Insights

A “black swan event” is an unpredictable event that is beyond what is normally expected and which has potentially severe consequences. Black swan events are characterised by their rareness and severity. Independent exploration and production oil and gas companies (“E&P...

Texas community bank holding companies may want to reconsider plans for upcoming annual shareholder meetings in light of health, transportation and other logistical issues raised by the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Although Texas corporations are required to hold...

On March 24, 2020, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, in coordination with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, issued a mandatory “Stay Home. Work Safe.” order, effective at 11:59 pm March 24, to preserve public health and safety in Harris County in...

On March 18, 2020, President Donald Trump signed into law the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the “FFCRA”). The FFCRA seeks to assist employees impacted by novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) and applies to employers with fewer than 500 employees. The U.S...

The U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division (DOJ) has prevailed in a first-of-its-kind arbitration, resolving its challenge to aluminum producer Novelis Inc.’s $2.6 billion proposed acquisition of rival Aleris Corporation. As a result of the arbitrator’s ruling in favor of...

In the early morning hours of March 14, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the “House Bill”), which seeks to assist employees impacted by the coronavirus and has significant impacts for...

Welcome to the Winter 2020 issue of Connect: The Bracewell Magazine. This past year marked another tremendous year for the firm as we continued to build on our strengths and further our reputation as a firm of choice for clients...

Employers across the world are responding to the developing information on the coronavirus (referred to as COVID-19). While there are many considerations, and many fact-specific considerations based on the nature of the workforce, employers should keep these tips... COVID-19 Preparedness

In an unprecedented move further expanding its ongoing investigation of large technology companies, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has ordered Amazon.com, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and Google to provide details about their acquisitions during the past 10 years that were not...

The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) has announced the annual revisions to the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act (“HSR Act”) thresholds, which will become effective on February 27, 2020. The revised thresholds will apply to any merger or acquisition closing on or...

The present and future impacts of climate change, human rights violations, environmental, labor and regulatory violations and poor corporate governance on the quality of investments and credit risks have spurred widespread recognition of the importance of environmental, social and governance...

On January 10, 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission released draft Vertical Merger Guidelines for public comment. The new guidelines, which will replace the outdated 1984 Non-Horizontal Merger Guidelines, are intended to assist the business...

Good news for tax-exempt organizations! The “Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020” (H.R. 1865 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)) (the “Act”) signed into law on December 20, 2019, retroactively repealed Section 512(a)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, often referred to...

Bracewell Partner Robert Nichols tackled the layers of drug testing laws and regulations affecting employers. Our webinar explored trends we see across the country and explain how to stay complaint no matter where your business operates. Special emphasis was given...

Leslie Selig Byrd and Amber Dodds discuss the increasing number of state laws and local ordinances requiring paid leave benefits to employees. Many of these require a minimum number of hours of accrued paid time off for illness or preventative...