Law/Legal
Here's a look at documents from law firms and legal groups
Featured Stories
Vorys Elevates Six Attorneys to Partner
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 9 -- Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, a law firm, issued the following news:
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Vorys Elevates Six Attorneys to Partner
Vorys is pleased to announce that six attorneys -- Brian Baxter, Daniel Bross, Brian Dressel, Robert Grise, Thomas Whaling and Ryan Wheeler -- became partners on January 1, 2026.
COLUMBUS
Brian Dressel is a member of the firm's labor and employment group. His practice focuses on a wide range of employment law matters. Brian has significant experience litigating a variety of employment cases, including discrimination, retaliation, trade secrets, wage-and-hour
... Show Full Article
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 9 -- Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, a law firm, issued the following news:
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Vorys Elevates Six Attorneys to Partner
Vorys is pleased to announce that six attorneys -- Brian Baxter, Daniel Bross, Brian Dressel, Robert Grise, Thomas Whaling and Ryan Wheeler -- became partners on January 1, 2026.
COLUMBUS
Brian Dressel is a member of the firm's labor and employment group. His practice focuses on a wide range of employment law matters. Brian has significant experience litigating a variety of employment cases, including discrimination, retaliation, trade secrets, wage-and-hourand FMLA matters. He has litigated matters in the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and the Ohio Supreme Court. He is also a member of the firm's appellate subgroup and has litigated several appeals in state and federal courts.
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Thomas Whaling is a member of the firm's litigation group. He represents individuals and companies in a wide variety of litigation matters, including complex business, commercial and contract litigation. Tom's practice includes an emphasis on the construction industry, in which he advises owners, developers and contractors on disputed matters ranging from breach of contract claims and change orders to bonding, liens, delays and more. Tom also leads the firm's cannabis, hemp and CBD practice.
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Ryan Wheeler is a member of the Vorys eControl group. His practice focuses on eCommerce, brand protection, product diversion and intellectual property enforcement. Ryan counsels numerous consumer products manufacturers and brands around the world on strategies to strengthen their eCommerce business and avoid third-party disruption to their sales and distribution channels.
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CINCINNATI
Brian Baxter is a member of the firm's corporate group. His practice focuses on representing both public and private companies in corporate and transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions, securities, periodic reporting and disclosure and corporate governance. He has represented Fortune 500 companies and other publicly listed companies in acquisitions and a range of other transactional matters across manufacturing, banking, transportation and other industries.
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Daniel Bross is a member of the firm's finance, energy and real estate practice group. His practice focuses on real estate financing transactions and general real estate matters, with experience in the development and sale of office buildings, lab and medical research buildings, apartment projects, industrial facilities and other commercial properties. He has particular experience representing lenders, owners and developers in Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) transactions.
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Robert Grise is a member of the Vorys eControl group. His practice focuses on counseling manufacturers and brands on issues related to eCommerce and online brand protection, including developing strategies to assist companies with product distribution issues, product diversion, unauthorized importation of grey market goods and counterfeit sales. He helps to protect clients' brand reputation and value, allowing them to focus attention on expansion and growth.
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About Vorys: Vorys was established in 1909 and currently has nearly 375 attorneys in 10 offices in Ohio, Washington, D.C., Texas, Pennsylvania, California, London and Berlin. Vorys currently ranks as one of the 200 largest law firms in the United States according to American Lawyer magazine.
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Original text here: https://www.vorys.com/news-vorys-elevates-six-attorneys-to-partner-in-2026
[Category: BizLaw/Legal]
Littler Issues Commentary: NYSDOL Issues Guidance on Healthy Terminals Act Amendments Effective January 1, 2026
SAN FRANCISCO, California, Jan. 9 -- Littler, a law firm, issued the following commentary on Jan. 8, 2026:
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NYSDOL Issues Guidance on Healthy Terminals Act Amendments Effective January 1, 2026
At a Glance
* NYSDOL posted employer guidance on the amendments to the state's Healthy Terminals Act (HTA), adopting new wage, benefit, holiday, and vacation requirements for employees at JFK and LaGuardia Airports.
* Guidance explains much of the impact amended HTA, but a number of questions under the amended HTA remain.
By Michael Paglialonga, Keith Belfield Jr. and Eli Freedberg
In September,
... Show Full Article
SAN FRANCISCO, California, Jan. 9 -- Littler, a law firm, issued the following commentary on Jan. 8, 2026:
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NYSDOL Issues Guidance on Healthy Terminals Act Amendments Effective January 1, 2026
At a Glance
* NYSDOL posted employer guidance on the amendments to the state's Healthy Terminals Act (HTA), adopting new wage, benefit, holiday, and vacation requirements for employees at JFK and LaGuardia Airports.
* Guidance explains much of the impact amended HTA, but a number of questions under the amended HTA remain.
By Michael Paglialonga, Keith Belfield Jr. and Eli Freedberg
In September,we published an article outlining amendments to New York's Healthy Terminals Act (HTA). The amended HTA revises certain wage, health and welfare, and leave entitlements for covered workers at JFK and LaGuardia Airports. The amendments were included as part of New York State's budget for the 2026 fiscal year. On December 22, 2025, the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) issued implementation guidance on its website, including FAQs that provide some guidance on coverage, wage and benefit requirements, and compliance obligations.
The NYSDOL's guidance clarifies some ambiguities and open questions that originated from the HTA amendments, and outlines steps employers may wish to take now that the amendments have taken effect as of January 1, 2026. Despite the recent guidance, some ambiguities remain. For example, the NYSDOL emphasizes that the minimum wage rates and leave requirements the HTA requires covered employers to provide their employees are subject to change based on the federal determinations on which the state commissioner of labor's designations are based.
Notably, the NYSDOL issued its guidance by posting information on its website and the NYSDOL has not proposed any formal rulemaking as of this writing. Accordingly, the information the NYSDOL posted on its website should be considered as helpful interpretive guidance, but it may not have the force of law or regulation.
HTA Coverage
The updated NYSDOL guidance includes general guidance on the applicability of the amended HTA, as follows:
* Covered airport locations. NYSDOL reiterates that the amended HTA provides coverage to certain employees who perform work at JFK and LGA airports, and at certain off-airport locations. Specifically, NYSDOL states that covered airport locations include locations from which food to be consumed on airplanes departing from JFK or LGA is prepared or delivered.
* Covered airport workers. NYSDOL's guidance frames the coverage threshold as a weekly time-based test: starting January 1, 2026, the law will apply to anyone who works at least 50% of their time during any work week at a covered airport location. As a practical matter, employers should anticipate that fluctuating schedules, split assignments between covered and non-covered locations, and multi-role employees will require careful time allocation and documentation to determine when the 50% threshold is met in a given week.
* Employer Coverage. NYSDOL's guidance confirms that employers with 10 or fewer employees are exempt from the amended HTA's wage, benefit, and paid leave designation requirements, while employers with 11 or more employees must comply with the HTA's updated requirements. The guidance does not address how headcount should be calculated (for example, whether affiliated entities are aggregated, how to treat temporary staffing, or otherwise advise how to count employees).
HTA Base Wage Requirement
The amended HTA requires covered employers to pay at least the applicable standard rate that is designated by the commissioner of labor of the NYSDOL, who in turn will base the minimum wage rate upon the federal Service Contract Act (SCA) determinations for the relevant localities and classifications. NYSDOL's guidance advises that for each relevant classification, the wage paid to the employee cannot be lower than (a) the wage rate designated by the commissioner based on SCA determinations or (b) the minimum wage established by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which is currently set at $21.25 beginning January 1, 2026.
What the guidance does not do is identify the specific SCA wage classifications that employers should use to determine the appropriate wage rates for job positions and classifications that are not included in the SCA wage classification schedules. Instead, the guidance points employers generally to the SCA framework and advises that the most up-to-date rate information will be available through federal SCA resources.
HTA Health and Welfare Benefit Requirements
In addition to base wages, the amended HTA contemplates a supplemental obligation that parallels the SCA health and welfare fringe benefit requirements. NYSDOL's guidance explains that the supplemental contribution to health care or supplemental wages cannot be less than the SCA health and welfare rate in effect on the date of the commissioner's designation, which is based on federal SCA determinations. NYSDOL's guidance expressly notes that the rate as of December 3, 2025, is $5.55 per hour, for up to 40 hours per week.
Unfortunately, this guidance leaves a number of questions unanswered as NYSDOL does not address whether employers may satisfy the $5.55 per hour supplemental obligation through existing benefit offerings (for example, how health insurance premiums, employer HSA contributions, dental/vision, life insurance, or other qualifying benefits will be valued and credited), whether cash-in-lieu payments are permitted and under what conditions employers should handle workers whose hours fluctuate above and below 40 hours in a week.
Unlike guidance under the prior HTA, which explained that employees who waived or declined compliant health insurance were not required to receive additional compensation, NYSDOL's guidance on the amended HTA does not address this point. NYSDOL's guidance on the prior HTA no longer appears on NYSDOL's website, giving rise to a number of questions as to whether such prior guidance remains in effect.
NYSDOL's guidance advises that the paid leave requirements under the amended HTA that are designated by the commissioner are based on requirements under the SCA framework. As of December 3, 2025, NYSDOL indicates that employers must provide covered airport workers at least 12 paid holidays and paid vacation based on years of work.
NYSDOL identifies the 12 paid holidays as:
* New Year's Day
* Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday
* Washington's Birthday
* Good Friday
* Memorial Day
* Juneteenth
* Independence Day
* Labor Day
* Columbus Day
* Veterans' Day
* Thanksgiving Day
* Christmas Day
NYSDOL explains that employers may substitute any of these holidays for another day off with pay in accordance with a plan communicated to employees, and that paid holidays must be provided regardless of the employee's length of service.
For vacation, NYSDOL provides a tenure-based schedule measured in weeks per year:
* Two weeks after one year of employment;
* Three weeks after five years;
* Four weeks after 10 years; and
* Five weeks after 20 years.
NYSDOL also states that covered airport workers earn the full amount of owed vacation on their anniversary date. As with wages and supplemental benefits, NYSDOL emphasizes that paid leave requirements are subject to change based on federal determinations.
The guidance still leaves a number of questions unanswered, including how to calculate holiday pay for employees with variable schedules; whether and how to pro-rate vacation for part-time workers; what happens when employees move in and out of covered work based on the 50% weekly test; and how the HTA's vacation and holiday requirements interact with other leave laws and existing collective bargaining agreements.
Posting Requirement
NYSDOL also signals that employers covered by the HTA must display a poster summarizing the Act beginning January 1, 2026. The NYSDOL poster, which is available at NYSDOL's website, contains QR codes that link to the SAM.gov site containing the SCA schedule, as well as the Port Authority Minimum Wage webpage.
Enforcement
Unlike NYSDOL's guidance under the prior HTA, NYSDOL did not offer any clarity on whether it would strictly enforce the requirements of the HTA immediately, or if a reasonable period will be afforded to covered employers to comply with the requirements of the HTA. Guidance under the prior HTA advised that NYSDOL was "exercising enforcement discretion at the present time to allow businesses a reasonable period to make operational adjustments, and will consider a range of factors, including whether covered airport workers are receiving hourly supplements sufficient to provide adequate health care coverage." As of this writing, this guidance is no longer on NYSDOL's website, and it is unclear if it remains applicable under the amended HTA, and what NYSDOL's enforcement stance will be.
Next Steps
Employers with employees working at JFK or LaGuardia Airports should review the updated NYSDOL guidance. However, the guidance does not appear to provide an opportunity to submit questions or confirm rate applicability with NYSDOL. In light of these ambiguities, we recommend that covered and potentially covered employers consult with employment counsel regarding implementation. Littler will continue to monitor this issue for updates.
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Authors
Michael Paglialonga photo
Michael Paglialonga
Of Counsel
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New York
Keith Belfield
Associate
New York
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Eli Freedberg
Shareholder
New York
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Original text here: https://www.littler.com/news-analysis/asap/nysdol-issues-guidance-healthy-terminals-act-amendments-effective-january-1-2026
[Category: BizLaw/Legal]
Littler Issues Commentary: Mexico - Increase to the UMA Value Announced for 2026
SAN FRANCISCO, California, Jan. 9 -- Littler, a law firm, issued the following commentary on Jan. 8, 2026:
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Mexico: Increase to the UMA Value Announced for 2026
By David Leal and Alondra Valdez
On January 8, 2026, Mexico's National Institute of Statistics and Geography published the new values for the Updated Metric Unit ("Unidad de Medida y Actualizacion," or "UMA") that will take effect on February 1, 2026, as provided by Article 5 of the Law to determine the value of the UMA. The UMA serves as the basis to calculate the payments, obligations, or penalties that are owed to the government,
... Show Full Article
SAN FRANCISCO, California, Jan. 9 -- Littler, a law firm, issued the following commentary on Jan. 8, 2026:
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Mexico: Increase to the UMA Value Announced for 2026
By David Leal and Alondra Valdez
On January 8, 2026, Mexico's National Institute of Statistics and Geography published the new values for the Updated Metric Unit ("Unidad de Medida y Actualizacion," or "UMA") that will take effect on February 1, 2026, as provided by Article 5 of the Law to determine the value of the UMA. The UMA serves as the basis to calculate the payments, obligations, or penalties that are owed to the government,whether under federal or state law. Its updated value is published on an annual basis.
The values of the UMA for 2026 will be as follows:
Year ... Daily ... Monthly ... Annual
2026 ... $117.31 MXN ... $3,566.22 MXN ... $42,794.64 MXN
The variation from the 2025 UMA is +3.69%.
The UMA was adopted as an economic reference in 2016. Before this, the minimum wage was used to calculate payment obligations and sanctions. Any reference to the minimum wage that is maintained in the legislation or the legal system and that is not related to employment relationships or payments derived from employment relationships, will be understood as a reference to the UMA, which will be the new value that must be considered for the payment of obligations according to federal and state laws.
Accordingly, it is important for employers to review their individual and collective work contracts to ascertain how the UMA will impact the social security benefits agreed upon by the parties. Likewise, employers should review and adjust their payroll practices as appropriate to comply with UMA-related requirements.
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Authors
David E. Leal Gonzalez
Shareholder
Monterrey
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Alondra Valdez Padilla
Associate
Saltillo
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Original text here: https://www.littler.com/news-analysis/asap/mexico-increase-uma-value-announced-2026
[Category: BizLaw/Legal]
Littler Issues Commentary: DOL Issues Opinion Letter Regarding Compensability of Pre-Shift Activities Covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement
SAN FRANCISCO, California, Jan. 9 -- Littler, a law firm, issued the following commentary on Jan. 8, 2026:
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DOL Issues Opinion Letter Regarding Compensability of Pre-Shift Activities Covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement
By Megan Smith and Rob Pritchard
On January 5, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued an opinion letter addressing whether an employer and union could enter into a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that mandates a 15-minute "roll call" before each shift but excludes that time when calculating overtime premiums under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
... Show Full Article
SAN FRANCISCO, California, Jan. 9 -- Littler, a law firm, issued the following commentary on Jan. 8, 2026:
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DOL Issues Opinion Letter Regarding Compensability of Pre-Shift Activities Covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement
By Megan Smith and Rob Pritchard
On January 5, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued an opinion letter addressing whether an employer and union could enter into a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that mandates a 15-minute "roll call" before each shift but excludes that time when calculating overtime premiums under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).The opinion letter contains important reminders about the compensability of certain pre- and post-shift work activities as well as partial overtime exemptions available to unionized employers.
The opinion letter involved employees working under a CBA with fixed eight-hour shifts on a "four days on and two days off" schedule, working 32 hours over each six-day period. The employer and union were considering adding a mandatory 15-minute roll call prior to each shift to bring employees closer to 2,080 hours per year, a number that is typical of a full-time work year (40 hours per week x 52 weeks). The DOL was asked three questions:
1. Whether the mandatory 15-minute roll call period was "hours worked" under the FLSA;
2. Whether the roll call period can be used to supplement pay periods that would otherwise fall below 80 hours on an ongoing basis; and
3. Whether the roll call period can be excluded from the overtime calculation given that its sole purpose is to bring employees closer to 2,080 annual hours.
In response to the first question, the DOL concluded that the mandatory roll call time must be counted as "hours worked" under the FLSA. While certain activities before or after a shift might be excluded as "preliminary" or "postliminary," those exclusions do not apply when the time has been made compensable by contract, custom or practice. The proposed CBA made the roll call time compensable by contract; therefore, the time must be classified as "hours worked" under the FLSA.
In response to the second question, the DOL concluded that because an employer must compensate all employees for all hours worked and because the 15-minute roll call time constitutes compensable hours worked, it must be counted as part of the workweek of each employee who attends the roll call, regardless of the number of hours each employee works that week.
As to the third question, the DOL explained that the employer may be able to avoid paying overtime premiums for this additional time if the CBA is structured to qualify for one of two partial overtime exemptions available to unionized employers.
Under section 7(b)(1) of the FLSA, employers can claim a partial overtime exemption if: (a) the employee is employed pursuant to a CBA between the employer and a union certified as "bona fide" by the NLRB; (b) the employer pays the employee overtime compensation for all hours worked over 12 in a day or over 56 in a week; and (c) the CBA states that no employee will work more than 1,040 hours in any consecutive 26-week period. 29 U.S.C. Sec. 207(b)(1). The DOL calculated that adding 15 minutes per shift to the schedule at issue would not result in an employee working more than the maximum threshold of 1,040 hours over a 26-week period. It would not cause an employee to work more than 12 hours in a day or 56 hours in a week. Therefore, the DOL concluded that if the CBA includes the required language of section 7(b)(1) and the employer adheres to the statutory requirements, the FLSA would not require the employer to pay overtime compensation for the additional 15-minute roll call periods.
Under section 7(b)(2), a partial overtime exemption applies when the CBA: (a) specifies the rate at which the employee is paid for all hours worked or guaranteed; (b) guarantees the employee, during a specified consecutive 52-week period, at least 1,840 hours of employment (or not less than 46 weeks at the normal number of hours worked per week if not less than 30), and not more than 2,080 hours, at the specified rate; (c) provides the employee shall not work more than 2,240 hours during the specified 52-week period; and (d) requires the employer to pay the employee overtime compensation for all hours worked over the guaranteed number of hours that are also over 40 in a given workweek and for all hours worked over 2,080 in the specified 52-week period. 29 U.S.C. Sec. 207(b)(2).
As in section 7(b)(1), this exemption also requires that the employee be employed pursuant to a CBA between the employer and a "bona fide" union and that the employer pay the employee overtime compensation for all hours worked over 12 in a day or over 56 in a week. The DOL calculated that the addition of 15 minutes of roll call time per shift based on the schedule at issue would not cause the employees to work more than the maximum threshold of 2,240 hours in the specified 52-week period. Therefore, the DOL concluded that the CBA provision at issue could also be structured to comply with the requirements of section 7(b)(2) such that the 15-minute roll call periods do not automatically trigger the requirement to pay overtime when an employee's weekly hours exceed 40, and should result in minimal, if any, overtime liability on its own.
These partial exemptions come with an important caveat: If an employee works more than the maximum hours specified in the exemption, the employer must recalculate that employee's earnings for the entire period without the exemption and pay all overtime premiums due.
The opinion letter provides important guidance for employers and unions negotiating the compensability of pre- and post-shift activities. While employers cannot simply contract away their overtime obligations under the FLSA, it is possible to obtain a partial exemption from the traditional overtime requirement through a carefully structured collective bargaining agreement. Employers considering similar arrangements should work with experienced counsel.
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Authors
Megan A. Smith
Associate
Pittsburgh
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Robert W. Pritchard
Shareholder
Pittsburgh
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Original text here: https://www.littler.com/news-analysis/asap/dol-issues-opinion-letter-regarding-compensability-pre-shift-activities-covered
[Category: BizLaw/Legal]
Jeremy Paner Discusses Compliance Implications of Chevron Quantum Bid for Lukoil Assets
NEW YORK, Jan. 9 -- Hughes Hubbard and Reed, a law firm, issued the following news:
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Jeremy Paner Discusses Compliance Implications of Chevron Quantum Bid for Lukoil Assets
Jeremy Paner discussed the potential compliance implications of the reported joint bid between Chevron and U.S. private equity firm Quantum Capital Group for Lukoil's non-Russian assets.
Speaking to Energy Intelligence, Paner discussed how bids for Lukoil's remaining international assets, which span roughly a dozen countries, would require authorization from the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, Jan. 9 -- Hughes Hubbard and Reed, a law firm, issued the following news:
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Jeremy Paner Discusses Compliance Implications of Chevron Quantum Bid for Lukoil Assets
Jeremy Paner discussed the potential compliance implications of the reported joint bid between Chevron and U.S. private equity firm Quantum Capital Group for Lukoil's non-Russian assets.
Speaking to Energy Intelligence, Paner discussed how bids for Lukoil's remaining international assets, which span roughly a dozen countries, would require authorization from the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control(OFAC).
This comes after an early attempt to purchase the assets, by international trader Gunvor, was thwarted by the U.S. government. UAE-based International Holding Co. and private equity outfit Carlyle are also stepping forward with interest.
As with Iraq's move Wednesday, to nationalize West Qurna-2 oilfield, OFAC's jurisdiction is limited to "transactions that involve the United States," Paner said. "It's a very broad jurisdictional reach, but nationalizations such as Iraq's would likely not trigger OFAC jurisdiction and therefore not require authorization from U.S. Treasury."
However, at the same time, multiple Lukoil assets carry contractual preemption rights or are in jurisdictions that allow the state to have similar rights to step in and ultimately purchase stakes for agreed-to prices.
According to Paner, once OFAC authorizes a deal for Lukoil's international assets, the agency "no longer has any legal standing to 'approve' nationalization or the preemption rights of Lukoil's former interests in assets or projects."
Read the article (https://www.energyintel.com/0000019b-9a59-d79e-affb-9b5936410000).
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Jeremy P. Paner
Partner
Washington, DC
+1 (202) 721-4614
jeremy.paner@hugheshubbard.com
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Original text here: https://www.hugheshubbard.com/attorneys/paner-jeremy
[Category: BizLaw/Legal]
Berger Montague Investigates Reports That Elon Musk's Chatbot Grok Creates Nonconsensual Pornographic Images of Women and Children
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, Jan. 9 -- Berger Montague, a law firm, issued the following news:
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Berger Montague Investigates Reports that Elon Musk's Chatbot Grok Creates Nonconsensual Pornographic Images of Women and Children
Berger Montague, a leading national plaintiffs' law firm, is investigating claims that xAI's chatbot Grok is being used for the large-scale unauthorized creation of lewd and sexually abusive images of women and underage girls, which are published on Grok's official account on the social media website X, formerly Twitter.
"These reports of exploitation are disturbing,"
... Show Full Article
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, Jan. 9 -- Berger Montague, a law firm, issued the following news:
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Berger Montague Investigates Reports that Elon Musk's Chatbot Grok Creates Nonconsensual Pornographic Images of Women and Children
Berger Montague, a leading national plaintiffs' law firm, is investigating claims that xAI's chatbot Grok is being used for the large-scale unauthorized creation of lewd and sexually abusive images of women and underage girls, which are published on Grok's official account on the social media website X, formerly Twitter.
"These reports of exploitation are disturbing,"said Shareholder E. Michelle Drake. "Sexual humiliation by a chatbot shouldn't be the price for a woman existing online. The idea that underage girls may be subject to this disgusting abuse of technology is unconscionable."
According to ABC News, Elon Musk's companies xAI and X face global backlash over Grok's production of sexually explicit deepfake depictions of real women and children without their consent. On Tuesday Britian's top technology official demanded X take urgent action. The European Union, France, India, Malaysia and Brazil have also condemned the platform. NBC News has also reported the phenomenon.
If you or a family member has been victimized by a sexually explicit picture created by Grok without consent and you would like to learn about your legal options, you can contact Berger Montague at completing this form, emailing us at info@bergermontague.com,or by calling us at 1-800-424-6690. For more information please visit www.bergermontague.com/grok. Berger Montague is one of the nation's preeminent law firms focusing on complex civil litigation, class actions, and mass torts in federal and state courts throughout the United States. With more than $2.4 billion in 2025 post-trial judgments alone, the Firm is a leader in the fields of complex litigation, antitrust, consumer protection, defective products, environmental law, employment law, securities, and whistleblower cases, among many other practice areas. For over 55 years, Berger Montague has played leading roles in precedent-setting cases and has recovered over $50 billion for its clients and the classes they have represented. Berger Montague is headquartered in Philadelphia and has offices in Chicago; Malvern, PA; Minneapolis; San Diego; San Francisco; Toronto, Canada; Washington, D.C., and Wilmington, DE.
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Original text here: https://bergermontague.com/news/berger-montague-investigates-reports-that-elon-musks-chatbot-grok-creates-nonconsensual-pornographic-images-of-women-and-children/
[Category: BizLaw/Legal]
Alston & Bird Elects 22 New Partners
ATLANTA, Georgia, Jan. 9 -- Alston and Bird, a law firm, issued the following news release:
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Alston & Bird Elects 22 New Partners
Alston & Bird announces the election of 22 lawyers to its partnership, effective January 1, 2026. The new partners span seven offices and nine practice groups.
"Each of our new partners has demonstrated a passionate, unwavering commitment to providing the highest levels of client service," said Richard Hays, Alston & Bird Chairman and Managing Partner. "We look forward to their contributions to sophisticated matters and our collaborative culture throughout their
... Show Full Article
ATLANTA, Georgia, Jan. 9 -- Alston and Bird, a law firm, issued the following news release:
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Alston & Bird Elects 22 New Partners
Alston & Bird announces the election of 22 lawyers to its partnership, effective January 1, 2026. The new partners span seven offices and nine practice groups.
"Each of our new partners has demonstrated a passionate, unwavering commitment to providing the highest levels of client service," said Richard Hays, Alston & Bird Chairman and Managing Partner. "We look forward to their contributions to sophisticated matters and our collaborative culture throughout theirvery promising careers."
Elected to Alston & Bird's partnership are:
* Sam Bragg (Dallas) as partner in the Litigation & Trial Practice Group. He focuses on complex commercial litigation across the financial sector, and works closely with financial services providers, corporate trustees and administrators, private equity firms, and fintechs.
* Colony Canady (Atlanta) as partner in the Real Estate Group, where she focuses on the acquisition, ground-up development, financing, leasing, and disposition of commercial real estate projects across several asset classes, including multifamily, industrial, office, and mixed-use.
* Nick Chandler (Atlanta) as partner in the Labor & Employment Group. He represents employers in a wide variety of class action and single-plaintiff employment disputes, and has extensive experience litigating complex commercial lawsuits. In addition to his litigation practice, he counsels employers on a wide range of federal, state, and local employment issues, including restrictive covenants, traditional labor law, workplace safety, and wage-and-hour compliance.
* Gillian Clow (Los Angeles) as partner in the Litigation & Trial Practice Group. She focuses on complex litigation, including consumer class actions. Her practice is a mix of life insurance, data privacy, and business litigation, and she has vast experience defending claims for breach of fiduciary duty, RICO, fraud, and violations of Business & Professions Code Section 17200 and other tort claims.
* Blake Crohan (Atlanta) as partner in the Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation and ERISA Litigation Groups, where he represents employers, plan sponsors, insurers, and fiduciaries in litigation over employee benefits and fiduciary matters, including investments, excessive fees, actuarial factors, and benefit terminations. He also counsels clients on managing administrative claims and appeals and advises on ERISA fiduciary best practices and litigation avoidance strategies.
* Daniel Dubin (Los Angeles) as partner in the State & Local Tax Group. He focuses on cutting-edge, nationwide matters in unclaimed property and consumer protection. He is a cross-practice litigator with significant experience representing clients in unclaimed property audits and voluntary disclosure agreement programs, as well as high-stakes cases against both public and private entities in state and federal courts.
* Gregg Fish (New York) as partner in the Litigation & Trial Practice Group, where he focuses on complex commercial disputes and high-stakes government investigations. He represents clients across a variety of industries--particularly financial services, pharmaceuticals and health care, telecommunications, insurance, and media/entertainment--in state and federal courts, as well as arbitral forums, and through all stages of litigation, including trial.
* Trey Flaherty (Charlotte) as partner in the Finance Group. He represents major financial institutions as trustee, certificate/note administrator, custodian, and other service-provider functions across a broad range of asset types, including single-family rental, CRE CLOs, CMBS, ABS, RMBS, and other financing and warehousing arrangements. He also advises major financial institutions on SEC regulatory compliance, with a particular focus on Reg AB reporting and compliance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
* Jamie Furst (Los Angeles) as partner in the Litigation & Trial Practice Group, where she focuses on representing owners, large general contractors, and developers in negotiating contracts and throughout all stages of construction claims litigation. She has extensive experience representing clients in disputes over delays, extra work, defective work, changed conditions, and contract terminations.
* Mary Grace Gallagher (Atlanta) as partner in the Intellectual Property Litigation Group. She brings extensive experience protecting and enforcing clients' intellectual property rights in high-stakes disputes. She focuses on trademark, copyright, and false advertising litigation and enforcement. She also handles trademark clearance and international portfolio management, as well as internet and domain name disputes.
* Brad Harder (Atlanta) as partner in the Litigation & Trial Practice Group. He focuses on health care litigation, class actions, government investigations, and other complex business disputes. He has managed large-scale litigation with a leading-edge approach to AI, information governance, data privacy, and discovery practices. He handles all phases of litigation on behalf of clients from many sectors, including insurance, finance, and health care.
* Daniel Lord (Raleigh) as partner in the Real Estate Group, where he represents developers, owners, and institutional investors across all facets of commercial real estate transactions. He focuses on delivering practical, deal-driven solutions while keeping his clients' best interests first.
* Ashley Miller (Atlanta) as partner in the Litigation & Trial Practice Group. She focuses on class action defense and government/regulatory investigations, with an emphasis on data security and privacy matters. She represents clients across a variety of industries, including health care, hospitality, technology, insurance, and consumer products, in all phases of litigation, including developing and executing defense strategies for fact discovery, expert discovery, mediation, and dispositive motion practice.
* Anna Nolan (London) as partner in the Financial Restructuring & Reorganization Group, where she works on contentious and noncontentious matters in England and internationally. With more than a decade of experience, she works on high-stakes matters for debtors, creditors, trustees, investors, and insolvency practitioners. She has extensive restructuring and transactional experience with all stages of stressed and distressed, domestic, and cross-border transactions.
* Katie Owen (Los Angeles) as partner in the Labor & Employment Group. She handles complex commercial and employment disputes with a focus on class and representative actions. She also represents businesses in wrongful termination and fair employment matters, including sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation.
* Drew Phillips (Atlanta) as partner in the Litigation & Trial Practice Group. He helps food and beverage clients navigate complicated, multifaceted class action, consumer protection, and product defect litigation. Top manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, retailers, and restaurants look to him for vigorous defense and informed counsel on a range of issues, including class action defense, product recalls, food-borne pathogens, food safety, and regulatory compliance.
* Sharon Steinerman (New York) as partner in the Litigation & Trial Practice Group, where she concentrates on general commercial litigation, representing plaintiffs and defendants in a broad range of complex disputes. She handles litigation involving breach of contract, fraud, restrictive covenants, products liability, and administrative agency review actions on behalf of clients in a range of business and industry segments, including the health care, insurance, and retail/manufacturing industries.
* Caroline Strumph (Atlanta) as partner in the Litigation & Trial Practice Group. She focuses on health care litigation and government enforcement actions. She defends clients in matters involving complex contract disputes and fraud and advises health care, life sciences, and education clients on the potential impacts of evolving regulations. She also has extensive experience defending companies against qui tam litigation and regularly represents clients in proceedings before the Department of Justice, HHS Office of Inspector General, Department of Education, Federal Trade Commission, and state attorneys general.
* Lance Taubin (New York) as partner in the Litigation & Trial Practice Group. He advises clients on cybersecurity and data privacy issues, including cybersecurity breach preparedness and response, cybersecurity and privacy compliance and enforcement, managing cyber risk, technology transactions, and M&A diligence. He provides counsel to a variety of companies, from startups to large multinational public companies, in various industries, including financial services, health care, manufacturing, telecommunications, retail, and technology.
* Logan Thore (Atlanta) as partner in the Corporate & Business Transactions Group, where he focuses on private equity, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, sponsorship arrangements, and other complex commercial transactions. He has experience in the legal departments of government agencies and public and privately held companies.
* Matt Tyson (Charlotte) as partner in the Corporate & Business Transactions Group. He assists private equity funds and their portfolio companies in all stages of mergers and acquisitions, business reorganizations, and joint ventures. He also advises clients on general corporate matters.
* Kerry Wenzel (Atlanta) as partner in the Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation and ERISA Litigation Groups. Her practice centers on executive compensation and corporate governance for public companies, including SEC compliance, stock exchange requirements, incentive plans, deferred compensation, employment agreements, and golden parachutes. She also advises on executive compensation issues in IPOs, mergers, and acquisitions.
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Original text here: https://www.alston.com/en/insights/news/2026/01/new-partners-january-2026
[Category: BizLaw/Legal]
