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Tag Archives: Antitrust/U.S. Trade

August 2009 Client Alerts

The Buying and Selling of Distressed Notes

The volume of purchase and sale of performing and non-performing real estate loans has picked up dramatically over the past year as banks seek to shrink their balance sheets as their capital base falls and other banks and investors seek to take advantage of the sale of assets from failing banks. What are the typical features of such agreements and what are the interests of buyers and sellers in such transactions?

For more information, please read the client alert published by Bryan Cave LLP’s Real Estate Banking, Business and Public Finance Financial Institutions Client Service Group on August 5, 2009.

Group Health Plans: Compliance Items

Several important changes in governing law and regulations during the past year require changes to group health plans in the upcoming enrollment period. Below is a brief description of these major changes which require implementation in 2009 or 2010.

For more information, please read the client alert published by Bryan Cave LLP’s Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Client Service Group on August 20, 2009.

New York Restaurant Employer Briefing — Wage Payment Requirements

New York restauranteurs operate in one of the most regulated employment environments in the country. In addition to the federal, state and local laws applicable to all employers, such as those prohibiting employment discrimination, governing the payment of wages, workplace safety and leaves of absence, New York-based restaurants also must comply with regulations applicable only to the restaurant industry. This extensive maze of regulation can be exploited by plaintiffs’ lawyers who search for unwitting violations. This has led recently to many lawsuits that are costly to defend, and which seek not only damages for employees, but also fees and costs for the attorneys who bring these suits. The threat of litigation is compounded by the fact that many lawsuits are brought as collective actions on behalf of several employees, which can greatly add to potential damages and to the complexity of the defense.

For more information, please read the client alert published by Bryan Cave LLP’s Labor and Employment Client Service Group on July 31, 2009.

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Client Alerts Update — April 20, 2009 to May 4, 2009

H1N1 Flu Concerns: Workplace Privacy and Employee Illnesses

In the wake of the H1N1 Flu outbreak (initially named “swine flu”), many employers will be asked to balance employee privacy rights with public and company health concerns. We have recently issued a client alert that offers a brief checklist of guidelines that may help balance the privacy interests of potentially infected workers and the health interests of co-workers and the public.

For more information, read the client alert published by Bryan Cave LLP’s Labor and Employment Client Service Group and its Pandemic Preparedness Team on May 1, 2009.

H1N1 Virus: Employees in Mexico

In light of the current H1N1 virus outbreak events around the globe, the Mexico Practice of Bryan Cave has prepared a list of issues and recommendations to be taken into consideration by our firm’s clients and friends with employees in Mexico, so as to avoid any improper or unlawful employer conduct under Mexican labor laws.

For more information, read the client alert published by Bryan Cave LLP’s Labor and Employment Client Service Group and its Pandemic Preparedness Team on May 4, 2009.

New Case Clarifies Copyright Protection for Handbooks, Manuals and Training Materials

Although the copyright term “literary works” tends to conjure images of Hemingway and Faulkner, most companies have a different — and often more valuable — set of “literary works”, including training manuals, employee handbooks, how-to booklets, customer pamphlets and the like. Some are in printed form; others are available at the company’s website. Indeed, some companies are in the business of creating such materials — and this spring, a hotly litigated dispute between two such companies has shed new light on the scope of protection for this special category of literary works.

For more information, read the client alert published by Bryan Cave LLP’s Intellectual Property Client Service Group on April 30, 2009.

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