In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020, New York State enacted a law providing sick leave and job-related protections for employees subject to a mandatory or precautionary order of quarantine or isolation due to COVID-19. The law specified the amount of sick time an employee could receive depending on their employer’s size and […]Read More
For many of us with relatives in care homes, the past few months have brought several highs and lows as lockdown continues. As an accredited solicitor for the elderly (SFE), and with relatives in care, the impact of the events of 2020 on older people and in particular the ability of care homes to deal […]Read More
Philippine M&As in the Time of Covid By Nilo T. Divina, Managing Partner, Danny E. Bunyi, Senior Partner, Ciselie Marie T. Gamo-Sisayan, Senior Associate Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Philippines encourage mergers and acquisitions (M&As) by easing government regulations, particularly the notification requirement to the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) to determine whether said transactions pose […]Read More
On 18 November 2020, the Swiss Federal Council adopted the revised implementing provisions for the Tel-ecommunications Act (TCA). The revision was carried out on the basis of the partial revision of the TCA, which was adopted by Parliament on 22 March 2019. Click here to read the full article. Click here to learn more about […]Read More
What does Governor Inslee’s “Healthy Washington—Roadmap to Recovery” mean for employers? By Krista Nelson Slosburg | Related Practice: Employment On January 5, 2021, Governor Inslee announced a new phased COVID-19 recovery plan for Washington state. The plan is effective January 11. The new plan divides the state into eight regions, includes new criteria for Phases […]Read More
Telemedicine Gains Acceptance Under FMLA By Chris S. Thrutchley and Ashlyn M. Smith On December 29, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) released guidance recognizing the increasingly important role of telemedicine in establishing a serious health condition under the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”). The FMLA provides eligible employees of covered employers up to […]Read More
Yes, You Can Require Your Employees to Get Vaccinated . . . and Other Answers About COVID-19 Vaccinations and the Workplace By Amy Kangas Alexander and Aviva Kamm | Related Practice: Employment With two safe and effective vaccines approved by the FDA for emergency use, the United States has begun a historic vaccination campaign. This may signal the beginning of […]Read More
By: John C. Goheen, Frederick N. Widen and Adam R. Watowicz December 22, 2020 – Congress gave recipients of loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) a holiday present when it confirmed the deductibility of expenses paid with proceeds of a PPP loan that is forgiven. This confirmation is part of the massive Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the “Act”) that […]Read More
Malaysia reported a record high of 2,188 new Covid-19 cases on 24 November 2020, bringing the total number of cases in the country to a whopping 58,847. As Malaysians observe the constant escalating number of Covid-19 cases, the likelihood of employees being exposed to Covid-19 virus will also increase. Employers will need to spend a […]Read More
Between 17 and 19 November 2020, regulatory acts were adopted governing new support measures for employees and employers in the context of the epidemiological situation caused by the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus: I. Government Emergency Ordinance No. 132/2020 on support measures for employees and employers in the context of the epidemiological situation caused by […]Read More
GHR Rechtsanwälte AG advised CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE: CX), the global building materials company, as to Swiss law on the amendment process under its July 2017 Facilities Agreement with several financial institutions which successfully closed in October 2020. As part of this amendment process, CEMEX extended approximately US$1.1 billion of term loan maturities by […]Read More
The corona crisis is all but over right now. Companies are still struggling to fulfil certain contractual obligations. A previously written article has already referred to an appeal of force majeure due to the corona crisis. If a force majeure appeal fails, an appeal for unforeseen circumstances may offer a way out. That is why I will […]Read More
LAWYERS ASSOCIATED WORLDWIDE RE-ELECTS CHAIR & VICE-CHAIR International Legal Network Elects Officers and Regional Representatives Denver, Colorado, USA (5 November 2020) – Lawyers Associated Worldwide (LAW) re-elected Swiss lawyer Marc Grüninger, M.C.J. as chair of the Executive Committee and Australian lawyer Leon Loganathan as vice chair to second two-year terms for the international legal network. […]Read More
2020 has been a challenging year for many Australians which has seen the Government forced to intervene to provide economic support and legislative provisions in an attempt to provide ongoing assistance to many Australians and businesses. The 2020 Federal budget sees the Government continuing to provide additional support and has committed an additional $25 billion […]Read More
In consideration of the continuous Covid-19 outbreak but with the need to recover the national economy, the Minister of Law and Human Rights (the “Minister”) enacted the Minister Regulation No. 26 of 2020 dated October 1, 2020 on Visas and Stay Permits During New Habits Adaptation or as commonly referred to as the “New Normal” […]Read More
On June 13, 2020, Governor Polis issued an executive order temporarily curtailing eviction proceedings to provide relief to Coloradans affected by COVID-19. Since then, the Governor has issued a series of extensions and added requirements on how evictions may proceed. The current state of the law requires a 30-day notice period as well as compliance […]Read More
In August the B.C. government implemented changes to the Workers Compensation Act through Bill 23, which received Royal Assent on August 14, 2020. Several notable changes were introduced; one of these changes widened the “Occupational Disease” framework to capture COVID-19 infection in certain circumstances. Click here to read the full article. Click here to learn more […]Read More
Attorney Robin J. Stinson is now a certified arbitrator through the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML). While Robin has previously served as an arbitrator in NC family law cases, this AAML certification represents another level of distinction. She is one of only 15 AAML-certified arbitrators in the state of North Carolina. Robin pursued AAML arbitration certification […]Read More
Malaysia had made numerous features in international media this year, with high praise for making great strides in managing the Covid-19 outbreak. The government had acted swiftly to put the spread of Covid-19 under control, by putting in place not only movement restrictions but also multiple economic initiatives to ensure as minimal impact as possible […]Read More
GHR Rechtsanwälte represented CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE: CX), the global building materials company, in a U.S.$1. billion aggregate principal amount offering of Senior Secured Notes. The Notes are denominated in U.S. Dollars and bear interest semi-annually at an annual rate of 5.200%. They mature on September 17, 2030. BNP Paribas Securities Corp., BofA Securities, […]Read More
Employers who had to furlough employees due to COVID-19 must apply now for help lowering their 2021 unemployment tax rates. Legislation from this past spring created a $25 million account to help relieve tax burdens for employers affected by COVID-19. Employers must apply to have this account offset benefit charges to avoid those benefits charges […]Read More
The onset of the pandemic has created rapid change in business practices, as companies move from in-person work to offsite locales. Accompanying this change has been a variety of new business ventures, products and services, as enterprising companies and individuals seek ways to bring innovations to the virtual business world. But in their zeal to bring […]Read More
During the past week, Washington State has implemented several additional programs aimed at containing and reducing the spread of COVID-19 in agricultural communities. This update is a must-read for employers in all areas of the agricultural industry. Mandatory Paid Sick Leave A new Proclamation 20-67 – Food Production Workers Paid Leave requires agricultural employers to provide up […]Read More
Treasurer Tim Pallas announced that the Victorian Government will extend its moratorium on evictions and rental increases for both residential and commercial tenancies in Victoria until 31 December 2020. There will be some specific exceptions to this rule, the details of which are yet to be identified. According to the Treasurer, “… we will now make […]Read More
LAW 179/2020 APPROVING GEO 70/2020 CHANGES REGARDING THE SOCIAL PROTECTION MEASURES IN THE EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIPS CONTEXT Law no. 179/2020 approving Government Emergency Ordinance no. 70/2020 (“GEO 70/2020”) regulating certain measures, applicable as of 15 May 2020, in the context of the epidemic determined by the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, for extending deadlines, amending and supplementing […]Read More
The headlines across the globe tell a story of transformation, reform and renewal within the healthcare sector. We are constantly being advised that traditional healthcare is being reimagined. Many of the patients currently attending hospitals, will, we are told, never need to attend in the future, as AI powered predictive care will prevent many of […]Read More
Temporary Layoffs in B.C. Under the Employment Standards Act, RSBC 1996, c. 113 (the “Act”), as long as an employer has the contractual authority or the employee agrees to it, employers may layoff employees on a temporary basis. Normally, the time limit for a layoff to be “temporary”, according to the Act, is 13 weeks. After […]Read More
COVID-19 Update: Impacts on CA Education Five months into the pandemic and with fall right around the corner, California school districts are beginning to announce their plans for the upcoming school year. California has set specific guidelines to determine whether schools can conduct in-person learning or whether they will be required to implement distance learning. […]Read More
On April 6, 2020, in the face of the shutdown of many businesses across the country, the province announced changes to the temporary layoff scheme in order to allow employers to provide job protection, and flexibility to employers impacted by the pandemic. According to the Alberta Employment Standards Code, employers of non-unionized employees are entitled to temporarily layoff […]Read More
The Provincial Court of Alberta (“Provincial Court”) has implemented its staged resumption of court activities, following the temporary suspension of court activities due to COVID-19, and is increasing the number of criminal, family and youth, and civil matters that can be heard in-person at base point locations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to read […]Read More
If you have a business no doubt you have been putting a lot of effort into it during the COVID-19 crisis. Having worked so hard under so much stress in recent tough times you want the business to not just survive but thrive in the future. The world has changed and it may be a […]Read More
Jacob Frenkel was recently featured in ABC News Investigations’ story, “Health Care Execs Have Made Millions During COVID, More Scrutiny Needed: Critics.” Throughout the ongoing “mad dash” to find coronovirus solutions and treatments, Congress is calling for the #SEC to investigate trading activity by a number of health care executives at the companies testing and receiving Government endorsements. Click […]Read More
Lawyers Associated Worldwide is proud to announce its 2020 AGM will be virtual allowing LAW to recreate much of its traditional AGM, except that ‘virtual’ means more content, more attendees, and new experiences. Offered will be many industry-substantive sessions, panel discussions, roundtables, and networking opportunities through on-line features […]Read More
COVID-19 and a post-Brexit world — catalysts for business model re-evaluation Arguably, there has never been a more appropriate time for those in farming businesses to have frank discussions about what’s next. There’s plenty of food for thought for farmers and growers over the next few months. For a start, there’s a likely downward trend […]Read More
This is the 11th episode of our COVID-19 webcast series. In this new episode, Mark Shaw gives a quick run-down of where we are in terms of financial services regulation, corporate law and tax. A look back over the various responses to the COVID-19 pandemic to see which are still applicable while we are in this period […]Read More
Observatory on the latest case law trends regarding the intangible assets In this period of business relaunch, we recall the most important decisions issued in the last semester by the European Courts, concerning the protection of intellectual property, essential tool for the economic development. Click here to read the full article. Click here to learn […]Read More
On July 6, 2020, Governor Cuomo signed Executive Order 202.48, which extended the previous order authorizing notary publics to witness instruments being signed using audio-video technology (Executive Order 202.7). The new extension last until August 5, 2020. Therefore, a licensed NY Notary Public may perform remote notarization, for documents such as deeds, wills, easements, mortgages, […]Read More
When restaurants were ordered to shutter – and before PPP – Ernest Bux’s sister Cookie Bux who owns Beef O’Bux Restaurants was in a bind. Should she lay off or furlough employees who were showing up for work to her empty restaurant chain? What’s the difference between laying off employees and furloughing them? What are […]Read More
The Health and Safety Authority (the “HSA”) is the government agency with responsibility to ensure compliance with workplace health and safety (Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 (the “2005 Act”)). Its remit now includes ensuring compliance with the Return to Work Safely Protocol (the “Protocol”). In this article, we look at the four […]Read More
Stewart & Winch has joined the law firm of Watson Goepel LLP, effective June 30, 2020. This merger allows Watson Goepel to better serve clients on the North Shore and surrounding areas. Stewart & Winch is an established West Vancouver law firm, providing legal services in the areas of general corporate/commercial, real estate, and wills […]Read More
As Alberta courts gradually resume hearings both in-person and remotely following the temporary closure of court operations due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, parties should be aware of certain guidelines and health and safety measures that have been put in place for attendance at courthouses in Alberta, scheduling matters, filing documents and remote hearings. HEALTH AND […]Read More
The Government announced that Wills witnessed via videolink will be considered valid, as a response to difficulties faced by testators and their witnesses during the global pandemic. What will now be permitted? The proposed changes to the Wills Act 1837 will allow a testator to sign their Will while their witnesses watch via videolink, such as […]Read More
“We need the protection of the law now more than ever with the COVID-19 crisis amplifying opportunities for corruption” The COVID-19 outbreak is an unprecedented crisis to the world’s economic landscape and undoubtedly a shock to most (if not all) businesses. While the immediate focus of many corporations may understandably be on sustaining the business, […]Read More
