Author: mskllp

Since 1908, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP (MSK) has proven its ability to understand the complex, demystify the mysterious, and define the unknown. With more than 130 lawyers and offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Washington D.C., MSK is often distinguished as a “go-to” firm by industry and legal insiders, and has extensive experience in a variety of practice areas, including Entertainment & IP Litigation, Labor & Employment, Entertainment Transactions, Immigration, Corporate Securities, Regulatory, Tax, Trusts & Estates, Real Estate and International Trade. Relentlessly innovative, our lawyers have developed groundbreaking legislation, established influential precedents, and shaped the legal landscape. For more information, visit www.msk.com.
Immigration

H-1B Cap Lottery Selection Rate Drops Significantly and What’s Next?

Written by Stephen Blaker On March 30, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it had completed its cap lottery selection of H-1B registrations for the fiscal year (FY) 2022. Employers submitted 308,613 registrations for selection in the cap lottery, of which USCIS selected 87,500 cases, or 28% of the total number of registrations. This is a significant decrease from the FY 2021 … Continue reading H-1B Cap Lottery Selection Rate Drops Significantly and What’s Next?

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COVID-19, Labor & Employment

Houston, We Have a Policy: Texas Court Upholds Employer’s COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

Written by Jeremy Mittman and Stephen Franz As a handful of employees across the country have filed lawsuits challenging workplace COVID-19 vaccination mandates, many employers have been left to grapple with whether they can implement a mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy as a condition of employment.  At least according to one Texas federal district court, the answer is yes.   Judge Hughes of the United States … Continue reading Houston, We Have a Policy: Texas Court Upholds Employer’s COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

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COVID-19

California Reopens – What Does That Mean?

Written by Susan Kohn Ross California has officially reopened today – June 15th. Nonetheless, there are some restrictions which remain in place. On June 14th, California posted guidance for various industries, see here. When it comes to office operations, those restrictions remain unchanged as the existing Cal-OSHA recommendations are not yet updated.   At the same time, Cal-OSHA has posted a new guidance – see here … Continue reading California Reopens – What Does That Mean?

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COVID-19, Labor & Employment

California Mask Requirement for Workplaces To Continue Through Summer (And More!), CAL-OSHA Says

Written by Jeremy Mittman and Thea Rogers [UPDATE]:  As we reported below, Cal-OSHA’s Standards Board recently proposed a series of controversial amendments to CAL-OSHA’s COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards, which included face covering and social distancing requirements that many critics considered unnecessarily onerous in light of recent California Department of Public Health and CDC guidance.  Yesterday, the Board withdrew these proposed amendments.  While it is unconfirmed … Continue reading California Mask Requirement for Workplaces To Continue Through Summer (And More!), CAL-OSHA Says

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Cybersecurity, Labor & Employment, Regulatory

Is Your Computer System Safe from Internal Misuse?

Written by Susan Kohn Ross and Stephen C. Franz On June 3, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Van Buren v. U.S., No. 19-783. The issue for the Court was relatively straight forward – did a police officer with authorized access to his department’s license-plate database exceed his authorized access when he was given money to run a license plate and shared the results … Continue reading Is Your Computer System Safe from Internal Misuse?

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Charitable Organizations, Trusts, Trusts & Estates

Administration Proposal Would Negatively Affect Tax Benefits of Charitable Remainder Trusts

Written by David Wheeler Newman Since its introduction into the Internal Revenue Code in 1969, the charitable remainder trust has been the “Swiss Army Knife” for charitable gift, financial and estate planners because of its flexible features that allow a balancing of financial planning or estate planning objectives with philanthropic objectives.  Those features include two CRT tax benefits provided in the Code – the charitable … Continue reading Administration Proposal Would Negatively Affect Tax Benefits of Charitable Remainder Trusts

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Intellectual Property

No “Fees or Forms” Required for Inclusion of Native American Tribal Insignias in USPTO Database

Written by Alesha M. Dominique and Lindsay R. Edelstein The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) tribal insignia trademark program allows Native American tribes to include tribal insignias in the USPTO’s database at no charge.  The USPTO’s waiver of application fees is intended to foster adequate protections for Native American tribes’ intellectual property and cultural heritage. The tribal insignia database has been a component of … Continue reading No “Fees or Forms” Required for Inclusion of Native American Tribal Insignias in USPTO Database

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Labor & Employment

The NLRB Approves Confidentiality Rule with Regard to an Ongoing Employer Investigation

Written by Jeremy Mittman and Justine Wallace Can an employer ask employees to keep interviews conducted in the context of a workplace investigation confidential?  Yes, says the NLRB, in a helpful ruling for employers– that applies to both unionized and non-unionized workplaces. A majority 2-1 decision by the National Labor Relations Board (the “Board”) held that an employer did not violate federal law after instructing … Continue reading The NLRB Approves Confidentiality Rule with Regard to an Ongoing Employer Investigation

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Labor & Employment

The NLRB Approves Non-Disparagement, Non-Solicitation, and Email Workplace Rules

Written by Jeremy Mittman and Louise Truong The National Labor Relations Board (the “Board”) frequently evaluates employer policies regarding whether they violate employees’ rights to unionize under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”).  As such, it is essential for employers, including those who do not have union employees, to consider the Board’s decisions when drafting and reviewing their policies and handbooks.  Recently, … Continue reading The NLRB Approves Non-Disparagement, Non-Solicitation, and Email Workplace Rules

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COVID-19, Labor & Employment

Employers Begin to Grapple with the Risks of Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policies

Written by Jeremy Mittman and Shanda Lowe As expected, the first batch of lawsuits challenging COVID-19 vaccine mandates are popping up across the country—a possibility that we noted in an earlier post on this subject. So far, at least two federal lawsuits have been filed based on the fact that the COVID-19 vaccines currently in use are only available under an Emergency Use Authorization (“EUA”) … Continue reading Employers Begin to Grapple with the Risks of Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policies

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