Legislative, Regulatory & Legal

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Department store retailer Stein Mart remains in non-compliance with NASDAQ listing requirements for failing to file its most recent quarterly report, but the company appears to be doing fine otherwise.

New York -- In a Tuesday night address at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. president and CEO Mike Duke didn’t shy away from discussing the fiscal cliff, saying that the current debate is having a negative impact on consumer spending.

Washington, D.C. -- A report released Tuesday by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates found that cargo volumes at U.S. ports are forecast to increase 3.9% in December following a 5.6% decline in November.

According to the monthly Global Port Tracker report, container volumes were negatively impacted in November by the West coast strike by workers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, but resolution of the strike after eight days meant disruption in December was limited to just two days.

Cargo volumes at U.S. ports are forecast to increase 3.9% in December following a 5.6% decline in November, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report compiled by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

The West coast strike by workers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach negatively affected container volumes in November, but resolution of the strike after eight days meant disruption in December was limited to just two days.

WASHINGTON — Top officials at Johnson & Johnson and the Food and Drug Administration are among those to receive service and leadership awards from the Food and Drug Law Institute. The honorees include Minnie Baylor-Henry, worldwide VP for regulatory affairs at Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices & Diagnostics; John M. Taylor III, counselor to the commissioner, Office of the Commissioner, FDA; Alan Bennett, managing partner of the Ropes & Gray DC office and Thomas O. Henteleff, managing partner of Kleinfeld, Kaplan and Becker.

Particularly in the current economy, it is not uncommon for purchasers, anywhere along the supply-to-distribution chain, to claim financial distress and file for bankruptcy relief.

How can a person or entity hope to collect on debts owed by a "bankrupt" purchaser? What follows is a primer on bankruptcy terms and procedures, as well as steps an unsecured creditor may follow to be in the best position to collect on what is owed without incurring substantial attorneys’ fees.

Washington -- Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 3.9% in December despite a strike that closed the nation’s largest port complex for the first few days of the month, but retailers are keeping a close watch on a possible strike on the East Coast and Gulf Coast, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

New York -- Consumer confidence declined more than expected in December, reaching a four-month low as Americans grew concerned about the possibility of higher taxes next year. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary consumer sentiment index decreased to 74.5 this month from 82.7 in November. Economists had projected a preliminary reading of 82 for December.