New York Paralegal Blog

Sometimes, a company gets into big trouble with the law. When this happens, the government has a few options. One of the most common is a Deferred Prosecution Agreement, or DPA. This is exactly what happened with TD Securities in a recent case, with a resolution reached on September 30, 2024. But what does it all mean? Let's break it down. What Is a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA)? Imagine you're a student who got caught cheating on an exam. Instead of immediately failing you, your principal offers a deal: if you agree to a list of conditions, like attending a class on academic integrity and doing extra credit, they will "defer" the punishment. If you complete all the conditions, they'll drop the charges completely. A DPA is similar to that. It's a special legal agreement between the Department of Justice (DOJ) and a company that has been charged with a crime. The company agrees to pay fines, compensate victims, and fix its internal systems to...

NEW YORK - Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced a sweeping new initiative that will give the Attorney General the authority to investigate and potentially prosecute any wrongdoing involving government spending, including member items, contracts, and pension fraud. By working with the Comptroller to police public integrity in Albany, the Attorney General is building on his multi-pronged approach to root out waste, fraud and corruption in state government. “As stewards of the public trust, we are all responsible for doing our part to crack down on public corruption with every tool at our disposal. We need to be smarter, faster and more efficient than what current law allows,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “That is why it is critical we close every loophole that exists in current law as part of comprehensive ethics legislation. We need such legislation now more than ever, and I look forward to working with the Governor and legislative leaders in the coming weeks t...

Washington, D.C. - The Commerce Department’s United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Danish Patent and Trademark Office (DKPTO) today announced that they intend to launch a new trial cooperation initiative called the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) today. The Patent Prosecution Highway will leverage fast-track patent examination procedures already available in both offices to allow applicants to obtain corresponding patents faster and more efficiently. It also will permit each office to exploit the work previously done by the other office and reduce duplication. In turn, the initiative will reduce examination workload and improve patent quality. “We are very pleased to be working in partnership with our Danish colleagues on this pilot. PPH is an integral part of our worksharing efforts to combat the growing global backlog of applications. By leveraging the work previously done by another office, we will be able to expedite the patent examination process and ensure hi...