All Perspectives

ArentFox Schiff served as legal counsel for Merchants and Manufacturers Bank Corporation, the holding company for Merchants & Manufacturers Bank, in the signing of a definitive agreement with First Busey Corporation, pursuant to which Busey will acquire M&M Bank through a merger transaction.

On October 27, the US Departments of Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services (the Departments) issued new proposed rules intended to revamp the negotiation and arbitration proceedings established under the No Surprises Act (the Act).

US Dollar London InterBank Offered Rate (LIBOR) had been considered the world’s most important number, as it was utilized in hundreds of trillions of dollars of financial instruments worldwide. However, as a result of the LIBOR manipulation scandal that erupted in June 2012, LIBOR, as we knew it, is no more.

On October 7, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed three new bills into law mandating disclosures and reporting related to greenhouse gas emissions, climate risks, and emissions reductions claims.

New York state is poised to enact a radical change to its employment laws: the elimination of all noncompetition agreements. A sweeping bill passed by the state Legislature in June 2023 now awaits signature from Governor Kathy Hochul, who is considering the measure. Although well-intentioned, this legislation is deeply misguided. The governor would be wise to reject it.

Environmental and energy issues were in the headlines for much of 2023.

ArentFox Schiff is pleased to announce that Chairman Anthony V. Lupo has received the prestigious Trademark Prosecutor of the Year award by the Bar Association of the District of Columbia (BADC).

A major new research paper has concluded what many doctors had long believed was true – that patients can be switched between reference (or name brand) biologics and biosimilars with no issues involving the safety profiles or immunogenicity rates of the two drugs.

Recently, there has been an ever-increasing trend of companies utilizing “bring your own device” (BYOD) policies that permit employees to use their own personal devices, such as smartphones, tablets, or laptops, for work purposes.

Health Care Practice Leader Douglas Grimm will present at Palmetto Care Connections’ 11th Annual Telehealth Summit of South Carolina on December 5, 2023.

The City of Chicago has passed a Paid Leave and Paid Sick Leave Ordinance entitling covered employees up to 10 days of paid leave per year: 40 hours of leave for any reason (Paid Leave) and an additional 40 hours of Paid Sick Leave.

Government Relations Partner Craig Engle presented at the American Conference Institute’s National Forum on FARA – Foreign Agents Registration Act in Washington, DC, on December 1, 2023.

Megan (Woodward) Daily was profiled by Washington Lawyer magazine on her ongoing dedication to pro bono work, specifically with the Nonprofit and Small Business Legal Assistance Programs at the DC Bar Pro Bono Center.

With the recent passage of Assembly Bill (AB) 254 and AB 1697, California’s Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA) will extend privacy protections to reproductive and sexual health information on mobile applications and internet websites.

Headlines that Matter for Companies and Executives in Regulated Industries

On November 29, the US Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a final rule extending the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) deadline to file initial beneficial ownership information (BOI) reports for entities created or registered in 2024.

ArentFox Schiff successfully represented Alexander Wang Inc. in an $81 million copyright infringement and unfair competition suit in the US District Court for the Central District of California, and in an appeal before the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

ArentFox Schiff is representing Penguin Random House (the world’s largest trade publisher), four award-winning authors (Laurie Halse Anderson, John Green, Malinda Lo, and Jodi Picoult), the Iowa State Education Association, teachers, a librarian, and a student in a lawsuit challenging Iowa’s book banning law.

On November 8, 2023, nearly thirty (30) labor groups including the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the United Auto Workers (“Labor Groups”) sent a letter to the Secretary of Transportation and the Acting Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”)

Fred Weber will participate in a panel presentation on estate planning and administration for digital assets at the STEP Bermuda Conference 2023 on November 30, 2023.

On July 1, 2020, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) was implemented. A clear and significant negotiation objective was to position the North American vehicle and parts industries with a competitive advantage in a fast-growing global marketplace. Now, in its fourth year, Washington is seeking public feedback to determine if this objective is being realized.

On October 27, the Biden-Harris Administration announced new initiatives across various governmental agencies to support and encourage the conversion of high-vacancy commercial buildings in downtown urban environments to residential use.

ArentFox Schiff is advising famed French fashion designer Christian Louboutin, known for his red-soled shoes, in a joint lawsuit filed with social media giant Meta against alleged counterfeiter Cesar Octavio Guerrero Alejo.

A first-of-its-kind environmental justice (EJ) lawsuit filed by a group of Louisiana churches and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) was dismissed this week.

AI, Metaverse & Blockchain Industry Group Co-Leader Dan Jasnow discussed the new tentative agreement between the SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP that safeguards protections for actors surrounding the use of artificial intelligence and the replication of their voice and likeness using tools like CGI.