Pennsylvania

Expert Analysis

• Does ADA Cover Accommodations For Transgender Workers?

  

  Much has been written about whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act covers discrimination based on transgender status or gender identity, but how the Americans with Disabilities Act comes into play has largely remained uncharted territory. Until now, says Lindsey Conrad Kennedy of Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC.

• Arbitrators And Mediators Should Reflect Society's Diversity

  

  Alternative dispute resolution providers have made great strides toward diversity, but recent statistics show there is still work to be done. There are certain steps ADR providers can take to actively recruit more women and minority candidates to serve as arbitrators and mediators, says James Jenkins of the American Arbitration Association.

• Why AFAs Are Key To The Future Of Legal Practice

  

  Alternative fee agreements can help align law firm and client interests, increase efficiency and eliminate corporate extortion, among other benefits. They are the best thing to happen to the practice of law in decades, says Kelly Eisenlohr-Moul at Dinsmore & Shohl LLP.

• Transparency Versus Confidentiality In 2019 Tax Disputes

  

  The growing tension between government promises of transparency and taxpayers’ right to confidentiality is likely to continue this year, as highlighted by two recent developments in Pennsylvania and California, say Tim Gustafson and Mike Le of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP.

• 21st Amendment Vs. Commerce Clause At The High Court

  

  On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court hears argument in Byrd v. Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Association, highlighting the conflict between states’ rights to regulate alcohol under the 21st Amendment and the restrictions in the U.S. Constitution's commerce clause on states’ power to regulate interstate commerce, says Alva Mather of DLA Piper LLP.

• Series

  Judging A Book: Barron Reviews 'The Clamor Of Lawyers'

  

  Can lawyers lead a revolution? According to "The Clamor of Lawyers: The American Revolution and Crisis in the Legal Profession" — a slim but elegant volume by Peter Charles Hoffer and Williamjames Hull Hoffer — they can and they did, says First Circuit Judge David Barron.

• Pa. Properties With Billboards Could See Bigger Tax Bills

  

  In the Chester-Upland School District matter, decided last month, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania opened the door for taxing authorities to increase property assessments on parcels containing billboards based on the revenue such billboards may generate, say Kevin Boyle and Tyler Mullen of Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young LLP.

• State Net

  State Lawmakers Grapple With Proliferation Of E-Scooters

  

  As state legislators return to session this year, many face a new issue: the explosion of e-scooters on city streets. Municipal officials scrambling to evaluate the legality of the rental scooters are seeking policy guidance at the state level, says David Royse of State Net Capitol Journal.

• Opinion

  The Case For Lawyer-Directed Litigation Funding In NY: Part 2

  

  Lawyer-directed nonrecourse litigation funding is more likely to protect a lawyer's exercise of independent professional judgment than traditional means of litigation finance, and furthermore enables worthwhile cases that otherwise could not be funded, say Peter Jarvis and Trisha Thompson of Holland & Knight LLP.

• Opinion

  The Case For Lawyer-Directed Litigation Funding In NY: Part 1

  

  Contrary to what the New York City Bar Association concluded in an ethics opinion last year, lawyer-directed nonrecourse commercial litigation funding does not violate New York rules on sharing fees with nonlawyers, say Peter Jarvis and Trisha Thompson of Holland & Knight LLP.