United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kennedy recently directed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to consider rulemaking to revise its longstanding regulations and guidance governing the oversight of food ingredients to eliminate the ability of individuals and companies to self-affirm that their ingredients are Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS). This would mark a massive shift in how new food ingredients are introduced to the market. In 1958, Congress enacted the Food Additives Amendment to the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA). These amendments req ..read more

(Washington, D.C.) – Akin announced today that Mary Alexander has joined the firm as a tax partner in its Washington, D.C. office, further deepening the firm’s tax equity and tax credit transfer experience in the renewable energy and energy transition space. Alexander’s practice focuses on the federal income tax aspects of energy transition transactions, including renewable energy, carbon capture, biogas property, and electric vehicles. Her clients include asset managers and other financial institutions, public and private corporations and partnerships. “Akin continues to see robust client dem ..read more

The American Lawyer has reported on Akin’s second consecutive year of record financial results in 2024, with revenue increasing by 8.8% and profits per equity partner increasing by 23.5%. With back-to-back years of record growth, the firm’s revenue has increased 21%, net income has increased 40% and profits per equity partner have risen 51% since 2022.  Commenting on the results, Akin co-chair elect Abid Qureshi said, “We had a record-breaking year that really showcases strength-on-strength,” adding “we are in a very good spot and very optimistic about the future.”  Demand was strong ..read more

Policy & Regulation Alert Key Points The EU confirms decisive retaliation in reaction to the U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum, in two stages. Tariffs will apply on a broad range of products imported from the United States on 1 April 2025. Tariffs on an expanded list of products are expected to apply starting mid-April. The Commission is requesting comments on the expanded list of products and on impacts of potential commercial measures with a deadline of March 26 noon CET. The European Union (EU) had said repeatedly that it will retaliate in case of U.S. tariffs, which the EU sees as u ..read more

Establish a policy to enforce the Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65(c) by requiring parties seeking injunctions against the Federal Government to cover the costs and damages incurred if the Government is ultimately found to have been wrongfully enjoined or restrained. The heads of executive departments and agencies, in consultation with the Attorney General, are directed to ensure that their respective agencies properly request under Rule 65(c) that Federal district courts require plaintiffs to post security equal to the Federal Government’s potential costs and damages from a wrongly issued i ..read more

In a series of rulings on a motion in limine, the District of Delaware recently distinguished between what qualifies as being incorporated by reference and what does not for the purposes of an anticipation defense. In short, a parenthetical citation was held to be insufficient, while three passages discussing a cited reference met the test. This patent infringement case involved patents directed to methods for detecting nucleic acids. Defendant advanced two anticipation defenses, both of which were premised on the incorporation of material from one reference into another. Specifically, defenda ..read more

The OverRuled: Russia Trade Controls Resource Center has been updated with the following actions: 07 Mar 2025 (Russia - Countermeasures): ​The restrictions previously established by the Russian Central Bank relating to foreign currency in Russia will continue to apply until September 9, 2025. 24 Feb 2025 (UK): The Akin Summary document has now been posted for this action. ​The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation ("OFSI") introduced a new sanctions package against Russia, marking the third anniversary of the war against Ukraine, pursuant to The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regu ..read more

Health Industry Alert Yesterday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated its website to provide new information on data integrity concerns relating to medical devices. Over a year ago, FDA’s device center, the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH or Center), notified device manufacturers and the public that it had “observed that an increasing number of entities that contract with device firms to conduct testing … are generating testing data that are fabricated, duplicated from other device submissions, or otherwise unreliable.” FDA has continued to express data integrit ..read more

(London) – The Lawyer reported on Akin’s exceptional financial results in 2024, which reflected the firm’s strong global growth and momentum.  In London, the firm had a record-breaking year with its highest ever revenue at over $200 million—marking an impressive 43% growth over the past two years and reinforcing its position as a key player in the market.  The piece included quotes from the transatlantic leadership team, Abid Qureshi (New York) and Daniel Walsh (London) who are set to take the helm as co-chairs in April this year.  Co-chair elect Daniel Walsh said that it was a ..read more

(London) – Akin today announced that Natasha Kaye joins as a tax partner in London, strengthening the firm’s global market-leading tax practice. Kaye has been a partner at Cooley for nine years. Her addition to Akin follows the recent arrival of a global technology transactions team, including Justin Stock, Stephen Rosen and David Bresnick, who joined the firm’s London office in September. Kaye also follows head of international arbitration Mark Clarke and corporate partner Daniel Wayte who both arrived at Akin in January. A market-leading and experienced corporate tax advisor, Kaye supports t ..read more