Overview President Trump’s February 10th Executive Order (EO) titled “Pausing Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Enforcement to Further American Economic and National Security,” has introduced significant uncertainty into FCPA enforcement. Despite this companies should remain committed to their compliance efforts and consider whether this is an appropriate time to amplify to staff…

NEW YORK – February 19, 2025 – Seyfarth Shaw LLP, a pioneer in legal innovation for over two decades, announces the creation of two key leadership roles that reinforce the firm’s longstanding commitment to technology, AI, data-driven insights, and design strategy. Byong Kim will be the firm’s first Chief Data…

In celebration of the release of the 6th Edition of the Government Contracts Compliance Handbook, we are sharing six essential tips for selling commercial products and commercial services to the federal government. While legislative reforms have simplified the process of selling commercial products and commercial services to government agencies, federal…

Denys Nevozhai, Unsplash 2025 Trade Secrets Webinar Series REGISTER HERE Thursday, February 27, 20251:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Eastern12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Central11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Mountain10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Pacific About the Program Restrictive covenants continue to face evolving legal challenges and heightened regulatory scrutiny. With…

In a decisive shift from the prior administration’s energy policies, President Trump has enacted a series of executive orders aimed at bolstering domestic fossil fuel production and overhauling the permitting process for energy projects. These actions underscore the administration’s commitment to achieving energy independence, expediting infrastructure development, and reinforcing the…

By: Dawn Lurie, Mia Batista, and Fanny Wong On January 20, 2025, the Trump administration issued the Securing Our Borders executive order, citing national security, crime prevention, and the protection of American interests as justification for terminating categorical parole programs for certain Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans. Then on February…

What happens when a party attempts to sidestep the strict guidelines of a court order?  A cannabis company’s non-compliance with an injunction illuminates the consequences of playing with fire.  Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company v. Terphogz, LLC U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Case: 1:21-cv-02357.  In 2021, Wm.…

California Employers, Watch For Sharp Turns Ahead If you operate a business in California, you know how difficult it is to keep up with ever-changing legal trends. California employers should review and refresh their workplace postings each year to keep up with legislative changes and annual minimum wage increases. Various…

If you have been following immigration news and are wondering how changes in Washington might affect your workforce, you are not alone. Senate Joint Resolution 8 (S.J. Res. 8) in the 119th Congress aims to undo a USCIS regulation that grants certain eligible applicants a 540-day automatic extension of their…

We’re Definitely Watching: Viral Women’s Sports Phrase Gets Trademark Registration | Gadgets, Gigabytes & Goodwill Blog Skip to content

By: Peace Ibe and Mia Batista In a significant policy update, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has officially waived the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for individuals applying for Adjustment of Status (AOS). Effective January 22, 2024, USCIS will no longer require applicants to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as part of…

Seyfarth Achieves Top Honors in WIPR’s 2024 National Patents and Trademarks Rankings | Gadgets, Gigabytes & Goodwill Blog Skip to content

On December 23, 2024, the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY 2025 NDAA) (P.L. 118-159) was signed into law. Among its numerous provisions, the FY 2025 NDAA revitalizes an existing but underutilized fraud enforcement mechanism: the Administrative False Claims Act…

THREE PEAT: Why Pat Riley’s Trademark Portfolio Makes Him a Chiefs Fan for the Super Bowl | Gadgets, Gigabytes & Goodwill Blog Skip to content

In honor of the release of the 6th Edition of the Government Contracts Compliance Handbook, we are sharing six essential tips to help government contractors recognize and prevent the unlawful influence of government actions. Contractors working in the federal marketplace face unique challenges, from avoiding improper gifts to ensuring compliance…

Seyfarth Synopsis: The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) have published their 2025 increases to civil penalties. We have blogged previously about the annual adjustments to the maximum civil penalty dollar amounts for OSHA and EPA violations. The agencies have now finalized the 2024…

On January 10, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced the 2025 threshold for applying the size-of-parties test of the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act will increase from $119.5 million to $126.4 million. Deals that exceed this $126.4 million threshold may need to be reported to the FTC and U.S. Department of…

Mind the Gap: EEOC Report Warns of Substantial Gender Pay Gap for Federal Employees, Exacerbated by Age. | Workplace Class Action Blog Skip to content

OEMs may finally get some clarity in the next couple of months about their obligations under Massachusetts and Maine right to repair laws requiring them to provide owners and independent repair facilities access to mechanical data in vehicles that utilize telematics systems.  In Massachusetts, a constitutional challenge that has been…

As Wildfires Rage in Los Angeles, Employers Must Comply with Cal/OSHA’s Wildfire Smoke Rules | Workplace Safety and Environmental Law Alert Blog Skip to content

The ownership, use, and monetization of produced water have rapidly transformed what was once a liability into a valuable asset, creating significant legal and economic uncertainty for operators and landowners alike. With advancements in water recycling technologies and operators discovering new revenue opportunities from produced water byproducts, disputes surrounding produced…

Seyfarth Synopsis: The Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD) has confirmed that employers subject to the new Massachusetts pay data reporting law will only have to submit their most recent EEO forms even though (in most instances) those forms do not contain employee compensation data. As we…

By: Dawn Lurie, Mahsa Aliaskari, and Brooke Gary Along with the New Year, January 1st also marks the implementation of a new Visa Bulletin by the U.S. Department of State. Each month, the United States Immigration and Citizenship Services (USCIS) chooses whether it will follow the Dates for Filing Visa…

The year 2024 brought about notable changes in employment law in Hong Kong. This article provides a brief overview of the key developments that occurred over the past year and a look forward at the expected changes as we transition into 2025. For the full version of this article, please…

Seyfarth Synopsis:  Since September 2023, there have been at least 25 lawsuits filed claiming the ability to choose between using 401(k) forfeitures to reduce plan expenses or the plan sponsor’s contributions is a fiduciary choice, and that choosing to reduce the plan sponsor’s contributions constitutes a violation of ERISA’s fiduciary…

Seyfarth Synopsis: The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is already bringing change to the city. On December 11, 2024, the Los Angeles City Council voted 12-3 to approve a draft ordinance to amend the Living Wage Ordinance and the Hotel Worker Minimum Wage Ordinance in 2025.  If the City Council approves…

With an incoming administration vocal about its stance on immigration enforcement and safeguarding U.S. workers, employers who hire foreign workers on H-1B visas should make certain that they are maintaining compliance with U.S. immigration regulations. To avoid potential fines, penalties, or jeopardizing the status and work authorization of H-1B employees,…

Seattle continues to expand protections for app-based workers (sometimes referred to as “gig workers”) working within the City of Seattle with its new App-Based Worker Deactivation Rights Ordinance.  Overview of the New Ordinance Effective January 1, 2025, the City of Seattle’s “Ordinance relating to app-based worker labor standards; establishing labor…

On December 23, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued an order temporarily staying the nationwide preliminary injunction previously granted in Texas Top Cop Shop, Inc., et al. v. Garland, et al. While the Fifth Circuit’s temporary stay is not the final word on the fate…

By: Taylor Iaculla, Yoon-Woo Nam, and Andrew L. Scroggins Seyfarth Synopsis: On December 19, 2024, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) published a new fact sheet titled “Wearables in the Workplace: Using Wearable Technologies Under Federal Employment Discrimination Laws.” The fact sheet describes some of the technologies employees may be…

Seyfarth Synopsis: A second Trump administration is likely to bring sweeping changes to environmental regulatory and enforcement agendas. During the first Trump term, his administration focused on significant deregulation in the environmental sector, including budget cuts and staff reductions at USEPA, and the rollback of key policies from the Obama…

On Thursday, December 19, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Illinois Attorney General announced a massive $20 million settlement with Leader Automotive Group, the operator of 10 dealerships in and around Bloomington, Illinois, for alleged unfair and deceptive acts and practices in connection with the sale of motor vehicles…

On December 4, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) ordered building services contractor Guardian Industries, Inc. (“Guardian”) to cease enforcement of no-hire provisions it included in customer service agreements with residential building owners and building management companies, prohibiting the hire of Guardian’s employees. Guardian, which operates in New York and…

An all too familiar countdown once again as we wait to hear the fate of the latest temporary extension to continue funding the government after midnight on Friday, December 20th. Employers should be aware that a shutdown will likely impact processing of immigration cases. During a shutdown, all but “essential”…

The Automotive Right to Repair Working Group convened by the Maine Attorney General will review proposed legislation that would substantially amend provisions of the Maine Right to Repair Law concerning access to mechanical data from telematics-equipped vehicles.  Meanwhile, it appears provisions of the law requiring manufacturers of vehicles that “use…

The landscape of transgender employment laws is evolving globally, with various jurisdictions adopting laws that ensure inclusivity and non-discrimination in the workplace. This area is one of the most complex issues in employment law systems and has generated much controversy. Notwithstanding this, many global companies seek to support and promote…

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a permanent increase in the automatic extension period for certain Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) up to 540 days. The final rule will take effect on January 13, 2025. Background on the History of Automatic EAD Extensions The automatic extension of EADs was first…

By: Andrea Davis The U.S. Department of State announced a significant update to the Exchange Visitor Skills List, effective as of December 9, 2024.  This action is in response to an Executive Order issued last year, in which the Biden Administration gave instructions to “consider initiating a rulemaking to establish…

We’ve moved into winter and that means many bands and artists are taking a breather after summer and fall tours. Some seemed to go on for eras. For me, that means waiting a few months to catch some favorite acts. But I’ve got plenty of music to digest in the meantime. To my…

By: Erin Dougherty Foley, Sara Eber Fowler, Taylor Iaculla, Ridhima Bhalla, and Hannah Sosenko Seyfarth Synopsis: On January 1, 2025, employers in Illinois must be poised to comply with the looming changes to a host of existing and newly enacted employment laws. The changes reflect the state’s ongoing expansion of…