Since the economic crisis, public finance commentators have urged caution in light of the troubles facing Detroit or Puerto Rico. Recent changes in accounting rules for public pensions have raised concerns about risks for managers of those pensions under federal securities laws. The Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) sets accounting standards for public pensions. It
In September, Volkswagen announced that it had rigged diesel emissions tests in the United States to make its “Clean Diesel” cars seem energy efficient while they were being tested. In fact, the cars emitted pollutants up to 40 times more than what is allowed by U.S. law. After the announcement, which affects 11 million cars
In recent years, the percentage of corporate mergers and acquisitions challenged through stockholder litigation has more than doubled. In 2007, 44% of deals valued over $100 million were the subject of stockholder lawsuits; by 2014, the number was 93%.[1] Merger litigation has become both reflexive and ubiquitous; plaintiffs’ lawyers often file complaints on behalf of
In our ongoing effort to keep readers apprised of developments in Temple’s business law community, we wanted to share some recent news and an upcoming event of interest. Running of the ITS Eleanor W. Myers, Emeritus Faculty, and Course Director reports on the 1L’s recent experience in the Introduction to Transactional Skills (ITS) course. 11
Dave Sykes (LAW ‘65) was an exceptional lawyer, leader, teacher, mentor, friend, motivator and visionary. As a pioneer in the field of bankruptcy law, Sykes was highly influential in making bankruptcy practice as pervasive and respected as it is today. In addition to his work as a partner at Duane Morris, Sykes helped to organize
September brought ILTACON 2015, the International Legal Technology Association’s 38th Annual educational conference. As the name suggests, ILTACON is dedicated to exploring the interaction of legal services and the technologies used to provide them. Increasingly, these technologies are focused on harnessing and deploying the legal service provider’s most valuable resource: knowledge. The boundaries of knowledge
Puerto Rico’s government has repeatedly issued bonds to finance government obligations and operations, and fund needed infrastructure improvements. Current estimates of the government’s total indebtedness run as high as $72 Billion. The Puerto Rico government has issued two different types of bonds. The first type, general obligation bonds, were issued by the Commonwealth government and
The so-called “ride sharing” service Uber has grown dramatically over the last few years. The company’s business model is actually quite simple: its smartphone-based app connects drivers offering rides and passengers seeking them, passengers pay mileage-based fees through credit cards that the company keeps on file, and Uber then takes a percentage of each fare
From negotiating the acquisition of a company to advising a start-up, the practice of a business lawyer is varied and interesting. General business practice involves advising businesses of all sizes on their rights and obligations, and more importantly, helping them with the legal aspects of meeting their strategic goals. Here are ten suggestions for those
The National Bankruptcy Archives (NBA) is a national repository of archival materials relating to the history of debtor-creditor relations, bankruptcy and the reorganization of debt. It was created in 2000 to serve as a valuable resource and research tool for scholars and lawyers. This article introduces you to its utility and some of its content.