Block.

February 02, 2005 | Law.com

SBC Communications Inc. is expected to win federal clearance for its purchase of AT&T Corp., but the telecommunications giant could have to make substantial divestitures. Indeed, experts said the deal faces a lengthy and politically sensitive campaign in getting the green light from U.S. antitrust and communications enforcers. European regulators, who in 2000 blocked WorldCom Inc.'s bid for Sprint Corp., also must approve the deal.

By Ron Orol and Donna Block

3 minute read

March 19, 2008 | Corporate Counsel

Credit crisis, what credit crisis? Nothing kept investors from where they wanted to be -- piling into the world's largest credit card processor's initial public offering. Visa Inc., set a record for U.S. IPO's by selling 406 million shares at $44 each late Tuesday and raising a whopping $17.9 billion. The IPO eclipses AT&T Wireless Group's $10.6 billion stock offering in 2000 and comes in second in the world only to the $22 billion debut of Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. in 2006.

By Donna Block

4 minute read

January 24, 2006 | Law.com

In a report released Monday, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce says the auditing industry is "severely contracted" and that further declines in the number of auditing firms could disrupt U.S. markets. The lobbying group wants lawmakers and regulators to take steps, including tort reform and improvements to liability insurance, to prevent another large auditing firm from imploding. However, some critics say the threat of legal damages is needed to keep auditors on the straight and narrow.

By Donna Block

4 minute read

November 10, 2010 | New York Law Journal

In their Construction Law column, Kenneth M. Block and John-Patrick Curran, members of Tannenbaum Helpern Syracuse & Hirschtritt, write that with two possible exceptions, the statute of limitations for claims against an architect is three years from the completion of the architect's services, while claims against a contractor must be brought within six years after the work is complete.

By Kenneth M. Block and John-Patrick Curran

14 minute read

June 27, 2003 | Law.com

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act's goal of enhancing corporate accountability and transparency is by now familiar to most corporate attorneys. Underreported, however, is the statute's protection of corporate "whistleblowers." Corporate counsel should take note of the new federal regulatory scheme, because it carries profound consequences for the corporation that does not develop appropriate internal controls and ethical frameworks.

By Dennis J. Block and Jonathan M. Hoff

14 minute read

October 14, 2004 | Law.com

U.S. accounting rulemakers agreed Wednesday to postpone a proposal requiring public companies to deduct the cost of employee stock options from their earnings, throwing into doubt a plan aimed at clarifying corporate reporting. FASB Chairman Robert Herz said the six-month delay is aimed at reconciling private sector concerns about complying with the expensing mandate and those of investors calling for greater corporate transparency.

By Donna Block

4 minute read

August 29, 2007 | New York Law Journal

Kenneth M. Block, a member of Tannenbaum Helpern Syracuse & Hirschtritt, writes that while contractual provisions can be created to penalize or require a contractor for delayed or early completion, the best course to ensure the timely completion of the project is through a team approach using careful project scheduling.

By Kenneth M. Block

9 minute read

September 09, 2004 | Law.com

Lawmakers returned to Washington on Tuesday for what could be the climax to a fierce debate over whether publicly held companies should be required to account for stock options. The Senate is expected soon to debate a bill, S. 1890, introduced by Sen. Mike Enzi, that would blunt a proposal by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to force companies to count options as an expense against profits.

By Donna Block

4 minute read

March 01, 2006 | The Recorder

Large and midsize companies are expected to experience lowered costs when it comes to complying with a key section of the federal Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

By Donna Block

3 minute read

February 03, 2006 | Law.com

Only two days after Exxon Mobil reported the highest annual earnings of any company in U.S. history -- $36.1 billion -- prominent lawmakers are asking whether it's time to break up oil conglomerates formed through mega-mergers in the past several years. Congressional leaders are questioning, loudly, whether the rush of industry mergers in the last few years is as much a culprit as rising global demand, conflict in the Middle East and Hurricane Katrina-related damage to U.S. refining capacity.

By Donna Block

5 minute read