Make a resolution to review your estate plan and confirm important information is available to a family member or trusted friend in the event of an emergency or death. While not all inclusive, the following information should be reviewed then communicated to your designated contact. Where access to an account is online, provide usernames, passwords...Read More
The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act, which became law Jan. 1, 2020, was a bipartisan effort to make retirement savings more accessible to the less advantaged. While the Act touched on many areas, it made significant changes to the way individual retirement accounts (IRAs) are treated. Here are some of the...Read More
The Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA), a comprehensive privacy law that will affect many businesses either based in Virginia or doing business with or marketing to consumers in the Commonwealth next year, has been amended by the 2022 General Assembly. The amendments relate to consumer requests to delete personal data held by a business,...Read More
The U.S. Copyright Office issued final rules for how business entities can designate agents to receive Copyright Claims Board (CCB) claim notices and how libraries and archives can preemptively opt out of CCB claim proceedings. The CCB, which will eventually provide a voluntary alternative to federal court, is designed to be an efficient, cost-effective forum...Read More
Individuals involved in relatively small or specialized copyright infringement disputes now have an alternative to potentially costly and time-consuming lawsuits in federal district court. It is anticipated that by mid-2022, select disputed claims can be brought to the Copyright Claims Board (CCB), which was established by Congress through the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement (CASE)...Read More
Signed into law earlier this year, the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA) is a comprehensive privacy law that will affect many businesses either based in Virginia or doing business with or marketing to consumers in the Commonwealth. As the name suggests, the VCDPA is designed to provide protections to consumer data, allowing consumers to...Read More
As Virginia law recognizes the validity of both electronic signatures and electronic notarization, legal activity and transactions can move forward without compromising vital social distancing protocols designed to limit COVID-19 spread. The legal basis for e-signatures was established at the federal level in 1999. Next, states set about adopting comparable legislation to enable their electronic...Read More
We are already seeing situations where businesses cannot meet their contractual obligations because of the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the things businesses should consider is whether their failure to perform is legally excused.Written contracts often have provisions that excuse performance in the event of unforeseen, intervening circumstances. Sometimes they may appear as “Force Majeure” clauses...Read More
Christian & Barton welcomes attorneys Steven W. Lippman and Robert D. Michaux to the firm. Lippman is an associate in the firm’s business law and health care practice groups. He received his law degree from the University of Richmond School of Law and his undergraduate degree from James Madison University. Michaux is counsel in the...Read More
