Featured
Where From Here – Webinar Series
May 24, 2022: Public companies face several questions now that the SEC has proposed sweeping rules to require climate-change disclosures. How would the rules affect a company’s climate goals and strategy? How would climate goals affect SEC reporting? And what’s the best way to navigate the renewables market? We discuss those and related questions – and suggest practical tips for public companies – in the latest conversation we’ve hosted about the growing role of ESG factors in business today.
Watch the webinar | View the slides | Get CLE Credit | View on Orrick.com
April 19, 2022: The SEC recently released cybersecurity and climate-related disclosure rules. To help public companies get abreast of these developments, our cybersecurity, corporate governance and ESG experts hosted a discussion with Mike Pressman, Assistant General Counsel at Microsoft. This discussion provides an overview of the new rules and offers practical suggestions to get ahead of these trends. We also include our predictions on the upcoming rules about human capital management.
Watch the webinar | View the slides | Get CLE Credit | View on Orrick.com
March 4, 2022: The United States, the UK and the EU have imposed far-reaching and unprecedented economic sanctions and export controls in response to Russia’s military actions in Ukraine. Our team discusses the new restrictions and practical considerations for companies seeking to comply with the rapidly changing requirements.
Watch the webinar | Get CLE Credit | View on Orrick.com
January 27, 2022: We are expecting an increase in regulatory enforcement, particularly from the SEC, in 2022. One topic many public companies are wrestling with is new SEC amendments requiring disclosure of insider trading policies and procedures. To help companies better understand this new guidance and what it means, we hosted a conversation with industry leaders from KPMG to discuss how to proactively prepare for the new guidance and how to manage some of the challenges companies may face when formalizing and implementing their procedures.
Watch the webinar | View the slides | Get CLE Credit | View on Orrick.com
May 14, 2021: ESG and the push toward net zero have quickly become considerations for companies in every sector. Companies are becoming increasingly invested in the process, choosing renewable energy sources to significantly reduce carbon emissions. Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) and carbon offsets are key considerations for many large commercial, industrial and institutional (C&I) buyers. Yet, the standards for carbon offsets and RECs are not well defined. In fact, some have described it as the “wild west” -- where sustainability assumptions are not always carefully vetted and disclosures may not hold up under regulatory scrutiny. We hosted a timely conversation on disclosure obligations and mitigating risks connected with renewable energy reporting.
Watch the webinar | View the slides | Get CLE Credit
April 15, 2021: With the arrival of Spring and the vaccine, we're all feeling pent-up demand to re-open and travel. Vaccination rates are climbing and there's light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel. Countries and companies are looking to "vaccine passports" to help structure re-opening plans, but technical complexity, lack of uniformity and mixed governmental support threaten to slow adoption and sow uncertainty and risk. We hosted a practical conversation on the basics of vaccine passports, and the potential key privacy and security issues, employment concerns and U.S. constitutional and other federal civil liberties issues.
Watch the webinar | View the slides | Get CLE Credit
April 1, 2021: While concerns over the power and influence of Big Tech have been simmering for years, #techlash may be on the brink of boiling over. Combined with what appears to be an increasing appetite for legislation coupled with more regulatory regimes in the U.S. and worldwide, it’s more important than ever to see around corners in the areas of merger regulation, competition policy, and intellectual property enforcement.
Watch the webinar | Get CLE Credit
COVID-19 US State Orders
Our last update was July 1, 2021. We hope this resource was valuable to you.
You should independently confirm you have the latest order(s) before rendering any advice or making any decisions.
COVID-19 State Orders
Status of State Legislation
Status of US Courts
Q&As & Resources
Return to the Workplace
Employment – US | Employment – International | Privacy
Corporate Compliance & Contracts
Anti-Corruption & Compliance | Contracts/Force Majeure | Corporate Governance & Disclosure | Insurance | Tax
M&A and Strategic Collaborations
Mergers & Acquisitions | Antitrust
Finance, Government Relief & Restructuring
Restructuring | Paycheck Protection Program | CARES Act
Litigation & Enforcement
Status of US Courts
Return to the Workplace
- What are best practices for employers regarding coronavirus?
- What next when COVID-19 hits your global employee populations?
- As a U.S.-based organization, how does this impact my foreign national employees who are working pursuant to employment visas or permits?
- Can we ask non-employee visitors to take temperature tests at the entrance of our facilities?
- Can we ask non-employee visitors to make disclosures about recent travel and potential exposure prior to allowing entrance to our office?
Cybersecurity
Corporate Compliance & Contracts
- With COVID-19 impacting the movement of people and products, what anti-corruption and compliance risks should we keep in mind?
- How should companies address sales pressures from an anti-corruption and compliance perspective in this COVID-19 environment?
- What disclosure considerations should public companies be considering relating to COVID-19 impacts on their business?
- Are you facing pressure meeting your SEC filing deadlines because of facility shut-downs, work restrictions or employee absences relating to COVID-19?
- What to do if your supplier or customer is financially distressed?
- What if my contract does not have a force majeure clause?
- Does the COVID-19 pandemic constitute a force majeure event that excuses contractual performance?
- If we have closed our office and have people work from home, is there insurance available to cover lost productivity?
- If my major supplier’s operations are impacted or shutdown, do we have insurance for that impact on our business?
- Did the Internal Revenue Service Extend Tax Return Filing Deadlines and Defer Due Dates for 2019 Tax Payments Due to COVID-19?
- What are the employer tax credit provisions included in the Coronavirus Relief Bill?
M&A and Strategic Collaborations
Finance, Government Relief & Restructuring
Litigation & Enforcement
IP & Brand Protection
Municipal Finance
- Is a filing on EMMA required in connection with virus-related events, such as closures of facilities, reports of virus outbreaks or other actions?
- Many organizations eligible for tax-exempt financing are considering short-term taxable lines of credit, or increasing capacity under existing taxable lines of credit, in an effort to better manage cash flow in the coming months. Can organizations allocate draws on taxable lines of credit to capital expenditures and refinance such draws on a tax-exempt basis in the future?
State Regulation
Real Estate
Country Sites
Health Info
Contact
If you would like to speak to an Orrick lawyer about COVID-19-related questions, please contact us.
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