The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (the “SJC”) recently decided that two mortgage foreclosure ordinances adopted by the City of Springfield were preempted by existing state law. In Easthampton Savings Bank v. City of Springfield, 470 Mass. 284 (Dec. 19, 2014)[1], the SJC struck down both ordinances, which were adopted in the midst of the wave of foreclosures...
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Client AlertsNewsEmployers: Be Ready for a Union Ambush
January 14, 2015
Jennifer Luzzi, 2014 – 2015 Winter Associate, contributed to this article. On December 15, 2014, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a final rule regarding representation case procedures to become effective on April 14, 2015. In doing so, the NLRB sought to update its rules to better reflect modern technology, uniformity across regions, and...
Client AlertsReal EstateReal Estate Finance: Rhode Island
January 12, 2015
Richard Nadeau Practical Law – Thomson Reuters
Client AlertsReal Estate“A guide to real estate finance law for borrowers & lenders in Rhode Island”
January 10, 2015
A Q&A guide to real estate finance law for borrowers and lenders in Rhode Island. This Q&A addresses state laws relating to security instruments, usury laws, limitations on personal liability, recording requirements and taxes, priority issues, mechanics’ liens, landlord liens, title insurance matters, and foreclosure procedures primarily impacting lending transactions in a commercial context. Federal,...
Jennifer Luzzi, 2014 – 2015 Winter Associate, contributed to this article. It’s official; the longstanding rule of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that employees have no statutory right to use work email for communications with each other regarding unionizing activities has changed. On December 10, 2014, the board decided that so long as employees...
Client AlertsNewsU.S. Supreme Court Agrees to Resolve Whether the FHA Provides for Disparate Impact Liability
December 22, 2014
A major change to federal law governing mortgage lending may be on the horizon. On October 2, 2014, the United States Supreme Court agreed to decide whether the Fair Housing Act (“FHA”) not only imposes liability for intentional discrimination, but also for actions taken without an intent to discriminate that may have a disproportionate effect...
Effective January 17, 2015, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is reducing filing fees for new U.S. trademark applications filed and processed electronically from $325 to $275 per class (and as low as $225 if certain strict requirements can be met), and from $400 to $300 per class for renewal applications filed and processed electronically....
Client AlertsEmployment & LaborNewsU.S. Supreme Court Takes Up Major Challenge to Federal Health Reform
November 10, 2014
By Alicia J. Samolis and Michael A. Gamboli Are Employers in the 34 States Without Exchanges Subject to Penalties? Despite the fact that there is no longer any disagreement in the lower courts, the Supreme Court on Friday, November 7, 2014, made the unusual and highly unexpected move of agreeing to rule on a key challenge...
Massachusetts Ballot Question 4 on mandatory sick leave passed. This change to the law makes Massachusetts one of only a few states that requires paid sick time. Under the law, employers with 11 or more employees are required to provide up to 40 hours of paid sick time per calendar year, while smaller employers must...
