Key Events This Week   Brexit: Phase 2 begins  On Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen took a trip to London to meet with Boris Johnson, their first face-to-face encounter as the new leaders of their respective blocs. In a speech to the London School of Economics, von der Leyen said the EU would “go as far as we can” on a deal of “unprecedented scale”. Keep reading Digital tax dispute rumbles on France and the United States have agreed to “double their...

Richards Kibbe & Orbe LLP is pleased to announce that Jamie A. Schafer has been named a partner in the firm and Emily Kelley has been elevated to counsel. Both attorneys are based in the Washington, D.C. office.   “The firm is excited to promote these highly deserving women to their new roles,” said Jennifer Grady, managing partner of the firm. “Jamie has demonstrated an impressive talent for navigating multi-jurisdictional investigations and other sensitive engagements. Our clients have come to recognize...

 Troutman Sanders and Pepper Hamilton, a founding member of the EACCNY, have agreed to merge effective April 1, 2020. The new law firm, Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP, or “Troutman Pepper,” will have 1,100 attorneys in 23 offices across the country. Troutman Pepper will offer its clients greater resources and bench strength, enhanced practices and expanded geographical reach. The announcement follows a vote by both firms’ partnerships earlier this week. Each firm brings a breadth and depth of experience serving...

    On December 13, 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released a revised policy for companies regarding voluntary self-disclosures of export control and sanctions violations. The revised policy was effective on the date of its release and will be formally incorporated into the Justice Manual. In releasing the revised Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy (VSD Policy), Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers stated, “Protecting our nation’s sensitive technologies and preventing transactions with sanctioned entities are DOJ priorities, but we cannot...

2020 will likely revolve around the question whether competition rules should yield to globalisation and digitisation, with suggestions ranging from mere tweaks to competition rules to complementary regulation. Greater cooperation across data protection, consumer protection and competition law appears inevitable. Speedier solutions in more informal settings may become a reality, alongside more frequent use of behavioural remedies. Additional tools to supplement existing EU competition rules may lead to stricter regulation of non-EU state-supported companies. It remains to be seen precisely...

As of 1 January 2020 a favourable Italian tax regime is in effect to attract “inbound workers”, including sportsmen and sports agents, who earn the majority of their income from activities carried out in Italy. Income from employment, self-employment and the like (“Eligible Income”) of inbound workers who become Italian tax residents will be partially exempt from Italian income tax. 70% (for inbound workers, other than professional sportsmen) or 50% (for professional sportsmen) of the Eligible income will be exempted from income taxes (“Tax...

What will 2020 bring for retail? The teen years of this millennium were not the easiest on retail. But as with anything, the beginning of a new year is a good time to pause, take an honest look at both mistakes and opportunities, and make choices that will shape what the future may look like. While the last few years have been difficult for the industry overall, there are critical learnings that can shape the trajectory of the coming ones....

On January 6, 2020, the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued an alert to U.S. businesses and the cybersecurity community in light of the “current tensions” between Iran and the United States. In particular, the alert describes several of Iran’s previous cyber operations that targeted a variety of industries and organizations, including financial services, the energy and chemical sectors, government facilities, health care organizations, critical manufacturing, communications and the defense industrial base. The alert...