Duane Morris LLP

Duane Morris Partner and Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer Joseph West was unanimously inducted into the 2024 Tulane University Law School Hall of Fame in his hometown of New Orleans. Mr. West is a graduate of Tulane Law School, where he formerly served as Adjunct Professor of Trial Advocacy. Each year, the Tulane Law School Hall of Fame honors its most notable alumni and trailblazers whose impact on the school and the profession elevated the stature of Tulane Law.

“This is an especially meaningful honor for me. Tulane played such a significant role in my foundation and professional development. No matter where in the world I have traveled, lived or worked, I have always carried it with me. I am humbled yet proud to have been recognized with such an outstanding class of honorees,” said Mr. West.

Mr. West’s family, DEI Manager Umica Anderson-Howard, firm client and Associate General Counsel Kareem Dale of Discover Financial Services and Duane Morris partners Michael Silverman and Meagen Leary attended the ceremony at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in New Orleans.

The fourth installment of the Duane Morris Employment, Labor, Benefits, and Immigration Practice Developments in Workplace Law and Practice Seminar will be held on Wednesday, May 22, in Chicago.

The seminar provides our clients and friends with a complimentary and comprehensive update of important , relations, , , and related litigation developments over the past year, as well as imminent changes that may significantly impact their businesses.

Please join us for insights and analysis of the changing legal landscape of today’s workplace. Covered topics include:
- What’s New for Employers in 2024 and Beyond?
- Class Action Review: Top Developments Employers Should Expect for #2024 and Beyond
- Digital Developments: What Businesses Need to Know About AI, and Breach Class Actions
- Employee Benefits Update
- The Latest Updates for Employers on Immigration Sponsorship and Immigration Related Investigations

Request an invitation to the seminar at the link in our bio.

Duane Morris is pleased to announce key additions to the Duane Morris Partners Board. Our Partners Board is the key deliberative body for the Firm, representing a broad, deep cross-section of Firm leadership drawn from every practice, geography and industry specialization.

Congratulations to our new Partners Board appointees: Brian Johnsrud, Scott Kravetz, Tracy McCreight, Robert M. Palumbos, John Polzer, James Regan, Michael Witt and Sean Zabaneh!

The European Union AI Act is the most comprehensive global framework on the regulation of AI, created by the European to address and regulate the risks of AI, while positioning as the leading innovation center for the safe and transparent use of this revolutionary .

In the next installment of the Get Smart with AI webinar series, join John Benjamin and Sandra Jeskie, FCIArb, JD, MBA for a detailed explanation of the EU AI Act, the implementation and compliance timeline and strategies to prepare your business for the increased scrutiny and regulation of AI on the global stage.

Specific topics include:
- High-level summary of the EU AI
- Obligations for businesses using AI
- EU AI Act enforcement
- How the Act may set the path for global trends in AI regulation
- Lessons learned from the General Protection in the EU and its effect on U.S. laws
- How a U.S. AI regulatory framework might develop

To register for the event, follow the link in our bio.

The third installment of the Duane Morris Employment, Labor, Benefits, and Immigration Practice Developments in Workplace Law and Practice Seminar will be held on Monday, May 20, in San Diego. Please join us for insights and analysis of the changing legal landscape of today’s workplace.

Speakers Sarah Gilbert, Jennifer Kearns, Eve Klein, Poline Pourmorady, John Reade, Brooke Tabshouri, Aaron Winn and Brittany Wunderlich will explore a wide range of topics, including:
- : Health and welfare plan fiduciary developments, 2.0 Act guidance for all 401(k) plans and retirement plan litigation updates
- -and-hour compliance strategies and best practices
- Important trial verdicts that impact
- Update on new laws and for 2024
- agreements, confidentiality and trade secret issues

Request an invitation to the seminar at the link in our bio.

The group of chemicals known as PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, have been widely in use for decades. With the EPA enforcing regulations on production, containment and remediation under current environmental law and states advancing similar laws, companies must direct their concerns to compliance and minimizing risk. The first step is to understand the issue and what’s at stake.

Join Brad A. Molotsky, Lindsay A. Brown, Thomas Geiger and Larry Gottlieb on April 30 for the first session of the PFAS Webinar Series: Introduction to PFAS and Its Regulation. Our speakers will discuss what PFAS are, how they have been utilized in the past, and what the government’s expectations are going forward.

For more information and to register for the event, follow the link in our bio.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling that gave student-athletes the ability to monetize their name, image and likeness continues to make waves across campuses. Please join Duane Morris for The Future of Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) and College and Professional Sports, featuring a keynote speech from Michael McCann, professor and founding director of the Sports and Entertainment Law Institute at the Franklin Pierce School of Law in New Hampshire.

After Michael McCann’s keynote speech, moderator Christiane Schuman Campbell and panelists Pat Waters and Sean McConnell will engage in a lively discussion on the current and future status of   in collegiate athletics and the implications for professional  . Topics to be discussed include the role of collectives,  and   concerns, state and federal , contracts and marketing, and other issues.

“If you're a trial lawyer, you've got to be all-in on your client's point of view and you've got to empathize. You've got to, as we used to say, hug the cactus.” The latest episode of the Duane Morris DEI 360 Podcast with Joseph West features Duane Morris Partner John Simpson. Joseph talks with John about his remarkable experiences and lessons learned from growing up as “a military brat” in the segregated South, attending Harvard after being accepted by the United States Air Force Academy and West Point, to getting drafted during the Vietnam War and choosing to be a platoon leader, knowing it was the “most dangerous job in the Marine Corps.” After his military service, John attended Columbia Law School, where his civil procedures professor was Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Those contrasting experiences, living through the civil rights movement and serving in the military during the anti-war protests sweeping college campuses, shaped John into the nationally recognized trial lawyer he is today, with a focus on animal law.

Listen to Episode 34: John Simpson: Growing Up as a Military Brat in the Segregated South and past episodes at the link in our bio.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling that gave student-athletes the ability to monetize their name, image and likeness continues to make waves across campuses. Please join Duane Morris for The Future of Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) and College and Professional Sports, featuring a keynote speech from Michael McCann, professor and founding director of the Sports and Entertainment Law Institute at the Franklin Pierce School of Law in New Hampshire.

After Michael McCann’s keynote speech, moderator Christiane Schuman Campbell and panelists Pat Waters and Sean McConnell will engage in a lively discussion on the current and future status of in collegiate athletics and the implications for professional . Topics to be discussed include the role of collectives, and concerns, state and federal , contracts and marketing, and other issues.

Register at the link in our bio.

In the wake of increasingly employee-friendly rules and regulations, it’s important to remember that employers still have rights. Duane Morris attorneys Eve Klein, Maria Caceres-Boneau, Ted Chiappari, Michael Futterman, Katelynn Gray, John Nixon, Gregory Slotnick and M. Alejandra Vargas will explore a wide range of , , and topics including:

- Employer rights in the hiring and performance management processes, including and visa considerations and creative solutions to attract and retain foreign talent;

- Employer rights under the Americans with Act, Family and Medical Leave Act, Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and New York State and city laws;
 
- Employer rights under the National Relations Act, including strategies to minimize some recent restrictions on agreement provisions and changes in organizing rules;
 
- Employer rights to protect trade secrets and confidential business information, including to obtain confidentiality in settlement and severance agreements; and
 
- Employer rights when conducting investigations of complaints, including the right to terminate employees, related benefit considerations and the impact on holders.

Follow the link in our bio to request an invitation to the Duane Morris Employment, Labor, Benefits and Immigration Seminar in New York City.

Duane Morris LLP has been named to The BTI Consulting Group Client Service 30: Best of the Best in Client Service Delivery! The designation, part of BTI Client Service A-Team 2024: Survey of Law Firm Client Service Performance, marks the firm’s fourth consecutive appearance among what The BTI Consulting Group considers the elite firms that outperform everyone else in terms of client service. Duane Morris is ranked at No. 22 among the 650 core law firms that serve Fortune 1000 and large private clients. The ranking is based on BTI’s annual survey of a broad cross-section of hundreds of general counsel and other in-house decision-makers at organizations with $1 billion or more in revenue.

Read the full press release at the link in our bio.

The tech sector continues to navigate numerous and expanding U.S., U.K. and EU sanctions, export controls and foreign investment rules. To help companies in this increasingly complex landscape, Duane Morris partners Geoffrey Goodale and Mark Handley will provide strategic insights and compliance guidance on key regulations, developments and trends, including:
- Recent U.S. executive orders and national security directives on inbound and outbound investment, AI and sensitive personal data
- The European Economic Security Strategy
- Recent French restrictions on exports
- The U.K.’s National Security and Investment Act
- The current and constantly evolving state of U.S., U.K. and and export controls against and for the sector

Register at the link in our bio.

The emergence of generative AI has revolutionized the way businesses across all industries operate. This is particularly true in the HR function, where expanding AI capabilities are rapidly changing , , , , , engagement and . AI is new to everyone and must be embraced because it is not going away. Businesses that fail to harness the power of AI tools will be at a competitive disadvantage in the market.

Please join us for a panel discussion on how can be used to benefit your business, and systems. Our cross-functional panel of experienced AI practitioners, consultants and employment lawyers featuring Brigette McInnis-Day of UiPath, Mary Purk of The Wharton School, and Greg Vert of Deloitte Consulting will discuss:

- What AI tools are available to streamline and enhance human resources processes?
- What should business and HR leaders be doing now to integrate AI into their HR systems?

- How can HR professionals prepare for the impact AI will have on the workplace?
- What are the benefits and risks of using AI in your workplace?
- What does AI mean for the workforce going forward?
- How can business leaders align the use of AI to organizational goals?
- What are the ethical considerations in AI and HR decision-making?

Follow the link in our bio to request an invitation to the seminar.

Duane Morris was presented with the David Cunningham Corporate Community Service Award at the 47th Annual California Association of Black Lawyers (CABL) Conference in Sacramento! The firm was recognized for its efforts to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in the legal profession, and for bringing awareness to implicit bias and access to justice issues in the state of California. The David Cunningham Corporate Community Service Award is the highest award that a company or law firm can receive from CABL.

Partner and Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer Joseph West accepted the award on behalf of Duane Morris. Additionally, partner Terrance Evans was recognized as a co-author of an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court regarding affirmative action.

Read the full press release at the link in our bio.

At the HAP Leadership Summit, Duane Morris partner Sean Zabaneh said he expects, “lots of lawsuits, lots of litigation and lots of complicated legal issues” related to problems of on , and .

Read more at the link in our bio. (Pictured: Sean Zabaneh and Jolene Calla of HAP)

At the HAP Leadership Summit, Duane Morris partner Sean Zabaneh said he expects, “lots of lawsuits, lots of litigation and lots of complicated legal issues” related to problems of on , and .

Read more at the link in our bio.
(Pictured: Sean Zabaneh and Jolene Calla of HAP)

As with any type of business, the cannabis industry faces real estate concerns ‒ but with particular lease-related issues unique to the field. Facilities for the cultivation, manufacturing and distribution of cannabis and cannabis products are important not only to cannabis operators, but also investors and landlords, all of whom face federal, state and local regulations that can vary by location.

The next installment of the Mainstreaming Cannabis Webinar Series in collaboration with Centri Business Consulting, LLC and the American Trade Association for Cannabis and H**p will discuss the interplay between state and federal laws as it relates to cannabis and implications for real estate transactions, including due diligence considerations when investing in the space, issues, and cannabis company .

Please join Duane Morris attorneys Seth Goldberg, Brad A. Molotsky, Gordon Knox, and Centri Business Consulting, LLC's Jerry Cullins for Mainstreaming Cannabis: Real Estate and Valuation, on April 25.

To register for the event, follow the link in our bio.

This weekend marked the end of the debut run of the one-man show "Like They Do in the Movies," written and performed by Tony Award-winning actor Laurence Fishburne — which includes the moving story of what his longtime friend Duane Morris Partner and Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer Joseph West endured during Hurricane Katrina. As the storm made landfall in August 2005, West and his physician wife, Nadine, were holed up in New Orleans Methodist Hospital in the city's hard-hit east side with their infant son, in what would become a desperate weeklong struggle to keep patients alive while they awaited rescue.

"As an artist, he's made those kinds of choices to really tell important stories that have a lot of impact," West said. "That makes me feel even more honored that my story has been a part of that lineage." For his part, Fishburne said it was he who was honored to tell the story.

"I was honored that Joe felt safe enough to share his story with me personally, like that, and so that's the context that I use for it in my show: It's simply my friend talking to me and telling me what happened," Fishburne said.

Follow the link in our bio to read the full Law360 article.

Duane Morris partner and co-chair of the firm's Trial Practice Group, Sharon Caffrey, was selected as an honoree by City & State PA for the 2024 Above & Beyond Award! The award honors the 50 most influential and thought-provoking women in Pennsylvania who have demonstrated exemplary leadership in their fields, combined with having made significant contributions to society. Sharon was selected from a field of more than 500 nominees. Congratulations, Sharon!

For more information on Sharon, follow the link in our bio.

Not only is 2024 an important year with the potential of cannabis on the horizon, but courts and the trustee will also have to navigate how to treat businesses seeking bankruptcy relief with the increasing liberalization of cannabis use.

Duane Morris attorneys Larry Kotler, Seth Goldberg and Ryan Spengler explore what rescheduling could mean for cannabis bankruptcies in their latest article for .

To read the article, follow the link in our bio.

Learn more about the current opportunities for attorneys to join Duane Morris at the link in our bio.

Sustainability is the new reality for businesses looking for long-term viability. Issues such as , managing climate impact, supply chain improvements and utilization of resources have to be navigated for risk management and investor confidence. Investments in real estate and development are now being evaluated for by players in capital markets.

Companies that can adapt and take full advantage of the methods needed to achieve sustainability will drive innovation and reap the rewards. With a new final rule on disclosure requirements for climate-related risks recently announced by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, our Sustainability and Risk Mitigation Webinar Series will examine how these new standards will be implemented and how they may affect public companies’ ability to attract . Join Brad A. Molotsky and Darrick Mix for Sustainability and Risk Mitigation: The New SEC Climate Disclosure Final Rules on April 3.

To register for the webinar, follow the link in our bio.

Duane Morris Partner and Chair of the Life Sciences, Pharmaceuticals, and Biotechnology Division of the firm's Intellectual Property Practice Group, Thomas J. Kowalski, is presenting at American Conference Institute's 22nd Advanced Summit on Life Sciences Patents!

Thomas will present on the panel "Amgen v. Sanofi One Year Later: Mastering the Art of Claim Balance and Disclosure in Life Sciences Patent Prosecution." Thomas and the panelists will delve into the crucial aspects of reshaping patent strategy and application in the life sciences industry post-Amgen decision. The panel will cover crucial topics like recent USPTO guidance, lessons from recent cases, and challenges with antibody patents.

Use code S10-762-762L24.S for a 10% discount on the registration fee. Follow the link in our bio to register.

Curious about Duane Morris' expansion and Fort Worth debut? Get the inside scoop from partner John Polzer in his recent Q&A from The Texas Lawbook at the link in our bio.

Duane Morris is pleased to announce that Jiazhong (Jason) Luo has been selected as a 2024 Fellow of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) and Dana Pellegrino and Glenn Richeson have been selected for the 2024 LCLD Pathfinder Program. LCLD is a growing organization of more than 400 corporate chief legal officers and law firm managing partners who are personally committed to creating a more diverse and inclusive legal profession.

The LCLD Fellows Program and LCLD Pathfinder Program provide professional development, leadership training and relationship building for experienced, mid-career and early career diverse attorneys from LCLD member organizations, taught by top leaders in the legal profession as well as experts in the fields of learning and development and executive coaching. Congratulations Jiazhong, Dana and Glenn!

For more information, follow the link in our bio.

Duane Morris associate Melissa Ruth was named a 2024 Lawyer on the Fast Track by The Legal Intelligencer! The Lawyers on the Fast Track Awards celebrate “the next generation of legal leaders.” Melissa practices in the area of litigation with a focus on products liability litigation, including mass tort and toxic tort litigation and personal injury defense litigation, including premises and FELA litigation. Congratulations, Melissa!

For more information about Melissa, follow the link in our bio.

Last week, the Duane Morris Miami office hosted a cocktail reception at Level 6 Rooftop to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Miami Managing Partner Scott Kravetz and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Matt Taylor gave memorable speeches to the full house of over 130 guests. It was a beautiful night, and the office is looking forward to 25 more years!

"In some quarters, the focus on diversity, equity and inclusion has waned. Not at Duane Morris. In fact, our mission has never been more clear and our determination to stay the course has never been more evident. In the face of unrelenting and widespread efforts to roll back progress, our firm has continued to demonstrate to the entire industry the value of DEI to our culture, our clients and our capital." - Duane Morris Partner and Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Joseph West.

Please check out the Duane Morris Annual Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Report that highlights our many accomplishments of 2023 from our DEI program.

Follow the link in our bio to read the full report.

Duane Morris special counsel Roberto Carrillo is moderating "Latino Perspectives on the Metaverse: Why It Is Important to Ensure Diversity and Inclusion on the Metaverse Frontier," at the Hispanic National Bar Association's 2024 Corporate Counsel Conference.

The panel will discuss the growth of the metaverse, key emerging use cases, and why it is important to ensure that the metaverse develops as a safe, inclusive, and diverse public forum. Although the public may perceive the metaverse in abstract terms, the rapid growth and importance of the metaverse highlights the need for underrepresented minorities to participate as   in the  .

Follow the link in our bio for more information.