New England Biz Law Update

Companies across the country have complained loud and clear that the internal control reporting mandates of Sarbanes-Oxley have spawned rigid, minutiae-driven accounting audits. Federal regulators listened. Aiming to establish a more balanced, less expensive process, they recently issued a "guidance" calling for better communications between companies and external auditors, as well as more of a risk-based focus in assessing internal financial controls.

Dianne Sagner seems to have done everything right. As general counsel for the business consulting firm of Maryland-based FTI Consulting, she not only understood the business imperatives of a recently completed acquisition, she brought up uncomfortable red flags and delegated ...

When the Security and Exchange Commission's head of enforcement announced that corporate gatekeepers are fair game for SEC civil actions, he wasn't kidding. That means lawyers, independent directors, accountants and bankers are squarely in the cross hairs of SEC enforcement efforts.

With retaliation charges increasingly being tacked onto workplace discrimination and sexual harassment claims, employers can learn from the example of a Massachusetts-based mechanical contractor that saved itself from litigating a false claim and fired a dishonest employee all at once. ...

It's not uncommon for savvy employees to assert false employment law claims as a way to shield themselves from termination, suspension, a poor job review, or as a bargaining chip to win a severance package, experts say. The problem of false claims is taking place at a time when retaliation complaints linked to underlying employment claims are skyrocketing.

Companies will soon have to file substantially more information than ever before with the Securities and Exchange Commission on changes to business operations, and will have to do so in a much tighter time frame. Most notably, the new Form ...

With signs pointing to an imminent surge in mergers and acquisitions and initial public offerings, experts say in-house counsel should be well-prepared far in advance to play a lead role in preparing their companies for these transactions.

Eleven years after it's debut, the results of the once-revolutionary litigation model pioneered by DuPont have been nothing short of spectacular, and has particular relevance today for companies of all sizes looking to control costs in unsteady economic times.

In-house counsel should act now to take advantage of the anticipated economic recovery by sharpening their efficiency in helping companies meet the demands of business growth, and by actively participating in business planning, according to experts.

The ever-present need for in-house counsel to deliver value to their companies has become magnified of late as concerns over corporate liability become more and more acute in the sluggish economy.