International Trade

When Will The ITC Honor A PTAB Finding Of Invalidity?

As a general rule, the U.S. International Trade Commission has given little to no deference to Patent Trial and Appeal Board decisions. However, recent decisions seem to throw a wrinkle into this lack of deference, say Bryan J. Vogel and Derrick J. Carman of Robins Kaplan LLP.

Trade Lessons From The ZTE Saga

Less than two months after the U.S. government announced it was denying export privileges to Zhongxing Telecommunications Equipment Corp., it said that the denial order would be lifted pursuant to a new settlement with ZTE. The lessons from the ZTE saga are far from clear, but one takeaway is that enforcement actions may not always be final, say attorneys with Winston & Strawn LLP.

Mid-2018 Sanctions Review: A Turbulent Year So Far

No superlative could aptly describe the magnitude of U.S. sanctions developments through the first six months of 2018. The pace of change has been so intense and complex that, understandably, even the most sophisticated international companies and investors have been challenged to respond to policy and regulatory developments, say attorneys with Ropes & Gray LLP.

Opinion

BigLaw's Associate Salary Model Is A Relic Of A Bygone Era

Legal industry compensation practices are once again in the news as BigLaw firms continue to match the new high watermark of $190,000 for first-year associate salaries. The typical model of increasing associate salaries uniformly fails star associates, the firms they work for and, ultimately, the clients they serve, says William Brewer, managing partner of Brewer Attorneys & Counselors.

Opinion

US Trading Partners Defy The Rules They Claim To Support

In March, President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports pursuant to Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Subsequently, the European Union and certain other trading partners asserted that they could immediately retaliate — contradicting the World Trade Organization rules they claim to champion, say Alan Price and Robert DeFrancesco of Wiley Rein LLP.

Policy Is Changing For Technology Transfers

The Trump administration and Congress are tightening investment restrictions and export controls to address technology transfer concerns. These measures initially focus on China, but will have broader effects on investments in the United States and transfers of emerging technologies, say attorneys with Baker McKenzie.

#MeToo At Law Firms And What We Can Do About It

While some may say it’s ironic, it’s also embarrassing and enraging that the very industry that offers anti-harassment training, policies and counsel now finds itself the subject of #MeToo headlines. The American Bar Association recommendation that will bring about the greatest change is the call to provide alternative methods for reporting violations, says Beth Schroeder, chair of Raines Feldman LLP's labor and employment group.

New Licenses Ease Ukraine, Russia Business Wind-Downs

The U.S. Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control continues its effort to allow U.S. persons to wind down operations or existing contracts that would otherwise violate Ukraine- and Russia-related sanctions. Even though OFAC has issued general licenses for this purpose, U.S. persons may need to obtain specific licenses to fully divest their interests, say attorneys with Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP.

Knowledge Lawyers Can Help Firms Stay Ahead Of The Curve

In a profession notoriously averse to change, it should come as no surprise that there is skepticism about the value of having attorneys perform nonbillable tasks. But U.S. law firms have slowly begun to incorporate knowledge lawyers into their operations — and the trend is likely to continue, says Vanessa Pinto Villa of Hogan Lovells.

Congressional Forecast: June

In advance of their weeklong July 4 recess, members of Congress are pursuing a busy legislative schedule, focused on the fiscal year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act and other appropriations bills, reform of export controls, immigration and border security, and the farm bill authorization, says Layth Elhassani of Covington & Burling LLP.