Features
Proactive Information Governance
Information governance (IG) is how organizations tackle growing data volumes ' identifying what's important, what isn't, and what to do with it all.
Features
<B><I>BREAKING NEWS</i></b>Supreme Court Lifts Stay on Kansas Same-Sex Marriages
Over the dissent of two justices, the U.S. Supreme Court on November 12 allowed same-sex marriages to go forward in Kansas.
Features
<b><i>Online Special Report</b></i> 'No Need to Rush': As State Bans on Same-sex Marriage Continue to Fall, the Supreme Court Dodges the Issue (for Now)
On the first day of its new Term, the Supreme Court declined to take up any of the cases before it in which state same-sex marriage bans had been struck down by lower courts. To the surprise of many Court watchers, the Justices denied certiorari in the cases, which stemmed from the Fourth, Seventh and Tenth Circuits. As a result, same-sex couples were immediately able to marry in five more states: Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Features
Key Considerations When Purchasing A Franchise
Buying a franchise can be a great path to business ownership for your clients. Unlike starting a business from scratch, they will be able to leverage the benefits of an established brand and a proven operating plan. But how to decide which franchise to buy?
Features
Social Media Invades and Modernizes Employment Practices
While there are not currently any laws in the United States forbidding employers from gleaning information from social media ' whether during the hiring process or at any point in the employment relationship ' improper use can get them into trouble.
Features
Deferred Compensation Plans under Section 409A
Section 409A applies to any arrangement that postpones payments of compensation to subsequent years. The Notice spells out what is and is not deferred compensation, Single-person Plans, "defined benefit" non-qualified plans, Supplemental Executive Retirement Plans (SERPs) and arrangements for non-employees (directors, trustees and independent contractors).
Features
Law Firm Security Pressures Alleviated With Financial Strategies
We know the consumer-industry stories of hackers infiltrating Target and, more recently, Home Depot. Law firms are now at the center of the storm because they store some of their clients' most sensitive business information and are viewed by criminal elements as a less-defended path to that data. Firms must take care to understand and respond to evolving security trends with response strategies.
Features
Digital Signatures In the Legal Market
Automated signing solutions are all around us: at the supermarket checkout; when we receive a package; at the doctor's office. Despite this, paper-based signing still finds its way into our regular operations, and too often remains there unquestioned.
Features
The Copyright Office's Revised Compendium's Views on Digital Content, Copyrightability
Much has been written about the so-called "monkey selfie" and the dispute about whether nature photographer David Slater owns a photo snapped by a macaque monkey. As entertaining as that story is, there are more practical and far-reaching consequences that arise out the Copyright Office's overhaul of its standards and practices. This is especially true for the type of digital and Internet-based businesses and technologies that operate on the entertainment industry landscape.
Features
EEOC Issues New Guidance on Pregnancy
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which has made discrimination against pregnant workers a focal point of its enforcement priorities over the past few years, ratcheted up its pressure on employers by publishing a new "Enforcement Guidance on Pregnancy Discrimination and Related Issues."
Need Help?
- Prefer an IP authenticated environment? Request a transition or call 800-756-8993.
- Need other assistance? email Customer Service or call 1-877-256-2472.
MOST POPULAR STORIES
- The 'Sophisticated Insured' DefenseA majority of courts consider the <i>contra proferentem</i> doctrine to be a pillar of insurance law. The doctrine requires ambiguous terms in an insurance policy to be construed against the insurer and in favor of coverage for the insured. A prominent rationale behind the doctrine is that insurance policies are usually standard-form contracts drafted entirely by insurers.Read More ›
- A Lawyer's System for Active ReadingActive reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.Read More ›
- The Brave New World of Cybersecurity Due Diligence in Mergers and Acquisitions: Pitfalls and OpportunitiesLike poorly-behaved school children, new technologies and intellectual property (IP) are increasingly disrupting the M&A establishment. Cybersecurity has become the latest disruptive newcomer to the M&A party.Read More ›
- Abandoned and Unused Cables: A Hidden Liability Under the 2002 National Electric CodeIn an effort to minimize the release of toxic gasses from cables in the event of fire, the 2002 version of the National Electric Code ("NEC"), promulgated by the National Fire Protection Association, sets forth new guidelines requiring that abandoned cables must be removed from buildings unless they are located in metal raceways or tagged "For Future Use." While the NEC is not, in itself, binding law, most jurisdictions in the United States adopt the NEC by reference in their state or local building and fire codes. Thus, noncompliance with the recent NEC guidelines will likely mean that a building is in violation of a building or fire code. If so, the building owner may also be in breach of agreements with tenants and lenders and may be jeopardizing its fire insurance coverage. Even in jurisdictions where the 2002 NEC has not been adopted, it may be argued that the guidelines represent the standard of reasonable care and could result in tort liability for the landlord if toxic gasses from abandoned cables are emitted in a fire. With these potential liabilities in mind, this article discusses: 1) how to address the abandoned wires and cables currently located within the risers, ceilings and other areas of properties, and 2) additional considerations in the placement and removal of telecommunications cables going forward.Read More ›
- Guidance on Distributions As 'Disbursements' and U.S. Trustee FeesIn a recent case from the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, In re Paragon Offshore PLC, the bankruptcy court provided guidance on whether a post-plan effective date litigation trust's distributions constituted disbursements subject to the U.S. Trustee fee "tax."Read More ›