What Happened? On January 8, 2025, the United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”) issued a final rule (“Final Rule”) to implement Executive Order 14117, “Preventing Access to Americans’ Bulk Sensitive Personal Data and United States Government-Related Data by Countries of Concern” (“EO 14117”). The Final Rule aims to restrict or prohibit certain categories of data …
One Big Beautiful Bill Act Expands QSBS Tax Incentives for Small Business Investment
On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (the “OBBB”), which makes a number of highly beneficial changes to the tax treatment of Qualified Small Business Stock (“QSBS”) acquired by “non-corporate” taxpayers after July 4, 2025. The goal of these changes is to encourage investment in new companies by providing …
Ohio Department of Development Updates QEP PILOT Construction Reporting Process
The Ohio Department of Development (“ODOD”) has made some changes to documents provided by renewable energy projects that have received certification as a Qualified Energy Project (“QEP”) in the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (“PILOT”) program under R.C. 5727.75: Recently, ODOD established new informational requirements that a QEP must meet if the project provides an …
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Tennessee Update: TABC to Honor Existing Agriculture Licenses for Hemp-Derived Products
We are pleased to provide an update to our recent Client Alert regarding Tennessee’s new law transferring oversight of hemp-derived cannabinoid products (HDCPs) from the Department of Agriculture to the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC), effective January 1, 2026. TABC has announced that it will honor existing Department of Agriculture licenses for manufacturers and applicable …
Ohio’s Cyber Law for Local Governments: 5 Steps Over 75 Days to Meet the September 29 Deadline
In its FY 2026 budget, Ohio quietly folded in a sweeping cybersecurity mandate that will require every “political subdivision” to have a cybersecurity program that aligns with recognized industry frameworks and adopt strict new rules around ransomware response by September 29, 2025. Below is a practical roadmap for municipal counsel, administrators, and IT leads who …
The Hazards of Not Changing Beneficiaries Post-Divorce
A recent case by the Tennessee Court of Appeals highlights the importance of changing one’s insurance and retirement policy beneficiaries after divorce. This is true no matter what the divorce documents say and no matter what any order signed by a Judge says. But let’s start out with the basics. In Tennessee, as in many …
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Rule Interrupted: “Click-to-Cancel” is “Click-to-Gone”
The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) negative option rule, better known as the “Click-to-Cancel” rule, which was set to go into effect July 14, 2025, has been vacated in its entirely by the Eighth Circuit in Custom Communications, Inc. v. FTC, Case No. 24-3137 (8th Cir. July 8, 2025). The court held that the FTC flouted …
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Major Updates to Florida’s Rulemaking Process – What You Need to Know
Effective July 1, 2025, Florida has significantly revised how state agencies develop and adopt regulations. These changes, enacted under Chapter 2025-189, Laws of Florida, aim to increase transparency, consistency, and public involvement in the rulemaking process. Below is a summary of key updates that may affect businesses, local governments, and other stakeholders. Stricter Timelines for …
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Texas Passes TRAIGA: What the New AI Law Means for Your Business
On June 22, 2025, Governor Abbott signed the Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act (TRAIGA), which will take effect January 1, 2026. Any business or government agency working with AI in Texas should take note that TRAIGA is not a copy-paste of other states’ laws; rather, it specifically targets intentional misuse of AI, not just …
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Artificial Intelligence and Lawyering: Why Machines Can’t Do Our Jobs
Just about every week, someone asks one of us how our work is being affected by artificial intelligence (“AI”), and especially about the large language models (“LLMs”), such as ChatGPT, that have become prevalent in everyday life. As commercial litigators, AI has limited application to the work that we do. Certainly, it can be helpful …
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