Between the Lines Blog
Trademark Scams: How to Spot Them and Protect Yourself
Trademark scams are on the rise, leading to confusion amongst trademark owners. In fact, in August 2025, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) took the extraordinary step of sanctioning a foreign filing firm and terminating over 52,000 trademark applications and registrations…
Understanding Patient Safety Organizations: A Practical Guide
If you work in the healthcare industry, you have likely heard about Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs) and the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (PSQIA). This article breaks down what these frameworks mean and how they can protect sensitive safety information from disclosure in…
Service Animals in Arkansas Schools: What Every Administrator Should Know - Part Two
In a prior installment of this blog post we outlined the law that all Arkansas school administrators should know about service animals. Now we turn to a slightly less clear issue that comes up quite frequently: the difference between service animals and emotional support animals. The Mitchell…
Service Animals in Arkansas Schools: What Every Administrator Should Know (Part 1)
Navigating the ADA, Reasonable Accommodations, and Safety in Practice If you’ve ever had a parent or visitor arrive at your school event with a dog, you’ve probably found yourself asking: What are my legal responsibilities? What questions am I allowed to ask? How do I balance access, safety, and…
National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Fall 2025 Meeting Summary
The Mitchell Williams Insurance Regulatory team of lawyers recently attended the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Fall 2025 National Meeting which was held in Hollywood, FL. This summary highlights issues that various NAIC groups addressed. What You Need to Know: …
Arkansas Environmental, Energy, and Water Law Blog
Section 401/Clean Water Act: National Rural Electric Cooperative Association/American Public Power Association Joint Comments Addressing U.S. EPA Proposed Certification Rule
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and American Public Power Association (collectively, “NRECA”) submitted February 17th joint comments to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) on the agency’s proposed rule addressing the certification process under Section 401…
Transportation/Hazardous Materials: U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration Interpretive Letter Addressing Lithium Ion Batteries
The United States Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (“PHMSA”) transmitted a February 5th interpretive letter addressing the application of the federal Hazardous Materials Regulations (“HMR”) to lithium ion batteries. PHMSA is responding to a July 22, 2025, query from Currie…
Arkansas Advisory Committee on Petroleum Storage Tanks: March Meeting Postponed (New Date to be Announced)
As noted in a previous blog post, Arkansas operates a petroleum storage tank trust fund that provides reimbursement for eligible storage tanks that suffer corrective action requirements and third-party damage claims due to a release of petroleum. The Advisory Committee on Petroleum Storage Tanks…
Biosolids/Clean Water Act: Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility Opening Brief Challenging U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Alleged Failure to Address PFAS
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (“PEER”) filed its Opening Brief in the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in the action styled: James Farmer, et al., v. Environmental Protection Agency, et al., No. 24-cv-01654-DLF. The United States District Court for the…
Western Ridged Mussel/Endangered Species Act: Center for Biological Diversity Notice of Intent to Sue U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regarding Listing
The Center for Biological Diversity (“CBD”) sent a Notice of Intent to Sue (“NOI”) to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (“Service”) alleging a violation of the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”). CBD alleges that the Service has violated the ESA by failing to issue a timely 12-month finding…