Washington, D.C. Partner Baruch Fellner and Associate Michael Billok are the authors of "Scrutinizing Workplace Fatalities" [PDF] published in the National Law Journal on May 21, 2007. The article analyzes how companies familiar with OSHA procedures can assist in an investigation and reduce liability risk. Reprinted with permission, The National Law Journal, © 2007 ALM Properties, Inc
May 21, 2007
With the newly installed, Democrat-controlled Congress comes a greater focus on aggressive congressional scrutiny of private- and public-sector behavior.
May 14, 2007
Claims against a party (D) for intentionally causing economic loss to another (P), in situations where D is neither in a contractual or other legal relationship with P, have been possible under English law for several centuries.
May 11, 2007
European Commissioner for Competition Neelie Kroes is maintaining her push for ownership unbundling in the electricity and gas sectors. Despite the protests of the French and German governments, the Commissioner is intent on forging ahead.
May 4, 2007
On April 30, the Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion in KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., which has the potential to reshape long-standing Federal Circuit law and United States Patent and Trademark Office practice on determining whether a patent is "obvious" under 35 U.S.C.
May 3, 2007
The National Toxicology Program recently released a draft report on its two-year studies of rodents exposed to hexavalent chromium in drinking water. These studies were undertaken because of concerns raised by a number of California legislators and regulatory offices, including the California Environmental Protection Agency, the California Department of Health Services, and the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
May 1, 2007
On April 30, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a 7-1 decision in Microsoft Corp. v. AT&T Corp. that held that Microsoft is not liable under 35 U.S.C.
April 30, 2007
On April 10, the IRS issued final regulations interpreting the rules and standards under Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code ("Section 409A"). Our client memorandum of April 11 summarizes key provisions of the regulations. Section 409A provides various rules that "deferred compensation" must satisfy in order to avoid unfavorable tax treatment of employees, directors and other service providers, including immediate income tax, a 20% penalty tax, and an interest charge. In addition, some states (including California) have implemented similar rules, and deferred compensation payments that do not comply with Section 409A can be taxed at marginal rates exceeding 75%.The sweep of Section 409A is extremely broad, and reaches far beyond traditional nonqu
April 26, 2007
The Ritz-Carlton, McLean, VA OVERVIEW: This briefing included a comprehensive review of pressing market, diligence and tactical decisions required to complete a transaction.
April 26, 2007
On Monday, April 23, 2007, the Supreme Court held oral argument in United States v. Atlantic Research Corporation, Case No. 06-562. The Court granted certiorari in Atlantic Research to answer a question that it expressly left open in Cooper Industries, Inc.
April 24, 2007
London Partner Dorothee Fischer-Appelt is the author of "Implementation of the Transparency Directive--room for variations across the EEA," published in the Capital Markets Law Journal, an Oxford University Press publication, April 23, 2007.Reprinted with permission, Capital Markets Law Journal, Oxford University Press, © 2007 Dorothee Fischer-Appelt.
April 23, 2007
On April 5, the IRS issued final regulations under Section 415 of the Internal Revenue Code (“Code”). Section 415(c) of the Code generally limits the amount of annual contributions to a tax-qualified defined contribution plan on behalf of a participant to the lesser of 100% of compensation or $40,000 (adjusted for inflation; currently $45,000).
April 16, 2007
On April 10, the IRS issued long-awaited and often-delayed final regulations ("Regulations") interpreting the deferred compensation rules under Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code ("Section 409A").
April 11, 2007
Welcome to the first Quarterly Executive Summary of 2007, in which we highlight key developments in UK Labour and Employment Law over the past three months.A headline summary of cases and developments is provided below.
April 4, 2007
On March 27, 2007, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted new rules that will make it easier for foreign private issuers to terminate the registration of securities under Section 12(g), and their reporting obligations under Section 13(a) or 15(d), of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”).
April 4, 2007
Jonathan Dickey and Jeffrey Minnery are authors of "Liability Issues for Audit Firms - The Risk of Catastrophic Exposure Prompts Calls for Liability Reforms," published in the Securities Litigation Report, April 2007.
April 2, 2007
New York associate Farrah Pepper is the author of "Getting Ahead of the E-Discovery Curve: The Junior Attorney's Guide," [PDF] published in the Spring 2007 issue of the Consumer and Personal Rights Litigation Newsletter (ABA Section of Litigation).
April 2, 2007
I. Introduction/Status of German REIT LegislationOn March 30, 2007, the German Public REIT Introduction Act ("G-REIT Act") was passed by all German legislative bodies and becomes effective retroactively as of January 1, 2007.
March 30, 2007
Gibson Dunn partner Karen Manos is the co-author of "Cost & Pricing Issues" [PDF] which appears in the West Group Government Contracts Year in Review 2007.
March 30, 2007
On March 19, 2007, Chiquita Brands International, Inc. pleaded guilty to one count of doing business with a terrorist organization. James Thompson, senior vice president and general counsel for Chiquita, entered the plea on behalf of the company in the U.S.
March 23, 2007