In Texas, Whataburger is more than a fast food restaurant. It’s a cultural icon, deeply ingrained in the identity of many Texans. Founded in Corpus Christi, Texas, Whataburger has been a homegrown favorite for generations of…
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/ Business Organizations, Intellectual Property, Science, Computers, & Technology
On December 12, 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) proposed listing the monarch butterfly as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This proposal includes a 4(d) rule offering species-specific…
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/ Administrative Law, Environmental Law, Zoning, Planning & Land Use
On January 1, 2025, amendments to the Illinois Equal Pay Act will add Illinois to the list of states requiring employers to align with pay transparency and promotion posting requirements. Most employers in Illinois will be…
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/ Civil Rights, Labor & Employment Law
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has recently terminated proceedings in approximately 3,100 patent applications due to the fraudulent use of a registered practitioner's signature by an unauthorized individual. This…
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/ Administrative Law, Intellectual Property
Sable Networks and Cloudflare have battled for more than three years in federal courts over a series of patents owned by Sable, which the entity has accused Cloudflare of infringing. Cloudflare recently emerged the victor by…
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/ Intellectual Property, Science, Computers, & Technology
On December 3, 2024 a federal district court in Texas issued a nationwide preliminary injunction against enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), including the requirement that many companies must file disclosure…
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/ Administrative Law, Business Organizations, Constitutional Law, Finance & Banking
The Ohio Supreme Court issued its opinion yesterday (November 26, 2024) in the AutoZone case (State ex rel. AutoZone Stores, Inc. v. Indus. Comm., Slip Opinion No. 2024-Ohio-5519). The decision is favorable to employers who…
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/ Administrative Law, Civil Procedure, Labor & Employment Law, Workers' Compensation
The New Jersey legislature recently built on its 2019 efforts to increase pay-related protections for job applicants and current employees. Most employers will now be required to disclose pay ranges in their job postings and…
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/ Civil Rights, Labor & Employment Law
On November 8, the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA), the agency tasked with implementing and enforcing the California Consumer Privacy Act (as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act), unanimously voted to…
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/ Administrative Law, Consumer Protection, Privacy, Science, Computers, & Technology
Clients regulated by, or who have contracts with government agencies regulated by, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) should be aware of a major, recent court decision. On November 12, 2024, the D.C. Circuit Court…
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/ Administrative Law, Environmental Law, Government Contracting, Transportation, Zoning, Planning & Land Use
For decades, employers faced with ongoing workplace unionization could hold a mandatory meeting, on paid time, to educate employees on the potential impacts of unionization and offer the employer’s perspective on unionizing the…
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/ Administrative Law, Labor & Employment Law
On November 15, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas vacated the Department of Labor’s (DOL) final rule raising the salary thresholds for being exempt from overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act…
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/ Administrative Law, Civil Procedure, Labor & Employment Law
In 2018, as part of the “Trump tax cuts,” the federal estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax exemption was increased to $11,180,000, with annual increases for inflation. Today, the exemption stands at…
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/ Finance & Banking, Taxation, Wills, Trusts, & Estate Planning
Effective January 1, 2025, Washington’s state minimum wage will increase to $16.66 per hour, a 2.35% increase over 2024. In addition to complying with the state’s minimum wage requirements, Washington employers also need to be…
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/ Labor & Employment Law
Property tax is a major concern for Texas property owners, since it represents one of the most substantial expenses they face. In 2023, local taxing entities’ property tax collections totaled $82.1 billion, matching the total…
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/ Real Estate - Residential, Taxation
