Business Law (CPE)

The unprecedented challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in drastic changes in the commercial real estate industry.

Companies engaging in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactions often don’t consider the multistate tax aspects of the deal until the transaction is ready to close. Retroactive sales tax exposure is one item addressed by the purchasing company in the due diligence process and often leaves the seller surprised at the discovery of unexpected liabilities.

Sales tax automation allows organizations to focus on growth without fear of noncompliance.

Patent investigations brought under International Trade Commission (ITC) have seen an upward trend in recent years. Consequently, as several types of products and components are imported in the U.S., an increase in patent litigation is also expected – a scenario that may put a large number of U.S. companies and their consumers at risk.

In its continued effort to deter anticompetitive conduct and other violations affecting government procurement, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) created the Procurement Collusion Strike Force in 2019. It is comprised of state and federal investigators and prosecutors mandated to investigate and prosecute all types of procurement collusions and other similar misconduct in government purchasing and programs.

The implementation of anti-corruption programs has become more proactive over the past years. Multinational corporations have continued to prioritize investments with strong anti-corruption initiatives. Additionally, jurisdictions have taken significant measures to improve their legislative framework against bribery by requiring businesses to follow internal policies and regulations.

With today’s major economic recession faced by businesses due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) continues to be an attractive option for companies seeking to address the need for succession planning to sustain competitive advantage in the market and looking to provide their employees with an ownership interest through a retirement plan.

For most public companies, the adoption deadline for Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (FASB’s) Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) has already passed. Their focus now shifts from adoption to quarterly reporting under the new lease accounting standard. Private companies, however, are still preparing for their implementation of the new ASC 842 leases and should learn from public companies’ experience.

To aggressively enforce its antitrust agenda, the Biden Administration is taking bolder approaches by ramping up antitrust enforcement. In one of its recent moves, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division jointly announced their plans to modernize current merger guidelines.

In this LIVE Webcast, a panel of thought leaders and professionals brought together by The Knowledge Group will provide and present an in-depth analysis of the fundamentals as well as recent developments in Conducting Internal Investigations in the Post-Covid-19 Era: Best Practices and Key Considerations. Speakers will also present all important issues surrounding this significant topic. Join us for this Knowledge Group Webinar!

The reduction of mergers and acquisitions (M&A)-related class actions and the state 1933 Act have driven a significant decline in securities class action filings over the last years. However, despite the decrease in the overall federal filings, special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs)-related cases have doubled, bringing newer litigation risks and additional ramifications in this category.