Compliance

Expert Analysis

• EU Rule Presents New Medical Device Compliance Hurdles

  

  The European Union's new Medical Device Regulation coming into effect this May will create a revolutionary new legal framework for manufacturers, distributors and notified bodies, but introduces an urgent need to adapt infrastructure and data collection, say Sylvie Gallage-Alwis at Signature Litigation and Sylvie Gallage-Alwis at Exponent.

• How Fund Managers Can Avoid Political Contribution Missteps

  

  In this brief video, Peter Chan and Karl Egbert at Baker McKenzie, and Suzan Rose at the Alternative Investment Management Association discuss fund manager compliance and monitoring issues related to state and federal rules on campaign contributions, particularly in light of the recent election cycle.

• What's On The Horizon For Unclaimed Property In 2021

  

  Unclaimed property professionals who run holder compliance programs should buckle themselves in for what portends to be a perfect storm of legislative, enforcement and litigation contests this year between state administrators and holders, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

• Opinion

  6 Ways Financial Regulators Should Prioritize Climate Risk

  

  As the Biden administration prepares to take office, financial regulators must resolve to collaborate with each other and industries to manage the financial risks from climate change after years of obstruction by the Trump administration, says New York Department of Financial Services Superintendent Linda Lacewell.

• 4 Legal Industry Trends Litigation Financiers Are Watching

  

  Some recent litigation developments demonstrate efforts by law firms and their clients to search for opportunities in the COVID-19 economic fallout, while others — such as the rise of contingency fee arrangements — reflect acceleration of tendencies that were already underway, says William Weisman at Therium Capital.

• 4 Steps For Public Cos. Subject To New Executive Pay Rules

  

  To comply with recently finalized Internal Revenue Service regulations implementing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act's $1 million cap on compensation deductions, employee benefit and tax executives at public companies should understand who their covered employees are and identify compensation agreements subject to the rules, say Samuel Krause and Teresa Abney at Crowell & Moring.

• How EU Climate Regs May Affect US Private Fund Managers

  

  As compliance dates for the European Commission's environmental, social and governance rules draw closer, U.S. private fund managers should be aware that EU investors and subsidiaries could trigger climate risk data requests and compliance obligations, says Trysha Daskam at Silver Regulatory.

• Lenders' Role Will Be Key In NYC Green Building Loans

  

  New York City's Climate Mobilization Act, which will soon restrict large buildings' carbon emissions, provides for a loan program to help owners finance energy-efficient improvements — but the program's success will depend on mortgage lenders' participation, says Jason Rozes at Dechert.

• A Lawyer's Guide To Setting Well-Being Goals In 2021

  

  In the face of rising client demands due to the pandemic and the changing regulatory environment, and with remote work continuing for the foreseeable future, lawyers should invest in their well-being by establishing inspiring yet realistic goals for 2021 — one month at a time, says Krista Larson at Morgan Lewis.

• Lessons From 2020 Life Sciences Securities Class Actions

  

  Life sciences companies can draw important insights from the many dismissal opinions that federal courts issued during 2020 in securities actions arising from adverse U.S. Food and Drug Administration actions and clinical development setbacks, say Yvonne Puig and Peter Stokes at Norton Rose.

• Opinion

  Congress Must Fix The AML Whistleblower Law

  

  Fundamental differences between whistleblower provisions in the recently passed Anti-Money Laundering Act and the Dodd-Frank Act will render the new law ineffective until Congress amends it to fully conform to Dodd-Frank's highly successful reward provisions, says Stephen Kohn at Kohn Kohn.

• IRS Continuity Safe Harbor Will Aid Renewable Projects

  

  Recent Internal Revenue Service guidance expanding the continuity safe harbor to protect tax credit eligibility for qualified offshore and federal land renewable energy projects will provide certainty for developers who often face significant construction and permitting delays, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

• Keyword Searches To Improve Your Privilege Doc Review

  

  "Confidential" and other search terms commonly used to locate privileged documents during e-discovery are pretty ineffective, so practitioners should consider including specific types of keywords that are demonstrably better at targeting privilege, say Robert Keeling at Sidley and Rishi Chhatwal at AT&T.

• 6 Advertising Law Trends To Watch In 2021

  

  For the world of advertising, 2021 will bring new challenges and considerations shaped not only by the ongoing pandemic, but also by new legal developments regarding social media, cannabis and consumer privacy, say Jason Gordon and Casey Perrino at Reed Smith.

• Cybersecurity Event-Driven Securities Litigation Has Arrived

  

  A recent shareholder lawsuit against First American Title Insurance Co. highlights that securities litigation prompted by regulatory actions may become increasingly prevalent in the cybersecurity context, say attorneys at Pasich.