BearingPoint and the Risk of Late SEC Filings
Companies that are late in filing their financial statements with the SEC may simultaneously trigger default provisions under their credit agreements and indentures. Accounting problems from practices such as the backdating of stock options make it difficult for companies to get auditors to sign off on their financial statements, resulting not only in a failure to meet SEC reporting deadlines but also a default under their loan agreements and cross-defaults under other agreements. This problem is widespread, with over 150 companies affected by the options backdating scandals and over 1300 companies in 2005 alone filing restatements of their financial statements with the SEC.
Features
Averting Data Security Threats From Portable Electronics
The proliferation of flash drives, iPods, camera cell phones, Black-berries, and similar electronic devices has put all companies at added risk for insider theft. With the use of these devices, downloading significant amounts of data is easy, virtually instantaneous, and often very difficult to detect. These risks apply to essentially all companies that allow employees access to electronically stored, confidential, and proprietary information.<br>So what is today's company supposed to do to protect its valuable, sensitive information in the face of the risks posed by new portable devices?
Data Security Breaches Offshore
Outsourcing decisions should be based in part on a comparison of data security in-house and at each vendor location; generally this is evaluated in terms of staff vetting, physical access security, database security, communications security, etc. But another vital consideration should be the effectiveness of each candidate location's legal preventive measures and remedies for data theft or misuse ' and the complexity and cost of securing those protections. This article, which surveys the state of data security legal protections in India, shows that making such a comparison is no simple matter.
Features
Just-in-Time Benchmarking
Benchmarking has long been a difficult undertaking for private service providers and for law firms in particular. While firm partners historically have tracked firm-wide metrics such as billings, profits per partner and individual productivity, firms have until recently not had the means or opportunity to benchmark performance at the practice group, office location and timekeeper level with any accuracy or currentness.<br>This article, as the title implies, discusses how refined performance measures are made possible by a new benchmarking tool, West Peer Monitor' from Thomson West
Client Attrition Analytics
While the managers of professional services firms often view market pressures as the driving force that determines whether clients remain loyal or choose to shop elsewhere for added services, a new study by the Redwood Think Tank indicates that firms have tremendous sway over which clients become long-term business partners.
Policing Employees' Online Access at Work
What are the risks for employers in instances where employees use company computers to access, view, download, store and possibly forward pornography or engage in illegal activities? How can corporate counsel both prevent these abuses and handle investigations if they suspect some kind of prohibited conduct is occurring in the workplace?
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EEOC Information Requests
Understandably, companies have become more sensitive about protecting confidential, proprietary business information from disclosure to competitors and others outside the company. A recent ruling by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, <i>Venetian Casino Report v. EEOC</i>, 2006 WL 2806568 (D.D. Cir. 2006), demonstrates that such disclosures may occur in the most unexpected ways.
Features
The Price of Holiday Parties
Now that the holiday season is over, employers may be facing fallout from their holiday parties. Although a review of recent cases asserting social host and workers' compensation liability reveals few reported decisions, there is likely no corresponding reduction in risk, and the increasing number of employers hosting holiday parties in recent years prompts an analysis of the challenges employers face in planning their annual holiday parties. It is not too soon to plan for next year's celebrations, while the experience from this year is fresh. This article discusses illustrative cases and suggests a number of concrete steps employers may wish to consider to reduce injuries and potential liabilities in planning their next holiday parties.
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