Posted: April 19th, 2021
By: Katherine Brock
Nearly eight years ago, fast food employees in Seattle marched out of work and into the streets, launching a strike—and ultimately a movement—for a $15 minimum wage. Within two months, the strike spread to more than fifty cities across the country, forcing many restaurants to close temporarily amid cries for higher wages and the right to organize. Today, Seattle residents enjoy a minimum wage between $15 and $16.69 an hour depending on the size of the employer, but the movement that spurred change in Seattle—and even the state of Washington—has yet to succeed on a national scale. Why is that? Continue reading »
Posted: April 12th, 2021
By: Evan Federico
In August of 2020, Citigroup Inc. inadvertently wired almost $900 million to a group of hedge funds to pay off a syndicated loan for the struggling multinational cosmetics company Revlon, Inc. However, the money had come from Citigroup–not Revlon–and neither Revlon nor Citigroup intended to pay the loan off. Citigroup was merely the administrative agent for the loan, meant to collect and distribute interest payments, manage amortization schedules, and provide other administrative services to Revlon and its lenders. An employee in Citigroup’s back-office had failed to check two boxes in the software Citigroup used to process loan interest payments. Citigroup noticed their error the following day and contacted the hedge funds to ask for their money back. However, some hedge funds, who were also in an unrelated dispute with Revlon, refused to give back the money. Those hedge funds failed to return roughly $500 million to Citigroup, and Citigroup sued to recover the funds. Continue reading »
Posted: April 5th, 2021
By: Katherine Brock
At the start of the twentieth century, five men founded the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company for the purpose of mining for corundum, an extremely hard and versatile mineral ideal for making sandpaper and grinding wheels. The company failed, however, discovering only a low-grade, inferior mineral called anorthosite. Today, with corporate operations in seventy countries and sales in two hundred countries, the same company is a household name across several industries, including automotive, electronics, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, safety, and transportation, among many others. Most recently, the company served as a leading global provider of personal protective equipment (“PPE”) throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This is 3M. Continue reading »
Posted: March 30th, 2021
By: Britteny Junious
Sugar has been a hot topic discussion among the sugar industry and its advocates, food regulatory officials, and dieticians for decades. The most prominent reason has been America’s struggle with controlling obesity rates and diabetes. It has been argued that to help control obesity, we must limit our daily intake of added sugars. The most recent 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests that Americans’ consumption of calories from added sugar should account for no more than ten percent of their daily calories (See article page 41). For example, for the average 2,000 calorie diet, a person should not consume more than 200 calories of added sugar. Continue reading »
Posted: March 24th, 2021
By: Mona Ibadi
Since its inception over ten years ago, Bitcoin has been the focus of countless investors across the world. The unique nature of Bitcoin is that it does not require an intermediary such as a financial institution. Instead, users can access, buy, and send currency on an individual basis. The desire to make transactions without the centralization of money through a bank partially stems from a distrust of such institutions and the need for peace of mind that you are the only one with access to your money. Continue reading »
Posted: March 17th, 2021
By: Evan Federico
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or “the Commission”) will play a crucial role in President Joe Biden’s ambitious plans to tackle climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the power generation sector. FERC is an independent agency that regulates the interstate transmission of electricity, natural gas, and oil. Biden has already named Democratic Commissioner Richard Glick Chairman of FERC. Once Republican Commissioner Neil Chatterjee’s term expires in June of 2021, Biden is expected to appoint another Democrat to the panel, which will secure a 3-2 Democratic majority. The economic impact of this shift in political power is likely to be significant for both the fossil fuels and renewables industries. Three possible areas that bear watching: (1) reforms that encourage state efforts to subsidize renewable power, (2) increased buildout of high-voltage transmission infrastructure, and (3) increased scrutiny of proposed natural gas pipelines. Continue reading »
Posted: March 12th, 2021
By: Kyle Tatich
Dan Lust is an attorney in the New York City Office of Geragos & Geragos. After working for the New York Giants in their PR Department, Dan went on to Fordham Law School where he split his focus between Trial Advocacy and Sports Law. Dan parlays his sports-specific background to his litigation practice, where he represents a wide range of businesses and individuals in matters across the firm’s footprint.
He presently serves as a Professional Advisor to the Student Sports Law Network, a group he helped create, that is made up of law students interested in sports law from societies around the country. Dan has become a thought leader on all issues at the intersection of Sports & Law. His takes on a broad array of issues can be found on his social media, @SportsLawLust (Twitter/Instagram), or on “Conduct Detrimental,” the #1 Sports Law Podcast that he hosts. Continue reading »
Posted: March 9th, 2021
By: Mona Ibadi
The United States spends billions of dollars making revolutionary strides in technological research every year. Businesses, big and small, are expending resources to provide up-to-date, innovative products to effectively compete in the market. Although technological development is rapidly growing, the concern for intellectual property theft remains an issue. Despite a lack of public concern, economic espionage from America’s leading culprit – the Chinese government – has increased by 1,300% in the past decade. Continue reading »
Posted: February 9th, 2021
By: R. Daniel Johnson
As the business world continues to evolve, one increasingly important aspect of business success is the online reviews left by customers. Customer satisfaction has always been a main priority for small and large businesses, but when does the old saying that “the customer is always right” go too far? With the advance of technology, the availability of public comment on business performance is at an all-time high. While this new access to information has given customers the ability to make fully informed decisions, can it also be abused? Continue reading »
Posted: January 21st, 2021
By: Kyle Tatich
Future historians and scholars will not lack substance when writing about 2020: the year dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic, a wave of protests against racial injustice, and a complete alteration to the American way of life. Similarly, in the realm of collegiate athletics, the year 2020 will amount to a significance of equal magnitude as it epitomized the most transformative year in the 114-year history of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (“NCAA”). Unfortunately for the NCAA, the challenges of 2020 will roll over into the new year, and the governing body’s viability will be tested in the first few months of 2021 as it attempts to conduct its lucrative men’s basketball tournament. Continue reading »
