Recent Articles from Commentary:
Have health care licensing fees gone too far?
Licensing in health care is one of the most complex and intricate systems in the United States. While physician licensing is relatively straightforward, with a medical degree and residency hours required for all practitioners and fees that are relatively small compared to their salaries, other health care professions do not have uniform requirements. A person […]
The impact of the Sackett ruling
On May 25, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a long-awaited decision that ends decades of debate over the extent to which the federal government can regulate wetlands and other waters as waters of the United States. In the case of Sackett v. EPA, all nine justices agreed in the outcome of the decision and […]
The fight against antisemitism
As reported antisemitic incidents in the U.S. in 2022 soared to an all-time high, the White House began developing plans to combat this hate, proclaiming in an official statement, “antisemitism has no place in America.” The U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, released on May 25, 2023, was based on conversations with more than a […]
Communication makes clients happy
Happy clients do not complain to the Attorney Grievance Commission, fire lawyers, or pursue malpractice claims. The easiest way to make a client unhappy is not to communicate. Over the years, the failure to communicate is at the heart of many ethics matters I’ve handled. The duty to communicate is rooted in Maryland Rule 19-301.4. […]
How to attract, develop and retain top law firm associates
BOSTON — Our industry has seen concerning associate attrition over the past few years, highlighting associate retention as a significant market pressure on firms going forward. Law firms are struggling to attract and retain dedicated, motivated, reliable associates who are truly ready for practice. Adding to the frustration of many firm leaders: increased compensation and […]
Key questions for adaptive reuse projects
Across the DMV and the rest of the country, commercial real estate professionals are monitoring the supply and demand trends in office and housing. Even pre-pandemic, office space was abundant and housing was becoming increasingly scarce. When the world was thrust suddenly into a remote work environment, office inventory rose steeply and the severity of […]
The cost of religious accommodation
The Supreme Court may soon transform the role of faith in the workplace, which could have the effect of elevating the rights of religious workers at the expense of co-workers. On April 18, 2023, the court heard oral arguments in Groff v. DeJoy, a case addressing an employer’s obligation to accommodate religious employees’ requests under […]
Nursing homes and Maryland
Last week was National Skilled Nursing Care Week. Today, 22,000 Marylanders are receiving care in nursing homes and 30,000 local professionals are providing that care. When you think of nursing homes, however, you probably do not realize that many patients are only there for short periods of time. Nursing homes help patients recover from heart […]
The Energizer Bunny goes to court
Energizer Holdings and Walmart are being sued in three proposed class actions for conspiring to raise the prices of disposable batteries.
IRA is forcing cuts to drug research
President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act is just 8 months old. It hasn’t yet slain inflation. But it’s already gutting drug research and development. The law gives Medicare the power to impose price controls on certain prescription drugs for the first time. By September, federal officials will select the first 10 medicines subject to price-setting […]
Final Rule for the No Surprises Act
The No Surprises Act, effective Jan. 1, 2022, generally protects patients from receiving unanticipated bills for emergency care rendered by providers who do not participate with the patient’s insurance coverage (out-of-network providers), and includes a prohibition on certain out-of-network providers balance billing patients. The law also requires that the patient’s insurer reimburse the out-o[...]
ESG investors are at a crossroads
The Federal Reserve raised interest rates again on May 3, 2023, by a quarter point, making it the Fed’s 10th rate hike since March 2022 in an ongoing fight to tame inflation. These rate hikes have been reverberating through the economy, raising prospects of a recession amid heightened concerns about the fragile state of banks. […]