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
Scrap Tires Combusted in Cement Kilns/Non-Hazardous Secondary Materials Regulations: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Proposed Designation as Non-Waste Fuel.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) is proposing a rule designating scrap tires (including previously abandoned scrap tires) that are combusted in cement kilns as non-waste fuel. See 91 Fed. Reg. 13804 (March 23, 2026). EPA is also proposing to revise the definition of a tire…
Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission Meeting - March 27th Meeting/Agenda Announced
The Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment announced the agenda for the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission (“Commission”) meeting on March 27th. The Commission is the environmental policy-making body for Arkansas. The Commission, with certain exceptions, meets on a monthly…
Lead-Based Paint/Toxic Substances Control Act Enforcement: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Omaha, Nebraska Site Renovation Contractor Enter into Consent Agreement
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and Brady Hoefer Custom Construction, LLC (“Brady”) entered into a March 16th Consent Agreement and Final Order (“CAFO”) addressing alleged violations of the regulations at 40 C.F.R. Part 745, Subpart L, Lead Based Paint Activities. See…
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…