, the pandemic has devastated the country’s economy ...
In the latest article in our Tricky Issues series, we consider the need for follow-up right to work checks, the steps employers should take to carry out such checks and the legal position when dismissal is a consideration. “Why is a follow up check needed if I have already done a right to work check?” Employers in the UK must carry out right to work checks with all employees before they start their employment ...
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) has issued a favorable advisory opinion addressing an investment in an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) made by a health system, certain physicians employed by the same health system, and a management company. OIG Advisory Opinion No. 21-02 is the first advisory opinion since 2009 to provide guidance on ASC investments and related safe harbors to the Anti-Kickback Statute ...
Below, you will find the issue of our Banking and Finance and Capital Markets newsletter for the 1st quarter of 2021, which compiles the most significant news in this area. BANKING AND FINANCE I. Banco de Portugal Banco de Portugal press release on the countercyclical capital buffer for the 2nd quarter of 2021. The countercyclical capital buffer percentage in force from 1 April 2021 will remain at 0% of the total amount of exposures (link) ...
Before going into the details of the proposal it should be mentioned that the actual rules of the proposal were not presented in the revised budget. The government stated that they aim to present the rules in the budget for 2022. The rules will also be subject to a hearing round and since the scheme constitutes state aid in accordance with the rules in the EEA Agreement, they will also require notification to and approval from ESA before implementation ...
The Competition Commission has published an invitation to comment on its amended guidelines on small merger notification. The guidelines extend the notification of small mergers to those taking place in digital markets, where at least one of the stipulated criteria is met ...
The Superintendence of the Environment, by means of Exempt Resolution No. 805/2021 (E.R. 805), dated April 8, 2021 and published in the Official Gazette on May 7, 2021, has specified the content of the reports to be submitted by the tire Management Systems. Purpose E.R ...
Electronic signature in employment documents The first set of amendments provided by the new normative act introduce expressly the possibility of concluding the individual employment agreement or addenda thereof using the qualified electronic signature or the advanced electronic signature, accompanied by the electronic time stamp or the qualified electronic time stamp and the qualified electronic seal of the employer ...
