It’s not a Top 10 without some COVID-19 related posts. The EEOC published some FAQs and there’s questions on when some activities will begin again. Aside from that, a couple of bloggers in our community this week took the time to step back from reporting on legal news and instead dedicate some posts to explaining some generally complicated legal terms. We have a great lineup with much more, check ’em out below.
Top 10
COVID-19 and animal visitation programs
Some activities that were initially halted by the COVID-19 pandemic are beginning to resurface. Animal visitation programs seem like the kind of thing that could go on easily, right? Well, it’s not as simple as that, Scott Weese says. Animals aren’t a big issue in these programs but people still are. He provides his take on when these programs might restart and if vaccination should be mandatory for pet therapy program participants on the University of Guelph’s Worms & Germs Blog. Scott writes clearly and formats his post with bold headers and bullets for increased readability.
MORE Act introduced in the US House of Representatives
A lot of the time, bullets are enough to get the job done, especially when you’re covering a topic in a timely matter and just looking to hit on some key points. The MORE Act has just been introduced in the House of Representatives for the second time—it passed the first but never got voted on in the Senate. However, the act differs from its 2020 version, and that’s where Adam Horowitz takes advantage of bullet points to note the key differences between this year’s act and last year’s. Read the full post on Cole Schotz’s blog, Cannabis Law.
ESG from a European perspective
As you can tell from the title, this is a large topic to take on. Crowell & Moring’s Judith Bussé and Blanche Devos do this well, breaking the post up into three specific sections. They talk about the recent sustainable finance package and how this will all hopefully lead to a more sustainable future. Their blog post is highly informative—and even though it’s a complex subject, they write about it in an understandable and user-friendly way. Read it in its entirety on Retail & Consumer Products Law Observer.
The human touch. There are green books and then there are green books.
Sometimes putting a personal touch on a blog post not only helps to humanize you, but make you relatable and put a smile on someone else’s face. Michael Ryan begins his post by touching on the government’s “Green Book”—or proposed tax law changes—and then transitions to an anecdote about a passed friend, still keeping in line with his theme of green books. He writes in a friendly and casual voice on Jaspan Schlesinger’s New York Trust & Estates Blog.
Beyond TikTok and WeChat: How Biden’s new EO could impact foreign-owned apps
Fatema Merchant, Mario Torrico and Patrick Diaz tackle this blog post as a trio. While others have written on Biden’s recent executive order that revoked Trump’s orders on TikTok and WeChat, many have yet to look at it from an international standpoint. Their comprehensive post—published on Sheppard Mullin’s Global Trade Law Blog—is organized into three sections and uses a chart to break up the text. The final section is “So…What Now?” which allows them to offer their take and broaden the topic a bit more.
What is the difference between patents, trademarks and copyrights?
Sometimes a simple explanatory post is a nice change of pace for an audience that might not be as well-versed in legal terms and matters. For example, as Luca Hickman points out, some business owners looking to protect their ideas might get a little confused by some of the terms used in intellectual property law. In a really helpful post, Luca explains the difference between patents, trademarks and copyrights and offers some examples of each. This is a great example of the kind of post that will make a good impression on clients and potential clients. Check it out on Henderson Franklin’s Southwest Florida Business and IP Blog.
EEOC updates and clarifies vaccine guidance
“If there is anything we have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is that the more things stay the same, the more they change.” Charla Stevens provides some of the key things to take away from EEOC’s set of 21 updated FAQs on vaccines. Super helpful for those who don’t have the time to read the entire thing. She reminds her audience that this is all just guidance and to pay attention to specific state laws. She focuses on five of the most important points on McLane Middleton’s Employment Law Business Guide.
Some thoughts on June 7 – World Food Safety Day
Who better to hear from on World Food Safety Day than Bill Marler? He explains the goal behind this day—to draw attention and inspire action to help prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks. Bill takes a moment to reflect back on his long career and the people around the world that have been impacted by the failures of the food safety system that he has met or represented. His post is vulnerable and personal—you can read it in its entirety on Marler Blog.
Oregon, Nevada and Illinois further limit restrictive covenants
Ashley Li and Robert Horton tackle three states in one blog post here. Since Nevada, Illinois and Oregon all recently placed additional limitations on restrictive covenants, it makes sense to address the three of them together. Even though we’re dealing with three different states, the Bass, Berry & Sims attorneys make it easy to follow on HR Law Talk. The headers clearly differentiate which state they’re talking about and they utilize bullets as so many other bloggers have done to make things simple and easy to follow.
What is considered sensitive personal information?
As we mentioned earlier, it’s nice when a blog post takes the time to explain something to a more general audience. When it comes to sensitive personal information, different data privacy statutes have different definitions, making it all the more confusing. Luckily, David Zetoony has crafted a huge chart that provides a side-by-side comparison on how these statues definitions come into play. It’s worth checking out, available on Greenberg Traurig’s Data Privacy Dish blog.