Thought Leadership - Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

California’s Climate Blueprint: ‘Hope,’ Mandates and Few Details

Calling for foundational reforms in every sector of California’s economy, now the fourth largest in the world, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) on December 15, 2022, adopted the latest and most sweeping version of the “Scoping Plan.”

Bots Beware: Website Chat Bots Become Latest Target for California Class Actions

California class action lawyers have turned their sights on a new target: websites that employ “chat bots,” digital assistants that allow companies to communicate with customers without employing live website customer service representatives.

Wolff and Smith to Speak on Climate-Related Disclosures at Law Journal Newsletters Webinar

Investigations, Compliance and White Collar Defense Partner Jacqueline Wolff and Land Use Partner David Smith will speak in a webinar session titled “Climate Change Risk and Disclosure: A New Focus for SEC Enforcement,” hosted by Law Journal Newsletters on October 13.

Health Care Providers’ Role in Energy Conservation and Sustainability: A Guide to Driving Change

Health care leaders are operating in an environment of seismic change.

New DC Law Bans Non-Compete Agreements for Employees Making Below $150,000 Per Year

A new D.C. law that takes effect on October 1, 2022, will significantly limit the ability of employers to tie their District of Columbia-based employees to noncompetition agreements.

CA Fails to Extend Privacy Exemptions for B2B and Employment Data from the CCPA into 2023

Beginning on January 1, 2023, the California Consumer Privacy Act will apply to personal information collected by companies subject to the CCPA about their employees, job applications, and individuals at actual or prospective business customers, vendors, and suppliers.

SEC Investigates Possible Brokerage Activities Linked to Token Listings

Following the recent filing of the SEC’s insider trading complaint against a former manager of Coinbase Global, Inc. (“Coinbase”), the SEC is now investigating Coinbase.

SEC Enforcement Case Labels Some Cryptocurrency Tokens as Securities

In the long running question of whether cryptocurrency tokens are securities, the Securities and Exchange Commission has volleyed new claims against a former employee of Coinbase Global, Inc., alleging insider trading of securities listed on the exchange.

Justices Limit EPA Greenhouse Gas Emissions Regulation, Stop Short of What Observers Hoped/Feared

The Supreme Court severely limited the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) asserted authority to regulate greenhouse gases from existing emission sources such as coal-fired power plants.

Telehealth Model Legislation—A Comparison of AMA, FSMB and ULC Model Bills and Guidelines

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic spurred a drastic increase in telehealth utilization across the country, which meaningfully changed the way providers deliver care and illuminated novel state telehealth policy design challenges.