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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau continued its jurisdictional expansion April 17 when it issued a consent order against BloomTech Inc., which does business as Bloom Institute of Technology, a for-profit college for computer programming. According to the consent order, the school "offers...
A bipartisan group of representatives, led by Representatives Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and Veronica Escobar (D-TX), have introduced an updated version of the Dignity Act (H.R. 3599) to fix what they call the nation’s fractured immigration system. The authors of the bill call it the first serious...
The Third Circuit has a reputation as being a “plain meaning” court—meaning that it strictly construes and applies the words of a statute. Its January 19, 2024, opinion in In re FTX Trading Ltd., No. 23-2297 (3rd Cir. Jan. 19, 2024) (“ FTX”) is an example. The relevant facts in the “highly complex”...
As a Los Angeles-based estate planning attorney, I am uneasy about California’s enactment of the Online Notarization Act, which took effect on Jan. 1, 2024. The act and its related statutes authorize remote online notarization or RON by California notaries. RON is the process used when the notary...
On February 16, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued revisions to its supervisory appeals process. The Bureau’s supervisory appeals process has not changed since 2015, and the Bureau’s announcement notes that these new revisions “broaden the Bureau officials eligible to evaluate...
In a recent announcement, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) revealed pivotal final rule aimed at fortifying the integrity of the H-1B registration process and minimizing the potential for fraud. This comprehensive update includes beneficiary-centric selection, flexible petition start...
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has put forth a Proposed Rule in January 2023 (“Proposed Rule”), suggesting fee increases and other modifications. Under this proposal, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) increase filing costs for many immigration benefit petitioners and...
Certain immigrant investors using the EB-5 Program will not be restricted by Florida S.B. 264, creating restrictions on certain nationals owning direct or indirect real estate in the State of Florida.
A previous article discussed the rising prevalence of mediation in large chapter 11 bankruptcies, especially its use in previously rare scenarios such as plan confirmation. Part II considers a more traditional mediation topic: adversary proceedings.
A recent opinion from the 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals confirmed what should be settled law: deathbed gifts made by personal check delivered before death but deposited after death remain part of the donor’s taxable estate and thus subject to estate tax. A lot of taxes, legal fees, and headache...
On May 25, 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation amending the Florida Telephone Solicitation Act (“FTSA”). The amendment is intended to reign in the proliferation of individual and consumer class actions filed under the FTSA against businesses. The amendment covers several key areas...
The much-anticipated Stakeholders’ call took place on April 25th. As expected, there was not a lot of detailed direction provided although it was acknowledged that to the extent questions were not answered USCIS would try to otherwise address the questions at a later point in time. The following...