Client Alerts

In an election year, it’s worthwhile for nonprofit organizations to review the rules about public policy, lobbying, and political activities.

COVID-19 continues to create unprecedented challenges for businesses throughout the world. Manufacturers—particularly those in the automotive supply chain—are no exception. Due to continuing governmental directives and social distancing guidelines, many manufacturers, along with their suppliers and customers, find themselves unable to meet some or all of their volume demands due to capacity or output constraints.   

In a press conference on July 14, 2020, followed by an Executive Order, President Trump declared that Hong Kong “is no longer sufficiently autonomous to justify differential treatment in relation to the People’s Republic of China (PRC or China)” Id.

The old adage of “be brief, be bright, be gone” has inspired authors to become masters of concise content. We write essays and white papers that are published on corporate websites. We write columns and articles that are posted with online newspapers. We craft blogs and even social media posts that we publish on social media websites and social networking platforms. These works often become critical components of our business content and valuable intellectual property. 

On Thursday, July 9, 2020, Governor Whitmer issued Executive Directive No. 2020-7  which will require implicit bias training as part of the “knowledge and skills necessary for licensure, registration, and renewal of licenses and registrations of health professionals in Michigan.”

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act is a federal law that prohibits overseas bribery and attempts to hide such payments through improper accounting practices. The U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission are responsible for enforcing this statute.

On July 1, 2020, a state court judge in Lansing, Michigan, issued what is believed to be the first judicial decision in the country on an issue at the heart of scores of lawsuits nationwide:  Are business interruption losses due to coronavirus closure orders covered by insurance? 

On June 29, 2020, the Supreme Court handed down a potentially seminal decision in Seila Law v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. On its face, Seila Law appears to apply only to debt collectors and some of their practices. But the scope of the decision is potentially much broader and could extend well beyond that context.

We are a few days away from the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) entry into force date of July 1, 2020. Is your business ready to comply with the USMCA new rules of origin?  If not, you may still have time to prepare.

Political discourse can be bruising.

On June 22, 2020, President Trump signed a Presidential Proclamation entitled, “Proclamation Suspending Entry of Aliens Who Present a Risk to the U.S. Labor Market Following the Coronavirus Outbreak,” which extends the April 22nd Presidential Proclamation regarding the entry of certain immigrants and adds new restrictions for nonimmigrant workers who “pose a risk of displacing and disadvantaging United States workers during the coronavirus recovery,” including H-1B, H-2B, J, and L nonimmigrant workers.  

On June 1, 2020, the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) issued a revision to its Guidance Document on the Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs. 

On June 18, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration’s rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The program protects undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children, known as “dreamers.”

Specifically, by that date, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (“FAR”) Council is expected to issue an Interim Rule implementing Section 889(a)(1)(B) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (the “FY19 NDAA”), which will  prohibit Federal agencies from contracting with an entity that uses telecommunications and surveillance equipment and services from Chinese companies that the Government has determined share information with the Chinese government to the detriment of U.S. national  security. 

Friday afternoon, Michigan Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, issued Executive Order 2020-120, titled “Returning Overnight Camps to Operation.” 

Last year, the California Attorney General set a July 1, 2020, deadline for enforcement of the state’s Consumer Protection Act (the “CCPA” or the “Act”). If you thought the pandemic would toll this deadline, you are seriously mistaken. On June 2nd, the California Attorney General announced that he had submitted the final CCPA Regulations for approval. 

Today, voting 6 to 3 in a single decision issued in three cases argued together last October 8th, the U.S. Supreme Court held that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects individual employees from intentional employer discrimination because of the individual’s homosexuality or transgender status.

Governor Whitmer, on June 11, 2020, signed a Bill amending the Tax Tribunal Act to extend to August 31, 2020 the deadline by which a petitioner must file for a property tax appeal. Our earlier Client Alert discussed Executive Order 2020-87, which extended from May 1 to July 31 the deadline for certain property tax appeals (including commercial real and personal property).

Effective June 8, 2020, USCIS will resume accepting Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, for the following. 

As if being locked out of your sensitive commercial data wasn’t enough. Now, cybercriminals promise to either publicly publish or sell your designs, strategic plans, and valuable trade secrets to the highest bidder if you do not pay.