The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) made a recent operational change that will likely have a significant impact on class action deadlines and other time-sensitive legal submissions. As of December 24, 2025, the USPS changed how...more
Effective December 24, 2025, the United States Postal Service (USPS) adopted final rules that revise how postmarks are defined and treated. These changes have important implications for taxpayers who plan to mail their tax...more
Most lawyers learn about the “mailbox rule” in their first-year contracts course. And whether a lawyer’s practice is focused on litigation or transactions, lawyers frequently face deadlines that can be met based on when an...more
The Alabama Department of Revenue (“AL DOR”) published helpful guidance on January 28 regarding “recent updates to the United States Postal Service (“USPS”) procedures that may affect postmark dates on mailed tax returns,...more
In Coney Island Auto Parts Unlimited, Inc. v. Burton (Chapter 7 Trustee for Vista-Pro Automotive, LLC), the Supreme Court addressed whether Rule 60(c)(1)’s “reasonable time” requirement applies to a motion seeking to set...more
Under German employment law, proof that an employee has received a letter is not just a formality—it’s a critical legal requirement. For a notice of termination to be legally valid, the employer must be able to prove it was...more
Germany’s Federal Labor Court (Das Bundesarbeitsgericht (BAG)) recently held that there is prima facie evidence that a so-called registered letter is generally posted in the mailbox within the usual local mail delivery times....more
The availability of post-grant proceedings at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) has changed the face of patent litigation. This monthly digest is designed to keep you up-to-date by highlighting interesting PTAB,...more
Effective October 1, 2020, House Bill 679 amended Rules 3 and Rule 5 of the North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure. Of significance, Rule 5 was amended to make electronic mail, and e-filing where available, permissible forms...more
A recent opinion from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California may help plaintiffs facing the difficulties related to serving foreign defendants, especially in light of challenges caused by the current...more
On December 21, 2018, Japan objected to service by direct mail under Hague Service Convention Article 10(a), which is welcome news for Japanese parties subject to foreign litigation, but creates a hurdle for U.S. plaintiffs...more
On March 26, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Republic of Sudan v. Harrison et al., No. 16-1094, holding that the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 (FSIA) requires a mailing to be sent directly to the foreign...more
Several significant amendments to the Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure and the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration will take effect on January 1, 2019. These amendments were outlined in three recent Florida Supreme...more
A recent decision by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“PTAB”) denying a petition for inter partes review serves as a stark reminder of the oft-repeated truism, “don’t wait until the last minute.” See VIZIO, Inc. v. ATI...more
Over the last twenty years, the expanding world market has made it easier for domestic companies to conduct business overseas and with foreign corporations. Large and small businesses alike are going global, receiving and...more
One of the advantages of bringing a dispute to the ITC is the ease with which service of process can be accomplished against foreign respondents. Unlike in district court, the rules at the ITC merely require that the ITC mail...more
A recent California case may force companies doing business with foreign entities to reconsider—and maybe rewrite—their contracts. In Rockefeller Tech. Invs. (Asia) VII v. Changzhou Sinotype Tech. Co., No. B272170, 2018 WL...more
A recent California case may force engineering, procurement and construction companies doing business with foreign suppliers to reconsider—and maybe rewrite—their contracts. In Rockefeller Technology Investments (Asia) VII v....more
Product liability litigation is no stranger to corporate defendants residing outside of the United States. Whether you work for a foreign corporation or represent a foreign corporation, service of process should be at the...more
California adopted the 1962 Uniform Foreign Money-Judgments Recognition Act in 1967. The Act was intended to encourage the reciprocal recognition of United States judgments abroad by codifying rules as to foreign money...more
Partially obscured by the significant patent venue ruling in TC Heartland, another decision issued by the Supreme Court on the same day, Water Splash v. Menon, presents guidance for multinational plaintiffs and defendants...more
The Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents in Civil or Commercial Matters (“Hague Service Convention” or “Convention”), was designed to simplify and standardize the service of legal documents...more
In a decision sure to have wide-ranging implications for cross-border discovery and governing privacy regimes, the Supreme Court recently held in Water Splash, Inc. v. Menon, that the Convention on the Service Abroad of...more
For nearly thirty years, federal and state appellate courts have been split on the issue of whether the Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents in Civil and Commercial Matters, November 15,...more
Starting a lawsuit against defendants outside the United States just got cheaper and easier. On May 22, the U.S. Supreme Court settled a dispute as to whether the Hague Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and...more