USCIS Automatic Employment Authorization Document (EAD) Extension

Employment Authorization
Jun08

Even after 2020, the devastating effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic are still lingering today. Businesses have shut down, employers are understaffed, and the lasting mental toll of quarantine is still being felt. Not only has the pandemic affected our everyday lives, but it has also exacerbated many problems, such as the USCIS’s processing times and backlogs.  Back in 2019, the USCIS faced a major financial crisis that reduced the ability to complete caseloads. The USCIS which was “running at a revenue loss”, and left to deal with “continuing backlogs and lengthening process times” was left weakened in 2020 when

June 8, 2022
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USCIS expands the Premium Processing Time Option

USCIS
Jun08

If the USCIS is notorious for anything, it’s the long and extraneous processing times. With processing times reaching all-time highs within the fiscal year, applicants were left wondering about when their cases were going to be reviewed, if at all.    On March 29th, 2022, applicants were relieved to find out about the USCIS’s efforts to speed up processing times and expand premium processing options to Immigrant applicants. The USCIS announced that in an effort to reduce backlogs it would expand premium processing options to include a broader range of case types, and would expedite the decision time through

June 8, 2022
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Do lawyers have an ethical obligation to be vaccinated against Covid19?

Mar29

By Taher Kameli   The COVID19 crisis has dramatically shaken all the markets. Yet, we – lawyers and law firms – have responded quickly while effectively serving our clients and maintaining our practices. Probably you have heard about companies constantly reviewing and revising their COVID 19 guidelines as the pandemic continues. As a result, many employers may wonder what to do if a worker refuses to be vaccinated. Some consequences have been dismissals or unpaid leave. Some employers have already issued vaccination mandates. President Biden has instructed OSHA to enact rules that require vaccinations or weekly tests for employers

March 29, 2022
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SEC: Possible changes to private funds

Mar28

By Taher Kameli     The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has been very busy in recent weeks, as a series of rules have been announced as part of their 2022 agenda. These include areas such as cybersecurity, risk management, more reporting under Form PF, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosures, beneficial proposed changes in ownership regulations, and new reporting under short-term sales rules are included.   The SEC will also make significant changes to the Investment Adviser Act of 1940, which could affect the day-to-day operations of almost all private fund advisors, including those who are exempt from registration. The proposed rules are: Specific

March 28, 2022
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Evolve Federal Credit Union v. Barragan-Flores

Loan Cross-Collateralization FCU v. Barragan-Flores
Feb08

Written by Taher Kameli & Chathan Vemuri The practice of cross-collateralization involves using an asset as collateral for another loan in addition to an earlier loan.[1] In the event that a debtor cannot make repayments on either loan on time, lenders can force the liquidation of the asset and use the proceeds to repay the debt on the loan.[2] This practice is used in “various forms of financing, from mortgages to credit cards.”[3] Should the debtor be unable to make timely payments on either of the loans, the debtor can establish a bankruptcy plan

February 8, 2021
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Corporate Transparency Act

Corporate Transparency Act
Jan05

Written by Taher Kameli & Chathan Vemuri The creation of anonymous shell corporate structures for illicit purposes such as money laundering, the sale of pirated and counterfeit goods, human trafficking, and the drug trade has been a source of great concern for the U.S. government.[1] These corporate structures are used to hide stolen assets and are without clearly identified owners, making it difficult to hold anyone to account.[2] A range of groups have called for legislation demanding transparency from newly formed reporting corporations to hinder the creation of these anonymous shell corporate

January 5, 2021
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California Voters Approve Ridesharing Drivers from Labor Protections

California voters approve Uber-Lyft-sponsored proposition 22
Nov24

Written by Taher Kameli & Chathan Vemuri In an earlier post, we talked about how the First District Court of Appeal in California ruled that Uber and Lyft drivers were employees and were entitled to full protections under California’s Assembly Bill 5 law (AB5) such as paid sick leave, overtime, and fair wages.[1] Around the same time, however, Uber and Lyft were sponsoring a state ballot-initiative for Election Day known as Proposition 22 that would have exempted their drivers from the protections of AB5 and identified them as “independent contractors” rather than “employees.”

November 24, 2020
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State Appellate Court Classifies Uber and Lyft Drivers as Employees

Uber-Lyft Drivers either Employee or Independent Contractor
Nov11

Written by Taher Kameli & Chathan Vemuri The rise of the gig economy has to new forms of work that face tremendous obstacles when it comes up against worker legislation like the NLRA. No job has become more symbolic of the gig economy than the rideshare services known as Uber and Lyft. There has long been a debate about whether Uber and Lyft drivers were either employees or independent contractors. Being the latter would exempt Uber and Lyft from giving their drives their necessary protections and benefits under the National Labor Relations Act and other

November 11, 2020
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SEC vs CFTC: two different reporting systems that require the reporting of similar data.

SEC and CFTC Record Similar Data with Two Different Systems
Oct28

Written by Taher Kameli & Chathan Vemuri Over the past several years, experts have called for the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to harmonize their regulatory standards in order to minimize duplicative or contradictory regulatory reporting requirements.[1] Not doing so has led to market participants creating “two different reporting systems and/or processes – one for the CFTC and one for the SEC” despite both require the reporting of similar data.[2] The obstacles posed to cross-jurisdictional transparency in following the regulatory rules and the

October 28, 2020
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Trump’s New Final Rule for the H-1B Visa and How It Helps Stifle Work-Based Immigration

Immigration Work-Based visa H-1b Changes Employment
Oct16

Written by Taher Kameli & Chathan Vemuri A recurring talking point from the Trump Administration has been that “illegal immigration” allegedly steal jobs from American workers.[1] He has consistently tried to link illegal immigration (however tenuously) to detrimental changes in the U.S. by pointing to the performance of the U.S. economy and the job market.[2] In the early days of his campaign, he was very clear that, in his view as well as that of his supporters, immigrants were “taking our jobs…our manufacturing jobs…[and] our money.”[3]   Since taking office in 2017,

October 16, 2020
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