Welcome to the first Quarterly Executive Summary of 2007, in which we highlight key developments in UK Labour and Employment Law over the past three months.A headline summary of cases and developments is provided below.
April 4, 2007
On March 27, 2007, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted new rules that will make it easier for foreign private issuers to terminate the registration of securities under Section 12(g), and their reporting obligations under Section 13(a) or 15(d), of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”).
April 4, 2007
Jonathan Dickey and Jeffrey Minnery are authors of "Liability Issues for Audit Firms - The Risk of Catastrophic Exposure Prompts Calls for Liability Reforms," published in the Securities Litigation Report, April 2007.
April 2, 2007
New York associate Farrah Pepper is the author of "Getting Ahead of the E-Discovery Curve: The Junior Attorney's Guide," [PDF] published in the Spring 2007 issue of the Consumer and Personal Rights Litigation Newsletter (ABA Section of Litigation).
April 2, 2007
I. Introduction/Status of German REIT LegislationOn March 30, 2007, the German Public REIT Introduction Act ("G-REIT Act") was passed by all German legislative bodies and becomes effective retroactively as of January 1, 2007.
March 30, 2007
Gibson Dunn partner Karen Manos is the co-author of "Cost & Pricing Issues" [PDF] which appears in the West Group Government Contracts Year in Review 2007.
March 30, 2007
On March 19, 2007, Chiquita Brands International, Inc. pleaded guilty to one count of doing business with a terrorist organization. James Thompson, senior vice president and general counsel for Chiquita, entered the plea on behalf of the company in the U.S.
March 23, 2007
In a decision having important implications both for the scope of liability under the securities laws and for class certification in general, on March 19, the Fifth Circuit ruled that a securities fraud action against certain financial institutions that participated in transactions with Enron Corporation could not proceed as a class action.
March 22, 2007
Questions have arisen in England concerning the production of documents, created in the context of an investigation by the chief regulatory body in the UK, the Financial Services Authority (the FSA), in subsequent legal proceedings.
March 16, 2007
The Federal Acquisition Regulation, as amended in 2005, prohibits contractors from combining multiple cost accounting changes that take effect on the same day unless all of the changes result in increased costs to the government.
March 15, 2007
The staff of the Division of Corporation Finance at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) today released new Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations (previously known as "telephone interpretations") with respect to SEC rules concerning a variety of matters required to be disclosed in proxy statements.
March 15, 2007
On successive days this month, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice announced major enforcement actions alleging insider trading in connection with merger and acquisition activity.
March 15, 2007
On March 14, 2007, Stuart Levey, the Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence at the U.S. Treasury Department, announced the issuance of a final rule under Section 311 of the USA PATRIOT Act that, in 30 days, will bar U.S.
March 15, 2007
On March 1, 2007 by a vote of 241 - 185, the House passed the proposed "Employee Free Choice Act" (H.R. 800). H.R. 800 has been put forward by the unions who express frustration with strong management campaigns against unionization and lengthy delays in obtaining first union contracts after union recognition.
March 14, 2007
Gibson Dunn partner Karen Manos is the author of "COFC Reconsiders CAS 413 Ruling" [PDF] which appears in 49-9 Government Contractor ¶ 95.
March 7, 2007
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida has charged defendants Victor Vazquez and David Margolis with conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions laws restricting travel to Cuba.
March 5, 2007
Munich partner Hans Martin Schmid, of counsel Christian Schmidt, Los Angeles partner Dhiya El-Saden, London partner Nicholas Aleksander and Paris partner Ariel Harroch are authors of "REIT-Modelle im Vergleich" [PDF] (the article is in German and roughly translates as "Comparing REIT Models") published in the German real estate magazine Immobilienwirtschaft. The article compares the German, UK, French and U.S.
March 1, 2007
Los Angeles Partner Jeffrey Dintzer and Associate Brett Oberst are the authors of "Perchlorate: Political Rocket Fuel" [PDF] published in The Recorder’s special report issue of The Environmental Law.
February 28, 2007
In a 5-4 opinion issued this week, the United States Supreme Court struck down a $79.5 million punitive damage award as unconstitutional under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S.
February 23, 2007
The Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") recently issued final rules that amend the proxy rules to allow public companies and other soliciting persons the option of delivering proxy materials (including the proxy statement, a proxy card, the "glossy" annual report and any additional soliciting materials) to shareholders via the Internet.
February 22, 2007