Andy Gaona’s Involvement in High Profile Cases Lands Him on Phoenix Business Journal 40 Under 40

Defending democracy, practicing law at the highest level, and serving the community led to Andy Gaona being selected as one of Phoenix Business Journal’s 2022 40 Under 40. Selected among more than 350 applicants, Andy’s work in helping draft important legislation and fighting back against unprecedented efforts to disenfranchise Arizona voters in the wake of the 2020 election caught the judges’ attention. He has also argued multiple high-profile cases in the Arizona Supreme Court, a feat most lawyers don’t achieve in their lifetimes. Community involvement is another criterion for the award, and Andy’s volunteerism is impressive. As the youngest Board President of the Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest, he helped expand the organization’s donor base, attracted diverse board members, established a social media presence...

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Scott Bennett Educates Healthcare Risk Management Readers on Importance of Timely Access Request Responses for HIPAA Compliance

Following the Office for Civil Rights’ (OCR) report to Congress that revealed a 61% increase in HIPAA breaches affecting more than 500 people in 2020, Healthcare Risk Management turned to Scott Bennett for specific actions healthcare organizations should take to avoid complaints surrounding patient access and disclosure requests. Scott encouraged healthcare providers to continuously educate their personnel on the unique requirements and differences between the two types of requests and suggested supplying them with actionable guidance documents to use between trainings. Ensuring every access request is logged and receives a response within 30 days, as HIPAA mandates, will prevent OCR enforcement actions. Scott also recommended healthcare entities conduct a wide-scale security assessment that extends to every piece of hardware and software that touches electronic PHI. A leading...

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Scott Bennett Helps In Business Readers Prepare for Pending Consumer Privacy Laws

Scott Bennett Provides In Business with Employee-Focused Strategies for Preventing Workplace Cyberattacks

Focusing its recent cover story on key legal issues businesses face, InBusiness Phoenix turned to Scott Bennett to address the growing risk cybersecurity attacks present and how to mitigate them. Because hacking attempts are increasingly discreet and sophisticated, employees are often a business’s biggest cybersecurity risk. The majority of cyberattacks are the result of human error, such as clicking on a spam email link, and Scott urged businesses to host employee ransomware and cybersecurity training on an ongoing basis instead of only during onboarding. A workforce that is well educated on detecting suspicious emails, setting strong passwords and ensuring private files are encrypted will help keep hacks to a minimum. With deep expertise in data privacy and security, Scott assists businesses in health care and other industries...

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Jill Chasson Highlights Need for Updating Workplace Drug Testing Policies in HR Daily Advisor

With many businesses unsure of their legal rights in enforcing workplace drug policies following legalization and decriminalization of recreational cannabis, Jill Chasson wrote articles for BLR’s HR Daily Advisor and Employment Law Letter (West) urging Arizona employers to reassess their current policies. Although alignment with Arizona’s designated drug testing statute isn’t mandatory, compliant policies provide employers with valuable protection from litigation. Jill outlined the required policy components and noted the importance of applying any policy to all compensated employees and ensuring it is distributed to the workforce. She also addressed the need for policies to outline consequences for refusing to take a required test or attempting to alter or substitute samples, advising inclusion of a range of potential disciplinary and rehabilitative actions. Well versed in the many...

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Roopali Desai Honored as One of 12 USA Today 2022 Women of the Year

Honoring strong and resilient champions of change for its 2022 Women of the Year, USA Today selected Coppersmith Brockelman attorney Roopali Desai as one of 12 national honorees. Part of a cohort that includes Kamala Harris, Melinda French Gates and Simone Biles, Roopali was chosen for her work  defending democracy and fighting on behalf of teachers, students, and vulnerable populations. The publication touted Roopali’s work in launching Arizona’s recreational marijuana program, defeating multiple lawsuits making false claims about the 2020 presidential election, and prevailing at the Arizona Supreme Court to void an unconstitutional ban on mask mandates that was illegally rolled into budget legislation. Additionally, it highlighted her work in giving marginalized populations a voice, which ties into her mantra of doing something because it is...

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Jill Chasson Helps KJZZ Listeners Navigate Fluctuating COVID-19 Workplace Restrictions

For two years, Arizona employees have adapted to a rollercoaster of ever-changing pandemic workplace guidelines. As COVID-19 restrictions decline in tandem with hospitalization rates, Jill Chasson sat down with KJZZ to explain what employers can legally require. Jill noted that for most companies, early pandemic legal questions about executive orders and closures evolved to issues affecting workers’ rights and safety protocols. Employers are legally allowed to require masks and can also ask about an employee's vaccination status, she explained. Chair of the firm’s governance committee and well-versed in federal and state workplace laws, Jill regularly works with employers to provide practical compliance advice and resolve difficult workplace issues. When disputes arise, she represents employers before administrative agencies, in arbitration proceedings, and in litigation in federal and state courts...

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