On August 1, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the annual Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System (LTCH PPS) Final Rule for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, setting a new direction for payment systems within the healthcare sector. The final rule addresses several pivotal…
In a remarkable revelation, it has been stated that some job interviewers have been misusing their power, treating potential candidates as potential dating prospects. Such incidents can be viewed as disruptive for various professions and stir up important conversations about workplace ethics, boundaries, and appropriate behavior. The situation was recently made public by Christa Laser,…
In recent years, the prevalence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance (GRC) has seen an exponential rise. This thrust into the future is laden with emerging developments in AI, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Automation, and several other technologically advanced disciplines. The use of AI-driven technology within the realm of GRC…
Truth or Consequences: The impact of the revised Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) endorsement guidelines can’t be understated, especially for large corporations and law firms. With endorsements and testimonials playing a significant role in business growth, it is crucial to navigate this new landscape cautiously. Authored by Douglas A. Thompson and Sarah Richards, the report underscores…
In the recent Nevada federal court decision of Ceja v. The Vons Companies, the pitfalls of misinterpreting court orders requiring a representative with full settlement authority to be present at negotiations were thrown into sharp relief. Legal professionals and corporations alike must heed this case as a reminder that court interpretations on what constitutes full…
Discussions around civil damage awards currently bring to the fore an intriguing concept behind a trend in growing verdict sizes – “social inflation”. This phrase has increasingly been mentioned in conversations around the persistent trend of escalating “nuclear verdicts”. It refers to a phenomenon where typical award levels have been consistently rising as society becomes…
Sweet James LLP, a prominent Southern California personal injury firm, has recently filed a lawsuit against its competitor, Sweet Justice, and its attorney, Rafael Contreras Sweet. The suit is centered on allegations of trademark infringement, with Sweet James contending that it possesses common law rights to the “Sweet Justice” name. The lawsuit came to light…
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the UK’s financial markets regulator, released a detailed summary of its concerns related to the sustainability-linked loans (SLLs) market on June 29, 2023. This move comes in the wake of concerns mounting over banks overstating their participation in green financing, or what is known as “greenwashing”, which may falsely represent…
The United States Department of Labor (“DOL”) has recently finalized a rule which adjusts the manner in which prevailing wages are calculated for federally-funded construction projects. These adjustments are explicitly applicable to contracts that are subject to the Davis-Bacon Act and affiliated regulations. As outlined in a recent article, the alterations in the prevailing wage…
In an era increasingly dominated by digital transformation, the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the landscape across myriad sectors. Preeminent among these are the environmental and energy sectors, where the influence of generative AI is yielding significant results and driving innovative change. Instrumental to this revolution is the growth and development of…
Every year, leading legal news outlet Above the Law publishes a comprehensive compensation report for in-house attorneys. The purpose of this survey is to provide crucial benchmarking information for corporate counsel and their salaries across various factors. These factors include the size of the company they serve, the industry they work in, the size of…
On August 1, 2023, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the results of the second H-1B visa lottery, selecting a significant number of additional H-1B cap registrations to reach the annual quota of 85,000. This second lottery included an additional 77,400 selections by the USCIS, bringing the total number this year to…
In a pivotal move, the Texas Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of developers and builders looking to enforce arbitration agreements in construction cases. Two key victories gave tremendous impetus to the principle of ‘Arbitration for All’. Contrary to previous presumption, the court ruled that household members and subsequent purchasers bringing a construction defect claim…
Legal professionals operating in an array of multinational corporations and high-profile law firms are now dealing with a changing landscape when it comes to compliance auditing and monitoring. Given that, these experts have a unique and crucial opportunity to attend a virtual event hosted on September 6th, providing insight into some critical aspects of compliance…
The European Union’s Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR), which was adopted in late 2022, came into effect as an action to counteract competitive distortions instigated by foreign subsidies in the EU internal market. The mandate of the regulation is to establish an equitable business environment for EU companies, which have previously been subjected to stringent EU…
In a much-anticipated move, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its final guidance for the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) on June 30, 2023. MoFo Life Sciences reports. It is an unprecedented initiative aimed at lowering healthcare costs for millions of Americans. The strategy mandates that…
On August 1, 2023, The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) made a collective call to address the ongoing shortage of prescription stimulants in a joint letter addressed to the American public. As professionals in the legal field, this development touches especially on those of us working with pharmaceutical…
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has had a busy year in 2023. Though the first two months passed without any published sanctions enforcement actions, since March, OFAC published details on nine enforcement actions with some significant penalties. The focus of these enforcement actions serves as a key indicator…
In the world of class actions, distinct variations occur around the globe. These collective litigation procedures have been instrumental within the United States for decades, but their prevalence elsewhere varies greatly. Major legal players in the global arena, such as the European Union, approach class action litigation differently. Even within the United States, the landscape…
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has recently announced crucial modifications to the I-9 process. This includes the incorporation of a remote verification option for I-9 documents and an updated Form I-9. Interestingly, since March 20, 2020, the DHS has allowed employers to perform remote verification of I-9 documents for new recruits under specific circumstances….
The Biden-Harris administration is expanding its focus on artificial intelligence by introducing an AI development competition. In a report by Aislinn Keely dated August 9, 2023, the competition will challenge participants to create AI-enabled technology aimed at automating the security of pivotal national software solutions. The reward for this contest? A grand incentive of almost…
On August 2, 2023, a significant change occurred in the legal landscape of workplace rules in the United States with the adoption of a stringent new legal standard by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). This standard, adopted during the case of Stericycle, Inc., 372 NLRB No. 113 (2023), pertains to the assessment of the…
With an unprecedented global shift to remote and hybrid work schedules during the pandemic, legal professionals who handle HR affairs have undoubtedly noticed an uptick in complaints relating to remote work scenarios. A seemingly intractable issue facing corporations and law firms today is handling harassment in these digital landscapes. Still, many HR Departments are dialing…
In recent legal developments, the Supreme Court on June 30, 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis concluded resulting in a much-anticipated verdict. The court found that the First Amendment indeed blocks the state of Colorado from compelling, a website designer, to create expressive designs that would be at odds with her deeply held religious beliefs. This…
On July 24, 2023, the California Office of Administrative Law endorsed alterations made by the California Civil Rights Council (CCRC) to the regulations associated with California’s Fair Chance Act. The latter prohibits employers with a workforce of at least five from asking prospective employees about their conviction history until a job offer has been extended….