Law Commons^™

Assessing The Unethical Phenomenon Behind Hollywood’S Handshake Agreements, Daniel Rico

University of Miami Business Law Review

The Hollywood Film Industry has maintained a unique characteristic of allowing substantial capital investments to regularly proceed on the basis of oral (“handshake”) agreements.1 These handshake agreements result in an uncertain threat of legal enforcement and an increased exposure to contract liability. Nevertheless, handshake contracts have become so prevalent in Hollywood’s entertainment industry that no matter one’s opinion on the merits of using these contracts, attorneys have conformed to this longstanding tradition in order to stay competitive.

As a result, this longstanding practice of conducting business through handshake agreements has contributed to another time-honored Hollywood tradition: contract disputes. Hollywood’s flexible …

Prefatory Matter And Table Of Contents

University of Miami Law Review

No abstract provided.

Algorithms And Omertà: A Discussion Of Compatibility Between Seemingly Disparate Legal Spheres, Cameron Chuback

University of Miami Law Review

This Note assesses the viability of federal prosecutors’ use of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”) to prosecute spoofing, a market manipulating trading practice characterized by the cancellation of large orders meant to artificially alter market prices. Traditional spoofing convictions have been difficult to secure because of spoofing’s complicated and esoteric nature and difficult-to-prove elements. Now, for the first time, prosecutors in United States v. Smith have indicted alleged spoofers under RICO, which Congress designed with the intent to overcome evidentiary difficulties in organized crime prosecutions, particularly prosecutions of the American Mafia. However, the disparity between spoofing and …

The Middle Ground: A Meaningful Balance Between The Benefits And Limitations Of Artificial Intelligence To Assist With The Justice Gap, Katherine L. W. Norton

University of Miami Law Review

Access to justice continues to be an ongoing battle for those who cannot afford an attorney in civil legal matters. These civil legal matters touch issues that significantly impact daily life, from issues relating to health, such as advance directives, to family, such as custody of children. Lawyers, courts, and scholars have attempted to tackle this ongoing problem in our justice system. Some suggest that providing free counsel for all civil legal matters is the solution, while others suggest that self-help materials provide more immediate access to services and information. Regardless of the position one takes, the need is clear …

Lamps Plus, Inc. V. Varela: Dark Times Ahead For Class Arbitrations, Joanna Niworowski

University of Miami Law Review

The Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) was enacted in 1925 to combat judicial hostility towards arbitration. Over the years, the U.S. Supreme Court has interpreted this statute as evidencing a pro-arbitration policy and has upheld the use of arbitration clauses in a variety of contracts. Unfortunately, while the FAA was able to overcome the hostility towards arbitration, it was not able to stop the Court from finding a new target: class arbitrations.

This Comment analyzes the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Lamps Plus, Inc. v. Varela. In critiquing the Court’s continued erosion of the availability of class arbitrations, this Comment considers …

Equitable Defenses In Patent Law, Christa J. Laser

University of Miami Law Review

In patent law, “unenforceability” can have immense consequences. At least five equitable doctrines make up the defense of “unenforceability” as it was codified into the Patent Act in 1952: laches; estoppel; unclean hands; patent misuse; and according to some, inequitable conduct. Yet in the seventy years since incorporation of equitable defenses into the patent statute, the Supreme Court has not clarified their reach. Indeed, twice in the last four years, the Supreme Court avoided giving complete guidance on the crucial questions of whether, and when, such equitable defenses are available to bar damages in cases brought at law.

Several interpretive …

Of What Consequence?: Sexual Offender Laws And Federal Habeas Relief, Katherine A. Mitchell

University of Miami Law Review

New concerns for an old writ. The relatively recent advent of sex offender registries has led to consequences in the habeas corpus context—and they may be more than collateral. In particular, are the restraints imposed on registered sex offenders severe enough to constitute custody for habeas jurisdiction? With a recent split among the federal circuit courts, this Article attempts to decipher which side of the split the Supreme Court will—and should—fall.

Twenty-First Century Formalism, Thomas B. Nachbar

University of Miami Law Review

Formalism is one of the most widely applied but misunderstood features of law. Embroiled in a series of conflicts over the course of the twentieth century, formalism’s meaning has become confused as formalism has been enlisted by both proponents and opponents of specific legal methodologies. For some, formalism has simply become an epithet used to describe virtually anything they dislike in legal thinking. Used often and inconsistently as a stand-in (and frequently a strawman), formalism’s distinct identity has been lost, its meaning merged with whatever methodology it is being used to support or attack.

This Article seeks to separate formalism …

Unvested: How Equity And The Deferred Payment Gamble In Startups Shortchange Employees Targeted By Discrimination, Katie Black

University of Miami Law Review

The new American Dream is not limited to Silicon Valley. Startups span the nation. They exist in a vast array of sizes and ideologies. Nonetheless, by their very nature, startups are boundary-pushing enterprises. For all the world-altering good they can do, sometimes, that crashing-into-walls mentality comes at the price of pushing human and legal boundaries as well. While the entity tries to grow and create, almost hydraulically using what little human and financial capital it may have to build the once-impossible, startup employees can be left to bear the cost when it is their boundaries that are broken. Discrimination is …

The Price Of Justice: Fines, Fees And The Criminalization Of Poverty In The United States, Lisa Foster

University of Miami Race & Social Justice Law Review

No abstract provided.

Fazaga V. Fbi: Putting The Force Back In The Foreignintelligence Surveillance Act, Christina Ferreiro

University of Miami Race & Social Justice Law Review

No abstract provided.

Masthead

University of Miami Race & Social Justice Law Review

No abstract provided.

Front Matter And Table Of Contents

University of Miami Race & Social Justice Law Review

No abstract provided.

Good For Thee, But Not For Me: How Bisexuals Are Overlooked In Title Vii Sexual Orientation Arguments, Michael Conklin

University of Miami Race & Social Justice Law Review

No abstract provided.

Little Pink Flower With A Darker Story To Tell: The Role Of Emojis In Online Human Trafficking And Potential Fosta-Sesta Liability, Olivia Parise

University of Miami Race & Social Justice Law Review

There seems to be an emoji for every expression, thought, and feeling – even for human traffickers. Emojis have evolved into a primary lexicon for online human trafficking. This coded language has allowed online human traffickers to evade detection and prosecution. Courts and law enforcement are confused by the seemingly innocent use of emojis in advertisements and conversations that have serious human trafficking implications. Now, the code is cracked. Researchers have studied the intersection of emojis and human trafficking to such an extent that they have caught on to the secret online language of emojis. As the use of emojis …

Uber And The Need For Particularized Regulation, Kayla Marie Heckman

University of Miami Business Law Review

With technology constantly evolving, the law must evolve with it. Uber Technologies, Inc. (“Uber”) has transformed the transportation industry by making transportation readily available with the touch of a button on one’s mobile phone. Uber is now one of the leading companies in transportation and operates worldwide. While this expansion has been great for consumers, it has come with significant drawbacks and challenges. Uber threatens the taxi industry, the cities in which it operates, and even its own drivers. This Note will discuss how Uber’s rapid growth is disrupting transportation in major cities quicker than its impact can properly be …

Modernizing The Fair And Equitable Treatment Standards In The Energy Charter Treaty, Sydney Thurman-Baldwin

University of Miami Business Law Review

As oil and gas continue to be hot commodities for national economies, the number of international arbitrations in the energy sector has continued to rise in recent years. As the utilization of International Arbitration continues to rise in Energy disputes, so does the invocation of The Energy Charter Treaty (“ECT”). The ECT promotes inter-governmental cooperation with contracting parties in the energy sector through its provisions on investment protection, provisions on trade, transit of energy, energy efficiency, environmental protection and dispute resolution. These provisions are considered to be the cornerstone of the treaty, fostering a ‘level playing field’ for foreign investments …

Airdrops: “Free” Tokens Are Not Free From Regulatory Compliance, Bridgett S. Bauer Esq.

University of Miami Business Law Review

No abstract provided.

The United States: Big Data, Little Regulation, Megan Valent

University of Miami Business Law Review

In the United States today, there is no single law to address the privacy concerns associated with the collection of consumer data. Lawmakers have introduced policies that seek to address data privacy at the federal level, but Congress has not yet acted to create a comprehensive law to protect consumers. On the contrary, in 2016, the European Union passed its General Data Protection Regulation to address the dangers associated with “Big Data” and to give consumers control over their data.

Unfortunately, in the United States consumers are often unaware of how their data is being handled and what is done …

Smart Contracts: Implications On Liability And Competence, Ryan Hasting

University of Miami Business Law Review

Smart contracts are increasingly popular in business and law. Smart contracts are also becoming increasingly complex. Advances in technology allow smart contracts to handle far more intricate transactions than the traditional—and simple— vending machine example. With increased complexity comes increased responsibility. When parties rely on an attorney to review or draft a smart contract, that attorney must understand what he or she is reading or writing. Smart contracts, however, are not written in a language most attorneys can understand, let alone write. While a general description of the contract may be translated into plain English, the contract itself is written …

Front Matter And Table Of Contents

University of Miami Business Law Review

No abstract provided.

Bank Resolution And Creditor Distribution: The Tension Shaping Global Banking –Part Ii: The Cross-Border Dimension, David Ramos, Javier Solana

University of Miami Business Law Review

New bank resolution frameworks that aim to address the complex task of managing the collapse of a large financial institution stand in considerable tension with basic principles and policy objectives of insolvency law. In this two-part study, we present an analytical framework that aims at helping us understand how this tension can undermine the effectiveness of the new bank resolution frameworks. In the first part of this article, we introduced our three-layered framework and explored its first two layers: the group dimension, and the duality of crisis-prevention and crisis-management tools. In this Part II, we explore the last layer: the …

The Bleeding Edge: Theranos And The Growing Risk Of An Unregulated Private Securities Market, Theodore O'Brien

University of Miami Business Law Review

America’s securities laws and regulations, most of which were created in the early twentieth century, are increasingly irrelevant to the most dynamic emerging companies. Today, companies with sufficient investor interest can raise ample capital through private and exempt offerings, all while eschewing the public exchanges and the associated burdens of the initial public offering, public disclosures, and regulatory scrutiny. Airbnb, Inc., for example, quickly tapped private investors for $1 billion in April of 2020, adding to the estimated $4.4 billion the company had previouslyraised.2 The fundamental shift from public to private companies is evidenced by the so-called “unicorns,” the more …

Bankruptcy For Cannabis Companies: Canada’S Newest Export?, Stephanie Ben-Ishai

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Low Usage Of Bankruptcy Procedures: A Cultural Problem? Lessons From Spain, Aurelio Gurrea-Martínez

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

While filing for bankruptcy does not seem appealing for any debtor regardless of the jurisdiction, the reluctance to use the bankruptcy system varies across countries. This article explores the underlying reasons and economic effects of the low usage of bankruptcy procedures in Spain, where the rate of business bankruptcies is one of the lowest in the world. Some authors have argued that the low usage of bankruptcy procedures in Spain is due to a “cultural” problem faced by Spanish entrepreneurs. According to this hypothesis, the lack of a “bankruptcy culture” makes Spanish entrepreneurs afraid to use the bankruptcy system. In …

Value Tracing And Priority In Cross-Border Group Bankruptcies: Solving The Nortel Problem From The Bottom Up, Edward J. Janger, Stephan Madaus

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.

Cryptocurrencies, Cybersecurity And Bankruptcy Law: How Global Issues Are Globalizing National Remedies, Renato Mangano

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

The market for cryptocurrencies is interspersed with cases of loss, theft and fraud and a new transnational practice in bankruptcy law is emerging whereby cryptocurrency exchanges compensate the injured users on a collective basis. This paper will argue: first, that this trend has transplanted into Asia and Europe the US idea according to which bankruptcy law can be employed to avoid mass litigation; secondly, that this trend has transcended the debate about the characterization of digital assets, including the concerns of those scholars who maintain that digital coins cannot be objects of property; and thirdly that – since this practice …

Resolving Corporate Insolvencies In China: The Gap Between Law And Reality, Dr. Zhang Zinian

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

This article examines how corporate insolvencies in China, the second largest economy, are handled under the current legislation, the China Enterprise Bankruptcy Law of 2006. Relying on the fresh empirical data arising from the first ten years on the use of China’s three insolvency procedures, reorganization, composition and liquidation, this article reveals the huge gap between the law in the books and the law in action, arguing that the implementation of this law in China perhaps has not achieved the legislative objectives. The constitutional and institutional weaknesses affecting the application of this law are analyzed

Small Business And Bankruptcy: Recent Changes In Kosovo And The United States Compared, Bruce A. Markell

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

United States, small businesses account for 99.7% of all employers, and about 47.3% of private sector employment.1 In the European Union (EU) non-financial business sector, SMEs accounted for 99.8% of all enterprises.2 These enterprises employed almost ninety-eight million people—66.6% of total employment—in the EU.

SMEs are variously defined. In the United States, until recently the definition of an SME was an enterprise that employed less than 500 individuals.4 In the EU, SMEs are defined as businesses which employ less than 250 staff and have an annual turnover of less than €50 million, or whose balance sheet total is less than …

Impact Of The Italian Business Crisis And Insolvency Code On Organizational Structures In Msmes, Alessandra Zanardo

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

In September 2021, the Italian Bankruptcy Law will be replaced by a new comprehensive Act, the so-called Business Crisis and Insolvency Code.

Two topics have immediately become the “mantra” of this important reform: a) the introduction into the domestic legal framework of early warning tools and alert procedures, along the lines of the French experience; and b) the introduction of a specific obligation on the entrepreneur or the management body of collective entities to implement suitable measures or establish appropriate organizational structures to prevent future insolvency and preserve the business continuity.

These measures are closely related, insofar as the obligation …