The first half of 2021 was marked by the highest level of commercial real estate transactions ever. The latest reports and statistics show that this trend has continued in the last six months, and the total transaction volume is likely to exceed NOK 130-150 billion. This surpasses the record year of 2015, when the total transaction volume for commercial real estate was NOK 129 billion. The pandemic caused increased use of home office ...
With yet another recent uptick in COVID-19 cases, the need for additional health care practitioners in the state of Ohio continues to grow. Recognizing that this shortage will not be resolved in the near future, the Ohio General Assembly has eliminated another barrier for physicians with a prior history involving a substance use disorder to seek licensure in Ohio ...
Record number of fines in 2021 At European level, a record number of fines have been issued during 2021 for violating the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Since the GDPR entered into force in the EU on 25 May 2018, the supervisory authorities have imposed or notified fines in approx. 900 cases with an accumulated amount of approx. EUR 1.3 billion. As many as 500 of these cases are from 2021 with accumulated fines of as much as EUR 1 ...
The transaction pace and volume of 2021 was the silver lining of the Covid-19 overcast, keeping our clients and us busy and productive. Particularly the container ship market has been steaming hot, with rapidly increasing prices and high transaction volume. The bulker market has also seen the highest prices for the last decade, with correspondingly high transaction volume ...
Trends IT contracts An increasing number of clients have requested aid in purchasing either cloud service technology or offering cloud services to the market. We have seen a significant shift from on-premise solutions (i.e. local servers on customer premises) to public cloud and multi-tenant cloud solutions. Initially, customers pushed suppliers to offer cloud solutions. Now we see the opposite: suppliers pushing customers (who are not always ready for this) into the cloud ...
[!<CDATA[ Over the past decade, financial technology companies (fintechs) have been on the rise, disrupting all segments of the financial industry. Their innovative technology, swift adaptation to market trends, and ability to create personalized and efficient customer experiences enabled them to reshape the way we look at, use, and provide financial services ...
As we get ready to turn the page to 2022, one hesitates to continue to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the fallout continues, with fresh ramifications for the long-term care industry. The industry continues to receive heightened scrutiny following the pandemic, and New York's legislative answer to the concerns are set to hit nursing home businesses in New York as of Jan. 1, 2022, with a cap on allowable profits. The impact on capital outlays and acquisitions remains to be seen ...
With answer to ruling no. 839 of 21 December 2021 (the Ruling 839/2021), the Italian Tax Authorities (ITA) clarify that credit institutions established in the United Kingdom (UK) cannot benefit from the withholding tax exemption on interest and other proceeds from medium-long term loans provided for by Article 26, para. 5-bis, of Presidential Decree no. 600/1973 (the Decree 600/1973). https://www.gop.it/doc_pubblicazioni/935_qrpnmu9tzy_ita ...
Experts from the Private Clients and Tax practices prepared the Russian chapter for the Thomson Reuters Practical Law Private Client Global Guide ...
Trees are ubiquitous. They are a natural part of our landscape and valued for the beauty they provide (not to mention the environmental benefits) as well as their lumber and economic value. Landowners often value their trees, but when a landowner needs to remove trees for development tensions can arise between the government’s interest in preserving and protecting the environment and the landowner’s inherent property rights ...
After more than a decade of litigation, three appeals, and a two week bench trial, the Fifth District Court of Appeal (“DCA”) rejected claims by three retired members of a retirement system that a retirement board breached its fiduciary duties of loyalty and prudence to the retirement system’s members ...
On Dec. 14, 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) unexpectedly issued a letter to U.S. Senator Ron Widen (D-OR)[1] indicating that CMS plans to use its “administrative authority to issue proposed rulemaking” addressing price concessions and direct and indirect remuneration (DIR) fees that pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) have increasingly charged to specialty and retail pharmacy providers in Medicare and other pharmacy benefit programs in recent years ...
Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of telehealth across Ohio and the United States was steadily increasing. However, out of necessity over the last two years, telehealth has expanded exponentially in order to reduce risks of COVID-19 transmission to practitioners and patients alike. Nearly overnight, the health care community was forced to change the way services were accessed, delivered, and received ...
There has never been a more challenging time to lead than right now. Amid the ongoing pandemic, it’s more complicated than ever for leaders to determine a long-term vision when the day-to-day seems so uncertain and urgent. But like many challenging moments in our lives, we learn to evolve and become stronger, more resilient. Through it all, it’s crucial for business leaders to remain courageous, empathetic and adaptable ...
In the last article for our Tricky Issues series, we consider the duty to make reasonable adjustments for employees who are deemed disabled under the Equality Act 2010 and share our top tips for employers looking to make such adjustments ...
On Dec. 21, 2021, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a Health & Human Services (HHS) OIG Data Brief on genetic tests provided under Medicare Part B. The goal of the OIG in reviewing this data was “to analyze nationwide trends in genetic tests provided and payments made under Medicare Part B.”[1] As a result of this analysis, the OIG determined that there is a significant risk of overuse and misuse of genetic testing ...
In this article we look at Prevention of Future Death reports (“PFDs”) issued by Coroners in England and Wales – specifically those which have been made in relation to deaths arising from or connected with the COVID-19 pandemic. We assess the significance of the reports and how they may relate to the COVID-19 public inquiry examining the government’s response to the pandemic ...
The New Homes Quality Code has been published and this article sets out some initial aspects for housebuilders to consider. After a consultation process lasting almost five years, the New Homes Quality Code (the Code) and Developer Guidance were published by the New Homes Quality Board (NHQB) on 17 December 2021. The Code will replace the current Consumer Code for Home Builders and will apply across the UK for the benefit of purchasers buying new build homes for their own occupation ...
With Scotland’s population growth stalling and with labour shortages in the UK at a record high, the demand for migrant workers at all skill levels is ever-increasing. Part 1 of this insight focuses on some of the current immigration routes for consideration by Scottish employers. Scotland is more reliant on migration than the rest of the UK to maintain population and help alleviate skills shortages ...
Part 1 of this insight focused some of the current immigration routes for consideration by Scottish employers to mitigate the Scottish labour shortage. Part 2 of this insight explores some of the new routes expected to be opened up by Spring 2022. Innovation visas Global Business Mobility Route In spring 2022, the Home office is due to launch the new Global Business Mobility route ...
There has never been a more challenging time to lead than right now. Amid the ongoing pandemic, it’s more complicated than ever for leaders to determine a long-term vision when the day-to-day seems so uncertain and urgent. But like many challenging moments in our lives, we learn to evolve and become stronger, more resilient. Through it all, it’s crucial for business leaders to remain courageous, empathetic and adaptable ...