United States: The Financial Services Roundtable Urges Payment Innovation To Curb Cybersecurity Threats

Capping a year-long partnership between the City of Los Angeles and Dr. Lucy Jones, a well-known seismologist with the United States Geological Survey, Mayor Eric Garcetti released  “Resilience by Design” last week, a plan that includes an ambitious set of proposed seismic regulations.  The plan proposes a series of ordinances to be reviewed by the City Council in the coming months, requiring, among other things, mandatory seismic retrofitting of soft-first-story buildings within five years […]

By | December 31st, 2014 ||

United States: City Of Los Angeles Delays Issuance Of Demolition Permits For Most Structures More Than 45 Years Old

Starting in January 2015, the City will not issue demolition permits for structures more than 45 years old until the applicant has conspicuously posted a demolition notice on the property, sent letters to abutting neighbors and notified the applicable City Council District Office at least 30 days in advance of demolition.  This 30-day delay gives community groups and elected officials additional time to seek the designation of structures or districts as historic resources, in […]

By | December 31st, 2014 ||

United States: SDNY Judge Permits Use of Social Media to Notify Potential Opt-In Plaintiffs of Conditionally Certified Collective Action by Unpaid Interns

In an unpublished ruling last month, Federal Judge Alison Nathan of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York granted the request of counsel for a putative class of unpaid interns to use social media to target potential opt-in plaintiffs. The action, Mark v. Gawker Media LLC, is a challenge under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to the unpaid status of interns at Gawker Media.

Judge Nathan’s order permitting the use […]

By | December 30th, 2014 ||