“In January 2023, the Germany Supply Chain Due Diligence Act will come into effect, requiring businesses to monitor supply chains for human rights violations and compliance with environmental standards,” reports Steve Banker in Forbes.

“There has been supply chain legislation before whose goal was focused on making sure various aspects of ESG (Environmental, Social, & Governance) performance were enforced by companies. But, as Abigail Myers-Antiaye – the principal product compliance manager at Coupa – pointed out in a presentation at Coupa Inspire last week, supply chain practitioners have never seen compliance legislation that was so broad and impactful.”

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“The European Union may set more ambitious targets for its transition to renewable energy as it seeks alternatives to imports of oil and gas from Russia, EU climate policy chief Frans Timmermans said on Sunday. The EU’s 27 member states have agreed to collectively reduce their net greenhouse gas emissions by,” reports Aiden Lewis in Reuters.

“Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, the European Commission has also proposed that Europe cut imports of Russian gas by two-thirds this year, and is drafting plans to phase them out by 2027. The Commission is due to propose a Repower EU plan in May for how the bloc can quit Russian fossil fuels. What we will do in.”

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“Shares of China Railway Group Ltd. rose in early trading Friday after the company said that the value of new contracts in the first quarter rose 84%. Shares gained as much as 8.6% to 5.05 Hong Kong dollars (64 U.S. cents) Friday morning, on track for their biggest one-day rise in nearly two years,” reports Justina Lee in Market Watch.

“After the company said late Thursday that the value of new contracts in the first three months of the year rose to 605.74 billion yuan (US$95.23 billion). Contracts in China rose 82% on year, while overseas contracts more than doubled, it said. Citi analysts Eric Lau and Alice Cai said the jump was “impressive,” in a research note and it beat.”

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“Last season, the Suns knocked the Lakers out in the first round of the playoffs. This season, the Suns helped eliminate the Lakers from playoff contention by defeating them on Tuesday. The Lakers entered the night trailing the Spurs for the final spot in the Play-In Tournament by two games,” reports Scott Rafferty in The Sporting News.

“Since San Antonio won on Tuesday and owns the tiebreaker, Los Angeles can no longer finish higher than 11th in the Western Conference standings with only three games remaining in its season. It brings an end to a disappointing season for the Lakers, who entered with the second-best odds to win the championship. The problem! They are.”

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“The starting pitchers started to applaud, which began to ring through Busch Stadium’s visiting clubhouse, at which point, Cole Tucker began yelling out, “Rich guy! Rich guy Ke’Bryan Hayes started laughing, in the same understated, collective manner he always keeps. According to a source, the Pirates,” reports Alex Stumpf in DK Pittsburgh Sports.

“Their starting third baseman are in agreement on an eight-year, $70 million contract, plus a club option for a ninth year. It’s the largest term and amount in franchise history, finally surpassing the six-year, $60 million contract Jason Kendall signed Nov. 18, 2000. In my eyes, it shows how much they believe in me with what little time I have in the.”

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“Starting as a new associate at a law firm marks the exciting beginning of a dreamed-for legal career. But for many—especially women, minorities, or first-generation attorneys walking through the door doesn’t mean you know what to do, how to do it, or whom to ask for help. Mentorships can play a pivotal,” reports MP McQueen in Bloomberg Law.

“Finding a mentor who can offer ongoing guidance and support is key. We asked partners who were once mentored themselves to share how the experience affected their careers. They said professional guidance from a more experienced attorney a senior associate or partner who worked in their same practice area, or who shared similar.”

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“World Wrestling Entertainment Inc., coping with a raft of lawsuits over its business pursuits, has hired its third top lawyer since late 2020 in Elisebeth Collins. Collins, who will take over immediately as WWE’s general counsel, most recently was deputy general counsel for sales and services at Caterpillar,” reports Brian Baxter in Bloomberg Law.

“She joined the manufacturer in 2018 and previously served as its chief compliance officer and deputy general counsel for enterprise risk. Prior to Caterpillar, Collins spent almost two years at the Boeing Co. as lead counsel for the aviation giant’s autonomous systems division. WWE, whose chairman and chief executive officer is professional.”

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“An iCloud class action lawsuit has been settled out of court, with Apple agreeing to pay a total of $14.8M to US residents subscribing to one of the paid storage tiers during a specific time period. The payout was agreed upon after it was alleged that Apple breached the service terms and conditions by storing,” reports Ben Lovejoy in 9 t0 5 Mac.

“Apple has agreed to a $14.8 million settlement for breach of contract regarding the iCloud Service that Apple provides to its users. The crux of the case is that Apple breached the iCloud Terms and Conditions by storing iCloud user data using third-party servers rather than its own. The settlement includes anyone who paid for a subscription.”

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“A Cottage outside Floyd, Virginia, is a tranquil stage-set for Ellen Isaacs to wage one of the longest-running wars of the opioid epidemic: the battle to hold OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma, its owners and executives, to just account. It’s battle that Isaacs, a former mortgage fraud expert at Citigroup has,” reports Edward Helmore in The Guardian.

“The Securities and Exchange Commission last week proposed new rules that could put law firms, investment banks and other advisers on the hook for the lofty projections SPACs have used that aren’t allowed for traditional IPOs. Citibank will pause new SPAC IPOs, Bloomberg News reported this week, citing uncertainty around legal liability.”

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“Roger-Mark De Souza is Pact’s Vice President for Sustainable Markets. Over his more than 20-year career, De Souza has built social, economic, health and environmental justice and resilience programs, teams and movements across the world to encourage local ownership and empowerment. David,” reports CSR Wire in their blog.

“Bonnardeaux is the Director of Pact’s Environment practice. A seasoned environment and natural resource management practitioner, Bonnardeaux has more than 15 years of experience living and working across the globe, from Malawi, Ghana, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe, to Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, Mexico and Peru.  Cristina Villegas.”

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“This is an uncertain time for Big Law practices that piled into the SPAC craze in the past two years. Special purpose acquisition companies, which are alternatives to initial public offerings for presenting share sales, became so popular after years in financial obscurity that regulators are now scrutinizing them,” reports Roy Strom in Bloomberg Law.

“The Securities and Exchange Commission last week proposed new rules that could put law firms, investment banks and other advisers on the hook for the lofty projections SPACs have used that aren’t allowed for traditional IPOs. Citibank will pause new SPAC IPOs, Bloomberg News reported this week, citing uncertainty around legal liability.”

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“Foster Garvey, PC announced that Principal Dan Keppler has been promoted to General Counsel following the retirement of Cinda Fernald, an industry veteran who has spent close to four decades with the firm and held the position for nearly 14 years. Keppler, who is based in the firm’s Portland office,” reports PR Newswire in their blog.

“Associate General Counsel alongside Fernald since fall 2021, has more than 25 years of experience in securities litigation, legal malpractice defense and complex business litigation. In addition, he has regularly counseled professional and institutional clients on risk management issues, particularly involving securities liability.”

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“The Oregon Health Authority has agreed to a record settlement of nearly $23 million in a long-running lawsuit filed by FamilyCare, Inc., a former Medicaid insurer. The suit alleged the health authority used bad data which resulted in the agency underpaying FamilyCare. The company insured about,” reports Lynne Terry in Oregon Capital Chronicle.

“In 2017, FamilyCare sued the health authority in Marion County Circuit Court, its second suit against the agency. The case was transferred to the U.S. District Court in Eugene in 2018. It was due to go to trial next month. FamilyCare’s latest amended complaint sought $125 million in damages. Robb Cowie, lead spokesman for the.”

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“BlackBerry Ltd. says it has reached a deal to settle a drawn-out class action lawsuit alleging the company defrauded shareholders by making misleading claims about its BlackBerry 10 smartphones. Under the agreement in principle, the Waterloo, Ont., software company says it would pay $165 million to settle,” reports Global News in their blog.

“BlackBerry says it believes the allegations in the case are without merit but says the settlement would eliminate the distraction, expense and risk of continued litigation. It alleged that the company made a series of materially false and misleading statements and omissions concerning its now discontinued BlackBerry 10 smartphones that inflated.”

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“The noise in the sustainability space has gradually grown louder over the past few years, most often via forward-looking aspiration: bold commitments, proclamations of renewed corporate purpose, even a (nominal) redefinition of the corporation’s role in society,” reports Grant Harrison in the GreenBiz.

“But the past month marks the “suddenly” turning point. First, the SEC’s proposed rule on climate disclosure and, late last week, the International Sustainability Standards Board’s (ISSB) — the group chartered with creating a unified set of disclosure standards to meet investors’ need for sustainability information — delivery of proposals that create a comprehensive global baseline of corporate sustainability disclosures.”

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Contract Logix, a leading provider of data-driven contract management software, was awarded “Highest User Adoption” within G2’s Spring 2022 Mid-Market Contract Lifecycle Management Implementation Index and “Easiest to Use” within the G2 Spring 2022 Mid-Market Contract Lifecycle Management Usability Index for the second consecutive quarter. The company was also named a “High Performer” in all G2 Spring 2022 Grid ® Reports for Contract Lifecycle Management Software including Enterprise, Mid-Market and Overall for the fifth consecutive quarter. The company was also named a “Momentum Leader” for the first time due to its impressive year-over-year growth.

G2 rates products and sellers based on reviews gathered from its user community, as well as data aggregated from online sources and social networks. Momentum Leader awards go to products that rank in the top 25% of their category’s products by users.

Over the past two years, Contract Logix has seen a triple digit increase in the number of contracts and documents, digital contract requests, completed tasks, and automatic workflows triggered by its customers. This tremendous growth is evidence of high user adoption, its product’s ease of use, and the need and desire for nearly every industry to digitally transform and automate contracting processes. Digital contract transformation helps organizations increase compliance with key regulations like SOX and HIPAA, mitigate the risk of increasingly complex business relationships, and more quickly finalize agreements with suppliers, customers and partners.

A key differentiator and driver behind Contract Logix’s success is the company’s unique and proven customer success model. Every Contract Logix customer is assigned a Customer Success Manager (CSM) to help onboard, set up, and get the most value out of its platform in the fastest time possible. The company’s “Quality of Support” consistently ranks above average on G2.

“It is an honor to continue to be recognized as a CLM leader in G2’s reports because those ratings come from the people who use our software everyday to digitally transform their contracting processes – our valued customers,” said Jim Averill, Vice President of Customer Success, Contract Logix. “Contract Logix has been helping organizations streamline processes for over fifteen years and we will continue to help them accelerate and modernize the way they manage contracts moving forward in today’s increasingly digital and complex world.”

Katten announced today that it has begun moving into its new 125,000-square-foot New York home at 50 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, coinciding with the return to offices firmwide in a hybrid environment under a new flexible work policy.

“We are excited to have our New York office in this prime location, offering top workplace amenities and exciting new dining and retail that will make physical presence in the office more desirable for Katten team members as well as clients and other visitors,” said Katten CEO Noah S. Heller, who is based in New York.

“Moving to this premier spot is a great way to begin our hybrid work environment as the upgraded space is an improved option where our team can continue delivering superior client service,” Heller said. “Our return-to-work policy is built on trust in our people. They are working incredibly hard. This policy helps us seize a rare chance to redefine ‘normal.’”

The policy, called KattenFlex, allows Katten attorneys and business professionals, working with their practice and department heads, to decide when to work in the office or remotely. This approach applies to all firm employees, including those based in New York as team members there are relocating from the firm’s longtime office at 575 Madison Avenue.

“The move to Rockefeller Center, such a central and dynamic campus, will enhance Katten’s ability to expand in the world’s business capital, helping us continue to retain and attract top talent,” said Chris DiAngelo, managing partner of Katten’s New York office.

The firm plans to formally unveil the Rockefeller office with its many amenities later this year.

Katten signed a long-term lease for the new space in 2019 to occupy five floors in the 16-story building owned by Tishman Speyer and located near the legendary Radio City Music Hall, the storied NBC Studios, the popular Top of the Rock® Observation Deck and the famed Rink at Rockefeller Center.

Built in the 1930s, the newly renovated 50 Rockefeller Plaza is an Art Deco-style structure formerly known as the Associated Press Building that for decades housed that news agency’s headquarters. A distinctive part of the building is the façade’s 10-ton stainless steel sculpture by artist Isamu Noguchi titled “News” and located at the main entrance as a tribute to journalism. As part of its dedicated focus on hospitality, Tishman Speyer commissioned renowned design firm Studio Mellone to redesign the building’s lobby, which was recently completed. Last fall, Radio Park—a new green space on the roof of the building—opened, fulfilling the vision of the original architects.

As a new tenant, all Katten employees have access to ZO., Tishman Speyer’s comprehensive suite of amenities and services, including fitness programming, for tenants in its buildings worldwide.

The New York office move deepens the relationship between Katten and Tishman Speyer, the law firm’s current landlord in Chicago, and soon in Washington, DC, when Katten relocates its office there to 1919 Pennsylvania Avenue.

In leasing the new space, Katten was represented by its Real Estate partners Scott M. Vetri, chair of the New York Real Estate practice, and Andrew L. Jagoda, as well as its New York managing partner Chris DiAngelo and associate Ryan A. Gibbons. John Cefaly, Robert Lowe and Jon Herman of Cushman & Wakefield served as Katten’s real estate broker, and Cushman & Wakefield also provided project management services. J.T. Magen was Katten’s general contractor and Gensler was the design and architecture firm.

Katten is a full-service law firm with approximately 700 attorneys in locations across the United States and in London and Shanghai. Clients seeking sophisticated, high-value legal services turn to Katten for counsel locally, nationally and internationally. The firm’s core areas of practice include corporate, financial markets and funds, insolvency and restructuring, intellectual property, litigation, real estate, structured finance and securitization, transactional tax planning, private credit and private wealth. Katten represents public and private companies in numerous industries, as well as a number of government and nonprofit organizations and individuals.
For more information, visit katten.com.

Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright is expanding its Minneapolis office with 11 lawyers, including four partners, joining its Commercial Litigation and Products, Pharma, Medical and Mass Tort teams. These lawyers join from Blackwell Burke P.A., a boutique trial law firm recently honored as Benchmark Litigation’s “Minnesota Firm of the Year” for the sixth consecutive year.

Joining Norton Rose Fulbright as partners are Jerry Alcazar, S. Jamal Faleel, Benjamin W. Hulse and Mary S. Young. Of counsel Corey L. Gordon, senior counsel Emily Ambrose, Andy Crowder and Charmaine K. Harris, senior associate Ted Hartman and associates Gene Hummel and Amarachi Ihejirika complete the group.

Jeff Cody, Norton Rose Fulbright’s US Managing Partner, said:

“We have been part of the Minneapolis business community since 1994. Bringing in Jerry, Jamal, Ben and Mary, as well as their team—who regularly represent many of the Fortune 500 and have a client base that is highly complementary to ours—is an ideal match, as our firm has a long history of trial success and litigation excellence.”

Tim Kenny, Norton Rose Fulbright’s Minneapolis Partner-in-Charge, said:

“This dynamic team comes from a firm known for its high-profile litigation achievements and outstanding client service. Having collaborated as co-counsel with some of these lawyers, I have seen firsthand the excellence and professionalism they bring to Norton Rose Fulbright.”

Young, who was trained along with the other members of the 11-lawyer team by celebrated trial advocate Jerry Blackwell, said:

“We are pleased and excited to join Norton Rose Fulbright, where we will continue to provide unmatched service for our clients in the Twin Cities and on a national scale. The firm’s rich history as a leading trial firm and proven commitment to diversity were extremely important to us. We are thrilled that our team is remaining together and can continue to build on the trial work that is the cornerstone of our practice. This is a natural fit for us.”

Blackwell, who is leaving private practice to pursue a career in public service, said:

“This group has been family to me and I will miss them. They have distinguished themselves in the profession by punching above their weight, achieving outstanding results in the cases that matter most across the country as well as in community service, year after year. They excel in both litigation and in trial work, and have the experience to know the difference. I am proud of them and delighted to see them joining such a fine firm, simpatico in the pursuit of excellence in trial work and in the commitment to the community. I wish them and Norton Rose Fulbright all the best.”

Norton Rose Fulbright, which won the “Innovations in Diversity and Inclusion” award at last month’s Legalweek Leaders in Tech Law Awards, is focused on attracting diverse lawyers who are practice and sector leaders. With Alcazar, Faleel and Young, seven of the 10 US lateral partners who have joined the firm in 2022 are diverse in race or gender. In both 2020 and 2021, more than 40 percent of the US lateral partners added were diverse.

About the new partners
Alcazar serves as national litigation and trial counsel for major corporations. His practice includes product liability and high-stakes disputes. His trial and arbitration experience includes representing product manufacturers, food producers, grocery retailers, transportation companies and homebuilders.

Faleel serves as lead trial counsel and a trusted advisor to his clients on their most challenging high-stakes trials, litigation and regulatory matters. He has two decades of experience representing public and private companies across a broad spectrum of industries, including consumer products, healthcare and life sciences. He also serves as corporate counsel for one of the world’s largest consumer goods private label manufacturers, helping his client navigate its dynamic global regulatory and litigation landscape.

Hulse focuses on class action defense, mass tort defense and commercial litigation. He represents leading companies from several different sectors, including medical devices, food, health and fitness, oil and gas as well as banking and insurance. He is an experienced trial lawyer and frequently represents clients on appeal.

Young represents clients in complex matters across a broad range of substantive legal areas, including product liability, consumer fraud class actions, mass torts, and commercial litigation. She serves as national counsel and national coordinating counsel for Fortune 500 companies, defending claims in state and federal courts across the country, including in multidistrict litigation and consolidated proceedings.

Young and Gordon also served pro bono, with Blackwell, as members of the prosecution team that secured the conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd. They applied their decades of experience in trying large, civil cases to synthesize complex medical issues in a way that was clear and understandable for the jury.

Buchalter recently added a number of new attorneys to round out its White Collar and Investigations Practice, including the former Acting United States Attorney for the District of Arizona, Anthony Martin, as well as Adam Sechooler and Arielle Seidman. Launched in 2020, Buchalter’s White Collar and Investigations Group has quickly expanded into a robust practice, including over a dozen attorneys across the majority of the Firm’s offices.

“I am thrilled to welcome Anthony, Adam, and Arielle to the Firm,” said President and Chief Executive Officer, Adam Bass. “Anthony is a litigation powerhouse with an impressive government background and is a welcome addition to our Scottsdale office. Adam and Arielle bring extensive experience in high-stakes litigation disputes to Orange County. All three are incredible assets to our White Collar Group.”

Martin, who was also previously the Chief Deputy Attorney General of West Virginia, focuses his practice on government investigations, state attorneys general enforcement actions, and high-stakes, multi-jurisdictional litigation. Drawing on his extensive law enforcement and multi-state litigation background, he has managed civil and criminal litigation and investigations in a range of subject matter throughout his career. Martin’s diverse spectrum of experience dealing with government investigations has regularly received national attention and covered by the Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Reuters, CNN, Fox News, and others.

Sechooler and Seidman join Buchalter in its Orange County office. Sechooler focuses his practice on business litigation, high-stakes disputes, and white-collar defense. Before joining Buchalter, Sechooler practiced at an elite boutique litigation firm and clerked for the Honorable John W. Holcomb in the Central District of California. Seidman, formerly of Cravath, Swaine & Moore, has represented clients in groundbreaking litigation, including the defense of Qualcomm against FTC antitrust claims and pursuing RICO and human trafficking claims against a major multinational religious organization.

These additions follow Sanjay Bhandari’s joining the group this past November, based the firm’s San Diego office. Bhandari, a former federal prosecutor and SEC enforcement attorney, is an experienced civil and criminal trial lawyer, focusing on government investigations, white-collar defense, and intellectual property litigation. He has conducted numerous internal investigations, created and reviewed corporate compliance programs, and defended many individuals and corporations in government investigations and enforcement proceedings.

With the addition of Martin, Buchalter has now added four former federal prosecutors to its ranks. Combining their expertise with the firm’s substantial experience in defending government enforcement cases and other litigation in the financial services and health care industries, Buchalter now features one of the strongest white-collar practices in the western United States.

“Anthony, Adam, and Arielle are exactly the type of stellar talent we wanted to add to the team,” said Joshua Robbins, Co-Chair of the Firm’s White Collar and Investigations Practice. “Our group is putting down roots across the western region, and these attorneys will add tremendous value as we continue our expansion.”

Foley & Lardner LLP announced today that the firm has continued to grow its Salt Lake City office with the addition of R. Whitney “Whit” Johnson as a partner in its Electronics Practice Group. Johnson will bolster Foley’s growing team in Salt Lake City following the addition of the Business Litigation & Dispute Resolution Team in February and Real Estate Partner Melanie Clark in March.

Johnson brings 15 years of high-tech experience to the firm, with a concentration in technology, including computer software and hardware, Internet commerce, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, blockchain, electronics, software as a service, artificial intelligence, electromechanical technologies, automotive safety systems, energy utilization, and smart grid components. Johnson counsels clients on patent-related services, including U.S. and foreign patent procurement, patent portfolio management, and strategic counseling. This work encompasses patent preparation and prosecution, patent opinions, due diligence investigations, audits, and pre-litigation patent analysis.

“Whit’s holistic tech experience enables us to continue our growth in a region that is experiencing rapid growth in innovation,” said Paul Hunter, co-chair of the firm’s Electronics Practice Group. “His deep knowledge of technology and experience representing technology clients will be a boon to Foley’s presence in Salt Lake City.”

“We are excited to add Whit to our Salt Lake team and apply his knowledge as a senior-level patent counselor to expand our client offerings,” said David Wright, managing partner of the firm’s Salt Lake City office. “Whit is not only a strong fit for our team and existing clients, but his complementary practice serves as an attractive resource to prospects seeking a full-service firm.”

In addition to advising clients on developing, protecting, and utilizing intellectual property rights, Johnson counsels clients on intellectual property licensing and other transactions involving intellectual property assets and dispute matters. Johnson also provides non-infringement, invalidity, and freedom-to-operate opinions, performs product clearance analyses and due diligence investigations, and provides guidance regarding designing around patents.

“I’m thrilled to be joining the Foley team as we work to support the rapidly expanding Salt Lake City tech market,” said Johnson. “Foley’s robust platform, unparalleled quality of work, and deep bench of resources are critical elements to help our clients foster innovation and thrive.”

About Foley & Lardner LLP
Foley & Lardner LLP looks beyond the law to focus on the constantly evolving demands facing our clients and their industries. With approximately 1,100 lawyers in 25 offices worldwide, Foley approaches client service by first understanding our clients’ priorities, objectives and challenges. We work hard to understand our clients’ issues and forge long-term relationships with them to help achieve successful outcomes and solve their legal issues through practical business advice and cutting-edge legal insight. Our clients view us as trusted business advisors because we understand that great legal service is only valuable if it is relevant, practical and beneficial to their businesses.

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