On March 28, 2012, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal signed into law the Georgia Merchant Acquirer Limited Purpose Bank Act (the "Act"), which creates a new state charter for payment card merchant processors.

On June 29, 2011, Governor Brown signed ABx1 26 into law, fulfilling his promise to abolish California’s nearly 400 redevelopment agencies (the "RDAs") as part of his 2011-2012 budget.

Set out below is a snapshot of certain recent UK and German tax developments.

On May 25, 2012, the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection ("CFPB") issued a proposed rule ("Proposed Rule").

On 1 October 2011 new legislation will dramatically impact the rights of temporary agency workers.

On July 2, 2012, the Chancellor of the Exchequer commissioned Martin Wheatley to undertake a review of the structure and governance of LIBOR.

Since the United States Supreme Court’s 2005 holding in Dura Pharmaceuticals v. Broudo, 544 U.S. 336 (2005), legal minds have debated its scope, particularly whether "loss causation" must be proved by securities plaintiffs at the class certification stage.

Last month, two judges in the Southern District of New York issued decisions considering when enforcement actions by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission can proceed against foreign nationals.

On June 7, 2012, the SEC approved on an accelerated basis proposed FINRA Rule 5123.

Since our last update on the effects of Brexit on data privacy, we have seen an immense flurry of activity and controversy around Brexit. In our previous update, the Brexit deadline was looming

Case law in 2007/8 sheds light on UK courts' interpretations of the age discrimination regime which came into force on 1 October 2006. This Stay Current summarises key decisions.

Over the past year, a bankruptcy proceeding in Colorado – In re Tracy Broadcasting – has called into question creditors’ ability to take a security interest in the proceeds from the future sale in bankruptcy of spectrum licenses issued to borrowers by the Federal Communications Commission.

On July 1, 2011 the first national law which specifically provides for the establishment of the five social insurance systems, the PRC Social Insurance Law, goes into effect.

On May 9, 2012, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ("Federal Reserve") announced its approval of an application submitted by Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited ("ICBC"), China Investment Corporation ("CIC"), and Central Huijin Investment Ltd. ("Huijin"), all based in the People’s Republic of China, to become bank holding companies pursuant to Section 3 of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended ("BHCA").

Various legislative changes are proposed or will be occurring in several areas of importance to UK employers, and an important new employment law case with international implications will affect employers during certain business transfers.

On Friday, August 24, 2012, the Federal Circuit took another significant step in clarifying the law of obviousness-type double patenting as it relates to composition claims.

On April 8, 2011, Johnson & Johnson ("J&J") entered into a deferred prosecution agreement ("DPA") with the Department of Justice (the "DOJ") and a consent decree (the "Consent Decree") with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC" and, collectively, the "U.S. Government") resolving criminal and civil liabilities for alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the "FCPA") by wholly owned subsidiaries in Greece, Poland and Romania, as well as allegations relating to concerns