Business Better

In this series, we profile women in finance to learn about their leadership roles in financial services and capital markets. This episode features an interview with Mary DiMartino, Executive Director at J.P. Morgan Securities, where she focuses on public finance. Ms. DiMartino talks about her background and career path, the kinds of projects she works on, her experience in recruiting, and the impa...

This episode features a panel discussion on the topic of Environmental Justice – what it is, the concerns on which it focuses, current policy efforts to address it, and how stakeholders might be affected by regulatory efforts in this realm. Harry Weiss, leader of the firm's Environment and Natural Resources Group, leads the conversation featuring Environmental Protection representatives at a feder...

Robert Rippee joins the show to talk about economic development trends in Nevada and how  Black Fire Innovation  (a unique public-private partnership between Caesar's Entertainment corporation and the University of Nevada Las Vegas) is driving innovative concepts in the gaming & hospitality market. Robert also touches on how the pandemic has impacted innovation and reflects on how he engages UNLV...

Today's guest is Anne Robinson, general counsel of The Vanguard Group and secretary of the Vanguard funds. Anne joins to discuss her role at Vanguard, the importance of diversity within Vanguard, the impact of the events of the past year and a half, and advice she would give to promote the success of members of diverse communities. Leading the conversation is Marcel Pratt, who represents clients i...

Today's episode features a conversation with Jane Hyun, leadership strategist and author, and Founder and President of Hyun & Associates, a professional training and coaching firm. Ms. Hyun talks about her background and career path, her books, and her thoughts on the challenges and experience of Asian-Americans striving for success in the corporate environment. Speaking with Ms. Hyun is Emilie Ni...

Today's episode is the first in a series on different areas in state and federal regulatory enforcement. This episode highlights a new team within the firm that helps clients navigate the investigation and enforcement abilities of state attorneys general. The leaders of the group, Adrian King and Stephen Stigall, join the conversation to talk about the origin of the group and its depth of experien...

This episode is the third in a new podcast series, where we will visit with different leaders striving to grow economic development in their areas or regions of interest. We will be discussing new initiatives, new models, the interest and investment in Technology Parks, Incubators and Accelerators as well as other creative economic development platforms being implemented throughout the country wit...

Today's episode is a discussion of "no-poach" agreements – agreements between competitors that neither will hire the other's employees. We'll discuss the different types of such agreements, their enforceability under antitrust and other laws and the possibility of criminal prosecution arising from their use, and how to protect a business from poaching without running afoul of the law. John Wright,...

Today's guest is Keith Marmer, Chief Innovation & Economic Engagement Officer at the University of Utah. The conversation with Keith features a discussion on some new programs and initiatives being implemented in connection with the University of Utah as well as the surrounding Salt Lake City area. Leading the conversation is Scott Marty, Ph. D., a partner in the firm's Atlanta office. Scott is a...

Today's episode features a discussion about earned wage access programs. We'll discuss why the push for on-demand payroll technology has picked-up during the COVID-19 pandemic and outline issues from an employer's viewpoint as it relates to state wage & hour laws, liabilities, and potential lawsuits.

Today we are joined by Brian Darmody, CEO at AURP, a non-profit international organization that represents the leadership of more than 700 research, science and tech parks and innovation districts. In this episode we learn about the history of research parks and the founding of AURP, the expansion of research institutions beyond the university space, and other industry and regional trends in resea...

In this series, we profile women in finance to learn about their leadership roles in financial services and capital markets. This episode is hosted by Kim Phan, a Partner in our Washington, D.C. office, who counsels clients on privacy and data security law. Joining Kim is Meredith Smith, General Counsel at Stash, a financial technology and services company, operating a web platform and mobile app...

The episode features a discussion of environmental commodities - like carbon credits: what they are, the different forms that exist, and how the market for them has developed and continues to evolve. Brendan Collins, a Partner and environmental lawyer who devotes his practice primarily to clients in the electric power sector and the oil and gas industry, is joined by Bill Flederbach, President and...

Today's episode is discussion of the concept of environmental justice and how it's impacting the way federal, state and local governments approach real estate development projects, permitting, land use, and zoning. The conversation is led by Lea Phillips, an environmental and natural resources attorney in Ballard's Phoenix office who serves clients in the renewable energy, manufacturing, and waste...

Today's episode features a discussion of the state of the offshore wind energy business in the U.S., including regulatory and environmental issues, developments under the Biden Administration, and coming areas of opportunity for further development. Hosting is Brendan Collins, a Partner in Ballard's Philadelphia office. Brendan's guest is Jennifer Simon Lento, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary...

Today's episode features a discussion of the new whistleblower provisions in the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020. We'll discuss the types of businesses covered, who can be a whistleblower under the Act, the increased incentives now provided, new protections against retaliation, the impact of a whistleblower being involved in the conduct, and practical advice for affected institutions. Peter Hard...

Today's episode is a conversation on the legalization of marijuana in certain states and its impact on the workplace. Ballard Spahr Labor and Employment attorneys Jay Zweig, Emily Daher, and Joseph Wiltse review what they're seeing in their specific states and discuss other topics, including: what employers can and can't do in regulating marijuana use by their employees, guidelines for the impleme...

Recently, President Biden announced a historic and ambitious plan to invest in infrastructure, the biggest investment in infrastructure in over five decades. To discuss the proposed package Ballard Spahr Partner BJ Clark is joined by three guests with extensive knowledge and experience in the space: Gov. Ed Rendell, the former Governor of Pennsylvania and former Mayor of Philadelphia, Brian Kirby,...

Today's episode focuses on family businesses and what the challenges of the pandemic economy teach us about the unique strengths, vulnerabilities, and resilience of family-owned businesses.  Chris Cuneo and Josh Bobich, members of the firm's Owner-Managed and Closely Held Businesses Practice, host a discussion with Jon Keimig, director of the St. Thomas University Family Business Center.

Labor and Employment partner David Fryman leads a conversation on employment restrictive covenants. Joining David are Juliana van Hoeven and Elliot Griffin, associates in the group. David, Juli, and Elliot review a number of important points regarding restrictive covenants: including the circumstances that make the use of restrictive covenants advisable or not, what's required to make them enforce...

In this episode, we highlight Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) concerns from the perspective of companies and investors, including recent trends in ESG investing, the impact of the pandemic, and the ESG issues that have been the focus of companies, boards, shareholders and proxy advisory firms in recent years. Ballard Spahr attorneys Mary Mullany and Jaryn Fields are joined by Zally Ahma...

Today's episode is a discussion about women-owned businesses. Chris Cuneo and Josh Bobich, members of the firm's Owner-Managed Business Practice Group, are joined by Julie Keyes, the founder of KeyeStrategies, an experienced entrepreneur, author and podcaster. The group discuss a variety of topics regarding women-owned businesses, including: challenges women business-owners face, the advantages th...

Doug Christian, leader of Ballard Spahr's Insurance Practice Group is joined by Adrian Atilano and Dave Garrigus from insurance brokerage firm HUB International. Adrian and Dave lead HUB's executive liability practice and, along with Doug, discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the management liability landscape. After summarizing the current market, the group touches on the main issues un...

In today's episode, Kahlil Williams, co-leader of the Firm's ESG Work Group, is joined by Felicity Hassan, Managing Director of two businesses: Audeliss and INvolve. Kahlil and Felicity discuss Board diversity: Recruiting diverse Board candidates, successfully on-boarding them – especially when in-person networking is difficult or impossible, how members of diverse communities can better develop t...

On this episode, Ballard Spahr Partner Louis Chodoff leads a discussion with his Labor and Employment attorney colleagues Karli Lubin and Tara Humma. The group discusses the various liability issues that may arise as employers work to bring employees back to the physical workplace, including claims about workplace safety, vaccination policies, overtime claims arising from work from home, and activ...