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Courts Grapple with the Challenges of Eminent Domain: Jurists struggle to strike a balance between property rights and public good

  The use of eminent domain has gained national attention in recent months. During a Republican primary debate last year, candidate Donald Trump stated, “Eminent domain is an absolute necessity.” During the primary, however, Trump also accused a rival, Jeb Bush, of improperly...

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This Proposed Change to the Federal Rules of Evidence Just Makes Sense: Self-authentication would make electronic discovery easier and cheaper

In response to concerns over the ever-increasing costs of electronic discovery, the federal bench and bar have worked over the last several years to adopt sensible amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Proposed amendments to Rule 902 will make it easier to authenticate certain kinds...

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DOJ Pilot Program Measures Up in First Year: The tone is cooperative, but companies are warned to self-disclose

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act’s antibribery provisions affect every U.S. company that transacts business internationally. The FCPA prohibits companies from corruptly offering money (or anything of value) to foreign officials in an effort to obtain or retain business. To minimize the risk...

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Texting and Driving – Evolving Theories of Liability: It isn’t just drivers who may be liable. Phone makers may be on the hook.

Distracted driving has become one of the leading causes of motor vehicle accidents and fatalities in the United States. In 2014 alone, Pennsylvania saw nearly 14,000 crashes involving a distracted driver, including 49 deaths. At least 46 states have made an effort to combat this growing problem in...

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Energy | Renewable Energy

Renewable Energy: The State of the Art: The business case may depend on where your company is located

Sustainability initiatives have become part of many corporate cultures, with businesses seeking renewable energy options to meet their sustainability goals. At the same time, energy costs are often a primary cost of doing business, and as such, renewable energy options must make sense from a...

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Technology Triggers Workplace Compliance Problems

  When the use of email in business became popular in the mid-1990s, the employment law implications seemed simple. Employers were primarily interested in knowing whether they could implement policies restricting employee email use to “business purposes” and whether they could...

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Culture Meets Change at McNees: Firm holds tight to family atmosphere as profession evolves

Introduction: David Kleppinger has served as chairman of 135-lawyer McNees Wallace & Nurick for more than 10 years. In a piece he recently wrote for Metropolitan Corporate Counsel (see online location), he provided an eloquent description of the McNees family culture and what that means to him...

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