Law/Legal
Here's a look at documents from law firms and legal groups
Featured Stories
2026 California Employment Law Conference
ATLANTA, Georgia, March 19 -- Fisher Phillips, a law firm, issued the following news on March 18, 2026:
* * *
2026 California Employment Law Conference
Fisher Phillips is pleased to announce that in partnership with Floyd Skeren Manukian Langevin, the firm's annual Employment Law Conference will return on June 5, 2026, at the Disneyland Hotel. The conference will feature keynote speakers, and the latest hot topics in employment law, workers' compensation, and HR.
Conference sessions include:
* Employment Law: Case and Legislative Update
* What's New from the California Civil Rights Department
... Show Full Article
ATLANTA, Georgia, March 19 -- Fisher Phillips, a law firm, issued the following news on March 18, 2026:
* * *
2026 California Employment Law Conference
Fisher Phillips is pleased to announce that in partnership with Floyd Skeren Manukian Langevin, the firm's annual Employment Law Conference will return on June 5, 2026, at the Disneyland Hotel. The conference will feature keynote speakers, and the latest hot topics in employment law, workers' compensation, and HR.
Conference sessions include:
* Employment Law: Case and Legislative Update
* What's New from the California Civil Rights Departmentand EEOC
* Wage and Hour Update (Including the PAGA Reform and Latest on Meal and Rest Break Requirements)
* Key Compliance Considerations and Risks Associated with AI
* Spotting and Preventing Employment Law Exposure in WC Claims
* The Challenges of Accommodating Work Restrictions, Medical Conditions, and Disabilities
* Substance Abuse in the Workplace: The Challenges of Managing Risk, Compliance, and Employee Support
* California Leave Law Update: Best Practices for HR Professionals, with a Focus on the Overlap Between FMLA, CFRA, and PDL
* Ethical Dilemmas in Employment Law, Work Comp and General Liability Cases
* Effective Workplace Investigations: Best Practices for HR
* Key Strategies for Defending Complex Stress Claims
* Work Comp Caselaw Update/Key Defense Strategies in 2026 for Complex Litigation
The day will end with a cocktail reception where attendees can connect with conference presenters.
This conference is a paperless event. Therefore, should you wish to download any of the material provided to you, please bring a laptop, iPad or any other electronic device. There will be a sufficient Wi-Fi connection, as well as a few charging stations throughout the event.
This conference is being jointly hosted by Floyd Skeren Manukian Langevin and Fisher Phillips. By registering for this conference, you consent to and direct that any information you provide to register and in relation to this conference should be disclosed to both law firms. If you are a California resident and would like to learn more about Floyd Skeren Manukian Langevin's privacy practices, please review their California privacy policy here.
Registration is not completed until full payment is received.
Discount Hotel Room Reservations are available upon registration. Parking is not included.
Questions? Please email events@floydskerenlaw.com.
Educational Credits
HRCI and SHRM
* Fisher Phillips will be providing 6.0 hours of SHRM/HRCI credit.
CLE
*Rene Thomas Folse, JD, PhD., is the MCLE sponsor for this event and has sole responsibility for the MCLE content - California State Bar Sponsor #11240. Attorneys can earn up to 6.5 hours for courses that meet the California State Bar criteria.
Continuing Education Certificates of Completion
* WorkCompAcademy will issue Continuing Education Certificates of Completion for courses meeting the California Department of Insurance criteria. Adjusters can earn up to 6.5 hours of Continuing Education credits.
* * *
We are committed to providing access to all of our events for disabled attendees. If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please give us five business days advance notice prior to the scheduled event by contacting events@floydskerenlaw.com. Thank you.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.fisherphillips.com/en/insights/event/2026-california-employment-law-conference
[Category: BizLaw/Legal]
Zalewski Appeared as Guest on WGN-TV Primary Election Special
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, March 18 [Category: BizLaw/Legal] -- Taft, a law firm, issued the following news:
* * *
Zalewski Appeared as Guest on WGN-TV Primary Election Special
*
Taft partner Michael Zalewski was a featured guest on the WGN-TV Primary Election Special on March 17. He provided analysis for the Illinois General Primary as part of the network's special coverage of the 2026 primary results.
Zalewski leads Taft's Chicago office's legislative and government affairs practice, serving a broad matrix of clients across multiple forums. He is a former member of the Illinois General Assembly,
... Show Full Article
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, March 18 [Category: BizLaw/Legal] -- Taft, a law firm, issued the following news:
* * *
Zalewski Appeared as Guest on WGN-TV Primary Election Special
*
Taft partner Michael Zalewski was a featured guest on the WGN-TV Primary Election Special on March 17. He provided analysis for the Illinois General Primary as part of the network's special coverage of the 2026 primary results.
Zalewski leads Taft's Chicago office's legislative and government affairs practice, serving a broad matrix of clients across multiple forums. He is a former member of the Illinois General Assembly,having served as Chairman of the House Revenue and Finance Committee from 2017 to 2023, where he helped lead the state's successful fiscal comeback.
***
Original text here: https://www.taftlaw.com/news-events/news/zalewski-appeared-as-guest-on-wgn-tv-primary-election-special/
Ropes & Gray Partners With The Conference Board for Report on C-Suite Evolution
BOSTON, Massachusetts, March 18 [Category: BizLaw/Legal] -- Ropes and Gray, a law firm, issued the following news:
* * *
Ropes & Gray Partners with The Conference Board for Report on C-Suite Evolution
Ropes & Gray teamed with The Conference Board on a new report (https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ai-boom-and-talent-war-are-propelling-hr-and-it-leaders-into-top-pay-rung-302714927.html), "How the C-Suite Is Evolving: NEO Titles and Compensation at US Public Companies."
The report examines how the composition, compensation, and sectorial profile of named executive officers (NEOs) at US
... Show Full Article
BOSTON, Massachusetts, March 18 [Category: BizLaw/Legal] -- Ropes and Gray, a law firm, issued the following news:
* * *
Ropes & Gray Partners with The Conference Board for Report on C-Suite Evolution
Ropes & Gray teamed with The Conference Board on a new report (https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ai-boom-and-talent-war-are-propelling-hr-and-it-leaders-into-top-pay-rung-302714927.html), "How the C-Suite Is Evolving: NEO Titles and Compensation at US Public Companies."
The report examines how the composition, compensation, and sectorial profile of named executive officers (NEOs) at USpublic companies has evolved since 2021, drawing on disclosure data to illuminate shifting C-Suite priorities and pay dynamics.
"NEO pay growth in the S&P 500 was targeted, not broad. Large-cap companies focused increases on roles tied to enterprise-wide risk and control, especially Chief Human Resources Officers and Chief Legal Officers, rather than raising compensation across the board," notes ERISA and benefits counsel Jonathan Reinstein in the report.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.ropesgray.com/en/news-and-events/news/2026/03/ropes-gray-partners-with-the-conference-board-for-report-on-c-suite-evolution
Oh, Canada? How Dow Turned to American Litigators at Kirkland to Lead a Critical Piece of Litigation in Canada
CHICAGO, Illinois, March 18 [Category: BizLaw/Legal] -- Kirkland and Ellis, a law firm, issued the following news release:
* * *
Oh, Canada? How Dow Turned to American Litigators at Kirkland to Lead a Critical Piece of Litigation in Canada
*
Nader Boulos and Benjamin Kurtz were quoted in The Am Law Litigation Daily on Kirkland's lead role in a decades-long dispute in Canadian court resulting in a multibillion dollar win for Dow.
Michael Glackin, the deputy general counsel of Dow, used car-racing terms to explain the company's decision to bring on Kirkland & Ellis more than a decade-and-a-half
... Show Full Article
CHICAGO, Illinois, March 18 [Category: BizLaw/Legal] -- Kirkland and Ellis, a law firm, issued the following news release:
* * *
Oh, Canada? How Dow Turned to American Litigators at Kirkland to Lead a Critical Piece of Litigation in Canada
*
Nader Boulos and Benjamin Kurtz were quoted in The Am Law Litigation Daily on Kirkland's lead role in a decades-long dispute in Canadian court resulting in a multibillion dollar win for Dow.
Michael Glackin, the deputy general counsel of Dow, used car-racing terms to explain the company's decision to bring on Kirkland & Ellis more than a decade-and-a-halfago to take the lead on the company's dispute with NOVA Chemicals over an ethylene plant in Alberta, Canada, jointly owned by the two companies.
"If I'm told that the future of the company is dependent upon winning an F1 race, I'm going to buy Team Red Bull and Team McLaren, and Max Verstappen is my driver."
"It's hard to argue with the results," he added.
Those results? NOVA paid 1.6 billion Canadian dollars (about $1.2 billion) to two Dow subsidiaries earlier this month after the Alberta Court of Appeal declined to stay the latest trial court judgment in the two-decade-long dispute over the plant, known as E3. Dow's total recoveries from NOVA in the litigation now sit at CA$3.56 billion (about $2.6 billion) along with fees and costs of CA$140 million (about $100 million) since Kirkland signed onto the case and formed a joint team with Canadian colleagues at Bennett Jones and Blake, Cassels & Graydon.
Although I can't argue with the results, I did quibble a bit with Glackin's F1 metaphor. I spoke with him and Kirkland partners Nader Boulos and Benjamin Kurtz last week about Dow's decision to bring on a U.S. law firm to lead the case north of the border. Although the Kirkland lawyers led the way in mastering the facts and law governing the joint venture, drafting briefs and devising case strategy, they couldn't sit in the metaphorical driver seat inside the Canadian courtroom. Local rules prevented them from crossing the bar to make arguments in court or deposing NOVA witnesses.
Whatever the limits of his metaphor, Glackin said his first move when he got involved in the case was to bring in Kirkland & Ellis to take a lead, coordinating role.
"When you have international litigation that is high stakes, high risk, high complexity, which is of substantial meaning to the business and the financial performance of the company, we want to win," said Glackin of Dow's approach. "And we want to win and prove it with our proven team [with] a proven track record."
Glackin said that over his 25-year career at Dow, Kirkland has been a key partner.
"The first move I made was to bring Kirkland on board and make sure we had the right Kirkland team."
"I wanted to make sure that Kirkland wasn't just in the backdrop," Glackin said. "Kirkland was in the forefront of the fight."
What that meant in practice, Boulos said, was strategy: developing the architecture of the case, mastering the law and evidence, shaping themes and coordinating across firms and borders.
"Some of the most important work, if not the most important work, is what you do long before you're ever in front of a jury or a judge," Boulos said. "We handle litigation where we have either big teams here within Kirkland or big teams across law firms all the time. So, the concept of working with other law firms-dividing responsibility, the premium on communication and making sure everybody has the same vision and we're all executing on that plan-is something we are used to."
Kurtz, who started on the matter as a second-year associate and has since made partner, described Kirkland's early work on the case as foundational to the ultimate results.
"What we realized quickly was how much work there was to do in all the areas where there really is no limitation on our ability to operate," Kurtz said. That included unpacking NOVA's conduct under a complex web of contracts and digging through millions of pages of documents. It also meant distilling a highly technical dispute into a coherent story that judges could understand.
Dow's Glackin boiled this value down to "the art of persuasion." He said it's an area where Kirkland and other U.S. litigation firms have more experience than litigators in other venues.
The Big Deal
While the money at stake in the judgments is eye-catching, Glackin said what's more important is what comes next at E3. The fight was ultimately over control, transparency and the future operation of one of the Dow's most important assets under contracts that will govern the joint venture through 2077.
E3, located in Joffre, Alberta, sits on land owned by NOVA, which also operates the facility and two other ethylene crackers located there. Dow and NOVA are co-owners of E3, but NOVA controls day-to-day operations-giving it, as Dow would later argue in the litigation, significant advantages.
Glackin described ethylene as the lifeblood of Dow's polyethylene business. Alberta offers what he called the "ethane advantage"-a pricing structure that gives it the world's most commercially profitable ethane. That ethane is converted into ethylene, which then feeds Dow's downstream plastics and derivatives businesses.
"It's one of the most important flagships in our fleet," Glackin said. "It's of critical importance, and it's our most prized asset in Canada."
By the time Kirkland became involved, the dispute had already been simmering for years. Dow believed it was being wronged "to the tune of big dollars," Boulos said. But the full extent of the alleged misconduct was not clear, in part because Dow lacked access to information controlled by NOVA.
One of the biggest challenges, Kurtz said, was simply gaining access to that information. NOVA, as the site operator, had personnel on the ground and full visibility into plant operations. Dow did not. He said this information gap was one area where Kirkland benefited from U.S. litigation instincts.
"As U.S. litigators, that's something we're very accustomed to doing-pushing for discovery," Kurtz said.
But Kirkland's lawyers, as U.S. counsel, could not take depositions or make oral arguments in the Canadian courts. Those roles fell to the Canadian firms, Bennett Jones and Blakes.
"This was a case where a lot of great lawyers were involved," Boulos said. "And a lot of work had to be done to make sure everybody was rowing in the same direction."
It was also a case from Dow's perspective, where the interpretation of the joint venture moving forward through 2077 is even more valuable than its claims about how the operation has been run in past decades.
"This was as much a fight about the future as it was about past damages," Boulos said. "Which seems crazy to say in a case where the company has recovered billions of dollars."
"While everyone likes to focus on the dollar figures associated with damages," Glackin said, "the most important part of the case is how [E3] will be operated now through 2077."
***
Original text here: https://www.kirkland.com/news/in-the-news/2026/03/oh-canada-how-dow-turned-to-american-litigators-at-kirkland-to-lead-a-critical-piece-of-litigation
Ogilvy Unveils 'Brand Devotion' For a New Era of Customer Relationships
NEW YORK, March 18 -- Ogilvy, an advertising, marketing and public relations agency, issued the following news on March 17, 2026:
* * *
Ogilvy Unveils 'Brand Devotion' for a New Era of Customer Relationships
Consumers don't want to belong to a brand; they want brands to belong in their world. Recognizing this profound shift away from transactional loyalty towards self-fulfillment, Ogilvy today launched 'Brand Devotion.' The proprietary, next-gen strategic offering is designed to address the very core of modern consumer-brand relationships, enabling brands to forge deeper, more authentic connections
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, March 18 -- Ogilvy, an advertising, marketing and public relations agency, issued the following news on March 17, 2026:
* * *
Ogilvy Unveils 'Brand Devotion' for a New Era of Customer Relationships
Consumers don't want to belong to a brand; they want brands to belong in their world. Recognizing this profound shift away from transactional loyalty towards self-fulfillment, Ogilvy today launched 'Brand Devotion.' The proprietary, next-gen strategic offering is designed to address the very core of modern consumer-brand relationships, enabling brands to forge deeper, more authentic connectionsthat drive progress and value by meaningfully showing up in consumers' curated lives.
Between declining trust in institutions and media and the commoditization of AI-driven personalization, many brands are struggling to achieve and maintain relevance and advocacy.
Today's consumers are "unbound": Faced with endless choices, they're increasingly skeptical and cynical of traditional brand loyalties. A reality that's underpinned by global Ogilvy research revealing that only 53% of U.S. consumers believe their favorite brands consistently align with their values, and even fewer feel brands help them grow (45%), connect with others (40%), or fit into their cultural world (43%). They're seeking brands that help them be loyal to themselves, that mirror their personal evolution, values, and communities - highlighting significant white space for brands willing to lean into Brand Devotion.
"A fundamental power shift has happened in the brand-customer relationship," said Leanne Cordes, SVP, Strategic Services at the Lacek Group, an Ogilvy company specializing in Loyalty and leading the Brand Devotion offering in North America. "It's now up to brands to earn a place in and meaningfully belong in consumers' lives. Traditional loyalty isn't enough - brands must move beyond transactional incentives to foster true, emotional commitment. It's about brands demonstrating their value, not just asserting it."
Ogilvy's brand audits further reveal a widespread challenge within the loyalty landscape:
* Emotional Disconnect: 2 in 3 brands today are functionally adequate but emotionally disengaged, achieving merely a "C" grade (60-70/100). These brands offer transactions but fail to build the deeper "immunity" required to withstand competitor pressures or inspire true advocacy.
* Purpose-Washing Pitfall: While 89% of consumers want to buy from brands that share their values, only a small fraction of brands successfully move beyond "purpose-washing" to create a felt sense of shared identity.
* Outdated Loyalty Mechanics: Many brands are still building loyalty programs for the consumer they had 10 years ago. When consumer sentiment shifts - such as the pivot from Gen X's preference for status to Gen Z's demand for radical transparency - legacy approaches fail to adapt quickly enough.
Brand Devotion is defined as the strategic imperative for brands to actively enable and participate in the consumer's self-fulfillment journey, forging a mutual relationship that drives progress and value for both. This innovative approach is built upon a robust framework encompassing "The Four Bonds," which establish the foundation for relationships, and "The Four Dimensions," which sustain them:
* Principle: When a brand aligns with the consumer's values and lives its own.
* Community: When a brand makes consumers feel like they belong and connect like-minded individuals.
* Potential: When a brand genuinely improves the consumer's life and helps them achieve their aspirations.
* Culture: When a brand fits seamlessly into the consumer's world and reflects their lifestyle.
Ogilvy brings Brand Devotion to life through a unique integration of specialized expertise, including 30+ years loyalty leadership having designed and managing many of the world's most recognized and loved programs, behavioral science to engineer intrinsic motivation and social management to seamlessly integrate brands into consumers' authentic networks.
To help brands implement this transformative approach, Ogilvy's Brand Devotion guides marketing from diagnosis to a practical, actionable plan for transforming consumer relationships. This proprietary platform and process includes:
* A Loyalty Scorecard, powered by our proprietary AI Brand Devotion Score, for a data-driven diagnosis of current brand-consumer relationship health. This assessment is informed by a custom-built Agent Team and Agent Manager that continuously evaluates brand standing across the consumer ecosystem.
* A Prioritized Opportunity Map identifying key areas for investment.
* Creative Idea Territories to close existing loyalty gaps and deepen connections.
* A Strategic Roadmap with short-, mid-, and long-term actions to build genuine, lasting customer devotion and grow the business.
Ogilvy invites brand leaders to discover how Brand Devotion can redefine their customer relationships and drive enduring success.
To learn more about Brand Devotion, register for the next Ogilvy On Live session, where experts from Ogilvy and The Lacek Group explore what's driving the Unbound Consumer. You can also reach out to branddevotion@ogilvy.com for more information.
* * *
About Ogilvy
Ogilvy inspires brands and people to impact the world. We have been producing iconic, culture-changing, value-driving ideas for clients since David Ogilvy founded the company in 1948. We continue that legacy today through our network of 131 offices in 93 countries, where our teams of creative, strategic, and production experts work together to deliver results for clients across Brand & Advertising, Experience, Public Relations, Health, and Consulting. Ogilvy is a WPP company (NASDAQ: WPPGY). For more information, visit Ogilvy.com, and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
* * *
About The Lacek Group
For more than 30 years, The Lacek Group has been perfecting the art and algorithms of brand devotion. We help world-class brands identify their highest-potential customers, engage them across channels throughout their lifecycles, personalize each relationship for optimal long-term results, and measure the true effectiveness of those efforts. Learn more about The Lacek Group: www.lacek.com.
Interested in bigger, bolder ideas? Sign up for our newsletter for more insights on how brands can make an impact on the world.
* * *
Chloe Evans is Communications Director for Ogilvy.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.ogilvy.com/ideas/ogilvy-unveils-brand-devotion-new-era-customer-relationships
[Category: BizAdvertising]
Michael Minton & Austin Alderman Publish "From Sunset to Reset: The Future of Opportunity Zones, Effective January 1, 2027"
ORLANDO, Florida, March 18 -- Dean Mead, a law firm, issued the following news release:
* * *
Michael Minton & Austin Alderman Publish "From Sunset to Reset: The Future of Opportunity Zones, Effective January 1, 2027"
In their article, "From Sunset to Reset: The Future of Opportunity Zones, Effective January 1, 2027, " attorney Michael Minton and Austin Alderman review the "Opportunity Zone 2.0" program, which permanently extends some benefits established under the Qualified Opportunity Zone (QOZ) program, which was originally created under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).
The authors review
... Show Full Article
ORLANDO, Florida, March 18 -- Dean Mead, a law firm, issued the following news release:
* * *
Michael Minton & Austin Alderman Publish "From Sunset to Reset: The Future of Opportunity Zones, Effective January 1, 2027"
In their article, "From Sunset to Reset: The Future of Opportunity Zones, Effective January 1, 2027, " attorney Michael Minton and Austin Alderman review the "Opportunity Zone 2.0" program, which permanently extends some benefits established under the Qualified Opportunity Zone (QOZ) program, which was originally created under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).
The authors reviewthe new program, defining the program benefits, including new incentives for rural investment and how eligible areas will be defined. Visit the following link to review the article: https://www.deanmead.com/from-sunset-to-reset-the-future-of-opportunity-zones-effective-january-1-2027/.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.deanmead.com/michael-minton-austin-alderman-publish-from-sunset-to-reset-the-future-of-opportunity-zones-effective-january-1-2027/
[Category: BizLaw/Legal]
Gibson Dunn Files Amicus Brief on Behalf of Democracy Defenders Fund and 149 Former Judges
LOS ANGELES, California, March 18 [Category: BizLaw/Legal] -- Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher, a law firm, issued the following news:
* * *
Gibson Dunn Files Amicus Brief on Behalf of Democracy Defenders Fund and 149 Former Judges
*
A Gibson Dunn team led by partner Gregg Costa -a former federal trial and appellate judge -has filed an amicus brief in the D.C. Circuit on behalf of the Democracy Defenders Fund, which is representing 149 former federal and state judges, in support of Anthropic in its litigation against the U.S. government for designating the AI company a "supply chain risk."
Drawing
... Show Full Article
LOS ANGELES, California, March 18 [Category: BizLaw/Legal] -- Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher, a law firm, issued the following news:
* * *
Gibson Dunn Files Amicus Brief on Behalf of Democracy Defenders Fund and 149 Former Judges
*
A Gibson Dunn team led by partner Gregg Costa -a former federal trial and appellate judge -has filed an amicus brief in the D.C. Circuit on behalf of the Democracy Defenders Fund, which is representing 149 former federal and state judges, in support of Anthropic in its litigation against the U.S. government for designating the AI company a "supply chain risk."
Drawingon the former judges' centuries of collective experience, the brief argues that there is no "national security" exception to ordinary principles of judicial review. The judiciary has an indispensable role to say what the law is -and here, the law does not permit the government to label an American business a "supply chain risk" based on a contractual dispute.
In addition to Gregg Costa, our team included partners Martie Kutscher Clark and Lauren Goldman, of counsel Sophia Brill, and associate Connor Mui.
***
Original text here: https://www.gibsondunn.com/gibson-dunn-files-amicus-brief-on-behalf-of-democracy-defenders-fund-and-149-former-judges/
