Business and Corporate Litigation Committee Newsletter - Spring 2020

     

    Business & Corporate

    Message from the Chair

    Stuart Riback

    Disappointing as it is that the Section has had to cancel the Spring Meeting in Boston that was scheduled for later this month, the current public health situation gives us all an opportunity to refocus on our priorities, give thanks for our blessings, and rededicate ourselves to our clients, our colleagues and our communities. We will, hopefully, emerge from this crisis much stronger.

    Featured Articles

    Business & Corporate

    Pennsylvania Limits Interest Accrual on Capital Debt

    Robert J. Hobaugh, Jr.

    Pennsylvania has limited interest that accrues on its capital debt obligations by enacting Act 43 of 2019 (the Act”) which requires principal payments to be made in equal annual maturities. This plan requires an equal amount of principal to be included in each payment over the life of an obligation. The Act removes a prior repayment option of increasing principal components of level payments to bondholders.

    Business & Corporate

    Judicial Crossroads: Making Difficult Decisions From The Bench

    Mitchell A. Carlson

    Out of all the various experiences I have had as a law student interning for a federal judge thus far, none have been quite as eye-opening and as impactful as the day I got to witness that judge conduct a sentencing hearing in one of her criminal cases. All law students know that sometimes the law results in tough decisions having to be made, and sometimes those decisions have profound impacts on individual’s lives.

    Business & Corporate

    Expedited Arbitration: Where Practicality Meets Principle

    Deborah J. Hylton

    At the inaugural New York Arbitration Week in November 2019, the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR) hosted a breakfast panel on expedited arbitration. Helena Tavares Erickson of CPR moderated a discussion among Natalie Reid of Debevoise & Plimpton, Monica Costa of TozziniFreire, Gregory Gallopoulos, General Counsel of General Dynamics, and Deborah Hylton of Hylton ADR Services. The panel’s discussion was the genesis of this article, and the author gratefully acknowledges the thought contribution of the other panelists.

    Business & Corporate

    What Does the CFPB Complaint Database Tell Us About the Quality of Servicing of Student Loans?

    Faten Sabry, Ignacio Franceschelli, David Cen

    On 18 January 2017, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“Bureau” or CFPB) filed a lawsuit against a large student loan servicer that manages over $300 billion in federal and private loans for over 12 million borrowers. The CFPB alleged that the servicer failed to provide borrowers with adequate information about repayment plans when borrowers were unable to pay and did not help them identify eligibility for and enrollment in income-based repayment plans.

    Subcommittee Reports

    Leadership

    Past Meetings

    Publications

    Business & Corporate

    The Business Lawyer Invites Submissions

    The Business Lawyer Editorial Board invites Business Law Section committee, subcommittee, and task force submissions as well as topical, scholarly submissions, including case law analyses and commentary on developing trends, that may be of interest to business lawyers generally and other members of the Business Law Section. An editorial decision is made on lead articles typically within two to four weeks after submission, with detailed substantive editing thereafter. We are looking for interesting, well-researched submissions on areas of topical interest. Lead time with full peer review and professional staff editing is approximately four to six months.

    Business & Corporate

    Becoming a Business Law Today Author Is Easier Than You Think

    Is it your New Year’s resolution to become a published author in 2020? The Section’s recently re-imagined web publication, Business Law Today (BLT), provides several opportunities for Business and Corporate Litigation Committee members to become internationally published authors. With a worldwide readership of nearly 50,000 business law practitioners, BLT is the fastest and easiest way for Section members to get noticed by the audiences that matter the most. Introductory-level content written by and/or for younger lawyers is welcomed and encouraged!

    Members in the News & Notes