What’s New in PLI PLUS

We add content to PLI PLUS every month to ensure our subscribers have access to the most up-to-date and relevant secondary source legal documents. Renowned legal experts regularly update our acclaimed Treatises, Course Handbooks, Answer Books, Transcripts, and Forms to reflect recent changes and developments in the law.

Click here to see what we added in November!

Treatise Update: Fragomen on Immigration Fundamentals

Offering in-depth coverage of bedrock immigration legislation, the latest USCIS rules and programs, and pivotal court decisions, Fragomen on Immigration Fundamentals: A Guide to Law and Practice (Fifth Edition) provides the legal and procedural knowledge to work more efficiently and effectively with employers, noncitizens, nonimmigrants, refugees, naturalized citizens, and government officials.

The latest release for Fragomen on Immigration Fundamentals updates the following chapters:

Among the new developments covered in this release are:

Public charge determinations: The Trump administration has implemented strict new standards for determining whether an adjustment applicant or immigrant visa applicant is, or is likely to become, a public charge. The new rules require officials to weigh a number of factors rather than reviewing only the sponsor’s financial information, and lengthen the list of public benefits to be considered in the review. New section 3:4.3[F], Public Charge Determinations.
Southwest border crisis: In August 2019, DHS and HHS issued a new rule relating to the detention of minors, which, in their view, terminates the Flores agreement. The rule creates an alternative licensing scheme that allows the detention of families together in the same facility; states that the criteria governing the parole of persons in expedited removal proceedings apply to minors, as well as to adults; and states that bond redetermination hearings are only available to minors in regular, not expedited, removal proceedings. Section 7:5.7[A], Trump Administration Policies.
Asylum claims: The USCIS and EOIR issued a joint rule in July 2019 that bars asylum claims by individuals who enter or attempt to enter the United States across the southern land border after failing to apply for protection from persecution or torture while in a third country through which they transited. That same month, a California district court issued a nationwide preliminary injunction, but the Ninth Circuit limited the reach of the injunction to cases arising within that circuit. New Section 6:2.6[C][7], Failure to Apply in Safe Third Country.
Expedited removal: Pursuant to new directive, in July 2019, Acting Secretary McAleenan designated for expedited removal two additional categories of persons. Section 7:5.6[A], Classes of Individuals Subject to Expedited Removal.

This essential treatise is available on PLI PLUS. If you would like to order a print copy, please contact LibraryRelations@pli.edu.

Treatise Update – The Securities Law of Public Finance

This two-volume resource, cited by the SEC for its excellence in illuminating legal issues, clarifies and analyzes how federal securities laws and regulations apply, directly and indirectly, to securities issued by state and local governments.

The Securities Law of Public Finance is a valuable resource for bond lawyers, municipal officials, underwriters, broker-dealers, investment advisers, regulators, and anyone else involved in the business of financing the activities of state and local government.

The key updates to the Securities Law of Public Finance include:

New Chapter – Regulation of Municipal Broker-Dealers in Private Placements: New chapter 10B, by Paul S. Maco, deals with private placements, which developed as a form of transaction to avoid the registration requirements of section 5 of the Securities Act of 1933. Such transactions, while exempt from registration, are subject to the remaining provisiions of the Securities Act, including its civil liability and antifraud provisions as well as the antifraud provisions of section 10 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5. The discussion provides a brief overview of the broad reach of federal securities law and the requirement for registration as well as antifraud proscriptions, the availability of class and transaction exemptions from registration but not antifraud provisions through private placements, and the application of the antifraud provisions and broker-dealer law to placement agents.
Lorenzo decision – Dissemination of New Issue Offering Documents: In March 2019, the Supreme Court held in Lorenzo v. Securities & Exchange Commision that a defendant who disseminates the material misstatement of another—and thus cannot be liable under the second subsection of Rule 10b-5 for “making” the statement—can nevertheless be liable under other provisions of the securities laws that proscribe “any device, scheme, or artifice to defraud.” The release discusses some possible implications for public finance, including the dissemination of preliminary and final official statements. See new § 6:4.2.
Duties of underwriters’ counsel – Underwriters’ Due Diligence on New Issues of Municipal Securities: In addition to being familiar with applicable law and codes of ethics, lawyers expecting to serve as underwriters’ counsel should become familiar with the SIFMA Model Memorandum to Underwriter’s Counsel and the NABL Model Letter of Underwriters’ Counsel. There are a number of differences in approach between the two model documents that underwriters’ counsel may need to address early in its representation of the underwriters to avoid misunderstanding. See new § 7:5.1[D][2].
Continuing disclosure—duty to correct and duty to update – Continuing Disclosure: A duty to correct arises when a statement intended for the investing market, such as an official statement, contains an incorrect statement that, at the time the statement was made, the issuer believed to be true, but subsequently discovered new information reveals that the statement made was incorrect and material. The duty to update applies where a correct statement is said to become inaccurate after it is made because of new circumstances. New material in the release elaborated upon the distinction, discussing the differing approaches among the circuits in defining and imposing duties. See § 9:3.2.

This essential treatise is available on PLI PLUS. If you would like to order a print copy, please contact libraryrelations@pli.edu.

Treatise Update: Friedman and Smith on Contracts and Conveyances of Real Property

The Business Lawyer calls this PLI title “The ‘bible’ for any lawyer handling a real estate conveyance.” providing more than 140 sample forms, sample forms, sample clauses, and checklists that simplify and accelerate transactions, Friedman and Smith helps readers to carefully consider all the issues and options before finalizing a contract. This definitive resource gives guidance on how to handle unexpected problems and contingencies before they become deal-breakers; factor in a relevant case law when structuring sound agreements; and avoid drafting ambiguous or incomplete contracts that can lead to delays and aborted deals.

Highlights of this latest update of Friedman and Smith on Contracts and Conveyances of Real Property include:

Chapter 3, Assignments of Contracts. New discussion covers the rights of an assignee against the seller if the seller fails to perform a promise to the buyer included in the contract of sale (see section 3:2.4).
Chapter 14, Marketable Title. New discussion of Loring v. Whitney, 46 N.E. 57 (Mass. 1987), which illustrates how courts deal with drawing the line between litigation risk that is substantial versus too remote (see section 14:1.2).
Chapter 19, Easements—Creation. New discussion of the distinctions between easements appurtenant and easements in gross, including court-developed tests in cases of ambiguity (see section 19:3).
Chapter 22, Covenants—Scope and Termination. New discussion of eminent domain reviews the majority and minority views on whether restrictive covenants are property for takings purposes (see section 22:2.12).
Chapter 24, Contract Remedies for Seller Default. New discussions cover challenges to specific performance as a workable remedy for the buyer when the seller has problems with the title (see section 24:44.2), and review the viability of specific performance as a remedy for part of a contract and not for the remainder because the remainder is impossible to perform or the matter is one into which equity will not venture (see section 24:4.3).
Chapter 25, Time for Performance. Updated discussion of the “time of the essence” doctrine, including “time is of the essence” as an implied term and the consequences when time is essential and when time is not essential (see sections 25:2.1-25:2.4).
Chapter 26, Deed Elements. Updated discussion covers transfer tax, which is payable upon the recordation of a deed, triggering a requirement that the grantee report the amount of consideration to the reocording office that becomes part of the public record, which allows a title searcher to determine the parties’ reported consideration (see section 26:4).

This essential treatise is available on PLI PLUS. If you would like to purchase a print copy, please email libraryrelations@pli.edu.

What’s New in PLI PLUS?

Click here to see what we added in October!

Library Ledger, October 2019, Volume 7, Issue 2

The latest edition of the Library Ledger is now available!

In this edition, we highlight the new monthly webinar series from our library team. We also showcase the PLI PLUS search widget and cyber-security resources. Kay Mitchell, Library Relations Manager, discusses the PLI’s Librarian Advisory Breakfast from the 2019 AALL Conference in Washington, DC.

Looking for an older edition? The complete archive of the Library Ledger is available here.

PLI Resources for Law School Students

PLI PLUS has many resources for law school students. We have compiled a list of titles that will help students throughout their law school journey. Get practice-ready with titles like Thinking Like a Writer: A Lawyer’s Guide to Effective Writing and Editing, Working with Contracts: What Law School Doesn’t Teach You, and An Associate’s First Year: A Guide to Thriving at a Law Firm.

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What’s New in September

Click here to see what we added in September!

New Edition! Health Care M&A Answer Book

M&A activity in the health care industry is at its highest level since the 1980s. Health Care Mergers and Acquisitions Answer Book (2019 Edition) provides the reader with a roadmap to this booming sector, offering practical advice on how to address the various industry-specific issues arising in health care acquisitions. Its broad coverage, presented in Q&A format, is organized into four parts — structuring transactions, due diligence, documentation, and special topics.

Health Care Mergers and Acquisitions Answer Book analyzes recent health care transactions and provides practice tips on how to avoid the various pitfalls that may be encountered while working on health care transactions. It covers dealmaking involving pharmaceutical and biotech companies, hospitals, health insurers and private equity and financial services firms investing in the health care sector.

In addition to transactions involving outright acquisitions of health care companies, Health Care Mergers and Acquisitions Answer Book reviews alternative structures used in health care M&A transactions, such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, product and portfolio acquisitions, option transactions, and licensing and collaboration agreements.

This essential answer book is available on PLI PLUS. If you would like to purchase a print copy, please email libraryrelations@pli.edu.

New Edition! Master the 8-K

Master the 8-K is one of the publications in PLI’s SEC Compliance and Disclosure Series. This clear, concise, and comprehensive guide to filing the SEC’s Form 8-K is a tool that every securities lawyer or person who is responsible for a company’s periodic SEC reports will want to have close at hand. With sample disclosure language and detailed appendices containing the Form 8-K itself, key regulations, SEC compliance and disclosure interpretations (C&DIs), this title is a stand-alone resource for anyone seeking to master the 8-K.

In this easy-to-use book, each Form 8-K Item is separately analyzed and begins with “highlights” that, at a glance, alert you to critical matters about that Item, such as whether the “safe harbor” applies, whether there are exhibit requirements, whether there are possible update requirements, and whether there are critical definitions to consider. Each section then provides step-by-step instructions and expert practice tips.

This updated new edition of Master the 8-K provides current guidance primarily designed to address the SEC’s 2018 and 2019 rule changes that were intended to modernize and simplify disclosure requirements, such as:

Permitting omission of schedules and attachments from many exhibits;
Streamlining the rules for incorporation by reference; and
An innovative new approach to confidential treatment, which allows companies to redact confidential information from exhibits without the need to submit formal confidential treatment requests.

This treatise is available on PLI PLUS. If you would like to purchase a print copy, please email libraryrelations@pli.edu.