Pepper Hamilton LLP

While pundits complain about the United States Supreme Court’s diminishing docket, one area of law seems to have increased in popularity with the justices: arbitration law, and in particular the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA)…more

A detailed social media policy specifically addressing the ownership of social media accounts is key to a corporation’s ability to maintain ownership of an employee’s account after the employee leaves the corporation…more

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that a shareholder-director of a closely held family corporation was not an “employee” under Title VII, and therefore could not sue for discrimination. See Mariotti v. Mariotti…more

In an effort to summarize the highlights of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) LEAN E-mail Blasts that we receive, and rarely have time to review in a timely fashion, we at Pepper are providing this quick…more

On April 1, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released ILM 201313020 (ILM) in response to an IRS Appeals Division request. It concludes that planning and development activities undertaken by a publisher of books and other…more

A new directive specifies that Large Business & International (LB&I) examiners should not challenge a taxpayer’s treatment of eligible milestone payments when success-based fees are incurred, provided a safe harbor election…more

Investment funds that invest globally must deal with volatility in the currency in which they agree to invest. Investment funds entering into obligations to purchase stock in a currency other than the primary currency of the…more

As the debate over gay marriage continues to intensify throughout the country, so does the issue of workplace rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. LGBT workers currently face substantial legal…more

In March, the Internal Revenue Service published an IRS Large Business & International (LB&I) Directive (the Directive), which updates an earlier directive to field agents addressing the examination of capitalization and repair…more

Bitcoin is a virtual currency – it has no physical form in paper or metal and is not connected with any central bank or governmental authority. It is freely tradable via the internet or other electronic means. Transactions in…more

The news from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) about the revocation of the electronic health record (EHR) certifications of two EHR products that had previously been certified will have tremendous…more

On March 8, 2013, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a revised I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Form (I-9 form). Employers were given until May 7, 2013 to begin using the new I-9 form…more

Traditionally, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) did not require a national bank seeking to engage in non-depository, trust-only activities (a “trust-only bank”) to obtain Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation…more

Landlords use lease assignment provisions to maintain control over the quality, composition, and financial capability of their tenants. However, assignment provisions can have a chilling effect on a corporate tenant’s business…more

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released and is seeking comments on draft general guidance on methods of addressing indoor vapor intrusion (VI) from contaminated soil and groundwater plumes (Draft VI Guidance) and…more