Regulation

Primary concerns - in-house lawyers lobby against shake-up of share offering regulation

By Alex Aldridge | October 13, 2010

The decision to split the Financial Services Authority (FSA) between the Bank of England and a new Consumer Protection and Markets Authority (CPMA) was greeted unenthusiastically by lawyers, many of whom questioned the need for such upheaval given the FSA's improved performance over the last couple of years. Now a further plan to extract the UK Listing Authority (UKLA) from the FSA and relocate it within the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is generating another wave of discontent.

1 minute read

EU derivative reforms: the shape of things to come

By Legal Week | October 13, 2010

On 15 September, the second anniversary of Lehman Brothers' bankruptcy no less, the European Commission published draft legislation overhauling the regulation of Europe's over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives market. The proposed legislation covers all OTC derivative contracts entered into by European Union-domiciled financial and non-financial institutions. It contains a framework for centrally clearing most standardised derivative contracts and scrutinising and controlling those which are not; beefy regulation of central counterparties (CCPs) and trade repositories; and strict reporting requirements to those newly-created trade repositories.

1 minute read

Kicking the tyres - how to avoid falling foul of US anti-corruption laws

By Legal Week | October 6, 2010

Corporate buyers beware. That's the advice of Billy Jacobson, co-general counsel at Weatherford International. When a US company is planning to acquire an overseas business, it should do a thorough check for evidence of corruption, he says. If the deal goes through and prosecutors later find violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the acquirer could be hit with criminal charges, as well as face multimillion-dollar penalties.

1 minute read

Latham launches corporate jargon iPhone app for deal lawyers

By Legal Week | September 15, 2010

Latham & Watkins has launched a new iPhone application which provides deal lawyers easy access to a digital glossary of financial, legal and regulatory jargon, reports The Am Law Daily. The new app, called The Book of Jargon, offers free access to more than 750 definitions of corporate and finance slang and terminology.

1 minute read

JP Morgan recruits BoA legal veteran for new banking reform brief

By Legal Week | September 10, 2010

JP Morgan Chase & Co has appointed a senior banking lawyer to a newly-created brief to deal with a raft of financial regulatory reforms occurring around the world, writes Corporate Counsel. The US banking group this week (8 September) announced the hire of Gregory Baer, a deputy general counsel at Bank of America Corporation, to the new post. In a memo to staff, JP Morgan general counsel Stephen Cutler wrote that Baer will be joining the firm at the end of September as managing director and general counsel for corporate and global regulatory. Baer will report to Cutler while splitting his time between New York and Washington DC.

1 minute read

Austria's Schoenherr launches compliance and white-collar crime practice

By Suzi Ring | September 8, 2010

Austria's Schoenherr has launched a dedicated compliance and white-collar crime practice in response to an increase in client demand. The new practice will be led by partners Wolfgang Hoeller and Heidemarie Paulitsch, and will specialise in advising companies that have been damaged by criminal activities and face criminal liability.

1 minute read

Switzerland: Letting the outside in

By Suzi Ring | September 8, 2010

Switzerland's legal market has long been dominated by domestic law firms but recent changes in the banking sector and in financial legislation are encouraging a more international outlook, says Suzanna Ring

1 minute read

Norton Rose hires Linklaters practice chief for Italy antitrust launch

By Suzi Ring | September 7, 2010

Norton Rose is set to launch an antitrust, regulatory and competition practice in Italy with the hire of Linklaters' competition and antitrust head in the country. Andrea Zulli, who was a managing associate in Linklaters' Milan base, will join Norton Rose's local office as a partner in the coming months. He relocated to the region from London in May 2009 to launch a competition and antitrust practice for Linklaters.

1 minute read

Betting the pharma - Astellas GC Jerry Temko on the 'perfect storm' in the pharmaceuticals industry

By Alex Aldridge | September 1, 2010

Most in-house counsel have spent the recession attempting to maintain standards in the face of reduced resources. But Jerry Temko, general counsel and chief compliance officer of the European arm of Japanese pharmaceutical giant Astellas, has been very much in proactive mode. The credit crunch and subsequent economic crisis didn't change Temko's robust pursuit of breaches of patents and licensing contracts - in fact, if anything, it has strengthened resolve to police the company's intellectual property (IP). The strategy has paid off: during the last five years Astellas has recovered over ‚Ǩ10m (£8.2m) in patent damages from generic pharma companies and in excess of ‚Ǩ6m (£4.9m) from change of control licensing events. "Generating these recoveries changes the role and perception of the legal team; it means we're not simply a cost centre," says Temko.

1 minute read

Former Herbert Smith senior partner Gold takes BAE compliance role

By Claire Ruckin | August 31, 2010

Herbert Smith's former senior partner David Gold has been appointed by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) to act as a corporate monitor of BAE Systems. The position was approved by the US Attorney General's office yesterday (30 August) and will see Gold act in an independent capacity to assess and monitor BAE's compliance with a plea bargain agreement it entered into with the DoJ earlier this year. The appointment takes effect form 1 September and will last for a minimum of three years, during which time Gold will commit at least three days a month to the role.

1 minute read

The Recorder

California Regulators Adopt New COVID-19 Workplace Rules

By Cheryl Miller | June 4, 2021

Eric Berg, head of CalOSHA's research and standards division, said the continuing mask mandates were designed to protect unvaccinated and immunocompromised workers.

3 minute read

Legaltech News

SCOTUS 'Van Buren' Ruling Makes Policing Employee Conduct More Complicated

By Victoria Hudgins | June 4, 2021

Employers may have lost one legal mechanism for enforcing employee computer usage, but lawyers note Thursday's U.S. Supreme Court decision doesn't erase all remedies.

4 minute read

Law.com

Law.com Cannabis Briefing: Canopy Cites Merrick Garland | California Cannabis Enforcement | 280E Challenged at SCOTUS | Who Got the Work

By Cheryl Miller | June 3, 2021

Welcome to Higher Law, the premier Law.com briefing focused on cannabis lawyering. This week we're looking at California's top cannabis enforcement priorities • The latest filing in a cannabis tax petition at the US Supreme Court • Canopy Growth's name-dropping of AG Merrick Garland in an SEC filing

10 minute read

Legaltech News

An Emerging Digital World: The Possibilities and Legal Gray Zones of Non-Fungible Tokens

By Matt Rizzolo. Regina Sam Penti and Raffi Teperdjian, Ropes & Gray | June 2, 2021

For companies planning to bet on NFTs, the ability to navigate their gray areas effectively is crucial to realizing the company's strategic objectives.

8 minute read

New York Law Journal

Goldman Sachs Sanctions Specialist Heads to Steptoe

By Bruce Love | June 1, 2021

Dave Stetson's move comes when clients may be dealing with increased sanctions against Russia. He's also moving shortly after Goldman's in-house team weathered a series of blows.

1 minute read

Law.com

Law.com Compliance Briefing: Willkie 'Foreign Agent' Filings Reveal Registration Pitfalls | Peek at Regulatory Partner Comp at DC Boutique | Who Got the Work | White-Collar & Compliance Headline Roundup

By Mike Scarcella | June 1, 2021

Welcome to Compliance Hot Spots, our weekly snapshot on white-collar, regulatory and compliance news and trends.

1 minute read

Law.com

Law.com Cannabis Briefing: Is Big Law Swallowing Up Cannabis Work? | Solicitor General Backs Ruling for IRS | Garfunkel Wild Launches Cannabis Practice

By Cheryl Miller | May 27, 2021

Welcome to the Law.com Cannabis Briefing: Higher Law. This week we're looking at: Big Law's push into boutiques' cannabis turf • The solicitor general's defense of 280E, again • Garfunkel Wild's new cannabis practice. Let's dive in.

1 minute read

Law.com

Law.com L&E Briefing: 'Arbitration Is a Real Scourge' | Skadden's Office Return Plan | Roundup of Big New Suits: Who Got the Work | Headlines: 'Most Employers Shy Away From Mandating Coronavirus Vaccines'

By Mike Scarcella | May 27, 2021

Welcome to Law.com's Labor of Law, our labor and employment dispatch spotlighting big cases, key issues and developing trends.

1 minute read

Daily Report Online

How the Insider Trading Prohibition Act Would Change Enforcement

By Andrew Mason | May 26, 2021

This language opens up a whole new frontier for insider trading enforcement.

5 minute read

Law.com

Employers Must Be Mindful of Pay Practices, As Criminal Charges for Underpayment of Workers Becomes Increasingly Common

By Carolyn H. Kendall and Abraham J. Rein | May 26, 2021

Hillary Clinton's 2015 statement about the possibility of incarceration for employment-related failures was, to many, an alarming prospect. Since that time, this movement has grown, and has recently gained momentum. Today, prosecutors across the country increasingly seek criminal fines and jail time for what were previously seen as non-criminal labor violations.

1 minute read