Welcome to Part 1 of our series on strategy in the workplace

We talk a lot about “strategy” in our day jobs. There’s certainly plenty of talk about it in the workplace. There’s a workplace strategy, a human capital strategy, an employee relations strategy, a strategy for rolling out an initiative, a change strategy, even perhaps a strategy to end someone’s employment, a negotiation strategy, and an enterprise bargaining strategy…the list goes on.

So, what is “strategy” as it relates to the workplace? Despite the constant references to “strategy”, there’s little by … Read the rest

Recent FTC Settlement Highlights Agency’s Focus on Children’s Privacy & Use of Disgorgement Remedy Including in AI Context

As readers of CPW know, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) has made it clear that privacy and security will be top-of-mind issues for the Commission for the foreseeable future. Recently, the FTC announced its settlement with WW International, Inc.—formerly known as Weight Watchers (“Weight Watchers”)—over claims the company violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”) by collecting children’s personal information without providing notice or obtaining parental consent.

The settlement requires the company to pay a $ 1.5 million penalty, … Read the rest

Tax Meets ESG: Shareholder Activism Expanding to Tax Transparency

In a recent Legal Update[1], we discussed the emerging intersection between Tax and ESG and highlighted the various external stakeholders pressuring for greater visibility into the global tax positions of multinational companies (MNEs).  One increasingly vocal stakeholder group is activist shareholders.  Recently, a group of institutional investors of a Fortune 50 company initiated a shareholder proposal calling for the company to publicly disclose where and how much tax it pays around the world.  This is only the latest in what … Read the rest

Biden Announces Additional Import and Export Restrictions on Russia

On March 11, 2022, President Joseph Biden issued an Executive Order (EO) announcing further prohibitions on imports, exports and new investments related to Russia. This announcement was made at the same time that the president and the other G7 leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Union, announced new economic actions which will revoke Russia’s “Most Favored Nation” status (see Update of March 12, 2022) and efforts to deny borrowing … Read the rest

Summary of Sanctions Imposed on Russia This Week (March 11, 2022)

It has been almost three weeks since the U.S. and its allies began imposing serious new sanctions and export control restrictions on Russia and Belarus in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  This post summarizes the state of affairs as of Friday, March 11, 2022.

Please reach out to our team if you have any questions about these or future developments.

Current Status & What’s New

The current sanctions measures still do not amount to a full embargo on Russia, and Russia has … Read the rest

Executives Beware: DOJ Antitrust Division is Taking a Hard Look at a Wide Spectrum of Potential Criminal Violations

On March 2, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard Powers laid out a significant and aggressive criminal enforcement agenda for the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice. While speaking at the the ABA National Institute on White Collar Crime in San Francisco, CA, Powers began his remarks by noting that the Division’s Criminal Section currently had 18 indicted cases against 10 companies and 42 individuals, including 8 CEOs or Presidents. DAAG Powers also noted that the Section had 146 open … Read the rest

COURT OF APPEAL SUMMARIES (FEBRUARY 28, 2022 – MARCH 4, 2022)

Jump To: Table of Contents | Civil Decisions | Short Civil Decisions

Good afternoon.

Following are this week’s summaries of the civil decisions of the Court of Appeal for Ontario for the week of February 28, 2022.

In Gefen Estate v. Gefen, an estates case, the Court reiterated that while the quality of evidence may vary depending on a claim, the civil standard of proof will always remain the same: proof on a balance of probabilities. The issues canvassed … Read the rest

THE BANKRUPTCY COURT’S RULING IS IN: J&J’S TEXAS TWO-STEP DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A BAD FAITH FILING

Last week this author delved into what has become known as the “Texas Two-Step,” the arguments for and against its permissibility and the broader implications for the bankruptcy system.  The discussion focused on an ongoing trial on motions filed in the bankruptcy case of LTL Management, LLC (“LTL” or the “Debtor”), a Johnson & Johnson (“J&J”) subsidiary, by the Official Committee of Talc Claimants and several other parties, seeking an order dismissing the Debtor’s case pursuant … Read the rest