If you have any labor and employment questions this week, we’re bound to have some of the answers. Our top 10 this week features insights on topics such as potential leave bills in California and the new FFCRA version passed by the House. Other than that, members of the community published on artificial intelligence, trademarking, and price gouging.

Top 10

40 Under Forty Feature – Jess Bednarz

After the recognition of Jess Bednarz as a rising star int he legal community by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, The Chicago Bar Association turned an interview with Jess into a blog post—highlighting her path in the legal world and its unconventional start, her work at non-profits, and the work she does now. They discuss her contributions to organizations such as the Justice Entrepreneurs Project on @thebar.

California Leave Bills Employers Should Watch

The 2021 legislative session is in full swing, with the last day for the proposal of new bills having already passed. Jackson Lewis explains five prominent bills relating to leave that employers should pay attention to—including bereavement leave and COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave—on California Workplace Law Blog.

Who Wants an FFCRA Leave Update? U.S. House Version of FFCRA Provides Some Clarity for Employers

Are employers required to provide their employees emergency paid sick and paid FMLA leave? Jeff Nowak offers clarity, drawing on the update recently passed by the House of Representatives. He lists notable inclusions and what this means for employers of different sizes at the blog FMLA Insights.

How to Freeze a Case: Defending a Price Gouging Suit after the Winter Storms

In lieu of the unprecedented winter storms that recently devastated Texas, price gouging has become a hot topic. Proskauer Rose explains how Texas’s declared state of emergency affects certain laws and what businesses need to keep in mind in order to minimize the risk of price gouging claims on the blog Minding Your Business.

SEC 2021 Exam Priorities

The SEC’s 2021 exam priorities have been announced and there’s a lot to pay attention to. Though she recommends taking a look at the whole thing, Heidi VonderHeide of Ulmer & Berne discusses the overarching themes—compliance culture, fees and compensation—and specific points of interest to note at Broker-Dealer Law Corner.

You’re the Defense. How Do You Persuade a Pro-Plaintiff Juror?

In a trade secrets case specifically, how do you go about changing the mind of a potentially biased juror? First, you have to be able to identify the characteristics of a pro-plaintiff juror, which Karen Lisko of Perkins Coie lists in detail. Then, she offers different types of themes that are more likely to appeal to this kind of juror at the blog Trade Secret Tracker.

COVID-19 Compounds Opioid Crisis and Treatment Gaps for Vulnerable Americans: Will a Biden Administration and New Congress Expand Medicare Coverage?

The pandemic has only made the opioid epidemic worse, and it’s drawn attention to the fact that Medicare does not provide much-needed access and coverage for SUD treatment. Christopher Donovan and Hannah Zaitlin of Foley & Lardner look at a recently published report by the Legal Action Center and examine the need for reform on the blog Health Care Law Today.

Regulating artificial intelligence: Where are we now? Where are we heading?

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence technologies, the need for regulation has come up time and time again. DLA Piper discusses the standards, records, and certification needed as well as some key initiatives and proposals in various areas around the globe on Technology’s Legal Edge.

25 Apps for Providing Virtual Legal Services

Virtual legal services have become necessary in response to the pandemic, and will likely remain popular moving forward. Casey Mears of Pro Bono Net lists 25 different tools that can help client engagement and assist in providing information to clients. She provides descriptions of the various apps and offers links to many of them at Connecting Justice Communities.

How Does the Trademark Modernization Act of 2020 Help You Protect Your Brand?

The Trademark Modernization Act of 2020’s amendments will assist US retailers and other businesses with branding decisions. John Gary Maynard, III and Anu Sharma of Hunton Andrews Kurth explain how retailers will now be able to defend and enforce their own marks, and to challenge the marks of others on the blog Hunton Retail Law Resource.