New Law for Lawyers

New law is an area of the legal field that focuses on providing clients with help that might be outside of a firm’s traditional scope of practice. It also means finding ways to deliver services more efficiently. It’s a concept that all lawyers should understand so they can harness its ideas to their advantage.

Legislation that is created to address specific issues and respond to changing social conditions. New laws can also be created to improve existing policies, reflecting the values and priorities of constituents, or responding to the needs of a particular community or economy. The process of creating new laws involves a number of steps, including legislative committee review, floor debate, and voting. The process reflects democratic principles of representation and accountability, enabling citizens to influence policy through their elected representatives.

An act to amend the definition of “personal information” for purposes of the New York Data Privacy Law; requires businesses to notify consumers about any information collected about them; and allows individuals to access, correct, or request deletion of their personal information.

To establish rules and standards for warehouse employees’ quota requirements; requires employers to provide workers with written documentation summarizing their quota; and authorizes workers to file claims for State disability insurance and/or paid family leave benefits up to 30 days before their anticipated first compensable day of leave.

Requires localities to license third-party food delivery services and repeals provisions of the City’s administrative code relating to such service.

Amends the New York City labor law to require employers to provide up to 20 hours of paid leave for prenatal appointments and procedures; establishes eligibility criteria for maternity and paternity leave; requires certain notices to be posted in workplaces; and prohibits employers from including statements in job advertisements, postings, applications, or other materials that require applicants to possess or have been issued a driver’s license or permit to perform work in their capacity as an employee.

Expands the requirements for disclosure of security breaches involving personal information to include the Office of the Chief Privacy Officer and the Department of Information Technology, as well as to affected persons. The bill also makes a number of technical amendments, and adds penalties for violations.

Amends the City’s labor law to require employers to allow their employees to use flexible scheduling methods and to extend their working hours when it would benefit both the employer and the employee. The bill provides exceptions to this requirement in limited circumstances. It also amends the City’s wage and hour law to clarify that a non-exempt employee must receive overtime pay for hours worked in excess of the 40-hour workweek. The bill also amends the City’s transportation law to prohibit general and commercial vendors from selling or vending in bicycle lanes. The Department of Consumer and Worker Protection is required to adopt rules to implement this legislation by March 29, 2024.