Blog Blog
Why Companies Should Be Filing Trademarks in Cuba For most companies (and trademark lawyers), Cuba is a someday problem. But someday problems in first-to-file countries have a way of becoming someone else’s mark. The issue is not politics or timing. Cuba is a first-to-file trademark jurisdiction, and waiting too long can leave you fighting over
Abandoned Trademark Blocking Your Application? How to Remove Deadwood from the USPTO Register You file a trademark application with the USPTO, and the examining attorney refuses it because of an older trademark registration. That can feel like the end of the process, but it usually is not. The federal trademark register in the United States
Attorney-Client Privilege in Cross-Border M&A: How Privilege Gets Lost During the Deal Last week we wrote about how attorney-client privilege can be lost in domestic M&A when brokers, consultants, and other non-legal advisors are pulled into legal communications. See Attorney-Client Privilege in M&A: How Brokers and Other Advisors Can Create Serious Risk. Cross-border deals contain
Attorney-Client Privilege in M&A: How Brokers and Other Advisors Can Create Serious Risk Today let’s talk about the attorney-client privilege, how important that safeguard is in M&A transactions, and how not to mess it up. Specifically, let’s discuss this scintillating topic in the context of working with brokers and other non-legal advisors over the course
The Gold Card Lawsuit and the Limits of Executive Immigration Power The federal lawsuit challenging the Gold Card immigration program brings legal structure to what had previously been an open policy question: how far the executive branch can go in reshaping employment-based immigration without Congress. The case, American Association of University Professors v. U.S. Department
When a Puerto Vallarta Retreat Collides With Cartel Reality: Can You Recover Your Deposit? Recent violence tied to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel has unsettled companies and families planning travel there. For years, Puerto Vallarta has been viewed as a controlled destination for executive retreats and high-end gatherings. When cartel-related violence in Jalisco dominates national
Named in a Lawsuit You Had Nothing to Do With? Getting Out Is Harder Than You Think. You open your email and see a complaint with your name in the caption. You never signed the contract. You never negotiated the deal. You barely knew it existed. Yet you are personally named in a breach of
What to Expect in a Business Mediation and How to Avoid Costly Mistakes This post started as an email. We were preparing to mediate a large cross-border litigation matter for a Vietnamese client. The case had many moving parts: complex international legal issues, multiple parties, and a lot at stake. I wrote a detailed briefing
Enforcing US Judgments in Spain: Recognition, Strategy, and Reality You won a final US money judgment against a Spanish defendant with assets in Spain. Now you want to get paid. Here is the reality: a US judgment does not enforce itself in Spain. To collect in Spain, you generally need a Spanish court to recognize
Choosing the Right U.S. Business Entity: LLC vs Corporation vs “I’ll Fix It Later” You have a strong business idea and you are ready to launch. One of the first, and most consequential, decisions you will make is which entity structure will support that business. Your entity choice shapes everything that follows: capital access, control,
