Features

New DOJ Self-Disclosure Pilot Program Increases Risk for Startups
The DOJ has created new incentives for employee, or anyone, to report criminal misconduct allegedly committed by companies and their agents. Given their often laxer internal reporting structures and higher employee turnover rates, startup companies should pay particularly close attention to this new development to best mitigate legal risks.
Features

Plans for New CA State Bar Exam Still In the Works, Despite IP Concerns
The State Bar of California's plans to launch a new state bar exam are still in the works even though Kaplan North America, which had been chosen to develop the exam, recently asked to withdraw from participating, citing intellectual property concerns raised by the National Conference of Bar Examiners.
Features

User Privacy Issues In AI Applications
Without specific legal guardrails, the use of AI tools must be approached with caution, especially with regard to privacy. This article addresses some of the issues that users and companies using AI applications should be considering in addressing the privacy of users and their transactions.
Features

Turning Troubled Company Communication Around
Effective communication is critical during times of change within a company. But it's possible to turn troubled communication around and transform a potentially negative situation into a positive one. The key is getting out in front of your mistakes with transparency and genuine apologies … easier said than done.
Columns & Departments
Landlord & Tenant Law
Landlord Not Entitled To Lock Out Subtenant Landlord Did Not Release Tenant from Rent Obligation Allowable Rent Increases Permitted Luxury Decontrol
Columns & Departments
Players On the Move
A look at moves among attorneys, law firms, companies and other players in entertainment law.
Features

Is the Rule Preventing Bankruptcy Judges from Appointing Special Masters Outdated?
Rule 9031 of the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure prevents all bankruptcy judges, and, if broadly interpreted, any federal judge hearing bankruptcy cases and proceedings, from appointing special masters. The rule has not been amended since its adoption in 1983. It is outdated and should be repealed or amended to accord with the reality of today's complex Chapter 11 cases.
Features

NJ Supreme Court: Commercial Property Owners Have a Duty to Maintain Abutting Sidewalks
In a 4-3 decision on June 13, the New Jersey Supreme Court reversed an Appellate Division opinion in a slip-and-fall case, concluding that all commercial landowners have a duty to maintain public sidewalks and are liable to pedestrians who are injured as a result of their negligent failure to do so.
Features

Fourth Circuit Could Decide Fate of the 'Texas Two-Step'
An influential appellate court has agreed to take up a bankruptcy involving the controversial "Texas two-step," potentially deciding the merger tactic's fate in future Chapter 11 cases. The Fourth Circuit agreed to hear a petition to dismiss the bankruptcy of Bestwall, a subsidiary of Koch Industries-owned Georgia-Pacific, created through a "Texas two-step" to resolve 60,000 lawsuits over asbestos exposure.
Columns & Departments
Bit Parts
Music Publishers' Nashville Lawsuit Over Alleged Use of Lyrics in AI Generative Program Is Sent to California Federal Court New York Appellate Court Affirms Dismissal of Fashion Model's Publicity Right Claim Over Ralph Lauren Documentary New York Federal Court Applies Written Contracts Clause to Determine Intent in Implied TV-Distribution License Dispute
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