Series Note: The goal of our Deal Accelerators series is to help in-house attorneys provide greater support to their business teams by sharing useful resources – written in plain English by our team of former in-house lawyers – designed to educate, encourage collaboration and facilitate the completion of important business objectives. In previous posts, we have shared checklists to promote marketing collateral compliance and avoid delays with online product launches. 

The Basics of Advertising Compliance 

As you know, advertising is a highly-regulated business practice. Legal risks associated with false advertising exist at the federal and state level, under consumer protection laws and through NAD challenges, and more importantly, on a consumer level, such practices can lead to upset customers, poor reviews and negative press. By collaborating with business units in the “early stages” of new brand development, marketing campaigns, sales strategy, legacy product updates and other initiatives, legal team members are likely to uncover key concerns well-ahead of important deadlines, enabling them to offer solutions for minimizing risk while still achieving the desired marketing objectives.

Below is part 2 of our series on International Nonprofit Expansion. For part 1, click here.

The launch of any new product is a highly collaborative process, involving many business units including design and engineering, distribution, marketing and finance, and finally, the legal team who oversees compliance and ensures protection of the company’s interests. However, the type of product being offered can impact the process considerably. Unlike physical goods and services, online products carry a unique set of business and legal issues. Further, because an online launch tends move quickly and iterate on existing online experiences, it is critical for the business team to be aware of potential pitfalls in order to avoid delays.

USCIS has published an updated handbook for employers, providing detailed guidance for completing Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification). This version - dated January 22, 2017 - replaces the previous handbook and supports the recently revised Form I-9 (November 14, 2016).

New H-1B visa petitions (including change of status petitions) can be filed with the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services beginning April 1, 2017 for an effective start date of October 1, 2017.  H-1B petitions are accepted on a "first-come-first-serve" basis, and the demand for H-1B visas is expected to be very high again this year. We therefore plan to file all cap-subject Petitions on April 1, 2017.  As preparation can be time-consuming, employers should begin the filing process as early as possible.  If your company is seeking to hire H-1B cap-subject professional foreign workers and has not already initiated the process with us, you should contact Outside GC’s Immigration Team immediately.  

When Jon Levitt refers to his colleagues at Outside GC as a team of highly accomplished, “rock star” attorneys, he is only half-joking. The collective talent of the firm’s 60 lawyers is certainly a point of pride for Levitt and his co-founder and managing partner, Bill Stone. However, when used to describe the career achievements of long-time member, Lew Segal, nothing could seem more fitting.