Articles

10.01.14

What Property Did You Think You Were Buying?

EVP for acquisitions calls her favorite lawyer: "We're buying Three Rivers Shopping Center, so get going on due diligence."Favorite lawyer immediately calls title company: "I need a title report on Three Rivers Shopping Center, ASAP," and surveyor: "I need a survey of ...


10.01.14

A Clash for Control of the Senate

The battle for control of the State Senate is fully underway.Normally, three to five Senate seats are swing seats in an election cycle in New York -- meaning they can be won by Democrats or Republicans. This year, however, eight to nine seats fit that description: three and perhaps four on Long ...


09.29.14

Cleared for Sales, Airport Retail Takes Off

Over the last decade, U.S. airport in-terminal dining and retail programs have begun a transformation. As passengers' time spent within terminals has increased, the demand for enhanced airport in-terminal experiences has equally increased. In turn, the state and local governments that own and ...


09.25.14

Feds Not Likely to Provide NEPA Guidance on Climate Change Any Time Soon

Federal permittees and practitioners have been waiting more than four years for the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to issue final guidance on how to address climate change and greenhouse gas emissions in a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) document. A recent letter from CEQ and the ...


09.18.14

Reference Pricing and Network Adequacy Standards: Conflict or Concord?

With benefit designs and enrollee cost-sharing increasingly standardized across health plans under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), one of the remaining levers plans have to differentiate themselves - and to control premiums - is the size of their provider networks. Regulators have been caught in a ...


09.16.14

Six Lessons From Last Week's Primary

Now that the dust is settling on the pundits' snap takeaways from last week's gubernatorial primary, let's focus on what I like to call the "carry forwards". I see six factors emerging from the primary that will impact November's election and the next governor's term.


09.10.14

States Sue 5-Hour Energy Over Advertising: Lessons for Industry

If you have ever been near a cash register, chances are you have seen that small, ubiquitous red bottle called "5-Hour Energy." You probably have even tried it; about 9 million bottles are sold every day. The company's attorneys better have a lot of it on hand just to keep up with legal ...


09.09.14

Whether a Buyer or Seller, Good Preparation is a Recipe for Success in M&A

Despite the recent period of anemic and uncertain economic growth, mergers and acquisitions activity within the food and beverage industry has shown continued strength. This level of activity has been due to the confluence of a number of positive factors. These include changes in consumer behavior ...


09.04.14

Put Bank Penalties To Work For New York

It's rare that the imperatives of good policy so easily meld with political viability. But the stars are beginning to align on a statewide infrastructure plan.We learned in July that New York State would get $3.3 billion from the sanctions imposed on the French bank BNP Paribas. By late last month, ...


08.26.14

MCNs - Why Do They Matter?

I write a lot about the multi-channel network digital video world. And, I follow it closely. Why? Is it because I think MCNs are the only relevant players in the new world video ecosystem?Of course not!Rather, I follow them so closely because the rise of MCNs - and the massive M&A and ...