Publications and News

On June 1, 2020, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published several revisions to the hours of service (HOS) rules currently governing commercial truck drivers (the “Final Rule”). Despite several petitions for reconsideration, the proposed changes are currently set to go into effect on September 29, 2020. Until then, drivers must continue to follow the existing HOS rules. To prepare you for the impending changes, transportation companies and their drivers need to understand the practical effects the changes will have, as well as how they will be received and portrayed by opponents. This article, written by Robert Buchbinder of Crabbe, Brown & James, LLP, provides an overview of the Final Rule and gives some context regarding the arguments for and against the changes included in the Final Rule.

ALFA International, the global legal network, is pleased to announce the formation of the Future Leaders Forum (FLF) and the appointment of Jennifer Reid Egbe as Chair, Janelle Kilies as Vice-Chair and Matthew Parsons as Marketing Chair. The Future Leaders Forum (FLF) was formed to implement ALFA International’s strategic commitment to developing the leadership skills of its young attorneys in order to sustain and grow the ALFA International network for years to come.

Ten Dickinson & Gibbons attorneys, representing seven different practice areas, were named “2020 Elite Top Attorneys” in the September-October edition of Sarasota’s SRQ Magazine.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are various implications for the immigration world, including for those already in Canada, as well as those looking to travel to, or return to Canada, from abroad. In particular, there are travel restrictions in place for land and air travel, which will particularly impact foreign nationals that may wish to enter Canada for work or similar purposes. Stewart McKelvey provides an overview of current travel restrictions and other related immigration issues. Last updated on September 1, 2020.

We are pleased to announce that Jennifer Egbe, a partner with ALFA International member firm Huie, was recently appointed to the Alabama Board of Court Reporting by Will Ainsworth, Alabama’s current Lieutenant Governor.

Social media channels are ubiquitous and become more popular every day. Posts, tweets, tags, selfies, likes and links are woven into our social and business lives, and so they must be part of our risk management practices, claim analysis, case workup and trial presentation. The article, written by Lance Eberhart from Hall & Evans, LLC, and Jeaneen Johnson from Semmes, Bowen & Semmes, will point out important considerations for investigating the public social media presence of the parties and witnesses in litigation matters, how social media evidence can be forensically captured and authenticated and the strategic considerations for deploying social media evidence in settlement negotiations, depositions and at trial.

Social media spawns legal troubles. Posts accusing a sitting Supreme Court justice of perjury prompt presidential candidates to demand his impeachment. An argument an Assistant United States Attorney made to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals about immigration gets posted and the attorney receives death threats. Students accuse a bakery of racial profiling, so Oberlin College stops doing business with it, but the bakery sues for libel and wins $44 million. Nike’s brand ambassador objects to a shoe design, which is canceled, but the controversy doesn’t end. This article, written by Thomas Singer from Axilon Law Group, PLLC, will discuss how to respond if your company is targeted on social media.

Generally speaking, social media can be used both offensively and defensively in litigation. Offensively, this article, written by Janelle Kilies from Lewis Wagner and William (Skip) Martin from Haight Brown & Bonesteel LLP, will discuss how to ethically obtain social media from your opponent and what to do with it once you have it. Defensively, this article will cover ways to defend against the use of your own company's (or employees') social media sites in litigation.

Amy Chin, senior counsel with ALFA International member firm LCS & Partners in Taiwan, has been recognized by IFLR1000 as one of the "IFLR100 Women Leaders" for 2020. Women Leaders are the leading female transactional lawyers in the world. These lawyers have impressive track records and are consistently recommended by clients and peers for the quality of their advice and service.

Frantz Ward LLP is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and announced that local nonprofit Ashlie’s Embrace is the winner of the 20 For 20 Program. Ashlie’s Embrace, which received nearly 2,500 of the contest’s 10,000 votes, will be awarded the top prize of $20,000 in cash provided by Frantz Ward.

Congratulations to the Halloran Sage attorneys named 2021 Best Lawyers in America!

Congratulations to the Leitner, Williams, Dooley & Napolitan, PLLC attorneys named 2021 Best Lawyers in America, "Ones to Watch" and Lawyers of the Year!