Archive for August, 2017
A Step Backwards for Financial Transparency in BigLaw
News
David Lat of Above the Law writes about a BigLaw firm’s move back from providing financial transparency.
Third-Party Risk Management Feedback Needed
Survey
Independent marketing research firm Phase5 is conducting a comprehensive study on the current state of third-party risk management and is seeking input.
GM Accuses Bankruptcy Trust of Secret $1 Billion Stock Plot
News
As Bloomberg’s Erik Larson explains, the accord will pit GM against the “Old GM” General Unsecured Creditors Trust for the first time since the 2009 bankruptcy sale created the split to save the company.
FERC is Back and Faces a Full Plate of Electricity Issues
Insight
With two new commissioners confirmed by the Senate and sworn in, FERC’s seven-month period without a quorum is over and it can get back to business, reports Covington & Burling on its Inside Energy & Environment blog.
Can Your Email Exchange Become A Binding Contract?
Insight
What if an agreement in “writing” is an email exchange? Is that enforceable, and if so, then what suffices as the signature?
Cloud Patent Claim Risks and Providers’ Evolving Contractual Responses
Insight
Richard Kemp discusses how Cloud Service Providers are addressing the growing risks to service availability from patent claims.
Has the Era of the Consumer Class Action Waiver Passed?
Insight
As a result of a rule imposed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, consumer contracts entered into after March 19, 2018, with a wide range of consumer financial services companies will need to be revised in regard to their agreements’ arbitration clauses.
11th Circuit Holds Arbitrators Have Venue-Setting Authority in International Arbitrations
Insight
Alston & Bird asks and answers the question: In an international arbitration, when an arbitration provision is ambiguous about the seat of the arbitration, who resolves the question?
Houston Office Vacancies Raise Concerns for Owners Making Loan Payments
News
Estimates are that more than a fifth of Houston office space sits empty as landlords struggle to find new tenants and existing tenants struggle to sublease unused space.
Understanding AIA 102: Prior Art Exceptions and Declaration Practice
Event, August 17, 2017, 11 a.m. CDT
Fitch, Even, Tabin & Flannery LLP will present a free webinar, “Understanding AIA 102: Prior Art Exceptions and Declaration Practice,” featuring Fitch Even partner Alan E. Schiavelli.
Ex-FCPA Prosecutor Returns to Foley’s Litigation Department in D.C.
News
Foley & Lardner LLP announced that former federal prosecutor Rohan Virginkar is returning to the firm as a partner in its Government Enforcement, Compliance & White Collar Defense Practice.
Michael Fisco joins DLA Piper’s Finance Practice in Minneapolis
News
DLA Piper announced that Michael Fisco has joined the firm’s finance practice as partner in the Minneapolis office.
Dykema to Receive Texas Appleseed Pro Bono Leadership Award
News
National law firm Dykema announced that it has been chosen by Texas Appleseed’s Board of Directors as one of three law firms to receive the organization’s Pro Bono Leadership Award.
Texas Lawyer Names Bracewell Large Firm Litigation Department of the Year
News
Bracewell’s litigation practice has been named the 2017 “Large Law Firm Litigation Department of the Year” by Texas Lawyer.
Confusion Between ‘FMLA’ and ‘Maternity Leave’ Sends Employer to Trial
News
HR Dive reports on a federal case in which an employee’s Family and Medical Leave Act suit will go to trial over how she was fired after confusion about how much leave she had available.
Google CEO Cancels Company Town Hall on Gender Dispute After Employee Questions Leak
News
Sundar Pichai said in an email to staff that several Google employees became fearful for their safety and grew concerned about being outed for speaking up at the town hall, the Associated Press reports.
Defendant Company Faces Bad Faith Discovery Spoliation Tag
News
A federal judge concluded last July that Plantronics had engaged in bad faith discovery spoliation, and demonstrates the far reaching consequences of discovery reports Bloomberg Law.
Download: In-Depth Analysis and Tips for Improving E-Discovery Strategy
Insight
Zapproved has published an exclusive report that reveals insights about current and year-over-year changes in legal hold and data preservation processes.
3 Ways to Transition Your Committee Effectively
Insight
The National Association of Corporate Directors has published a guide to leading practices for key committee succession planning and new-director onboarding.
By Firing Engineer, Google Shows What You Can Say – And What You Can’t – At Work
News
When a Google employee wrote in a memo that women are not as qualified as men to be software engineers, he learned the hard way that free speech protections only go so far, writes Tracey Lien for The Los Angeles Times.
