December already? We took a brief hiatus from our Best of Law Blogging series last week to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, but this Friday we are back with some of our favorite blog posts from the past two weeks. In that time, the Omicron variant made headlines and our community of bloggers got to work breaking down what it may mean for the rest of us. We have posts on a range of other topics including the impacts of Brexit on the Irish/Northern Irish border and the regulation of E-scooters.
Alec’s Picks
Omicron Variant Will Create More Uncertainty for Employers
While there still is no agreed upon pronunciation of the word ‘Omicron,’ we can all agree the variant itself is cause for concern. Our community of legal bloggers jumped to the task of covering the new variant and Dan Schwartz wrote one of my favorites. Schwartz jumped on the topic early and spent some of his well-earned Thanksgiving break writing this informative post for employers. He took a level-headed approach and delivered meaningful advice to his readers despite the very limited information on the variant at the time of publication. Available at Connecticut Employment Law Blog.
The Ineffectiveness of the Latest Omicron Travel Ban From the Perspective of Immigration Lawyers
Every sector of law was touched by Omicron in some way over the past two weeks, but immigration and travel may be hit the hardest. In this post, Cyrus Mehta and Kaitlyn Box make a convincing case against the recent travel bans enacted by the Biden administration. The pair expertly lay out the numerous flaws and hypocrisies inherent to these types of travel bans and illustrate the ways in which they defy scientific reality. This post is an incredibly well-constructed takedown of these ill-conceived travel bans and I cannot commend Mehta and Box enough for their thoroughness. Available at The Insightful Immigration Blog.
Rising Regulations as E-Scooters Continue to Hit the Streets
In recent years, E-scooters and E-bikes have rapidly grown in popularity (just ask LexBlog’s Colin O’Keefe) and the market for them is showing no signs of slowing. In turn, more rules and regulations for these modes of transport are cropping up across the country. The team over at Schiff Hardin LLP decided to write a nice round-up post touching on a variety of issues. Shantazia Nash and Rachel Remke give us a great overview of the current legal landscape for E-scooters and take a look ahead on a legal topic that they recognize remains a “moving target.”Available at the Product Liability & Mass Torts Blog.
Michelle’s Picks
The EU, The UK and The Northern Ireland Protocol (again!)
You know an article or blog post is written well when you can follow it seamlessly from beginning to end without getting confused, lost or bored. Thomas Reilly does an excellent job with this piece, writing in a very casual, understandable manner. What is definitely a complex topic is presented in a clear style, and the use of headers acts more as guidance through the piece, rather than concrete separation. I definitely like this approach and think it was executed well alongside the use of bullets when appropriate. Available at Covington and Burling’s Global Policy Watch.
Time Is Money: A Quick Wage-Hour Tip on … Independent Contractor Classification
A change in leadership can make any brand new guidance or laws murky as Amy Ramsey points out. And any uncertainty or confusion on whether someone should be considered an employee or independent contractor can be a costly mistake. Ramsey does a thorough job walking through federal changes and California-specific changes from this year and how certain laws that were supposed to go into effect never did after Biden’s Department of Labor withdrew them. Her post is easy to follow along with the use of clarifying headers and bullets to sum up key points. Available at Epstein Becker & Green’s Wage and Hour Defense Blog.
Biden Administration Restricts Travel From 8 African Countries Due to Omicron Variant
As Cyrus Mehta and Kaitlyn Box pointed out in one of the posts above, the effectiveness of travel bans is definitely questionable. But, it’s still important for those who may be affected to know what applies to them. Kaitlyn Bolayir writes this easy-to-follow, helpful guide that answers questions bound to pop up, such as what countries are affected, who is exempt and what COVID testing and vaccination criteria are required for entry. Available at Greenberg Traurig’s Inside Business Imigration.