Expert Analysis

• How To Create A California-Compliant Piece-Rate Pay Policy

  

  Piece-rate compensation can encourage worker efficiency and productivity, but California has special rules for employers that use this type of pay plan, so careful execution and clear communication with employees is essential for maintaining compliance, says Ashley Paynter at Riley Safer.

• Series

  ESG Around The World: Australia

  

  Clive Cachia and Cathy Ma at K&L Gates detail ESG-reporting policies in Australia and explain how the country is starting to introduce mandatory requirements as ESG performance is increasingly seen as a key investment and corporate differentiator in the fight for global capital.

• What New EPA Enforcement Initiatives Mean For Industry

  

  With the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent announcement that climate change, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, and coal ash will be major investigation and enforcement targets in the coming years, the oil and gas, chemical, and waste management sectors should anticipate increased scrutiny, say Jonathan Brightbill and Madalyn Feiger at Winston & Strawn.

• Bat's Newly Endangered Status Likely To Slow Development

  

  A recent change in the classification of the northern long-eared bat from "threatened" to "endangered" could have significant effects on development in large portions of the Eastern and Southeastern U.S. — and in the absence of straightforward guidelines, developers will have to assess each project individually, says Peter McGrath at Moore & Van Allen.

• Twitter Legal Fees Suit Offers Crash Course In Billing Ethics

  

  X Corp.'s suit alleging that Wachtell grossly inflated its fees in the final days of Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition provides a case study in how firms should protect their reputations by hewing to ethical billing practices and the high standards for professional conduct that govern attorney-client relationships, says Lourdes Fuentes at Karta Legal.

• Opinion

  Laws Based On Rapid Drug Tests Are Unscientific And Unfair

  

  Given the widespread legalization of marijuana, states are increasingly implementing laws to penalize drivers under the influence of drugs, but the laws do more harm than good as the rapid tests they rely on do not accurately measure impairment, say Josh Bloom and Henry Miller at the American Council on Science and Health.

• Self-Disclosure Lessons From Exemplary Corp. Resolutions

  

  With scant examples of corporate resolutions in the wake of U.S. Department of Justice self-disclosure policy changes last fall, companies may glean helpful insights from three recent declination letters, as well as other governmental self-reporting regimes, say Lindsey Collins and Kate Rumsey at Sheppard Mullin.

• The Heat Is On For Calif. Employers Under New OSHA Rules

  

  California's Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently proposed rules would require significant efforts from employers in order to create heat safety protections for indoor workers — so they should take initiative now to get in compliance and ensure a safe and cool working environment, says Eric Fox at Quarles & Brady.

• Offshore Wind Auction Results Portend Difficulties In Gulf

  

  Results of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's recent auction of the Gulf of Mexico lease areas tell different stories about the future of offshore wind in the U.S., with the Gulf’s low interest suggesting uncertainty and the Mid-Atlantic’s strong interest suggesting a promising market, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

• ABA's Money-Laundering Resolution Is A Balancing Act

  

  While the American Bar Association’s recently passed resolution recognizes a lawyer's duty to discontinue representation that could facilitate money laundering and other fraudulent activity, it preserves, at least for now, the delicate balance of judicial, state-based regulation of the legal profession and the sanctity of the attorney-client relationship, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

• Bid Protest Spotlight: Unfair Advantage, Buy American Waiver

  

  In this month's bid protest roundup, James Tucker at MoFo offers takeaways on one decision that considers unfair proposal development advantages in the context of an employee's access to nonpublic information in a prior federal government position, and another decision that reconsiders a contract award based on an inadequately supported waiver of Buy American Act restrictions.

• Prevailing Wage Rules Complicate Inflation Act Tax Incentives

  

  Nicole Elliott and Timothy Taylor at Holland & Knight discuss the intersection between tax and labor newly created by the Inflation Reduction Act, and focus on aspects of recent U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Department of the Treasury rules that may catch tax-incentive seekers off guard.

• Regulators Must Get Creative To Keep Groundwater Flowing

  

  Even as populations have boomed in Sun Belt states like Arizona, California and Texas, groundwater levels have diminished due to drought and overuse — so regulators must explore options including pumping limits, groundwater replenishment and wastewater reuse to ensure future supplies for residential and commercial needs, says Jeffrey Davis at Integral Consulting.

• Issues To Watch As Biochar Carbon Project Demand Heats Up

  

  Entities considering financing, constructing or operating biochar projects should evaluate the increasing demand for biochar as a soil amendment, the potential to generate revenue from carbon credits and produce other byproducts, and a variety of legal hurdles in this rapidly emerging market, say Mackenzie Schoonmaker and Astrika Adams at Beveridge & Diamond.

• Law Firm Professional Development Steps To Thrive In AI Era

  

  As generative artificial intelligence tools rapidly evolve, professional development leaders are instrumental in preparing law firms for the paradigm shifts ahead, and should consider three strategies to help empower legal talent with the skills required to succeed in an increasingly complex technological landscape, say Steve Gluckman and Anusia Gillespie at SkillBurst Interactive.