Business Law and Corporate Law

Lowenstein attorneys and business services professionals share how pro bono work has enhanced their legal expertise and interpersonal abilities through direct client engagement, court experience, and cross-departmental collaboration. The discussion reveals how serving vulnerable clients at nonprofit organizations develops critical skills in empathy, creative problem-solving, and clear communication that translate across all areas of legal practice.

A federal court rejected a challenge to Executive Order (EO) 14398, “Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors.” The court concluded the EO’s prohibition targets only unlawful intentional discrimination and applies to work performed under a specific contract containing the required clause.

Lowenstein lawyers and business services professionals discuss the firm's comprehensive pro bono program, demonstrating how attorneys across all practice areas—from white collar defense to real estate—contribute to matters serving individuals, nonprofits, and communities. The video explores how pro bono work provides meaningful opportunities for client interaction, hands-on responsibility, and professional development while receiving the same attention as billable client matters.

Consumer spending and employment figures continue to show strength, but beneath these headline numbers lies a more complex reality. As household financial reserves steadily decline, questions emerge about the sustainability of current consumption patterns and what this divergence signals for economic stability ahead.

The Pennsylvania and New Jersey Attorneys General have independently filed lawsuits challenging asphalt-industry mergers, marking a significant shift in state-level antitrust enforcement. Both cases were swiftly resolved through negotiated divestitures, demonstrating that state attorneys general are increasingly willing to act as frontline merger enforcers without federal agency involvement.

Ankura monitors wealth and asset management M&A activity, tracks emerging themes in joint ventures and shareholder alignment, and examines how AI implementation challenges are reshaping enterprise operations and supply chain strategies. The analysis spans private equity market dynamics, regulatory compliance complexities, and the hidden costs of AI validation in investigative work.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has published a final rule establishing the GLOBE Model, implementing most-favored-nation pricing for Medicare Part B drugs with dramatically expanded exemptions. Pharmaceutical companies face potential rebate obligations under this mandatory payment model, though the rule's narrowed scope and GENEROUS Model carve-out significantly limit its reach compared to the original proposal.

The SEC's Division of Examinations has identified six critical compliance issues that investment advisers commonly encounter during annual reviews. Understanding these deficiencies—from incomplete procedures to inadequate documentation—can help firms strengthen their compliance programs and avoid regulatory violations.

California federal courts continue to classify SMS messages as telephone calls under the TCPA's Do Not Call provisions, diverging from nationwide trends. The Ninth Circuit's interpretation, inadvertently broadened by a Republican National Committee case involving MMS messages, has created binding precedent that district courts are now applying to DNC claims.

Maryland has amended its franchise registration and disclosure law with changes taking effect October 1, 2026. The amendments extend enforcement authority, expand franchisee claims periods, clarify jurisdictional scope, establish franchisee association rights, and codify a fast-track renewal program for franchise disclosure documents.

International restaurant expansion often generates legal problems before anyone believes there is much legal work to do. A team finds a location and negotiates the lease before confirming that the hours, the liquor service, and the patio are permitted at that address. An executive chef flies in to train the kitchen on a visitor stamp.

On July 9, 2026, the United States District Court for the Central District of California issued its decision in So Cal Storage, LLC et al. v. UNITS Franchising Group, Inc., 2026 WL 2045621 (C.D. Cal. July 9, 2026), granting a franchisor's motion to dismiss the franchisees’ claims arising from alleged misrepresentations, software failures, vendor restrictions, and misuse of advertising fund contributions.