Atlanta Partner Candis R. Jones has been named to Atlanta Magazine’s 2024 “Atlanta 500” list of the most powerful law professionals in Atlanta. This is the fourth year in a row she has received this recognition.

On February 1, 2024, the Price Cap Coalition (comprising the G7 countries, European Union, and Australia) released an Oil Price Cap (OPC) Compliance and Enforcement Alert, which provides an overview of important OPC considerations and reporting guidelines for suspected OPC violations.

Fort Lauderdale Managing Partner Cheryl Wilke was recently quoted in a CLM Magazine article about insurance executives' main concerns in the workers' compensation industry for 2024, as detailed in a survey conducted by the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI).

The State of Illinois continued its best efforts to be the “California of the Midwest” in 2023. The State passed a large assortment of laws and amendments, primarily in the areas of employment, leaves of absence, and staffing.

Chicago Partners Mark Guest and Mary A. Smigielski will present an introductory seminar for the Chicago Bar Association’s (CBA) newly formed Biometric Information and Privacy Law Committee on February 16 at 2:00 p.m. CT. Mr. Guest will serve as Chair of the new committee, and Ms. Smigielski will serve as a Vice Chair. 

Houston and Salt Lake City Partner William (“Bill”) S. Helfand recently spoke with The Texas Lawbook regarding three cases that are pending in the Texas Supreme Court, each of which involves issues related to the immunity of police officers and the emergency exception to the Texas Tort Claims Act (TTCA).

On January 30, 2024, the United States took steps to reimpose sanctions on Venezuela, following actions by the Maduro government deemed by the U.S. Department of State to be inconsistent with prior agreements. These steps include retracting general licenses and an indication that further sanction-related action may be taken, should such actions by the Maduro government continue.

Atlanta Partner Jonathan D. Goins recently secured a significant victory on behalf of Lewis Brisbois’ website developer client when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit affirmed summary judgment in its favor in a complex software dispute.

As we previously reported, there have been several Circuit opinions confirming that the Federal Aviation Authorization Administration Act preempts state law tort claims against freight brokers. The monumental impact of these opinions can be seen in a recent set of decisive federal district court decisions. These decisions demonstrate that not only is the scope of FAAAA preemption broad, but that preemption can be established early in the proceedings at the motion to dismiss stage.

In Pelfrey v. J.B. Hunt Transp., Inc., 2023 Fla. Cir. LEXIS 1580 (Order of May 19, 2023, Cause No. 04-2021-CA-00116), the Circuit Court for the 8th Judicial Circuit of Bradford County, Florida ruled favorably on J.B. Hunt Transportation Company’s motion for summary judgment, which challenged vicarious liability and statutory employer theories.

During 2023, California continued its long history of enacting legislation intended to protect the rights of employees. Below is a summary of the most critical legal updates affecting California employers and employees as of 2024, as well as recent notable State Supreme Court opinions from 2023. 

Los Angeles Partner Dana Alden Fox will present on obtaining favorable verdicts at the upcoming Association of Southern California Defense Counsel (ASCDC) Annual Seminar, hosted at the J.W. Marriott at L.A. Live on February 8 at 1:30 p.m. PT.

Boston Partner Paul Muniz was recently unanimously named Chairman of The Board at BankGloucester by the organization’s Board of Directors. He has been an independent director of the state-chartered mutual bank since 2001, and has served as a chair of numerous committees during that period.