On 12 April, the Cabinet Office published the second tranche of its official guidance documents on the Procurement Act. The guidance documents cover: The National Procurement Policy statement (‘NPPS’); Technical Specifications; Pipeline Notices; Planned Procurement Notices; and Preliminary Market Engagement. Each guidance document clearly sets out the key points and the policy intent in respect of these discrete parts of the Procurement Act ...
April 23, 2024 By: Alicia Guerra, John Epperson, and Braeden Mansouri On April 12, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an important decision that may have major impacts on developers in California, although the degree of impact will depend on how lower courts interpret that decision. In Sheetz v ...
The Written Observations submitted by the plaintiffs to the EFTA Court The plaintiffs argue that the rights provided by the EEA Agreement are applicable in the present case because there is a «cross-border element» – a factor that links the case to EEA law ...
April 18, 2024 By: Leah Lively and Alexandra Shulman The Supreme Court of the United States issued an opinion on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, that will make it easier for employees to pursue discrimination claims against their employers based on job transfers or other non-pecuniary personnel decisions. In Muldrow v. City of St. Louis, Muldrow, a female police officer, alleged that she was transferred to a less desirable unit because a new supervisor preferred a male officer for the role ...
It’s hard to keep up with the twists and turns of AI regulation at the best of times, but the suggestion this week that the UK Government may be looking again at its opposition to statutory AI regulation poses as many questions as it answers. It’s hard to keep up with the twists and turns of AI regulation at the best of times, but the suggestion this week that the UK Government may be looking again at its opposition to statutory AI regulation poses as many questions as it answers ...
Simonsen Vogt Wiig (SVW) are reaching out to international contractors or suppliers seeking to capitalize on the significant opportunities presented by Norway’s ambitious defense investment plan, which includes the pledge to spend 600 billion kroner over the next 12 years on defense modernization and capabilities ...
On March 28, 2024, the Department of Finance Canada announced a one-year extension to the 15% Mineral Exploration Tax Credit (?METC?) available to investors in flow-through shares. The extension means that the METC will be effective until March 31, 2025. This announcement came at a time when uncertainty loomed over the industry and some stakeholders feared that the government would not renew the METC. Over time, this tax credit has become a key component of flow-through share financings ...
The Government is consulting on legislative changes to introduce greater flexibility to access surplus funds in defined benefit pension schemes. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) opened consultation further to publishing a paper entitled “Options for defined benefit schemes” on 23 February 2024 ...
Krogerus Disputes Day was held on 19 March at Little Finlandia. The popular event gathered dispute resolution and compliance experts to discuss about business disputes with distressed parties. We would like to thank all our speakers and guests for a great Disputes Day and interesting discussions! This year, Disputes Day's theme was Disputes and Distressed parties ...
In a move aimed at protecting Americans’ data security, President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 14117 on “Preventing Access to Americans’ Bulk Sensitive Data and United States Government-Related Data by Countries of Concern” (the “Order”) ...
I. Introduction and overview of the issues Many lawsuits involve both covered and uncovered losses. In nearly every state, if a complaint alleges both covered and uncovered claims, the insurer is obligated to defend the entire suit. E.g., Liberty Mut. Fire Ins. Co. v. Copart of Conn., Inc., 75 F.4th 522, 529 (5th Cir. 2023) (Texas law); Buss v. Superior Court, 16 Cal.4th 35, 48, 939 P.2d 766 (1997); General Agents Ins. Co. of America, Inc. v. Midwest Sporting Goods Co., 215 Ill ...
April 2, 2024 By: Leah Lively and Alexandra Shulman On June 6, 2024, new amendments to Washington State’s noncompetition statute (RCW 49.62) will go into effect, which place further limitations on the use of noncompetition agreements in Washington. Substitute Senate Bill 5935 introduces several modifications to RCW 49.62 that Washington employers (and employers with Washington employees) should be aware of: Broader definition of “noncompetition covenant ...
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on March 13 issued a highly consequential decision in U.S. Securities andExchange Commission v. Rashid, interpreting and applying the mental state for liability of investment advisers under the Investment Advisers Act. Over a strong dissent, the court reversed a finding of liability of the defendant investment adviser under basic principles of negligence law, and in doing so, provided a road map for future enforcement actions under the act ...
Last week, a trial court in Buffalo ruled that a group of personal injury plaintiffs’ strict liability claims against a who’s-who of social media companies, arising out of the tragic 2022 Tops Friendly Markets mass shooting, could proceed to discovery, rejecting the argument that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act barred such claims from the get-go. Patterson, Diona Et Al v. Meta Platforms, Et Al, 0805896/2023 (NYSCEF Doc No. 409) ...
In its traditional form, the advice of counsel defense can validate conduct that might otherwise be considered criminal. But invocation carries a steep cost: The defendant must waive his privilege with the lawyer who gave the advice in question. An additional prerequisite complicates utilization: The defendant must demonstrate good faith reliance on the advice he sought and received ...
By: Jennifer Misetich March 26, 2024 On March 25, 2024, the California Supreme Court issued its decision in Huerta v. CSI Electrical Contractors, which provides certain clarity on nuanced wage and hour issues and the scope of the term “hours worked ...
Artificial intelligence (?AI?) is becoming increasingly sophisticated, and the fact that this human invention can now generate its own inventions opens the door to new ways of conceptualizing the notion of ?inventor? in patent law. In a recent ruling, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (?UK Supreme Court?) however found that an artificial intelligence system cannot be the author of an invention within the meaning of the applicable regulations under which patents are granted ...
March 25, 2024 By: Daniel C. Silva and Ross Garrett In March 2024, the Northern District of Alabama held that Congress exceeded its Constitutional authority by enacting the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”). The CTA requires variety corporate entities—everything from LLCs to trusts—to disclose beneficial ownership information to the U.S. Treasury Department ...
The Government have now published the Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules which confirm the changes being made to the Skilled Worker route as part of the ‘five-point plan’ to reduce net migration. We summarise the main points for employers to take note of ahead of the changes taking effect on 4 April ...
