The legal profession is an ever changing and evolving area of business. Lawyers must constantly be on the lookout for ways to bring value to their clients and create strategies that will work in the short term as well as over time. One idea that is beginning to take hold in the field is the concept of new law. This is a way of offering legal services that can be beneficial to clients without impacting other areas of the law that might be the primary focus for a particular firm. Those who choose to work with this type of practice can find it is an excellent source of revenue as well as help them to provide the kind of help that many clients require today.

New York law includes the Constitution, laws passed by the legislature and periodically codified in the New York Consolidated Laws, and decisions by courts that interpret New York laws. The New York State Attorney General’s Office oversees the enforcement of federal and state laws.

Several recent legislative initiatives highlight the continuing importance of ensuring that the people who live in a given community are heard and represented by the courts. These include a law requiring public disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions, and a bill that would allow the Supreme Court to hear arguments on whether a lower court ruling restricting abortion access is constitutional.

Prominent Kirkland & Ellis LLP trial lawyer Jim Hurst is back at the firm, less than a year after he announced that he was leaving the practice. The move is part of a plan by the firm to expand its litigation efforts and attract more high-profile clients.

The California legislature and governor have enacted nearly 1,200 bills this year, including some that could have significant impacts on the lives of citizens throughout the state. A few stand out in terms of their potential to significantly alter the landscape and how people do business in California, while others are more narrowly focused or will be phased in over a period of years.

In 2022, this state imposed significant new data deletion and disclosure obligations on data brokers, which will make it more difficult for them to sell and use personal information about individuals. This is just the latest effort to combat privacy concerns, and it sets a standard that other states may follow in the future.

A new city law would require agencies to notify employees and job applicants of student loan forgiveness programs, and to align these requirements with those set out in the SHIELD Act. The law also makes it easier for the department to disclose data breaches when they involve private information. This new law will go into effect on January 1, 2023.