“The current COVID-19 pandemic has forced many businesses online in order to survive. In many cases, businesses had no plans to be online. Others were forced to move online more quickly than planned,” writes John E. Ottaviani in Partridge Snow & Hahn’s Client Alerts.

Partridge Snow & Hahn “have prepared a series of articles discussing some of the more important legal issues to address when moving your business online. Website Terms discusses online terms and conditions to protect your business. Privacy Policy discusses how your business collects, uses and discloses personal information of others. Third Party Content discusses the risks of copying photos, music, videos, and other content created by third parties onto your website. E-Commerce Policies discusses e-commerce policies that a website selling products or services should have in place. Creating Enforceable Contracts discusses the safest method to ensure that you can enforce your online terms and conditions protecting your business. Written Information Security Programs (WISPs) discusses several reasons why it is important for all businesses to prepare a WISP and to keep it updated. Protecting Your Brand discusses the process of selecting and protecting your brand.”

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“Arbitration agreements are an increasingly popular way for employers to manage employment disputes effectively and efficiently. A common provision in arbitration agreements is a class action waiver, wherein the parties agree to resolve any dispute on an individual basis. Any employer who has faced a wage and hour class action understands how complex and expensive such cases can be to defend, regardless of merit,” warns Michael Thompson in California Employment Law Report.

“A recent published decision from the California Court of Appeal reminds us that arbitration agreements are subject to many of the pitfalls of contract. Specifically, regardless of what you want it to accomplish, a contract is only as good as what it actually says.”

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“Non-disclosure agreements (“NDAs”) can play a key component in encouraging American businesses to hire personnel, entrust them with valuable or confidential information, enter into joint ventures with other companies and resolve disputes in a mutually agreeable way (to name only a few scenarios),” advises E. Phileda Tennant in Vinson & Elkins’ Insights.

“However, NDAs can and have become a point of contention in a world that is – rightly – more focused than ever before on sexual harassment issues and conduct in the workplace.”

She discusses three mandatory items needed to have a firm grounding in basic elements for drafting legal NDAs.

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