Alerts

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (December 2017) ushered in significant changes to the wealth transfer tax system.

Right before the holidays, President Trump and his Administration took significant steps toward using economic sanctions to tackle international human rights abuses and corruption.

On January 4, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the rescission of an Obama-era Department of Justice guidance known as the “Cole Memo” that provided guidelines for the federal enforcement of state-compliant marijuana possession and regulation of marijuana production.

The DOL will adopt the “primary beneficiary” test endorsed by those courts in evaluating internships sponsored by private employers.

The beginning of a new year often brings new regulations or changes to programs. Customs programs are no exception. We have listed some key January 2018 changes for importers below.

The Department of Justice recently published its annual False Claims Act (FCA) recoveries statistics for Fiscal Year 2017, reporting $3.7 billion in FCA settlements and judgments in FY 2017.

Often grandparents or other family members or friends would like to make additional gifts but have already bumped up against their annual gift tax limits.

The Supreme Court of California unanimously reversed the Fifth District Court of Appeal and upheld the constitutionality of an amendment establishing a Mandatory Mediation and Conciliation process for “first contract” negotiations extending beyond 90 days.

The National Labor Relations Board has reinstated a previous long-standing rule, holding that union employers do not have to bargain over “changes” to employment terms as long as they are consistent with past practice.

On December 22, 2017, President Donald Trump signed into law sweeping tax reform legislation, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).

FCRA claims have been on the rise, particularly those alleging employers’ background check authorization forms contain unlawfully extraneous information.

Congressional Republicans have reached an agreement on a tax reform proposal that will dramatically change the US tax code. The final agreement will have widespread implications for small business, partnerships, and multinational corporations.

NLRB recently overturned a case that had established a standard for evaluating the legality of employer handbook policies.

Based on recent activity in Congress, the possibility of a shutdown of US federal government activities for at least a brief period of time is looming larger. The government is currently funded through December 22, 2017 and the prospect of a shutdown before the end of the year is growing.

While the development and use of innovative technology for students is currently exploding in the education sector, so are the laws governing it. Education technology, commonly referred to as “Ed Tech,” is well established in most schools and continues to grow.

The Second Circuit recently issued a decision with important implications for companies dealing in or handling biometric data.

Punctuated by the very public October 2017 downfall of Harvey Weinstein, dozens of employers in a wide variety of industries have faced a media storm of negative publicity due to allegations of workplace sexual harassment.

On December 5, 2017, the US Department of Labor (DOL) announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding the tip regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). 

Peter Robb, the new General Counsel of NLRB, issued a memorandum in December 2017 entitled “Mandatory Submissions to Advice.”

In effect, the Third Circuit’s decision provides additional protection to trade vendors that conduct business with distressed debtors. 

Last week, Tarukino, Inc., a Seattle, WA based beverage company, announced the launch of six cannabis-infused beverage products, which the Washington State Liquor Control Board had recently approved for marketing in the state.

The US Food and Drug Administration recently issued warning letters to four companies.

On November 8, 2017, the Federal Trade Commission held a workshop entitled, “Understanding Competition in Prescription Drug Markets: Entry and Supply Chain Dynamics.”