On March 25, 2020, the Senate passed on a bipartisan basis the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020. With more than US$2 trillion in total relief and US$350 billion in support for small businesses, this bill, if enacted, would represent the third phase of legislation intended to help families and companies … Continue Reading
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy needs not restating. The saying “desperate times call for desperate measures” fits the current environment well. Governments throughout the world have instituted or are considering unprecedented measures to keep up with the demand for the medical products necessary to combat COVID-19. Several such developments come … Continue Reading
On March 18, 2020, President Trump issued an Executive Order on prioritizing and allocating health and medical resources to respond to the spread of COVID-19 in the US, citing the Defense Production Act of 1950 (DPA), as amended (50 U.S.C. 4501 et seq.). The DPA confers on the President, and his administration, a broad set … Continue Reading
With the rapid spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), commonly known as the “coronavirus” or COVID-19, lawmakers are proposing and voting on policies to aid people and industries affected by the virus. Several legislative packages have already been enacted, and our elected officials continue to negotiate bills to assist our communities and economy. Our colleagues … Continue Reading
This is a Cross-Post from The Trade Practitioner Blog. Please contact our colleagues in the Washington DC office, Frank Samolis, Ludmilla Kasulke and Stacy Swanson, with any questions. The coronavirus outbreak has caused severe, but widely varying disruptions across the US economy, including increased consumer demand of particular goods, reduced production due to lack of key … Continue Reading
Companies are asking whether, in the context of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdowns, their business counts as an “essential service”. Our colleague Matthew Kirk has prepared a client advisory that addresses this issue from a European perspective, gives a little background to what we see of governments’ approaches to this question so far, and suggests … Continue Reading
Our colleague in our Birmingham office, has prepared a detailed update of coronavirus related insurance issues for UK businesses and insurers. Earlier this week we looked at the effect that Coronavirus may be having on events cancellation, travel and personal accident insurances. However, businesses should now consult with their professional advisers and insurance managers over the … Continue Reading
The situation concerning the novel coronavirus (officially known as COVID-19) is rapidly evolving. The landscape of the virus’ spread and its impacts continues to change dramatically, with hundreds, sometimes thousands, of new cases being confirmed every day and new countries—far from the likely origin of the virus in Wuhan, China—being added to the map of the virus’ … Continue Reading
In a prior client advisory on the legal implications of coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) in China, we explored employment, force majeure, data privacy, tax and other issues. Our colleague in our Shanghai office, Daniel F. Roules, has prepared a supplemental client advisory, identifying specific supply chain issues that are arising from COVID-19. As China is … Continue Reading
Our colleague in our Birmingham office, Mariyam Harunah, has prepared an update on the effects of coronavirus related event cancellations for insurers. Last week, the insurer Hiscox confirmed that it has begun to receive notifications of coronavirus related claims. Hiscox has said that it is still too early for it to determine the potential impact of … Continue Reading
Our colleagues Laura Lawless, William J. Kishman, Adam D. Colvin, Kimberly J. Donovan, and John E. Wyand have prepared a comprehensive client advisory on the impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) on organizations in the United States. While every business faces unique considerations, the document provides detailed guidance that should be considered as organizations … Continue Reading
Our colleagues in our Beijing and Shanghai offices, Daniel F. Roules, Sungbo Shim, Laura Wang, Ju (Lindsay) Zhu and Changshun (Ryan) Chen, have prepared an in-depth and well-developed client advisory on the impacts of the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) on companies operating in China. The document provides detailed guidance on several topics, including employment matters, force majeure in … Continue Reading
Following up on our previous post Preparing Your Business For the Coronavirus, our Labor & Employment team has produced a comprehensive Q&A document on the employment law implications of the coronavirus. The document answers key questions and provides practical tips for UK employers. Click below to read more:… Continue Reading
The coronavirus is fast becoming a global concern, with the potential to significantly impact supply chains on a global scale. Over the last few days, our Labor & Employment and Intellectual Property & Technology teams have produced a series of blog posts to help you navigate any potential risks to your business: Coronavirus and Trade … Continue Reading
The UK is seeing a significant push on the imposition of Clean Air Zones in its major cities in an effort to tackle emissions levels, NO2 in particular. Such schemes are designed to incentivize changes in vehicle usage and ownership through the application of daily charges for polluting and ‘non-compliant’ vehicles entering the zone. Many … Continue Reading
We are pleased to have partnered with Make UK, the manufacturers’ organisation, to conduct research into the concerns of manufacturers for a no-deal Brexit, and to produce this report calling on the UK government to secure a trade agreement that supports the manufacturing industry. The report highlights the significance of the manufacturing industry for the … Continue Reading
In recent years, offshore wind costs have tumbled, leading to significant potential growth in the industry. However, US offshore wind developers setting up their supply chains need to be prepared to navigate a complicated regulatory scheme involving overlapping federal and state laws, and adequately protect themselves with contracts that reflect the unpredictability of building wind … Continue Reading
As shown in the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) Bureau of International Labor Affairs’ International Child Labor & Forced Labor Reports, the use of child labor, forced labor, and child forced labor remains a tragically persistent concern worldwide. To help companies understand these risks and work to eliminate child labor and forced labor, the DOL … Continue Reading
The UK Environment Secretary Michael Gove announced on June 25, 2019 that food labeling laws will be changed to introduce full ingredient labelling (including allergens) for foods which are packed for direct sale. The new requirements will come fully into force in 2021. Our colleague Nicola Smith prepared an article last August which details the options the UK government was … Continue Reading
Developments in product liability regimes around the world should be of interest to any company with a global supply chain. In particular, as companies continue to source ever more materials from Asia, it is important to be aware of the product liability legal landscape in those countries. Our colleague, Bindu Janardhanan, has written a chapter … Continue Reading
Since taking office in January 2017, President Trump has made use of several provisions of US law – including Section 301, targeting unfair trade practices, and Section 232, targeting threats to national security – to bring trading partners to the negotiating table. Major developments over the last two weeks could impact global supply chains across a wide range … Continue Reading
On May 2, 2019, the US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) released guidance on effective sanctions compliance programs. This guidance is useful for any company with an international supply chain, as both U.S. and foreign companies may be subject to, and at risk for violating, U.S. sanctions law. As a recent example, e.l.f. Cosmetics … Continue Reading
Voluntary recalls are a key tool that the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”), and FDA-regulated companies, use to protect public health. Voluntary recalls are also a corporate nightmare, and can be extremely taxing on supply chain relationships. For industries and products where recalls are common – such as food and drugs – supply chain partners … Continue Reading
This week, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced an update to its 2017 guidance on how the DOJ will evaluate the effectiveness of a company’s corporate compliance program. The updated compliance guideline (Updated Guidance) is twice the length of the original and utilizes a more instructive approach, serving as a roadmap to prosecutors, and … Continue Reading
