Expert Analysis

• What New Packaging Waste Laws Mean For Franchisors

  

  With states ramping up laws establishing extended producer responsibility programs for packaging materials, paper products and single-use food service ware, restaurant and hospitality franchisors face special compliance challenges as they navigate a delicate balance between conflicting priorities, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

• What's Next After NLRB Dismissal Of SpaceX Suit

  

  Though the National Labor Relations Board’s recent decision to dismiss its long-running unfair labor practice complaint against SpaceX on jurisdictional grounds temporarily resolves a circuit split over injunctions, constitutional and employee-classification questions remain, say attorneys at Proskauer.

• Series

  Playing Piano Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Playing piano and practicing law share many parallels relating to managing complexity: Just as hearing an entire musical passage in my head allows me to reliably deliver the message, thinking about the audience's impression helps me create a legal narrative that keeps the reader engaged, says Michael Shepherd at Fish & Richardson.

• AI Trade Secret Conviction Highlights Espionage Risks

  

  A California federal court's conviction last month of an ex-Google engineer who stole artificial intelligence trade secrets for the benefit of China is the latest in a series of foreign economic espionage cases and illustrates the urgent need for U.S. companies to implement robust security measures, says attorney Peter Toren.

• A Look Inside The EEOC Probe Of Nike's DEI Practices

  

  The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's recent sweeping subpoena against Nike for alleged discrimination against white employees and applicants signals a dramatic change in enforcement posture toward diversity, equity and inclusion programs that were previously permissible, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

• 11th Circ. May Bring Tectonic Shift To FCA Qui Tam Actions

  

  The Eleventh Circuit's upcoming decision in Zafirov v. Florida Medical Associates, assessing whether the False Claims Act permits ordinary citizens to stand as officers of the federal government, could significantly limit private relators' ability to bring FCA actions, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.

• NYC Energy Storage Guidance Clarifies Compliance Pathways

  

  The New York City Department of Buildings’ recently issued bulletin provides long-awaited clarity on how battery storage systems may generate greenhouse gas emissions deductions, materially expands compliance pathways for building owners and creates new opportunities for providers, say attorneys at Hodgson Russ.

• What 4th Circ.-Approved DEI Ban Means For Employers

  

  The Fourth Circuit’s recent lifting of the injunction against two executive orders banning recipients of federal funds from conducting diversity, equity and inclusion programs means employers should conduct audits to minimize their risk of violating federal antidiscrimination laws or the False Claims Act, says Jonathan Segal at Duane Morris.

• NY RAISE Act Raises The Bar For Frontier AI Developers

  

  For organizations developing or substantially modifying highly capable artificial intelligence models, the New York Responsible AI Safety and Education Act represents a meaningful escalation beyond California's S.B. 53, even though it applies to a narrower group of developers, so companies should expect additional obligations, particularly around accelerated incident reporting, say attorneys at Kilpatrick.

• Takeaways From CFPB's Retreat On Immigrant Fair Lending

  

  Practices discouraged under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Justice Department's 2023 statement on the treatment of immigration status under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act may now be permissible following its recent withdrawal, making it crucial for lenders to follow unfolding fair lending developments in this area, say attorneys at Steptoe.

• New Foreign Bribery Guide Can Help Int'l Cos. Identify Risks

  

  In light of growing global coordination on anti-bribery enforcement, the International Foreign Bribery Taskforce’s recent guide to foreign bribery indicators represents a step forward in the standardization of factors for evaluating corruption risks that multinational companies should consider, say lawyers at Paul Weiss.

• What DOJ's New Trade Fraud Push Means For Cos.

  

  The U.S. Department of Justice's announcement this week that it is elevating trade fraud to an economic and national security imperative sends an unmistakable message to multinational corporations, importers, compliance professionals and supply chain managers that the days of laissez-faire enforcement are over, says Markus Funk at White & Case.

• How States Are Using Antitrust Principles In Climate Litigation

  

  While recent climate-related cases brought by state attorneys general in Michigan, Nebraska and Texas take different ideological positions, they are united by their embrace of classical antitrust principles and the traditional consumer welfare standard — but these cases deploy this framework in new ways, says Gwendolyn Lindsay Cooley at Lindsay Cooley Law.

• Bank Action Items For FDIC Digital Display Rule Compliance

  

  Recently finalized Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. rules enhance the flexibility of signage requirements for bank websites, digital banking applications and ATMs, but new compliance hurdles will require cross-functional resources to avoid risk ahead of next year's compliance deadline, say attorneys at Winthrop & Weinstine.

• 3 Cases Highlight SEC Distinction Between Exec, Co. Liability

  

  Three recent enforcement actions against Spero Therapeutics, Lottery.com and Archer-Daniels-Midland demonstrate that while public companies are subject to liability for misrepresentations, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is focused on individual liability when disclosure violations involve so-called half-truths, say attorneys at Cooley.