Earlier this year, in a widely followed arbitration case, a unanimous panel of the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division, First Department, concluded that the New York County, Commercial Division, erred when it partially vacated an arbitration award on the ground that the arbitrators manifestly disregarded the law. As a result, the Appellate Division confirmed the arbitration award ...
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 ...
Traditional news organisations are facing a battle for survival but will they find a new mission in the battle against Fake News? Stefanie Yuen Thio shared her views in an article published by the Business Times on September 15, 2018 ...
On September 20, 2018, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced settlements with three Boston hospitals for disclosing Protected Health Information (PHI) to ABC News documentary filmcrews.[i] In total, the hospitals paid OCR $999,000 to settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule ...
A key quality for a successful attorney, leader of an organization, claims professional or human resource professional requires effective negotiation skills to resolve conflict and disputes. Negotiating over 1,000 such disputes as an attorney and mediator has been a tremendous education on how to successfully resolve disputes and conflict ...
Not all matters will be appropriate for mediation. There are situations in which mediation is likely to fail: When parties let their egos control. When there is a misunderstanding of the facts. When there is a misunderstanding of the law. There is no incentive for settlement. When parties do not respect the process ...
Help your Mediator to help you and your client The relationship between the mediator and the parties must be clearly defined and be based in trust. Before a mediator is selected to host mediation, the parties should agree on what type of mediation they would like to engage in and who is the best mediator for that goal ...
Define the terms of fair Approaching mediation or negotiations requires that the parties agree on what criteria to use to determine what is a fair agreement. Determining these criteria before engaging in negotiations will help parties to articulate the basis for their positions. It can also help to ease tensions and rationalize the process. The criteria must be objective, legitimate and practical. Complicated formulas or unreasonable positions will complicate the discussion ...
Work with the People to Solve the Problem When approaching mediation, parties need to work together to tackle the problem, not each other. The goal is to be soft on the people and hard on the problem. Failing to interact with the other party sensitively, can be catastrophic to building or maintaining a working relationship. Knowing the other side personally helps to build cordiality. Find ways to meet them informally before the negotiation, arrive early to chat or linger afterwards ...
Stay focused on the interest, not on your position. Define the problem; you decide on your position. For every interest there usually exist several possible satisfying solutions to adequately address those interests. Remember that behind opposed positions lie shared and often compatible interests ...
In order to accomplish this important task, the following are steps to follow: A. Make a list of other sides’ interest. It will help your remember them and stimulate ideas for how to meet such needs B. Communicate your interests when they are in conflict. Help the other side to see just how important and legitimate your interests are. Be specific and objective. Convince them they would feel the same in your shoes and recognize how you might feel in their shoes ...
To achieve this step in the process, set aside time to create a wide range of solutions that advance shared interest. This can be done before and during your negotiation or mediation. There are 4 major obstacles which inhibit consideration of options: Premature judgment Hinders imagination and possibilities ...
We often hear it said that neither party is happy with a settlement. If parties strive for a win-win approach, it is possible for both to find the settlement to be a win. To do this, give them a stake in the outcome by making sure they participate in the process. Remember an Agreement is easier if both sides feel they contributed to the solution ...
It often happens that one party appears to have greater bargaining power than the other. They may be bigger, have more money, have a history of fighting and you may feel overwhelmed. How to handle an imbalance in power in negotiations is an important consideration in taking control and working toward a resolution. Factors to evaluate are: Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BANTA) ...
Earlier this year, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai, issued Decree No. 28 of 2018 concerning the Acceptance of the Civil Petitions before Dubai Courts (the Decree). The Decree was issued by His Highness to address the procedures in filing appeals to the Court of Cassation. The Court of Cassation is the highest court in Dubai. Article No. 173 of Federal Law No ...
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" ...
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 Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has today published its report1 on immigration reform. As the MAC itself acknowledges, there will be “winners” and “losers” in any policy for immigration reform.On an initial reading of the report, it would appear the reforms proposed, while impacting all sectors, would be most challenging for those sectors employing a low-skilled workforce ...
In EEOC v. BNSF Ry. Co., Case No. 16-35457 (9th Cir. Aug. 29, 2018), the Ninth Circuit held that an employer violates the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 ("ADA") by demanding that a job applicant with a perceived disability pay the cost of medical testing prior to being deemed eligible for employment. The employer offered an applicant a job as a Senior Patrol Officer on the condition that he satisfactorily complete a medical review ...
Over the last few years, news that some of the nation's most iconic retail stores have closed has become more frequent. Yesterday, Poundworld entered administration. Last week, House of Fraser announced it would be closing 31 stores, many of which are in some the UK's largest cities. It is no secret that many retailers have been adversely affected by the shopping habits of consumers, ever since the advent of a new pastime - buying online ...
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 ...
Earlier this year, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in the matter of Lucia v. SEC, 585 U.S. (2018), which held that administrative law judges of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are considered Inferior Officers of the United States, therefore subject to the Appointments Clause (Article II, Sec. 2) of the U.S. Constitution. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Mr ...
