In a rapidly changing legal environment, firms need to look for new ways to serve clients. One option that has grown in recent years is law new, a concept that can be hard to define but can include everything from working with underserved communities to implementing technology and developing strategies that are not found in standard practice. The idea is that a well-thought-out plan making use of this technique can allow a legal firm to offer help that it would not be able to do otherwise without negatively impacting other areas of the practice that might have been the primary focus.

New laws taking effect July 1

This bill requires City agencies to provide employees and job applicants with a notice of federal and state student loan forgiveness programs. It also amends the City’s data breach notification laws to make them more consistent with State law.

The bill would permit the Commissioner of the Department of Consumer Affairs to investigate, and take corrective action against, a person or entity that violates rules relating to the licensing, registration, education, training, and regulation of bounty hunters. The bill amends the definition of “bounty hunter” to include any person who solicits or offers payment in exchange for the capture, release or surrender of a bountiful animal.

This bill amends the City’s data breach notification statutes to make them more consistent with the requirements of the State SHIELD Act. The bill also adds a requirement that the City’s Chief Privacy Officer and the Office of Cyber Command promptly disclose any breach involving private identifying information to affected persons, as well as to the NYPD. It also expands the obligations of City agencies to disclose private identifying information in response to requests made under the SHIELD Act.