Background The Coronavirus Pandemic has wreaked havoc on small and mid-sized businesses (“SMBs”) throughout Texas and the rest of our country. Many SMBs have had to close their doors due to mandatory stay-at-home orders and other social distancing orders and requirements. The CARES Act and other recent legislation passed by Congress and signed into law … Continue Reading
On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act, which provides for various economic stimulus measures, including a new loan program regulated by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) called the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). You can read more about the … Continue Reading
Day-to-day life has been dramatically impacted by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and many businesses have been forced to close or limit their service to slow the spread of COVID-19. In response, Congress has passed several pieces of legislation to assist individuals and businesses affected by the virus.… Continue Reading
This article was updated on April 2, 2020. Day-to-day life has been dramatically impacted by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and many courts in Louisiana and Texas have been forced to close or limit operations in conjunction with stay-at-home orders. A brief discussion of how COVID-19 has affected Louisiana and Texas courts is discussed here.… Continue Reading
It has been an extraordinary few weeks as businesses face challenges presented by the COVID-19 outbreak. Companies are grappling with a multitude of issues — from the health and safety of employees to increased cyber security risks to financial and operational stability. Understandably, assessments of significant contractual and market exposures have been prioritized. Potential exposures … Continue Reading
On March 29, the UK House of Commons rejected, for the third time in three months, a draft withdrawal agreement for a negotiated exit of the UK from the European Union. The UK now has until April 12 to present the EU with a new exit proposal. The lack of a negotiated transition for the … Continue Reading
Fingerprints Effective January 1, 2019, Louisiana Senate Bill 416 requires all investment adviser representative (“IAR”) applicants to submit fingerprints for a criminal background check to the Louisiana Commissioner of Securities. La. R.S. 51:703(D)(5). Investment adviser representatives registered before January 1, 2019 (unless they change advisers) and IAR’s already registered with FINRA do not need to … Continue Reading
On Thursday, a divided panel of the Texas Court of Appeals in Houston held that the 2014-2015 drop in oil prices is not a force majeure for purposes of general force majeure contractual protection. In TEC Olmos, LLC v. ConocoPhillips, the court addressed a dispute between ConocoPhillips Company and TEC Olmos over a farmout agreement … Continue Reading
The Department of Labor in a brief filed in a Minnesota lawsuit on August 9, 2017 revealed that DOL had submitted to the Office of Management and Budget a proposal to delay the implementation of remaining parts of the DOL fiduciary rule from Jan. 1, 2018, until July 1, 2019. This would delay the implementation … Continue Reading
In Gloria’s Ranch, L.L.C. v. Tauren Exploration, Inc., the Louisiana Second Circuit upheld a trial court’s ruling that Wells Fargo, a mortgage lender with a security interest in a mineral lease, was solidarily liable with its borrowers (the mineral lessees) for a breach of the mineral lessees’ contractual and statutory obligations to produce in paying … Continue Reading
According to Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority, the London Interbank Offered Rate, or LIBOR, will be phased out and abandoned by the end of 2021. This phase out will put lenders and borrowers in a tricky situation as LIBOR is the most commonly used interest rate index and is estimated to be tied to over $350 … Continue Reading
In Gloria’s Ranch, L.L.C. v. Tauren Exploration, Inc., the Louisiana Second Circuit upheld a trial court’s ruling that the holder of a security interest in mineral leases was solidarily liable for damages under the Louisiana Mineral Code stemming from its mineral lessees/mortgagors’ actions.[1] In the case, a landowner sued its mineral lessees for: (1) failure … Continue Reading
On June 2, 2017 the Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal affirmed a trial court’s judgment cancelling a mineral lease under Mineral Code article 140 and provided further clarity on a production in paying quantities analysis under Louisiana Mineral Code article 124.[1] The dispute in Gloria’s Ranch, L.L.C. v. Tauren Exploration, Inc., arose from a … Continue Reading
Lenders who take security interests in securities accounts are familiar with the rules of Articles 8 and 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code that identify the governing jurisdiction for these transactions. Commencing April 1, 2017, those lenders and their counsel may also have to consult the Hague Convention on the Law Applicable to Certain Rights … Continue Reading
Hours before a controversial set of new reporting requirements for government contractors was set to take effect, a federal court in Texas enjoined implementation of the requirements across the country.… Continue Reading
On April 14, 2016, the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. (ISDA) announced the 2016 ISDA Credit Support Annex for Variation Margin for use with New York law transactions (the 2016 CSA). ISDA is in the process of updating certain of its documents to account for recent regulatory reforms. The 2016 CSA introduces updates to … Continue Reading
