Specialty Chemicals
Specialty chemicals cater to a variety of industries, including textiles, ink additives, construction, oil & gas, cosmetics, and food. Like the broader chemical industry, the specialty chemical sector is highly regulated, with new guidelines imposed on an ongoing basis. These regulations are driving companies to innovate and seek more environmentally friendly solutions.
Our lawyers serving the manufacturing industry understand the challenges in this sector, and have advised specialty chemical companies on a range of issues. They negotiate your chemical purchases and supply agreements with major industry participants. They obtain your insurance coverage for environmental, product, and toxic tort liabilities. They even defend you in environmental punitive class actions and individual actions in federal and state courts. This team can also help evolve your company and its operations for the future.
Thought Leadership
On 23 April 2024, the US Department of Labor announced a Final Rule raising the minimum salary and annual compensation thresholds to qualify for the executive, administrative, or professional exemptions from overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
On 30 January 2024, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a final rule (Final Rule) increasing the premium processing fee from US$2,500 to US$2,805, increasing filing fees for I-129 and I-140 employment-based petitions, and imposing a new Asylum Program Fee for each Form I-129 and I-140 filed by employers.
Many investment advisers and other financial institutions rely on the Department of Labor’s QPAM Exemption when providing services to, and transacting with, employer-sponsored retirement plans, individual retirement accounts, and certain commingled investment vehicles that have retirement investors.
On 22 December 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendments (the final rule) to Rule 206(4)-1 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the Advisers Act) to modernize the regulation of investment adviser advertising and solicitation practices.