Ballard Spahr LLP

Two firms with a shared vision have now become one. Today, the combination between Lane Powell and Ballard Spahr is complete. With 750+ attorneys in 18 offices across the country, we are now even better positioned to support clients, from startups to Fortune 500 organizations, as they go beyond expectations.?

Law360 noted our new colleague Matthew Smith’s “deep trial experience as a former U.S. attorney” and “experience gained as an in-house attorney to respond quickly to client needs.” "I am someone who understands when an in-house attorney has been pulled in a dozen directions,” Matt told Law360’s James Boyle. “I can use the experience of what I've learned to manage a case and communicate effectively with the entire team." Read more about Matt at this link (subscription may be required): https://bit.ly/4ireRj6 #BallardLitigation #BankingLaw

Over the course of writing her column for Technical.ly, Kimberly Wexler Klayman has offered a wealth of pointers and tips for entrepreneurs and decision-makers at early-stage companies. The publication recently ran a collection of her pieces, and it contains valuable information for startups. Kim leads the firm’s Emerging Companies and Venture Capital Group. Read some of her best-of articles here: https://bit.ly/4iFDrfR #BallardBusinessAndTransactions #Startup #VentureCapital

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s Interpretive Letter 1183 marks a pivotal change in regulatory guidance for national banks and federal savings associations engaging in cryptocurrency activities. As Kelly Lenahan-Pfahlert writes in our Money Laundering Watch blog, the letter rescinds November 2021 guidance and reaffirms the permissibility of certain crypto-related activities while eliminating the need for prior supervisory non-objection. Read more of Kelly’s analysis of the letter and what it changes by reading her full post here: https://bit.ly/4hq0330 #BallardLitigation #AntiMoneyLaundering #Crypto #OCC

Georgetown University Law Center professor Greg Klass joins the Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast for this week’s episode. Professor Klass discusses the salient points of “How to Use the Restatement of Consumer Contracts: A Guide for Judges,” the forthcoming Harvard Business Law Review article he co-authored with Yale Law School professor Ian Ayres. Chiefly, he goes over the six pieces of the May 2022 Restatement of the Law, Consumer Contracts to which he believes courts should pay special attention. Listen in here: https://bit.ly/4iJ3O4A #BallardBusinessAndTransactions #Podcast #Contracts

Departing from a pattern of recent federal district court decisions, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit granted the government’s application for stay pending appeal of a nationwide preliminary injunction of parts of two DEI executive orders. Christine Thelen and Denise M. Keyser, attorneys in our Labor and Employment Group, discuss the decision. Read the full advisory here: https://bit.ly/41JwDa5 #BallardLitigation #EmploymentLaw

Thank you, Sally Lew and UCLA Asian Pacific Alumni for continuing to advance the interests of AAPI alumni and (ahem) for this recognition!

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes took time this week to join a panel discussion on the safety and security of journalists, organized by David J. Bodney, senior counsel at our firm, in collaboration with the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. David is the founder of our nationally acclaimed Media and Entertainment Law Group. Many thanks to Attorney General Mayes and fellow esteemed panelists Katherine Jacobsen from the Committee to Protect Journalists, Brandon Quester from Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting, and moderator Mark Greenblatt from the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism and Arizona State University. We’re grateful to all the speakers for providing important information and insight to help keep journalists safe on the job. #MediaLaw #PressSafety

Writing in our Money Laundering Watch blog, Matthew Smith takes a look at FinCEN’s Geographic Targeting Order and how it is another example of the current administration’s focus on combating cartel activity, here by requiring more information about cash transactions from money services businesses operating along the Mexican border. He also explains what this may mean for businesses to which it applies and how they should respond. Read Matthew's full post here: https://bit.ly/4kXKdPQ #BallardLitigation #MoneyLaundering #FinCEN

Thank you to ASU Sandra Day O’Connor Law School for hosting me in Phoenix today. I so enjoyed the intimate conversation with law students!?