Washington, D.C. 

Perkins Coie partner Bob Bauer was among those individuals appointed by President Obama to be co-chair and member of the 10-person Presidential Commission on Election Administration, which is tasked with finding ways to shorten lines at polling places, promote the efficient conduct of elections, and provide better access to the polls for all voters.

Perkins Coie is pleased to announce that Kimberly Reindl has joined the firm’s Washington, D.C. office as Senior Counsel.  Reindl was most recently Senior Counsel at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.

Perkins Coie has maintained its streak as one of the most family-friendly law firms in the nation, according to Yale Law Women, a student organization that promotes the interests of women in law school as well as the profession.

The National Law Journal (NLJ) selected Perkins Coie partner Bob Bauer as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in its annual list released today.

Perkins Coie is pleased to announce that Mark Eckenwiler has joined the firm’s Privacy & Security Practice in its Washington, D.C. office as Senior Counsel.

Perkins Coie has announced that 17 Associates and Of Counsel have been promoted to partner.  The new partner class of 2013 includes Brian A. Audette (Chicago), Eric G. Barber (Madison), Jeff J. Bowen (Madison), Adam M. Docks (Chicago), Albert M. Ferlo (Washington, D.C.), Andrew L. Greene (Seattle), Jeff Hanson (Seattle), Brian Hennessy (Palo Alto), Erika E. Malmen (Boise), Ezra Reese (Washington, D.C.), Danielle M. Ryman (Anchorage), Andrew H. Solomon (Portland), Amanda Tessar (Denver), Jeanette L. Thomas (Portland), Teresa Poulsen Tate (San Francisco), Amy Tucker (Seattle), and Brandon White (Washington, D.C.).

Bob Bauer has rejoined Perkins Coie as partner in the Washington, D.C. office in the firm's Political Law Practice. Bauer rejoins the firm after serving as White House Counsel since November 2009.

Understanding the many SEC, NYSE, Nasdaq and state law issues that affect their companies can be a bewildering task for directors and officers. To help with this is the just released fourth edition of The Public Company Handbook: A Corporate Governance and Disclosure Guide for Directors and Executives, a "plain English" guide for directors and executives seeking to familiarize themselves with legal matters facing public companies

In response to public pressure for the regulation of political contributions by government contractors—commonly referred to as “pay-to-play”—many jurisdictions have enacted laws, promulgated regulations, or issued executive orders to maintain contracting process integrity and prevent a de facto regime where political contributions are believed to be a necessity in order to obtain government contracts. This summary provides quick overviews of some of the statutes that the various states have enacted that impose restrictions or special reporting requirements on political contributions by government contractors. Each summary discusses the scope of the pay-to-play laws, including which contracts and contractors are covered, and the potential sanctions for violations.

The Supreme Court's landmark Citizens United decision allows corporations to play a far more influential role in federal elections. Yet by unleashing a strong public backlash against corporate election spending and spurring Congress and states to consider new disclosure regimes, the decision will change the legal and political environment in which corporations operate. This timely article, by Karl Sandstrom and Jonathan Berkon, describes the challenges that corporations may face in the aftermath of Citizens United and suggests several steps that corporations can take to avoid likely pitfalls.

Partners Judith Corley and Brian Svoboda published an article in Corporate Counsel Weekly on how the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United will impact corporate spending in advertising for federal elections. "For the first time in more than a century, corporations—whether for profits, non-profits, trade associations, or membership organizations—may now pay for advertisements that tell the audience to vote for or against a federal candidate," they wrote in the article "'Citizens United' Will Affect Corporate Spending—But How?"

On Friday, January 30, President Obama signed three Executive Orders that will impact the relationship between government contractors and union employees. 

One of the Executive Orders addresses "Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers Under Service Contracts" and provides, with a number of exceptions, that after one contractor is replaced with another performing "the same or similar services at the same location," the successor contractor must offer a "right of first refusal" of employment to qualified employees of the predecessor contractor.

When it comes to corporate governance, one area often overlooked is company involvement in politics. The amount of money companies spend for political purposes is relatively small and viewed as immaterial, even though business historically has been a major political funder. Until recently, political expenditures were not fully disclosed and were rarely subject to oversight by boards. This article discusses the need for director oversight when it comes to a company's involvement in politics.

This update highlights seasonal wage/hour flashpoints for retail industry employers.  The holiday season's unique opportunities demand flexible staffing, but the same inflexible rules that govern wages and hours year round remain in effect. Also, several state laws will change during the holiday season. Plaintiffs' lawyers leverage minor violations of these technical rules into class action lawsuits, so even small mistakes can prove costly. The only sure defense against wage/hour claims is to know the rules and insist on strict compliance

Stories about recalls of consumer products—particularly imports from Asia—have been front-page news for the past several months. This update provides basic guidance to retailers about their obligations regarding recalled products and the steps they can take both before and during a recall to minimize their expense and liability exposure. It also summarizes the reporting requirements under the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA).This update provides general information and not legal advice or opinions on specific fact.

On November 26, 2007, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced in the Federal Register that as of December 26, 2007, employers must use the new version of the Form I-9 when verifying the employment eligibility of new hires.

The new Congress has made significant changes to the rules governing the acceptance of gifts and travel by Members, officers, and employees of the House. What follows is a brief summary of the new gift rules, with notations on how they differ from those of the previous Congress. This memorandum provides a brief overview only.

Congress recently enacted the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007—a government reform bill that addresses, from various angles, conflicts of interest, with the principal exception of a provision to compel the reporting of lobbyists’ bundled contributions to federal candidates.

The Federal Trade Commission recently announced that the reporting thresholds under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 will be increased, effective February 21, 2007. The H-S-R Act requires all parties to mergers or acquisitions that meet or exceed the Act's jurisdictional thresholds to notify the FTC and the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice and wait a designated period of time before consummating the merger or acquisition. The 2000 amendments to the H-S-R Act require the FTC to revise the Act's jurisdictional and filing fee thresholds annually, based on the change in gross national product. Certain related thresholds and limitation values in the H‑S‑R rules will also be adjusted. The increased thresholds will apply to all transactions that close on or after February 21, 2007.

It's been another busy year for gift cards. This Update describes our "top five" list of significant legal developments impacting gift cards since the 2005 holiday season.