Insights

On November 26, 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it had secured an indictment of two hackers for using ransomware to extort over $6 million from municipalities, hospitals, and other public institutions. The very next day, a federal...

For years now employers have been confronted with severe limitations on visa numbers for new H-1B petitions. Historically, USCIS receives more than enough petitions to reach the congressionally mandated H-1B cap. Therefore, it uses a computer-generated random selection process to...

Faced with the tightest labor market in decades, businesses are vigorously competing for employees - particularly those with highly valued skills. Some executives faced with these pressures may be tempted to reach an agreement, or at least an informal understanding,...

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) remains focused on disclosure in the municipal securities market. The SEC has stated that disclosure policies and procedures help prevent violations of the federal securities laws. The SEC has also routinely highlighted the...

In the first part of this three part series we considered the impact of President Trump’s decision to re-impose sanctions on Iran’s energy sector with effect from 5 November 2018. However, Iran is not unique. Other nations whose economic strength...

His Highness, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the UAE recently issued Federal Decree-Law No. 19 of 2018 on Foreign Direct Investment (“ FDI Law ”), giving life to one of the most recently anticipated legal developments...

CONTENTS Overview Energy Environment Infrastructure Taxes Trade Policy Consumer Product Safety Congressional Oversight Appropriations Financial Services ________________________________________ OVERVIEW 2018 MIDTERMS: The Power of Women, Possibility, and Partisan Rancor By Scott Segal and Dee Martin The 2018 midterm elections showcased the...

On November 1, 2018 Inframation held its first-ever gathering in New York City of some of the main investors, advisors and funders active in Latin American infrastructure. We commend Inframation for creating a convivial atmosphere, as well as a forum...

First introduced by the tax reform legislation signed into law in late 2017, Opportunity Zones present a new opportunity for taxpayers to defer and/or eliminate tax liability and, at the same time, spur much needed economic development in underserved communities....

Ann Navaro and Ryan Eletto of the Environmental Strategies Group will discuss highlights from the Administration’s Fall 2018 Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. The Agenda is a forecast of federal agencies’ proposed rulemaking actions with the goals of more...

On October 19, 2018, the IRS and Treasury Department released highly-anticipated proposed regulations (the Proposed Regulations) under Section 1400Z-2 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the OZ Statute). The OZ Statute, which was enacted pursuant to the...

The increased demand for energy from renewable sources and the resulting growth of the renewable energy industry has led to the development of an increasing body of law designed to address issues specific to this sector. Recently, questions have come...

On October 25, 2018, a jury in the Southern District of Texas found oilfield mud engineers were exempt from overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) under the Administrative Exemption. This victory for the employer is unique because...

The IRS recently issued a Private Letter Ruling (the “PLR”) revoking a hospital organization’s section 501(c)(3) status for failing to comply with the section 501(r) requirements. 1 In what may be a sign of things to come, the PLR serves...

The past month has seen interesting developments in the antitrust M&A arena, including the first ever successful private antitrust merger challenge resulting in a divestiture order, and the announcement by the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division of several reforms aimed...