Choate Hall & Stewart, LLP RSS http://www.choate.com en-us Wed, 11 Aug 2010 13:45:07 PDT Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST Point & Clique 5 2012 Hart-Scott-Rodino Requirements http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=741 Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=741 Reinsurers Required to Reimburse Ceding Company for Settlement in Wake of Bankruptcy Court Proceedings http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=740 Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=740 Patrick Lavoie Joins Choate http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=739 Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=739 Expedited Patent Processing for US Patent Applications http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=742 Eligibility for the US Patent and Trademark Office’s new expedited patent examination program, “Track One,” has recently been expanded so that any application can be expedited by payment of a fee. Election of Track One will cost $4,800 for a large entity ($2,400 for a small entity), and will reduce patent pendency/examination time from the usual two to three years down to about one year. Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=742 Choate Names Two New Partners http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=738 Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=738 Choate Named to Corporate Counsel's 2012 Go-To Law Firm List http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=737 Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=737 Daniel Winston Quoted on the Year Ahead for IP in Intellectual Property Watch http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=736 Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=736 Diana Lloyd Quoted on Dodd-Frank Clawback Rules in Mass Lawyers Weekly http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=735 Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=735 Choate Named an “Elite” Firm in Competition Law by Global Competition Review http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=733 Choate was recognized in the "Boston Competition Bar Survey" as an “Elite” firm—the highest rating given. Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=733 NLRB Posting Requirement's Effective Date Further Delayed Until April 2012 http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=732 What you need to know:

The National Labor Relations Board’s rule requiring employers to post a notice of employees’ rights to unionize will not go into effect until April 30, 2012.

What you need to do:

The National Labor Relations Board has announced that it has again postponed the effective date of its rule mandating the workplace posting of an official Notice of Employee Rights under the National Labor Relations Act. The rule, which was originally set to take effect on November 14, 2011, will now go into effect on April 30, 2012. Employers should post copies of the notice by that date, absent further developments. Fri, 6 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=732 Daniel Winston Quoted on the America Invents Act in the Boston Business Journal http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=734 Fri, 6 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=734 Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall Rejoins Choate http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=731 Margaret H. Marshall, who served as Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court for more than a decade, has rejoined the firm as Senior Counsel. Marshall will focus her efforts on the firm’s extensive community outreach, pro bono and diversity programs, mentoring lawyers, and providing senior level counsel to clients on special projects. Wed, 4 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=731 Choate Receives “Best Place to Work” Designation from the Human Rights Campaign http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=728 Choate has been designated as a “Best Place to Work” by the Human Rights Campaign in its recently-released 2012 Corporate Equality Index, which assessed 850 US companies – including the entire Fortune 500 – on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equality. Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 PST http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=728 Choate Client Yodle Ranked One of Forbes’ Most Promising Companies http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=729 Choate’s Client Yodle, a leading local online advertising company, was ranked #26 on Forbes’ 2011 list of the top 100 “Most Promising Companies.” Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 PST http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=729 ISS Issues 2012 Corporate Governance Updates http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=727 What you need to know:

ISS has issued its 2012 Corporate Governance Updates, applicable to public company annual meetings held on or after February 1, 2012. The principal changes relate to the executive compensation matters that were first required in last year’s proxy statements.

What you need to do:

Companies should consider the expected level of support for director nominees and say-on-pay proposals given the impact of the 2012 Updates, and actively engage with stockholders both directly and through a compelling message in their annual proxy statement. Tue, 6 Dec 2011 00:00:00 PST http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=727 Diana Lloyd and Rebecca Wilsker on Increased Enforcement of Executive Compensation Clawbacks in Law360 http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=726 Ms. Lloyd and Ms. Wilsker discuss the SEC's recent stepped-up enforcement of Sarbanes-Oxley's executive compensation clawback provisions without any showing that the executive was at fault. Mon, 5 Dec 2011 00:00:00 PST http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=726 Potential for Harsh Penalties as Ruling Applies Massachusetts Wage Act to Out-of-State Employees http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=725 What you need to know:

A Massachusetts Superior Court recently held that the Massachusetts Wage Act, which mandates treble damages and attorneys’ fees for the failure to pay wages and carries the potential for individual officer liability, can apply to employees located outside of Massachusetts.

What you need to do:

If your company is based in Massachusetts, examine your company’s wage payment practices with regard to out-of-state employees with substantial contact with Massachusetts. Given the harsh penalties and individual officer liability attendant to the statute, taking appropriate precautions to ensure compliance with the Massachusetts Wage Act is critical. Wed, 30 Nov 2011 00:00:00 PST http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=725 Make Taxable Gifts Before the $5 Million Federal Gift Tax Exemption Expires http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=724 What you need to know:

The $5 million federal gift and estate exemptions will only remain in effect for this year and next, barring further action from Congress extending the current exemptions.

What you need to do:

High net worth individuals with assets in excess of $5 million, or spouses with combined assets over $10 million, should consider making gifts before the end of 2012 to take advantage of the current $5 million exemption. Mon, 28 Nov 2011 00:00:00 PST http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=724 Steve Hurwitz Quoted in Major Canadian Publications http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=722 Two of Canada’s leading publications reference Mr. Hurwitz’s expertise. Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:00:00 PST http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=722 John Baraniak and Mike Gass on the Supreme Court's Bright-Line Rule in Law360 http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=723 Mr. Baraniak and Mr. Gass discuss the reach of the Supreme Court's decision in Janus Capital Group v. First Derivative Traders. Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:00:00 PST http://www.choatehall.com/news.php?NewsID=723