Environmental

Expert Analysis

• Key Risks For Green Bond Issuers When Plans Change

  

  Green bond issuers struggling to adhere to their frameworks amid a pandemic-prompted economic downturn should prioritize communication with investors consistent with their reporting obligations under the relevant securities laws, contracts and listing rules, say attorneys at Latham.

• Calif. Organic Waste Regs Mean Sweeping Changes For Cos.

  

  With the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery set to release final regulations aimed at aggressively minimizing organic waste, businesses should review their obligations under the rules as well as the details of their local jurisdiction’s implementation, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

• Don't Forget Firm Culture When Adapting To Remote Work

  

  While law firms suddenly pivoting to remote work due to coronavirus restrictions are busy dealing with logistical challenges, an equally pressing and perhaps more difficult task may be adjusting a long-standing brick-and-mortar culture to working remotely for the first time, say Heather Clauson Haughian and Grant Walsh at Culhane Meadows.

• Fracking Decision Strengthens Precedent On Forced Pooling

  

  A Colorado federal court's ruling last month in Wildgrass Oil & Gas Committee v. State of Colorado joins several recent decisions confirming that forced pooling of mineral interests is legal in the context of hydraulic fracturing, says Russell Gips at Copeland & Rice.

• Conducting Court Hearings Remotely: 12 Considerations

  

  As more courts begin to explore remote hearings during the COVID-19 crisis, attorneys and courts should be aware of some of the common concerns accompanying video- and teleconferencing technology and make allowances to avoid these issues, say Attison Barnes III and Krystal Swendsboe at Wiley Rein.

• What Cos. Must Know About EPA's COVID-19 Policy

  

  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s recently issued temporary policy on the implications of COVID-19 for environmental enforcement and compliance activities provides some comfort to companies trying to reconcile pandemic control measures with environmental obligations, say Joel Gross and Jonathan Martel at Arnold & Porter.

• The Era Of Video Mediation Is Here — Or Is It?

  

  Mediator Jeff Kichaven has heard from several first-chair trial lawyers and senior claims executives that they are reluctant to adopt online video mediation even during the COVID-19 crisis, and says this reluctance is grounded in reality.

• COVID-19 Highlights BigLaw Need For Emotional Intelligence

  

  The formula for making decisions at BigLaw firms has historically been rooted in IQ-based factors, but with the ongoing pandemic, lawyers and firm leaders are increasingly dealing with issues that require emotional intelligence — from establishing effective virtual offices to retaining firm morale and client confidence, say Jolie Balido and Tina van der Ven at NewStar Media.

• Key Issues As Automakers Shift To Medical Device Production

  

  As automakers respond creatively to the COVID-19 pandemic, they must anticipate and address important performance and quality requirements as they work to quickly transform automotive and others factories for medical device production, say advisers and attorneys at King & Spalding.

• Opinion

  Judicial Shaming Of Attys Is Troubling Even During Pandemic

  

  Judges have recently rebuked attorneys for wasting judicial resources to resolve minor issues during the COVID-19 crisis, including in a trademark lawsuit over unicorn drawings. But it is unfair to publicly flog lawyers for doing what they are trained to do, says Ronald Minkoff, chairman of Frankfurt Kurnit's professional responsibility group.

• Environmental Compliance Essentials During The Pandemic

  

  Organizations can take certain steps now to ensure they are able to meet environmental compliance obligations during the COVID-19 pandemic — or to obtain relief based on force majeure, impossibility or impracticability of performance, compliance-with-all-laws clauses, enforcement discretion, or emergency relief provisions, say Bernadette Rappold and Christopher Bell at Greenberg Traurig.

• Don't Be Social Media Distancing: LinkedIn Tips For Lawyers

  

  While we need to be physically apart at this time, lawyers and firms should be leaning into social media to reinforce and build relationships, and help guide clients through the coronavirus crisis, says marketing consultant Stefanie Marrone.

• COVID-19 And Construction Stormwater Discharge Permits

  

  As some state and local jurisdictions have begun to direct that construction projects shut down due to COVID-19 concerns, questions have arisen about contractors’ ongoing obligations under their projects’ National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System construction stormwater discharge permits, says Nick Hoogstraten at Peckar & Abramson.

• Justices' Citgo Ruling Offers Shippers Contractual Clarity

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court's recent opinion in Citgo v. Frescati provides shippers, brokers and counsel with assurance that maritime shipping contracts' safe berth clauses are an express warranty of safety, allowing future agreements to be drafted with greater certainty, say Christopher Nolan and Robert Denig at Holland & Knight.

• Remote Depositions: Coming To A Home Office Near You

  

  Recent Texas state court orders indicate judges are increasingly requiring parties and nonparties to submit to remote depositions amid the pandemic. However, there are inherent drawbacks to such depositions, including limitations on attorneys’ ability to assess witness credibility, says Edward Duffy at Reed Smith.