The OCC is restoring its former practices and policies under the Bank Merger Act to reinstate expedited merger reviews and streamlined business combination applications....more
The Trump Administration has issued a Presidential Memorandum, "Updating Permitting Technology for the 21st Century," aimed at modernizing and streamlining the federal environmental review and permitting processes through...more
Effective May 13, 2025, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will implement a significant change to its patent issuance process, substantially reducing the time between issue notification and patent issuance....more
On May 8, 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which leads the interagency Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), announced plans to establish a fast-track process for foreign investors, including...more
In a significant policy shift, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) policy update designed to expedite the oil and gas leasing process on public lands. Through a newly issued...more
In a significant move to accelerate domestic energy development, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has announced emergency permitting procedures that will dramatically compress environmental review timelines. Under...more
The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) has published the latest edition of its Arbitration Rules, which came into effect on 1 January 2025 (SIAC Rules 2025). The SIAC Rules 2025 are the seventh edition of...more
NAD has amended its SWIFT track processes and procedures multiple times since its inception in an effort to make sure the process is fair yet efficient. While it met with some nontrivial resistance from industry at its...more
With unified control of Congress and the White House, Republicans are primed to use the CRA to swiftly overturn regulations promulgated in the final months of the Biden Administration. The Congressional Review Act (CRA)...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updated its guidance on October 11, 2024 regarding expedited requests for travel when a requestor in the United States has ‘a pressing or critical need to leave the United...more
On July 26, 2024, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) published Directive (DIR) 2024-01, containing a mechanism for conciliating issues found by OFCCP during compliance evaluations through expedited...more
Some significant planning changes are proposed in a government consultation on ‘An Accelerated Planning System’ launched on 6 March 2024 alongside the Spring Budget (which closes on 1 May). These proposed changes cover new...more
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has started the initial registration period for the FY 2025 H-1B cap. The H-1B program allows employers to petition for highly educated foreign professionals to work in...more
The US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), which administers the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and regulates most exports from the United States, announced further updates to the process...more
State and federal officials move forward plans and policies for water conservation, conveyance, and climate resilience. The winter of 2022-23 brought historic levels of precipitation to California after years of deep...more
The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) launched the Semiconductor Technology Pilot Program on December 1, 2023 for patent applications for processes or apparatuses for manufacturing semiconductor devices. Applications...more
The Texas Legislature created a statute to protect parties’ rights to freedom of speech and to petition the courts: the Texas Citizen’s Participation Act (TCPA). See Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ann. §§ 27.001-.011....more
Sweden is no stranger to innovations – from energy, to furniture, to music – and international arbitration is no exception. Indeed, the SCC Arbitration Institute (SCC) proudly refers to itself as the one of the leading...more
On June 12, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced an expansion of premium processing service for applicants filing Form I-539 to change their status to F, M, or J status. The initiative is part of...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has proposed historic increases to its fee schedule for immigration benefit applications. Under the proposed fee rule, the filing fee for common employment-based applications...more
On March 6, the USPTO announced a new Green Energy Category of its Patents for Humanity Program. Patents for Humanity is an awards competition that recognizes innovators who use technology to meet global humanitarian...more
The Government’s Action Plan on how it proposes to improve the NSIP planning process has some good ideas, most of which amount to fine-tuning rather than a fundamental change. Whilst some of the changes may increase the cost...more
As we move deeper into the new year, the U.S. government continues to try to resolve the challenges facing the immigration system due to the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting processing backlogs. These...more
In a settlement, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has agreed to return to processing dependent H-4 and L-2 applications at the same time as the H-1B or L-1 petition when filed concurrently. This...more
Beginning January 30, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will accept Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, for Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers E-13 (EB-1C) multinational...more