Whether they’re startups or law firm subsidiaries, companies and firms augmenting legal services with outside experts are often called “New Law.” But what exactly does that mean for the industry? And how can law firms best utilize this approach to their advantage?
A new California law prohibits stores from charging different prices for very similar items, an issue that’s been dubbed the pink tax. Advocates say it’s a simple step that could help close the gender pay gap, while businesses say it will hurt sales and raise costs.
Sequoia Capital’s dramatic separation from its China operations is a sign that investors are growing wary of the nation’s aggressive regulatory environment. It’s the latest in a series of big changes in the venture capital landscape.
New York’s Open Meetings Law applies to “public bodies,” and that term includes city councils, town boards, village boards of trustees, school boards, commissions, legislative bodies and committees of those groups. In addition, the law covers any group that conducts public business and performs a governmental function for a city or state agency, including the governing board of any municipal corporation.
How a bill becomes a law
Congress is the legislature of the United States. Each chamber has a process for how a bill becomes a law, and it’s a little different in the House of Representatives and the Senate. A lawmaker in either chamber can introduce a bill, which will then go through a research and discussion process with other members of the chamber and then be voted on. If a bill passes in one chamber, it goes to the other for a similar process of researching, discussing and making changes before being voted on again.
The final version of a bill is called a statute, and it goes into effect after it’s signed by the president or governor. Once a statute has been passed, it’s published by the Government Printing Office (GPO) in the United States Code as slip laws. This section of the code contains all public laws, including those that have been enacted by Congress.
The new year brings a number of important legal and policy changes to the US economy, the courts, consumers and workers. This month’s law new highlights these developments and others, including the expansion of a patent defense for software developers, a crackdown on unauthorized credit reporting and more.