The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) recently filed fraud charges against the City of Rochester, New York (“City”), former City executives, and the City’s municipal advisor, reminding us of the importance of up-to-date, accurate disclosures when it comes to the financial condition of political subdivisions, as well as the risks of issuing debt using outdated financial statements ...
The Proposed VASP Bill primarily: (i) defines the virtual assets activities that require registration; (ii) prescribes the criteria for a virtual assets service provider (“VASP”) to register; (iii) sets out the ongoing requirements and obligations of VASPs; and (iv) specifies the enforcement and general powers of the Commission as well as the penalties for contravening or failing to comply with, a provision of the Proposed VASP Bill ...
Introduction: Lawyers as Stewards of a Noble Profession In the final scenes of the movie “A Few Good Men” – one of the great classics of legal cinema – under dramatic, but extremely risky cross-examination by Lt. Daniel Kaffee (played by Tom Cruise), Col. Nathan Jessup (played by Jack Nicholson) admitted to directing the kind of “Code Red” discipline which led to the unintentional death of a Marine stationed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba ...
During the COVID-19 pandemic, questions about employee health-privacy-related symptoms, testing, and vaccination became prevalent in discussions about the workplace at all levels—from “the water cooler” to national news ...
Key Points AB 890 gave Nurse Practitioners who meet certain requirements authority to practice more independently. The bill created two categories of Nurse Practitioner—one that may perform delineated functions without the use of standardized procedures in certain clinical settings where physicians and surgeons practice and another that may perform these functions and more outside of such clinical settings ...
Earlier this month, Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Lisa Monaco delivered a shot across the bow to individuals responsible for corporate malfeasance, and the companies that protect them. On September 15, 2022, in a memorandum and in public remarks, she issued marching orders to federal prosecutors and a warning to corporate America. She made clear that the Department of Justice (DOJ) would seek and allocate significant resources to “prioritize and prosecute corporate crime ...
Governor Newsom has signed AB 21881 into law that will create anti-discrimination protections for individuals that use cannabis while off duty and away from the workplace, with exceptions for certain industries, such as building, construction and those subject to federal drug testing regulations ...
In a civil case, is it wiser for a business to try to persuade the counterparty to agree from the outset to arbitration—or potentially to place it's very solvency in the unpredictable hands of a judge and jury? Many "form" commercial contracts contain clauses mandating that any disputes that arise be resolved by binding arbitration rather than a jury or bench trial ...
The Jersey Retail Price Index (“JRPI”), the main measure of inflation, was 7.9% higher in June 2022 than it was 12 months before - the highest rate of increase seen since 1992. 1 The next JRPI is due to be released in October 2022 and further significant increases are expected. Such a hefty rise in inflation is concerning – it is inevitable that people will suffer from a worrying financial squeeze ...
Any dog owner whose hound has ever become stuck down a rabbit hole will appreciate the aphorism, “Never get into anything you don’t know how to get out of”. Like a rabbit hole, getting out of the insurance business tends to be less straightforward than getting in. For that reason, specialist “run-off” carriers offer exit solutions to insurers who have ceased writing new business ...
On September 15, 2022, the Wall Street Journal reported Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler told reporters after a Congressional hearing that digital assets and the intermediaries dealing in such assets that allow for staking may shift the “efforts of others” analysis under the Howey test. If so, they would be re-categorized as securities ...
On 1 April 2022, the Qualifying Asset Holding Companies (“QAHC”) regime, the latest innovation in the UK’s corporate tax landscape, came into effect for UK tax resident companies. Meanwhile in the EU, the European Commission has announced it will be introducing the anti tax-avoidance directive (“ATAD 3”) aimed at EU resident holding companies claiming benefits under double tax treaties and due to come into effect on 1 January 2024 ...
A ruling of the National Labor Relations Board in favor of an employee fired for using vulgar language on a company bulletin board was affirmed in August by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The ruling of both the NLRB and the court of appeals in Constellium Rolled Products v. NLRB regarding the employer's discipline for the comment is a perfect example of how confusing the protection of concerted activity under the National Labor Relations Act can be ...
On September 8, 2022, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the reserved right of the Metlakatlan Indian Community to fish in the off-reservation waters where Metlakatlans had traditionally fished, and held that Metlakatlans are not subject to an Alaska statute creating a limited-entry program for commercial fishing. Metlakatla Indian Community v ...
In a recent interview with Mexico Business News, WSG Member Eduardo Kleinberg, Managing Partner at Basham, Ringe y Correa, provided insights on the importance of IP law to ensure a company’s longevity and success. And, discussed how lack of government oversight, support and follow-through of IP Law can result in a country disincentivizing innovation, domestic competitiveness and international investment ...
In a major speech delivered on September 15, 2022, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco added important substance and details to Department of Justice policies aimed at aggressively combatting corporate crime and encouraging companies to self-report misconduct. These new policies result from months of DOJ meetings with a Corporate Crime Advisory Group comprised of stakeholders from the business community, the defense bar, public interest groups, academics, and others ...
Despite their reputation, traditional defined benefit (pension) plans can be a valuable tool for small business succession planning. Defined benefit pension plans are often associated with unions and financial mismanagement resulting in severe underfunding and government bailouts. They are often viewed by many within the retirement plan industry itself as a relic ...
