By Philip A.S. Shepherd (Atlanta), Sara E. Herbek (Atlanta)  Ogletree Deakins | Following an announcement issued on October 2, 2017, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin offering foreign nationals in certain categories the option to simultaneously file for work authorization and a social security number by filing a single form with USCIS. The new option, coming as a result of an interagency partnership between USCIS and the Social Security Administration (SSA), is effective immediately.  Applicants looking to take...

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By Greet Wilkenhuysen | Romain Sabatier | Yoanna Stefanova| Nauta Dutilh   Modernisation of Luxembourg Company Law:  General Meetings of Shareholders in an S.A. and an S.à r.l. The Act of 10 August 2016 modernising Luxembourg company law and amending the Act of 10 August 1915 on commercial companies (the "Act") modifies certain rules with respect to the calling and holding of general meetings of shareholders of an S.A. and an S.à r.l.  The new rules are intended to facilitate the calling...

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By World Ventures What’s better than being your own boss, setting your own hours, determining your own salary and having an office wherever you happen to be? It’s a Utopian idea that is reality for tens of thousands of people working independently in direct sales worldwide. But getting there isn’t easy. It takes grit to abandon the familiar grind and build a business — especially in direct sales. Just ask Wayne Nugent, founder and chief visionary officer of WorldVentures(TM), the leading...

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By JUDr. Ing. Jaroslav Tajbr | jaroslav.tajbrnoerr.com| +420 233112142 | Noerr LLP The Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic published a bill in September to replace the current Act No. 101/2000 Coll., on the Protection of Personal Data. This Act is particularly interesting because it is a “Czech reaction” to GDPR in matters where the regulation allows for national derogations or specifications. However, the bill is not just a response to GDPR. On the contrary, the larger part on its content implements...

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By Dr Mansur Pour Rafsendjani | Mansur.PourRafsendjaninoerr.com | +49 89 28628490 | Noerr LLP On 12 September 2017 the European Parliament passed a resolution on the functioning of franchising in retail (2016/2244(INI)). In the resolution, the European Parliament takes the view that franchising regulation should be harmonised across Europe. I. Content of the European Parliament resolution The Parliament states that many Member States have enacted legislation, but that this is inconsistent and its focus has often been only on certain aspects, such as...

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By Francoise Gilbert & Dr. Viola Bensinger |  Greenberg Traurig LLP On Oct. 3, 2017, the Irish High Court ruled that the European Court of Justice (ECJ) should decide whether Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) used to legitimize the transfer of personal data of residents of the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA) to the United States are valid for that purpose. In its ruling, the Irish High Court stated that the decision regarding the validity of the SCC raises “very...

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By Mason Hayes & Curran Hate speech, and the role played by internet services providers, such as social media companies, in its regulation, has been the subject of much discussion. We examine the heightened regulatory activity concerning hate speech online and potential encroachment on the traditional immunities of online intermediaries regarding user-generated content.   Immunity for user-generated content Internet services providers, as ‘mere conduits’ and ‘hosts’ of information generally have legal immunity for user-generated content posted on their sites. This qualified guarantee of...

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By Richard Jeanneret |Vice Chair, Northeast Region Managing Partner | EY For the past number of months I have been on a road show of sorts, visiting with the local offices throughout the Northeast. I met with the area leaders on a number of important topics and collaborate with them on cascading our vision, strategy and culture to the EY professionals in their respective offices. One of my biggest mantras is to encourage an environment of what I like to call a...

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By Mark H. Moore  | Reavis Parent LLP On September 5, 2017, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Justice issued a decision of signal importance in the field of employee privacy. The Chamber condemned without sufficient justification an employer’s monitoring of an employee’s communications, leaving European employers with only vague guidance as to when such monitoring may be warranted. The employee at issue, Bogdan Mihai Bărbulescu, was employed as a sales engineer from August 2004 through August 2007 in the Bucharest...

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