Ogletree Deakins, one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management, is pleased to announce that John Gerak, former managing shareholder of the firm’s Cleveland office, has been elected to the position of Managing Director. Austin shareholder Shafeeqa Giarratani and San Francisco shareholder Greg Cheng have been elected to the Board of Directors. Gerak succeeds Chuck Baldwin, who served as Managing Director of Ogletree Deakins from 2016-2020. Gerak will serve alongside Joseph Beachboard as co-Managing Director. In this...

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission announced the annual changes to the thresholds contained in section 7A (Hart-Scott-Rodino) and section 8 of the Clayton Act (15 U.S.C. §§ 18a, 19) (Interlocking Directors). The new HSR thresholds apply to any transaction that closes 30 days after publication of the new thresholds in the Federal Register, while the new section 8 thresholds take effect immediately. Hart-Scott-Rodino The Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, section 7A of the Clayton Act, requires companies proposing a merger or acquisition...

Kiddie Tax Reverts to More Favorable Rate The SECURE Act, signed into law on December 20, 2019, had an impact on a wide range of taxpayers – from retirees all the way down to children. The Act repealed the increased kiddie tax rate imposed under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA). Under the TCJA, a child’s unearned income was taxed at the much higher trust and estate tax rate. The new legislation brings back pre-TCJA rules, which tax this income...

The German government seeks to promote the prospering of the German economy as finding skilled employees from the German labour market becomes more difficult for many employers, especially in the industries of nursing care (the care provided in hospitals and for elderly people), IT, and in the craft sector. While stressing the importance of acquiring domestic employees, the government’s proposed solution for these labour market difficulties is an easier immigration process for skilled workers from non-European Economic Area (EEA)...

Change is difficult – but 2019 taught us that it’s possible. Here’s how to change big organisations to cope with a new reality. At a well-attended event organised this April in Berlin by the Institute for European Policy to boost young voter turnout, I commented to the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, “Look, this proves that young people can be mobilized for a good cause!” To which the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier responded: “Yes, that is true. But much more importantly,...