Legal News

The legal cannabis market is still in its infancy and there is much more room to grow. At the end of 2020, we saw an uptick in merger and acquisition activity as the industry shook off some pandemic-related instability, and we expect that trend to increase significantly in 2021......By: Fox Rothschild LLP

In an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, California on Aug. 31 released the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, with revised criteria for loosening and tightening restrictions on business, health and recreational activities at the county level. The new system replaces the County Data Monitoring List. Under the Blueprint, each county is assigned to one of four tiers based on the rate of new cases and test positivity rate (percentage of tests that return a positive result). Counties must remain in....

Today, after remarking at a press conference that Pennsylvania will not return to its prior color-coded system of COVID-19 risk mitigation practices for counties ( i.e. red, yellow and green), the Secretary of Health for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania issued two new statewide health orders affecting construction firms and construction activities. These orders, which apply to a full range of businesses throughout the state, are designed to address a rise in incidence of the disease and involve....

New guidance from the Small Business Administration (SBA) sheds light on questions that arise in the context of M&A transactions where one of the companies has secured a potentially forgivable loan through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Parties to such transactions must be prepared for increased scrutiny during due diligence, transaction timeline delays and certain valuation implications......By: Fox Rothschild LLP

All sectors of the construction industry have faced unique challenges in 2020, but none has been more significantly impacted than homebuilding. Widespread protests in urban areas, historically cheap financing for single-family homes and the global pandemic have shaped new housing trends and accelerated others......By: Fox Rothschild LLP

Businesses often utilize arbitration clauses in their contracts to avoid the alleged “uncertainty” of a trial, with the goal of achieving a faster and more cost-efficient resolution. A recent holding by the Texas 13th Court of Appeals reinforces the longstanding notion that Texas courts strongly favor arbitration, and highlights the importance of understanding the effect such a clause will ultimately have on who decides a dispute arising out of the contract. Although many vanilla arbitration.....

The City of Philadelphia on June 11, 2020 removed all restrictions on properly conducted construction activities, posting the decision atop the frequently asked questions section of its Construction Activity FAQ page......By: Fox Rothschild LLP

In certain situations, cooperative purchasing programs can provide an efficient, cost-effective procurement option for budget-conscious Pennsylvania school districts, but only if careful consideration is given to applicable state and federal legal...By: Fox Rothschild LLP

The New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) has announced that the city will enter Phase One of the State Reopening Plan on June 8. Work on all job sites will continue subject to permits issued by the DOB or otherwise regulated by the New York...By: Fox Rothschild LLP

Philadelphia Mayor James Kenney issued an executive order on May 26, 2020 ? modifying prior restrictions enacted on April 29, 2020 ? allowing construction on projects that have permits issued after March 20, 2020 to proceed. Previously the mayor only...By: Fox Rothschild LLP