Countering the Crisis

Pressure is mounting for businesses to get a handle on their obligations under modern slavery and human trafficking laws. Countries across the globe are introducing new and tougher modern slavery requirements, shifting the onus on businesses to prevent slavery and trafficking from occurring in their supply chains and operations. In this episode, Reed Smith partner Rosanne Kay and senior associate Emma Shafton provide an overview of the latest developments in this field of law and offer practical tips to achieve compliance.

Pharmacosmos Therapeutics' Chief Commercial Officer Josh Franklin speaks with Reed Smith's International Arbitration Partner JP Duffy about the challenges and leadership skills needed to launch a greenfield life sciences company during the pandemic.

Arena Pharmaceuticals Associate General Counsel Stacy Yeung speaks with International Arbitration Partner JP Duffy about the challenges and opportunities involved in moving to a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company during the pandemic.

Partners Betty Graumlich and Kate Seikaly discuss the impact a whistleblower complaint can have on a company and address scenarios related to internal reporting. They offer perspectives on key points, including: Training managers to be sensitive to complaints Determining the best way to investigate these type of complaints Types of whistleblowers Best practices for handling employment decisions involving whistleblowers Graumlich is a partner in Reed Smith’s Labor & Employment Group, and Seikaly is a partner in the firm’s Regulatory Enforcement Group.

The collection, use and disclosure of personal information is increasingly viewed as a national security issue. New rules from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States have increased the need for privacy diligence in deals involving foreign investments. Hear from Reed Smith partners Gerard Stegmaier, Michael Lowell and A. Scott Bolden about what policy trends to expect and how to prepare for and respond to an investigation of this kind.  For more information, please visit Reed Smith's IP, Tech & Data page.For more information on the legal and business implications of COVID-19, visit the Reed Smith Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center.

Reed Smith antitrust lawyers focus on the situation around price gouging (excessive pricing) in the EU, France, Germany and the UK. Max Seuster, Lucile Chneiweiss, Ross Mackenzie and Tilman Siebert from our Brussels, Paris, London, and Munich offices (respectively), give an overview of the laws and explain what the rules are. They will discuss how the COVID-19 crisis has changed enforcement by authorities and describe what businesses can do to protect themselves against such practices. This is the last of a three-part podcast series relating to price gouging.Part 1 discussed U.S. price gouging laws and Part 2 addressed price gouging rules in the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong.  For more information, please visit Reed Smith's Regulatory & Investigations page.For more information on the legal and business implications of COVID-19, visit the Reed Smith Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center.

In a crisis situation, there are often many eyes on leadership at every level.  Developing a well thought out strategy and concrete, actionable next steps to address the crisis are keys to combatting problems and mitigating future risk.  In this Q&A, hear about San Francisco partner and California National Guard Colonel, Jesse Miller’s leadership role during his current deployment conducting humanitarian assistance operations to protect California’s most vulnerable population at food banks, hospitals, nursing homes and more.  Jesse will discuss how his experiences crossover to his work as a trial lawyer.For more information on the legal and business implications of COVID-19, visit the Reed Smith Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center.

Reed Smith regulatory enforcement lawyers Dora Wang and Asha Sharma discuss the regulatory landscape in light of COVID-19 and the impact it may be having on your business. This episode analyses rules and regulations designed to tackle price gouging in the People’s Republic of China, and to deal with anti-competitive conduct in Hong Kong. It considers how one can report price gouging/anti-competitive conduct as well as defend oneself against antitrust risks or price gouging claims. The team also discusses penalties.This is the second of a three-part podcast series relating to price gouging. Part 1 discussed U.S. price gouging laws and part 3 will consider the EU position where no specific price gouging laws exist.For more information, please visit Reed Smith's Regulatory & Investigations page.For more information on the legal and business implications of COVID-19, visit the Reed Smith Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center.

Reed Smith regulatory enforcement lawyers Danielle Stewart, Michelle Mantine and Jennifer Driscoll provide an overview of the U.S. laws around price gouging in light of COVID-19. This episode addresses various ways to spot and report alleged price gouging, as well as ways to protect against price gouging claims. The team also shares their thoughts on pending legislation and what to expect next in today’s unpredictable landscape. This is the first of a three-part podcast series relating to price gouging. Parts 2 and 3 will focus on non-U.S. pricing developments.For more information, please visit Reed Smith's Regulatory & Investigations page.For more information on the legal and business implications of COVID-19, visit the Reed Smith Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center.

COVID-19 has transformed the accommodations landscape, and employers must be flexible in order remain compliant and support their employees in meaningful and compassionate ways. Reed Smith partner Betty Graumlich and associate Mark Passero address some of the challenges employers face, including testing, mask-wearing, privacy considerations, and the interactive process.For more information please visit Reed Smith's Labor, Employment & Benefits page.For more information on the legal and business implications of COVID-19, visit the Reed Smith Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center.

Businesses that suffered looting, damaged property, stolen inventory, and other destruction in recent civil unrest may be entitled to insurance compensation. Insurance recovery lawyers Shruti Engstrom, Adrienne Kitchen and Anthony Crawford discuss commercial insurance policies that cover such damages and describe how businesses can ensure claims get paid.For more information, please visit Reed Smith's Insurance Recovery page.For more information on the legal and business implications of COVID-19, visit the Reed Smith Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center.

Reed Smith regulatory enforcement lawyers Rosanne Kay and Christina Nitsche share practical tips about conducting virtual interviews for internal investigations, now that the COVID-19 pandemic has made in-person interviews impossible. Among other topics, they discuss the different platforms they have used, tips for arranging the interview and the confidentiality issues that should be considered.For more information please visit Reed Smith's Business & Commercial Disputes page.For more information on the legal and business implications of COVID-19, visit the Reed Smith Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center.

Reed Smith commercial disputes lawyers Daniel Kadar and Daja Apetz-Dreier (based in Paris and Munich respectively) explain how the “recovery” phase of the COVID-19 pandemic may affect contract negotiations. They outline approaches being taken in France and Germany and discuss what tools are available to change existing contract clauses and draft new ones. They also discuss advantages, risks and other consequences of various ways to adapt ongoing contract negotiations.For more information please visit Reed Smith's Business & Commercial Disputes page.For more information on the legal and business implications of COVID-19, visit the Reed Smith Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center.

As employers bring people back to work, many are putting into place guidelines related to wearing masks and taking temperatures, as well as managing issues with employees traveling to work and elsewhere. Members of our Labor & Employment Group discuss challenges employers might face as they implement these new regulations and what to do about employees who may not want to adhere to them.For more information please visit Reed Smith's Labor, Employment & Benefits page or contact Jennifer Terry, Jill Vorobiev, Lori Armstrong Halber and Michael Correll.For more information on the legal and business implications of COVID-19, visit the Reed Smith Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center.

As the United States and other countries begin to reopen after several months of COVID-19-induced sheltering in place, they can look at how countries in Asia approached reopening and returning to work. Reed Smith partners Dora Wang, who works in our Shanghai and New York offices, and Mark Phillips, in our Los Angeles office, examine lessons learned and best practices from that region.For more information please visit Reed Smith's Labor, Employment & Benefits page.For more information on the legal and business implications of COVID-19, visit the Reed Smith Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center.

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic backdrop, force majeure may seem like a new legal “buzz word” to some, but if you or your company have entered into large contracts at any point that are now viewed to be unfavorable by your contracting partner, the possibility of an improper and even fraudulent business declaration of force majeure looms large. Learn more in this week’s episode.For more information please visit Reed Smith's Business & Commercial Disputes page or contact David Fawcett.For more information on the legal and business implications of COVID-19, visit the Reed Smith Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center.

Members of Reed Smith’s Labor & Employment Group discuss key issues around returning to work, including an employer’s responsibility to keep employees safe and employees who are reluctant to go back to work, as COVID-19-related restrictions ease.For more information please visit Reed Smith's Labor, Employment & Benefits page or contact Jennifer Terry, Jill Vorobiev, Lori Armstrong Halber and Michael Correll.For more information on the legal and business implications of COVID-19, visit the Reed Smith Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center.

Mark Pring and Anthony Crawford of Reed Smith’s Insurance Recovery Group, discuss event cancellation and business interruption claims from a U.S. and U.K. perspective.  They examine the good and bad news in relation to each type of insurance and outline practical tips for policyholders who are considering filing insurance claims in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.For more information, please visit Reed Smith's Insurance Recovery page.For more information on the legal and business implications of COVID-19, visit the Reed Smith Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center.

As the coronavirus pandemic impacts companies around the globe, the landscape of Directors & Officers (D&O) Insurance is changing. Carolyn Rosenberg, a partner in Reed Smith’s Insurance Recovery Group and one of the nation's leading D&O liability insurance lawyers, and Kevin LaCroix, executive vice president at RT ProExec and author of the influential blog The D&O Diary, discuss anticipated D&O claims and underwriting issues in light of COVID-19; and they offer practical suggestions for renewal.For more information, please visit Reed Smith's Insurance Recovery page.For more information on the legal and business implications of COVID-19, visit the Reed Smith Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center.