Phillips Lytle

10/15/2026

Earlier this week, attorneys in our Albany office attended the Tech Valley Cybersecurity Symposium in Schenectady, NY. Phillips Lytle was a sponsor of the event and Anna Mercado Clark gave a presentation titled, "Algorithmic Manipulation: Dark Patterns, AI and the Next Wave of Enforcement."

Also in attendance from Phillips Lytle were Jeff Schwartz, Marie-Therese Witte, Nicholas Thompson and Olivia Ford.

10/14/2026

We wrapped up another successful Labor and Employment conference in Buffalo and Rochester! Topics included AI in the workplace and workplace harassment with AI-enabled employees, employee leave abuse and other labor and employment law updates. Sessions were presented by Amanda Lowe, Kevin Mulvehill, Colleen McMullen, James O'Connor, Jacob Lewis and Linda Prestegaard.

Thank you to all who attended!

10/13/2026

ALERT: CBP Opens Phase 3 of CAPE for IEEPA Refunds

On October 6, 2026, Phase 3 of the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) system was opened and “successfully deployed” by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) according to a statement from CBP filed that day. The statement was filed by CBP with the Court of International Trade (CIT) in the lead International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariff refund case, Freestyle World, Inc. v. United States, providing for the processing of refunds for certain qualified importers with finally liquidated entries.

Read more about Phase 3 of CAPE in our latest International Business alert by James Kevin Wholey.

On October 6, 2026, Phase 3 of the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) system was opened and “successfully deployed” by U.S. Customs

10/12/2026

We're back with a new round of Fresh Faces! Today, we'd like to introduce you to Julia Stevens, an associate (bar admission pending) in our Land, Environment and Energy Practice Group, focusing on environmental law, real estate, and land use, permitting and zoning.

https://phillipslytle.com/our-people/stevens-julia-c/

10/05/2026

Last week, Anna Mercado Clark attended the FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation's Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Academy in Quantico. This invite-only event brings together CISOs from key industries for candid dialogue abou how the FBI, domestic and international partners, and the private sector can work together to combat the growing threat of cyber attacks.

Additionally, Anna was selected as this CISO class's graduation speaker!

Pictured with Anna is Special Agent Chris Cope.

09/24/2026

Yesterday, Anna Mercado Clark, Adelyn Latona and Natalie Turney hosted Panic at the Firewall: A Data Breach Simulation in our Buffalo office. We had a great turnout for this interactive event in which participants worked in groups through a live data breach scenario.

09/23/2026

ALERT: Trump Administration Takes Action to Further Restrict and Scrutinize H-1B Program

On September 18, 2026, the Trump administration published a Proclamation extending Proclamation 10973 (Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers) until midnight on September 21, 2027.

The administration’s justification for this one-year extension is to further counteract perceived abuses of the H-1B program, as well as high unemployment for college graduates, wage suppression and fraud, all of which threaten the U.S.’s labor market and national interests. The $100,000 fee will expire on September 21, 2027, absent further extensions.

Read more about the Proclamation extending Proclamation 10973 in our latest Immigration alert by Seth Klemenich and Dani Rizzo.

New Proclamation Extends Application of $100,000 H-1B Fee

09/22/2026

We're pleased to announce that we have structured decades of investigations experience into a dedicated Internal Investigations Practice Team. Co-led by Partner James O'Connor and Special Counsel Scott Sroka, the practice team will draw on the firm’s expertise across labor and employment, health care, regulatory matters, government investigations, cybersecurity, higher education, Inspectors General investigations, white-collar criminal investigations and more. Together, this team will guide clients through internal, federal and international investigations into highly complex and sensitive situations.

Read more about the Internal Investigations Practice Team in our latest press release:

Buffalo, N.Y. – Phillips Lytle LLP announced the firm has structured its decades of investigations experience into a dedicated Internal Investigations

09/21/2026

Our associates are lucky ducks! During their associate retreat on Friday, they had the opportunity to visit Highmark Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills. It was the day after the Bills won their home opener in the new stadium, so there were some extra large smiles throughout the day (at least from our Western New York attorneys).