Atlanta Partner Bert Hummel, in his current role as President of the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) of the State Bar of Georgia, is participating in the 10th Annual Georgia Legal Food Frenzy, a two-week fundraising drive that benefits food banks across the state.This year’s virtual event is co-sponsored by Georgia’s Office of the Attorney General, the State Bar of Georgia’s YLD, and the Georgia Food Bank Association. 

Dallas Partner Elisaveta "Leiza" Dolghih and Fort Lauderdale Partner Lee F. Lasris will both present at the Collin-Fannin County Medical Society "inPHYnity" Conference on May 1. The conference will be presented throught the day via Zoom in two concurrent tracts.

Wilmington Managing Partner Francis G.X. Pileggi and Associate Chauna A. Abner recently published an article for the Delaware Business Court Insider (part of Law.com) titled, “No Such Thing as Local Counsel in Delaware Court of Chancery,” which provides guidance for out-of-state attorneys who collaborate with Delaware counsel, or who are admitted pro hac vice in Delaware.

As a result of a new ordinance passed by Philadelphia City Council, employers, labor organizations, and employment agencies in Philadelphia may not require a prospective employee to submit to testing for the presence of marijuana in the person’s system as a condition of employment.

San Diego Partner Marilyn “Mel” Moriarty recently participated in an interview with San Diego Super Lawyers Magazine for an article titled “The Doors Were Opening.” The article features the stories of six San Diego attorneys who experienced, first-hand, the significant increase in women joining the legal profession in the United States during the 1970s.

Sacramento Partners Greg L. Johnson and Timothy J. Nally, along with New Orleans Partner Karen M. Dicke and Sacramento Associate John R. Ternieden, recently secured a significant and decisive victory in a multimillion-dollar securities lawsuit when the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana dismissed all causes of action against Lewis Brisbois’ clients.

Miami Appellate Practice Partner Kathryn (“Katie”) L. Ender has been appointed Vice Chair of the Civil Procedure Rules Committee of the Florida Bar for a one-year term that will begin on July 1, 2021. In this role, Ms. Ender will continue to serve the committee in fulfilling its function of evaluating and drafting proposed changes to the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure.

In actions announced by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over the past two months, the SEC is sharpening its focus on climate-related disclosures in public company filings. The emphasis is on how public companies address disclosures of actual and material impacts that climate change has on a company’s business and whether they comply with obligations under the federal securities laws.

Last month, we wrote about steps to take after experiencing a ransomware event. This month, as ransomware events continue to grow in number and severity, we now share the following five practical tips to implement before a ransomware event. These tips should help you bolster your defenses and reduce the havoc a ransomware attack can have on your business. 

Appellate Partner Raul L. Martinez and Los Angeles Partners Elise D. Klein and Celia Moutes-Lee recently secured a major win in an appeal of a bad faith insurance action after the appellate court held that the plaintiff, the daughter of FAIR Plan insurance policy holders, had no standing to pursue bad faith allegations against her parents’ insurer for smoke damage to her personal possessions.

Phoenix Partner Jessica L. Beckwith will co-present a CLE program titled "Ethical Use of Paralegals," hosted by the Maricopa County Bar Association (MCBA), taking place on June 9 at 1:00 p.m. MT.

One of the most vexing challenges employers face is how to handle employees who appear to be on an endless medical leave. Is an employer required to continue accommodating such a person, or does there come a point when enough is enough and the employer can lawfully terminate his or her employment? Unfortunately, the answer is not clear-cut. However, if they consider the following points, employers may be able to reduce the likelihood of a lawsuit.

New York Partners James T. Whalen, Jr. and Kevin Zimmerman recently secured a defense verdict on behalf of a trucking company and its driver following a week-long in-person jury trial in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. This was one of the first in-person jury trials to take place in the Southern District since courts started reopening in 2021 amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
 

Pittsburgh Partner Lauren D. Godfrey will join a webinar panel hosted by the Allegheny County Bar Association titled, "Digital Forensics for Lawyers: Uncovering Hidden Evidence to Win Your Case," taking place April 27 at 1:00 p.m. ET.

On April 19, Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals and of the State of New York Janet DiFiore released a message to the legal community announcing the New York State Unified Court System’s plans for returning to full staffing levels. In the announcement, Chief Judge DiFiore stated that, effective Monday, May 24, all judges and court staff will be required to return to work, noting, “It is time to return to our normal and full courthouse staffing levels in order to support the fuller resumption of in-person operations, including jury trials and other proceedings in our courts.”