Agreement ensures funds will benefit victims of opioid epidemic 

 TYLER, Texas – A landmark agreement between the Texas Attorney General’s office and a group of Texas counties and cities impacted by the country’s opioid epidemic paves the way for future settlement money to be directed to rural communities battling the crisis, lawyers with Tyler-based Martin Walker said Friday. 

 “This agreement is historic in that combining efforts with the Texas Attorney General’s office strengthens our position immensely and gives us one united and powerful voice,” said Martin Walker attorney Reid Martin. “But it also allows us to learn the lessons of settlements past. After the Big Tobacco settlement in the 1990s, we saw that many of the funds never made it to those who needed it most. This agreement will prevent that from happening. We know that the money will go to fund opioid addiction treatment, help impacted communities and ultimately save lives.” 

The Martin Walker legal team represents 29 counties in opioid litigation in Texas, most in east and northeast Texas. 

Under the agreement announced by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, state and county representatives will be included in all negotiations currently underway with opioid drug distributors and manufacturers. In the event of a settlement, the agreement creates an allocation structure that guarantees state and local governments will each receive a 15 percent share of the funds. The remaining 70 percent will be administered by the Texas Opioid Council to be dispersed to treatment programs operated by 20 regional health care partnerships across Texas. 

“This agreement is the result of years of hard work, and we are proud to see that our own Smith County has held a leadership role in the negotiations,” said Martin Walker attorney Jack Walker. “This agreement ensures that Tyler’s medical facilities, which serve all of East Texas, will get the funds they need to help in the fight against opioid addiction.”  

 Martin Walker PC is a Tyler-based law firm with significant trial expertise representing individuals and businesses in high-stakes litigation, including medical malpractice, catastrophic injuries involving 18-wheeler accidents, oilfield injuries, wrongful death, and product liability.

For more information visit Martin Walker Law

“A Case Study in How to Avoid Disaster.”

“The seminal moment in any real estate transaction is when the purchaser has been cleared to close by their lender, thereby removing, in most transactions, the last bar on the way to a successful closing. However, just because the lender has issued a clear to close letter, it does not mean the contractual finance contingency has been satisfied,” writes John Heneghan in Fornaro Law’s Case Study.

“The death of your deal may be, truly, in the details of that clear to close letter.”

“There is no such thing as an ‘unconditional’ clear to close letter. All clear to close letters come with ‘subject to’ conditions that must be satisfied before the loan is actually cleared to close. It is a misnomer to say that a loan is clear to close unless these ‘subject to’ conditions have been satisfied. The clear to close letter must be read carefully to make sure it satisfies all aspects of the financing contingency requirements so there is no threat of your client being in breach of contract.”

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Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, is pleased to announce that Paruch Chrusciel Schiffter (PCS), a leading labor and employment law firm in Poland, is joining its global platform. The expansion brings Littler’s European presence to nine countries and follows recent growth into Austria, Norway and Singapore.

The move continues Littler’s growth strategy that includes combining with top labor and employment law firms in the world’s business centers. Littler’s global footprint is now comprised of more than 1,500 attorneys in 23 countries.

PCS has five offices across Poland – Warszawa, Katowice, Kraków, Poznań and Wrocław – and consists of 21 attorneys and 21 paralegals. The team counsels and defends clients on a wide range of workplace issues, including hiring and terminations, employee privacy and data protection, compensation and benefits, discrimination and equality, absence and sick leaves, and unfair competition. Additionally, its Global Mobility & Immigration practice advises clients on matters related to international employee mobility, including tax and social security issues.

PCS was founded by Sławomir Paruch and his partners Łukasz Chruściel, Karolina Schiffter and Robert Stępień. Paruch, an accomplished attorney with more than 20 years of experience, represents clients in employment-related court disputes across Poland. He has extensive experience with collective labor disputes, corporate restructuring, trade union relations, non-competition agreements, and regulations involving remuneration and financial incentives for employees.

Chruściel serves as head of the firm’s Katowice office and is one of the country’s leading authorities on labor law and social security regulations. Schiffter advises clients within the firm’s Global Mobility and Immigration practice and has guided the practice’s growth to one of the largest operating within a law firm in Poland. Stępień, head of the Krakow office, draws on wide-ranging experience counseling employers on hiring and terminations, outsourcing, trade union relations and collective labor agreements.

PCS will collaborate with other Littler European offices and further expand the firm’s capabilities throughout the continent. According to Dr. Thomas Griebe, a founding partner of Littler’s offices in Germany, “We have long been familiar with partners of PCS, and with their depth of experience resolving employment disputes and advising on complex workplace issues. The opportunity to team up with such a strong neighboring partner will boost our capabilities in Central Europe and bring significant value to our clients regionally and globally.”

Littler’s international operations span four continents – North America, South America, Asia and Europe – and include Austria, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, France, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Poland, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United States and Venezuela. The firm’s global capabilities also include U.S.-based lawyers with exceptional international experience, who are dually licensed practitioners in Australia, Brazil, China, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa.

Venable LLP announced today that it has elected 12 attorneys to the firm partnership. The new partners, from Venable’s Baltimore, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Tysons, and Washington, DC offices, are emerging leaders from a broad cross section of the firm’s practice groups, including Commercial Litigation, Corporate, Environmental, Intellectual Property, Political Law, Real Estate, Tax and Wealth Planning, and Zoning and Land Use.

Stu Ingis, chairman of Venable, said, “We are excited to welcome this group of attorneys to the firm’s partnership. They have each made significant contributions to the firm through their dedication to client service, outstanding legal abilities, and commitment to the communities in which we work. Their promotions reflect our confidence in their continued success and contributions to the strength of the firm. In these challenging times, developing and promoting our attorneys remains a core area of focus at Venable.”

The following attorneys are joining Venable’s partnership effective June 1, 2020.

Baltimore, Md., Office

Christopher S. Davidson advises clients on a wide range of federal and state tax issues involving corporate, partnership, international, and individual income tax.

Evan T. Shea is an experienced trial and appellate attorney who focuses on complex commercial litigation and white collar criminal defense.

Ashley C. Short focuses on estate planning for high-net-worth individuals. She assists clients with preserving assets for future generations, leaving a charitable legacy, and administering complex estates.

Los Angeles Office

Thomas Baxter advises media, entertainment, and technology companies, and private equity firms in the entertainment and media industries, as well as celebrities, athletes, fashion designers, and influencers in connection with their business activities.

Bret P. Siciliano represents clients in various industries on a wide range of business transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, private placements, real estate transactions, joint ventures, transactional advertising matters, and sponsorships and endorsements.

New York City Office

Erin J.D. Austin is a patent litigator experienced with Hatch-Waxman Act litigation and contested proceedings before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), including inter partes reviews and interferences.

Jared L. Stringham is a patent litigator with experience representing pharmaceutical companies in Hatch-Waxman Act litigation at both the district court and Federal Circuit levels, as well as in inter partes proceedings before the USPTO.

San Francisco Office

Benjamin C. Pelletier is a registered patent attorney with extensive experience advising clients in all aspects of patent portfolio development and management.

Tyler G. Welti focuses on environmental, regulatory, and litigation matters, drawing on his experience with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. He helps clients navigate environmental issues during project development and operation, regulatory proceedings, challenges to permits and rules, citizen suits, and enforcement actions, as well as a variety of other litigation matters.

Tysons, Va., Office

G. Evan Pritchard focuses on securing zoning and land use approvals for developers and landowners in jurisdictions throughout Northern Virginia, including Arlington County, Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax, and the City of Falls Church, among others.

Washington Office

Julia Lane Mooney focuses on commercial real estate law, concentrating her practice on the acquisition, disposition, development, financing, and leasing of retail, office, multifamily, and industrial property.

James E. Tyrrell III focuses on complex political law compliance and campaign finance regulation for a wide range of corporate and political clients.

Venable LLP is an American Lawyer Global 100 law firm headquartered in Washington, DC that serves as primary counsel to a worldwide clientele of large and mid-sized organizations, nonprofits, high-net-worth entrepreneurs, and other individuals. With more than 850 professionals across the country, including California, Delaware, Maryland, New York, Virginia, and Washington, DC, the firm strategically advances its clients’ objectives in the U.S. and around the globe. Venable, which is celebrating its 120-year anniversary, advises clients on a broad range of business and regulatory law, legislative affairs, complex litigation, and the full range of intellectual property disciplines. For more information, please visit www.venable.com.

Venable LLP announced today that it has promoted 18 attorneys to counsel effective June 1, 2020. The new counsels, from Venable’s Baltimore, Los Angeles, New York, Towson, Tysons, and Washington, DC offices, represent a broad cross section from the firm’s four divisions—Business, Government, Intellectual Property, and Litigation.

Stu Ingis, chairman of Venable, said, “We are excited to promote these attorneys to counsel. Each continues to progress and advance in their careers by delivering excellent legal work, developing professionally, and upholding the firm’s values. In these challenging times, developing and promoting our attorneys remains a core area of focus at Venable.”

The following attorneys were promoted to counsel.

Baltimore, Md., Office

Nick Collevecchio assists clients in a broad range of corporate and commercial matters, with a particular focus on complex mergers and acquisitions, debt financings, equity investments, and commercial contracts.

Gabe Steele represents public and private companies, including many REITs, in connection with securities law matters, major strategic transactions, corporate governance, capital markets transactions, and private financings.

Los Angeles Office

Witt Chang litigates a wide range of commercial disputes, primarily on behalf of businesses engaged in traditional and burgeoning Los Angeles industries, including new media and entertainment, advertising and marketing, hospitality, and real estate.

Ken Kronstadt helps clients resolve complex commercial, insurance recovery, media and entertainment, and intellectual property disputes.

New York City Office

Rob Bugg brings experience in a broad range of intellectual property disputes, with an emphasis on complex patent litigation and post-grant proceedings before the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) Patent Trials and Appeals Board.

Josh Calabro litigates patent infringement and trade secret misappropriation cases and represents clients in proceedings before the USPTO, including both interference and inter partes review proceedings.

Shannon Clark focuses her practice on patent litigation, contested proceedings before the U.S. Patent Office, and pre-lawsuit investigations, involving pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.

Whitney Meier focuses on complex patent litigation and contested proceedings before the USPTO, with an emphasis on pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.

Evan Minsberg counsels payments companies, lenders, lead generators, fintech platforms, and other financial services providers on product development, regulatory, and transactional issues.

Jonathan Sharret assists clients in complex intellectual property disputes, including patent and trade secret litigation and inter partes review, with a focus on electrical engineering and computer science technologies.

Towson, Md., Office

Adam Rosenblatt represents local, regional, and national clients in analyzing and complying with land use regulations primarily related to real estate development.

Tysons, Va., Office

Taylor Chapman represents clients in a wide array of complex commercial litigation, including claims involving employee mobility, teaming and subcontract agreements, misappropriation of trade secrets, real estate contracts, trust and estate disputes, business torts, false advertising, and shareholder derivative claims.

Washington Office

Jackie DiRamio focuses on patent prosecution and counseling, and due diligence analysis, including freedom-to-operate and infringement studies, and patent licensing and transactions. Her work involves a variety of scientific areas, including the mechanical, electrical, biological, and chemical arts, as well as medical devices and consumer goods.

Paul Feinstein assists clients on a variety of antitrust issues, including government investigations, pre-merger notifications, civil litigation, and strategic counseling.

Anna Katherine (A.K.) Moody advises individuals and families on all aspects of estate planning, including estate administration and multigenerational wealth transfer strategies.

Daniel Straga counsels publicly and privately held companies on a wide variety of corporate and business matters, with a particular focus on cross-border acquisitions, divestitures, internal reorganizations, venture capital transactions, and investment fund formations

Ryan Sweigard focuses on technology transactions, intellectual property, and commercial contracts, including licensing, cloud computing and software as a service (SaaS), strategic alliance, joint venture, strategic sourcing, new product development, and other complex commercial transactions. Ryan is admitted to the bar in MD and VA. He is practicing in DC under the supervision of Venable partners admitted in DC.

Ryan Ward brings a wide variety of technical knowledge and experience to his patent prosecution, right-to-use, and infringement analyses. He works primarily in the software, Internet, medical device, telecommunications, and fintech fields.

Venable LLP is an American Lawyer Global 100 law firm headquartered in Washington, DC that serves as primary counsel to a worldwide clientele of large and mid-sized organizations, nonprofits, high-net-worth entrepreneurs, and other individuals. With more than 850 professionals across the country, including California, Delaware, Maryland, New York, Virginia, and Washington, DC, the firm strategically advances its clients’ objectives in the U.S. and around the globe. Venable, which is celebrating its 120-year anniversary, advises clients on a broad range of business and regulatory law, legislative affairs, complex litigation, and the full range of intellectual property disciplines. For more information, please visit www.venable.com.

In its continued effort to broaden the firm’s service offerings across strategic growth areas, Stroock has added partner Eric Aronson to its Litigation Group and senior counsel Jeffrey Meyers to its Commodities, Derivatives and Energy practice.

Aronson maintains a comprehensive litigation practice, bringing wide-ranging experience at the trial and appellate levels, while Jeff focuses on varied energy, corporate and transactional matters across the globe.

Aronson routinely advises public and private companies and management teams on issues as varied as securities, construction, environmental law and intellectual property. His regular clients include top financial institutions, real estate developers, life sciences companies, private equity groups and closely held corporations.

Aronson’s experience includes litigation in federal and state courts nationwide, as well as domestic and international arbitrations. He has also argued appeals before numerous state and federal appellate courts.

His recent matters include representing a consumer products company in CERCLA litigation and related regulatory issues regarding the largest Superfund Site in the United States, defending a nationwide class action involving labeling claims, representing a financial services company regarding certain debt instruments, and guiding a major closely held retailer in a series of shareholder litigations and related disputes.

Meyers, a prominent energy lawyer, has extensive experience in the development and financing of domestic and international energy projects, and the acquisition and sale of interests in energy facilities and companies totaling billions of dollars and thousands of megawatts.

Throughout his career, Meyers has worked on matters involving wind, solar and other renewable energy generating projects, biofuels production facilities, fossil fuel-fired generating facilities, oil and gas exploration and production and midstream activities and investments in energy technologies.

Earlier this quarter, Stroock added Allison Miller, a well-recognized corporate lawyer with wide-ranging experience in corporate law and restructuring and special situations transactions.

“The Louisiana Supreme Court reinstated a lawyer Tuesday who had been suspended for a year and a day for chest bumping a prosecutor in a judge’s chambers,” reports Debra Cassens Weiss in ABA Journal’s Latest News.

“The state supreme court reinstated Baton Rouge lawyer Felix Anthony DeJean IV in a per curiam opinion. The opinion said DeJean had complied with reinstatement criteria.”

“Concurring Justice Scott Crichton said DeJean had attended counseling, acknowledged his wrongdoing, and recognized the seriousness of his actions. He presented character witnesses who told of his good character and self-improvement.”

“DeJean had been convicted of simple battery for the March 2015 incident. District Attorney Bradley Burget of Concordia Parish had claimed that DeJean exchanged words with him, physically confronted him and chest bumped him. DeJean received a suspended jail sentence in the criminal case along with 18 months of supervised probation that required him to complete an anger management program.”

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“The new norm of social distancing, and a recent decision out of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, are changing the way arbitrations are conducted. Now is the time to update the arbitration provisions in your contracts to take advantage of these changes the next time you have to arbitrate a dispute,” writes Henry R. Chalmers in Arnall Golden Gregory’s News & Insights.

“The standard arbitration hearing has always involved the parties, attorneys, witnesses, and arbitrators together in the same room, similar to an informal trial setting. The COVID-19 pandemic may change that for the foreseeable future. Just as businesses are transitioning away from in-person conferences and towards Zoom meetings, so too are arbitration hearings.”

“The Rules for many arbitration tribunals—like the American Arbitration Association and JAMS—allow arbitrators to decide whether to hold hearings in person or via video conference, unless the parties have agreed otherwise. So, the next time you negotiate a contract with an arbitration provision, think about whether it would be to your advantage to require that disputes be arbitrated in person or remotely, then draft that into the contract.”

Chalmers provides a few things to consider in making this decision.

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“Sprague Resources LP has agreed to reduce air pollution from heated petroleum storage tanks at its facilities in South Portland, Searsport and five other New England cities, according to a federal lawsuit and proposed consent decree filed,” reports Kelley Bouchard in Press Herald’s Local & State.

“Under the proposed settlement, Sprague must properly license and take steps to reduce odors and emissions of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, from heated tanks storing No. 6 heavy residual fuel oil and asphalt.”

“In addition to Sprague’s facilities in Maine, the settlement applies to tank farms in Everett, Quincy and New Bedford, Massachusetts; Newington, New Hampshire; and Providence, Rhode Island.”

“The federal Environmental Protection Agency had filed violation notices against Sprague’s facilities in recent years because they were unlicensed to store No. 6 oil or asphalt in heated tanks, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Boston.”

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“Attorney General Maura Healey has reached a $380,000 settlement with a Canton-based building contractor accused of falsely claiming they had hired minority- and women-owned subcontractors as required on a $15 million dollar state project,” reports Paul Singer and Chris Burrell in WGBH’s local news.

“The company, ENE Systems, Inc. — a systems engineering firm that has worked on major building projects across the region — denies any wrongdoing, and said it tried to meet the hiring goals, but it agreed to pay $300,000, give up another $81,000 remaining on the contract and conduct an annual review of its own compliance with state requirements for hiring minorities and women. The settlement is the seventh “false claims” case brought by the AG’s office over the past decade against companies accused of failing to meet minority hiring commitments, and is the second largest. Six of these cases have been brought by a new false claims division created by Healey in 2015.”

“Earlier this year, an investigation by WGBH’s New England Center for Investigative Reporting showed that minority-owned businesses — black owned businesses in particular — receive only a tiny fraction of the billions of dollars state agencies spend each year on contractors, and their share of state contracts and discretionary agency spending has declined over the past 20 years.”

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“FBI General Counsel Dana Boente announced his retirement from the bureau,” reports Brooke Singman in Fox Wilmington’s Politics.

“Dana J. Boente, a longtime federal prosecutor, announced he will retire from his post as FBI general counsel by the end of June.”

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“Sony/ATV Music Publishing has promoted Peter Brodsky to General Counsel and Executive Vice President, Business Affairs, the company announced Wednesday (May 27). Brodsky is based in the company’s New York office and reports directly to Sony/ATV Chairman and CEO, Jon Platt,” reported by Variety’s Music news.

“According to the announcement, as General Counsel and EVP, Business Affairs, Brodsky leads the company’s legal and business affairs department worldwide. He is responsible for building and implementing its global business strategy as well as providing guidance and counsel on all Sony/ATV legal matters. Brodsky also oversees Sony/ATV’s major catalog acquisitions, North American digital initiatives and strategies for licensing its catalog to digital music services and other platforms.”

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“Racing and casino company Churchill Downs, organizer of the world-famous Kentucky Derby race, has agreed to pay $124 million to settle two class action lawsuits, according to news reports. Australian computerized gambling system and spinning reel slot machine maker Aristocrat Leisure Ltd. will pay the rest of the $155 million settlement, or $31 million,” reports Rhian Hunt in The Motley Fool’s Investing News.

“The lawsuits, Thimmegowda v. Big Fish Games and Kater v. Churchill Downs, relate to the Big Fish Games online gambling brand, which Churchill Downs sold to Aristocrat in 2018. That year, a 9th Circuit court ruling said the Big Fish’s virtual chips indeed constitute online gambling, making them illegal in Washington state, where groups of online bettors launched civil lawsuits over their Big Fish losses, which in one instance stacked up to more than $300,000.”

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“J.P. Morgan Chase agreed to pay $9 million to settle allegations by current and former participants in the company’s 401(k) plan that fiduciaries violated their ERISA duties by retaining expensive investment options and failing to look for cheaper and better-performing replacements,” reports Robert Steyer in Pensions & Investments Courts.

“Terms of the preliminary settlement, which still requires court approval, were filed May 22 in U.S. District Court in New York. The parties had announced in early April that they had reached a tentative agreement in the case of Beach et al. vs. J.P. Morgan Chase Bank et al.”

“J.P. Morgan and its affiliated defendants declared there was no wrongdoing, according to the settlement document.”

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“Investors suffering losses from Bayer’s Roundup legal woes are finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, as the German conglomerate is said to be nearing a final settlement that could put tens of thousands of lawsuits behind it,” reports Angus Liu in FiercePharma’s Pharma.

“Bayer has reached verbal agreements with a large proportion of about 125,000 U.S. plaintiffs who allege Roundup causes cancer as part of a $10 billion plan to end all legal claims around the weedkiller, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the negotiations.”

“Wrapping up the legal battle at $10 billion would be a win for Bayer, as it has lost $30 billion in market value since the Monsanto buyout, through which it inherited Roundup.”

“So far, Bayer has lost all three trials that ended with combined $191 million in damages, though the company is still fighting them in appeals court.”

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DALLAS (May 29, 2020) – Perkins Coie is pleased to announce that Jill Louis has joined the firm’s Corporate & Securities practice as a partner in the Dallas office. Louis’ addition to the Dallas office follows the opening of the firm’s Austin office in February and the recent addition of John Treviño in Dallas, a privacy law attorney, as Perkins Coie continues to grow and expand its Texas operations.

Louis advises public and private companies in mergers and acquisitions, franchise transactions, corporate governance matters, and commercial contracts across a wide range of industries, including industrial, retail, technology, healthcare, and business services. She also advises on road transportation issues, project infrastructure matters, and the creation and implementation of contract management processes for public and private companies. Louis has worked with companies of all sizes, from startups to Fortune 50 corporations. Louis served in the corporate legal departments of major Dallas-based corporations for more than 15 years before returning to private practice in 2016.

Louis received her J.D. from Harvard University and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Howard University. She is well known in Dallas civic and philanthropic circles and serves on several boards, including as a director at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, an executive board member of KERA, and as a member of the board of trustees for Howard University.

Sidley Welcomes Life Sciences Corporate Partner Frank Rahmani in Palo Alto

Sidley Austin LLP is pleased to announce that Frank Rahmani has joined the firm in Palo Alto as a partner in the Corporate practice, with a focus on emerging companies and capital markets. Rahmani will also be a member of Sidley’s award-winning Global Life Sciences practice. He was previously a partner at Cooley LLP.

Rahmani advises emerging growth and public companies in the life sciences and technology industries. Working closely with founders, CEOs, boards of directors and investors, Rahmani counsels clients in a broad range of matters, from formation and spin-off transactions, to financings and public offerings, governance, mergers and acquisitions, strategic collaborations, and technology acquisition and licensing matters.

Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, announces the launch of the Littler Restructuring Assessment Solution, a resource for employers forced to make critical decisions about reductions in force (RIFs), furloughs, layoffs and other workforce restructuring measures.

The holistic solution provides businesses with a proactive, strategic and defensible approach to workforce restructurings by leveraging Littler’s deep bench of attorneys with extensive experience in this area – and enhancing their work with cutting-edge technology. The approach can also give employers the opportunity to plan ahead for bringing select employees back into their workforces.

With Littler’s solution, employers receive timely and practical guidance to help formulate and execute a strategy for workforce restructurings. Here’s how it works:

• Consultation. The process starts with a consultation to understand the company’s business objectives. Littler’s experienced attorneys provide counsel on potential approaches to achieve those goals that align with their specific business needs and comply with the myriad of federal, state and local regulations.
• Analysis. Next, an adverse impact analysis is conducted in a privileged context using Littler’s proprietary technology. The tool provides a comprehensive assessment of the impact of selection criteria, both in various strata of the company and regarding the company as a whole. The analysis helps clients see in real-time how modifying selection criteria affects statistical results and assists in achieving fair and effective workforce adjustments.
• Execution. With the statistical analysis complete, the team analyzes the results to help clients establish a strategy, as well as preserve an evidentiary record of the analysis conducted. While this analysis is privileged, the privilege can be waived in any future litigation if desired.

In addition to Notestine, Littler’s core team of attorneys with decades of experience helping employers plan, devise and execute complex workforce restructurings includes shareholders Robert Long, Bruce Millman, Marko Mrkonich, Terri Solomon, Daniel Thieme and Jennifer Youpa, among others.

Littler’s Restructuring Assessment Solution is the latest in a long line of innovative and practical resources the firm provides to employers. Littler’s Service Solutions – including the Littler Pay Equity Assessment (a technology tool for conducting audits and guiding legal strategy), Littler onDemand (a data-driven solution for employment law advice and counsel) and Littler CaseSmart® (the firm’s approach to efficiently managing employment litigation) – are designed to provide clients with efficient legal counsel, help shape legal and compliance strategies, and spot trends that can inform critical business decisions.

“Spearheading growth in the fintech sector, payments innovator Contis is delighted to announce the appointment of Lara Oyesanya FRSA as its first General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer. Lara joins the Executive Team with responsibility for legal, risk, compliance & fraud, and human resources,” as reported in Yahoo Finance’s News.

“This important strategic appointment delivers for Contis’ ambitious growth plans. By bringing legal functions in-house, Contis can react to the market with agility and speed, improve client acquisition and reduce onboarding times. Lara’s appointment also brings experience in leadership and corporate culture from across the fintech space.”

“Lara joins from Klarna Bank AB, the successful Swedish ‘buy now pay later’ fintech where, as UK Counsel and Legal Director, she led the acquisition of Close Brothers Retail Finance.”

Read the article.

“Plaintiffs lawyers shouldn’t have been awarded $280,000 for negotiating a $15,000 settlement, a Los Angeles appeals court has ruled,” reports John O’Brien in Legal Newsline Stories.

“The California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District issued its ruling on May 21 in a blow to lawyers who claimed to spend more than 800 hours on the lawsuit and initially requested close to $600,000 in fees and expenses.”

“The decision comes in a former server’s lawsuit against Fleming’s Steakhouse & Wine Bar’s. She alleged she was deprived her 10-minute breaks, but her lawyers claimed the settlement included wage and hour claims that entitled them to recover fees.”

“Afterwards, attorneys at Felahy Employment Lawyers and Yash Law Group sought $580,794 in fees and more than $16,000 in costs, claiming they spent 869.6 hours were incurred. They said the wage and hour claims were ‘closely intertwined’ with retaliation and wrongful termination claims.”

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