Business Law and Corporate Law

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.

A U.S. House Committee on Ways & Means hearing on “Foreign Influence in American Nonprofits” last month and recent letters by Republican state Attorneys General accusing specific organizations of violating FARA have resulted in some additional public attention about how FARA relates to the nonprofit/tax-exempt sector.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury and IRS recently issued temporary regulations that provide an immediately effective framework for establishing and administering “Trump Accounts,” including broad automatic enrollment and large-scale contributions funded by governmental and charitable donors. The regulations became effective September 30, 2026, apply to taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, and expire September 30, 2029.

Nonprofits are playing an increasingly visible role in shaping elections, but navigating the overlapping rules of federal tax law and state campaign finance requirements can be daunting. This on-demand webinar walks through the "rules of the road" for nonprofits that want to participate in elections without jeopardizing their tax status or running afoul of disclosure laws, translating legal frameworks into practical governance and compliance strategies drawn from real-world experience.

On September 18, 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) began enhanced enforcement of importer of record (IOR) identity data on CBP Form 5106. CBP announced the enforcement program in a general notice published in the Federal Register. Accuracy of Importer of Record Data Submitted to CBP, 91 Fed. Reg. 53,627, 53,627 (Aug. 19, 2026). This notice states CBP’s enforcement position; it is not a new regulation and does not add new Form 5106 data elements. The enforcement includes immediate voiding of IOR numbers when CBP determines the data is inaccurate or incomplete. A voided number is “invalid for any purpose,” including entering merchandise.

Fund managers are increasingly deploying large language models and other artificial intelligence tools capable of accessing and analyzing nonpublic information at unprecedented scale, raising pressing questions about how existing insider trading and material nonpublic information handling rules apply when the entity processing restricted data is not a human analyst but an AI model operating across vast datasets.

David R. Chase, the principal of Law Firm of David R Chase, a boutique SEC defense law firm, and prior SEC Enforcement Attorney, describes his SEC defense law practice. If you are under SEC investigation, call David directly for a strictly confidential consultation at 800-760-0912 or www.securitiesfrauddefense.net.

Fund managers are increasingly deploying large language models and other artificial intelligence tools capable of accessing and analyzing nonpublic information at unprecedented scale, raising pressing questions about how existing insider trading and material nonpublic information handling rules apply when the entity processing restricted data is not a human analyst but an AI model operating across vast datasets.

On May 1, 2026 a federal jury in Miami found former Florida Congressman David Rivera guilty after a five-week trial of conspiracy to violate FARA, failure to register under FARA, and other crimes. Esther Nuhfer, one of Rivera’s associates, was convicted of the same FARA offenses.

Under Florida law, the distinction between a permissive and mandatory forum selection clause can hinge on something as small as a single comma. In Treasure Coast Classical Academy v. The Optima Foundation, the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal held that a comma separating a governing law provision from a venue designation provision rendered the venue clause permissive rather than mandatory, allowing the plaintiff to file suit in the venue where the causes of action accrued.