The Importance of Clearing Title for Public Acquisitions
Public agencies often focus on negotiating purchase price while neglecting title issues, leading to costly surprises. Riverside Unified School District discovered a 19‑year cell‑tower lease after buying land for a new elementary school and agreed to pay nearly $1 million to relocate the tower. The hidden lease would have delayed construction and required eminent‑domain proceedings, inflating total project costs. The incident underscores the necessity of thorough title searches to uncover unrecorded interests before acquisition.
Arbitration in the Fifth – March 2026
In March 2026 the Fifth Circuit and several Texas and Louisiana district courts issued a series of rulings that reinforced the enforceability of arbitration agreements, even when embedded in clickwrap contracts or mandatory training modules. The Fifth Circuit in Quintas...
NLRB Maintains McLaren Severance Agreement Standard for Now, But Board Nomination Signals Potential Shift
On April 7, 2026 the National Labor Relations Board upheld the 2023 McLaren standard in the Prime Communications case, confirming that overly broad severance‑agreement confidentiality or non‑disparagement clauses can violate the NLRA. The Board could not overturn the precedent because it lacked...
Criteria to Consider When Assessing Borrowing Base Credit for Participation Interests
The April 2026 legal update outlines criteria warehouse lenders should apply when granting borrowing‑base credit for participation interests. It highlights that participations introduce legal uncertainty—recharacterization risk, insolvency exposure of the lender of record, limited transferability, and reduced liquidity—prompting tighter haircuts and...
New York Bars Employers From Considering Consumer Credit History in Employment Decisions
Effective April 18, 2026, New York State will prohibit employers from requesting or using consumer credit history in hiring, compensation, promotion, or retention decisions, mirroring New York City’s 2015 ban. The amendment to the State Fair Credit Reporting Act applies...
New York’s FAIR Act Update: Governor Hochul Signs Chapter Amendment SB 8811 Refining the New UDAP/UDAAP Framework
On March 27, 2026 Governor Kathy Hochul signed SB 8811, amending New York’s FAIR Act. The amendment repeals the standalone purpose‑and‑intent clause, refines the “substantial injury” prong by anchoring it to the FTC Act definition, and extends the Attorney General’s pre‑suit notice...
FINRA Investor Education Foundation Examines Effects of Social Media “Finfluencers”
FINRA’s Investor Education Foundation released a brief on April 2, 2026 analyzing retail investors who follow social‑media “finfluencers.” The study shows these followers are typically younger, male, hold smaller portfolios and include a higher share of racial minorities. While they report stronger...
Establishing a Business Entity in Australia (Updated)
International Lawyers Network released an updated guide on April 14, 2026 for establishing a business entity in Australia. The piece explains the country’s three‑tier regulatory framework—federal, state/territory, and local—showing how legislative authority can overlap. It cautions investors that statutes differ across jurisdictions...
What You Should Know About CCPA Compliance After the California Attorney General’s 2024 Investigative Sweep
The California Attorney General’s 2024 investigative sweep spotlighted widespread failures in CCPA opt‑out compliance, especially among streaming and ad‑tech firms. The audit revealed deceptive, dysfunctional, inadequate, and fragmented opt‑out mechanisms that left consumers’ data exposed across devices and platforms. Companies...
AB 1940: California Moves to Expressly Protect Employees Experiencing Menopause Under FEHA
California Assembly Bill 1940, introduced in February 2026, seeks to explicitly add perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause to the definition of “sex” under the state Fair Employment and Housing Act. The bill would require updated workplace discrimination posters and a statewide...
Navigating Complexity in US Consumer Financial Services: A Look Back at 2025
Mayer Brown’s latest thought‑leadership piece reviews the evolving landscape of U.S. consumer financial services in 2025, highlighting heightened regulatory scrutiny, rapid fintech adoption, and shifting consumer credit patterns. The authors examine how new CFPB rules, state‑level licensing reforms, and advances...
DOJ Announces First False Claims Act Settlement Under Civil Rights Fraud Initiative: IBM to Pay $17 Million to Resolve Allegations...
On April 10, 2026 the Justice Department announced its first False Claims Act settlement under the Civil Rights Fraud Initiative, with IBM agreeing to pay $17,077,043 to resolve allegations that its DEI‑related hiring and compensation practices violated anti‑discrimination rules in federal contracts....
The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania Narrows Who May Seek Recourse Through the Workers’ Compensation Act’s Fee Review Process
On March 16, 2026 the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court ruled that Scomed Supply, a durable‑medical‑equipment distributor, is not a “health care provider” under the Workers’ Compensation Act and therefore lacks standing to challenge payment amounts in the fee‑review process. The decision...
Hot Flashes, New Laws: The Rise of State Menopause Protections
State-level momentum is reshaping workplace protections as Rhode Island became the first U.S. state to explicitly ban menopause discrimination and mandate reasonable accommodations. The law fills a gap left by federal statutes, which only offer indirect recourse through sex, age,...
A Cross-Country Trio of Appellate Decisions Tackles Novel LLC Disputes
Three recent appellate decisions illuminate how courts resolve novel LLC disputes across state lines. The Montana Supreme Court affirmed that an operating agreement can contain parallel amendment mechanisms—one requiring a super‑majority vote and another allowing unanimous written consent—thereby rejecting a...
