Analysis

New SEC Reporting Plan May Not Sway Energy Cos.

By Keith Goldberg

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission wants to let publicly traded companies move from a quarterly to a semiannual earnings reporting schedule, but energy industry volatility and investor expectations may make oil and gas firms reluctant to embrace the option.

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Analysis

4 Key Issues Enviro Attys Are Watching In The Farm Bill

By Gautama Mehta

After a contentious passage in the House, the Farm Bill may face a similarly thorny path in the Senate. Here, Law360 previews the key issues environmental attorneys are watching in the proposed legislation.

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4th Circ. Halts Md. Law Banning Electricity Greenwashing

By Gautama Mehta

The Fourth Circuit on Friday halted a Maryland law aimed at preventing electricity companies from falsely marketing their power as environmentally friendly, saying it may be overly broad in a likely violation of the First Amendment.

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'I've Looked At Your Billing Records,' Rivian Judge Jokes

By Rae Ann Varona

A California federal judge said Friday that she intends to grant final approval to Rivian's $250 million investor settlement, and drew laughs when she cut off a plaintiffs' attorney arguing that counsel worked hard for their requested fees, quipping, "I've looked at your billing records, I know."

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Lawmakers Decry USDA Plan To End Roadless Forest Rule

By Crystal Owens

Federal Democratic lawmakers are backing environmental and tribal advocacy groups' opposition to the Trump administration's plan to rescind the long-standing Roadless Area Conservation Rule, arguing the rollback will cause widespread harm to public lands, wildlife, frontline communities and regional economies.

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DC Circ. Hears Russia's Bid To Block $5B Yukos Award

By Joyce Hanson

The Russian Federation's constitution and statutes make clear that Vladimir Putin's administration and Yukos Oil Co.'s financing arm didn't have a valid agreement to arbitrate a dispute that resulted in a nearly $5 billion arbitral award against the country, Russia told the D.C. Circuit Friday.

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US Backs Pause On Tatneft Discovery Over Ukraine Risks

By Caroline Simson

The Trump administration seeks to keep a nearly decade-old case filed by one of Russia's largest oil companies to enforce a $173 million arbitral award against Ukraine on ice until hostilities in the region have ended, saying Kyiv has "credibly asserted" that its national security is at risk.

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Texas Oil Co. Defeats Race And ADHD Bias Claims

By José Luis Martínez

A Texas federal judge on Friday ended a former Apache Corp. employee's race and disability discrimination suit before jurors could deliberate, granting motions for judgment by the company and its parent that said the ex-employee was not able to offer evidence on any of her claims.

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Michigan Says DOE Lacked Crisis To Extend Coal Plant Life

By Jared Foretek

A D.C. Circuit panel attempted Friday to find the limit on the U.S. Department of Energy's emergency authority to keep power plants running without a regional utility's request, with Michigan arguing that no emergency existed to justify the federal government's orders to keep a Consumers Energy plant online.

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Metals Co. Sued Over Massive Feb. Data Breach

By Kelcey Caulder

A Georgia-based steel and metal distributor was hit with a proposed class action in federal court alleging it failed to safeguard the personal data of more than 5.5 million account holders during a February data breach.

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'Mobile' Sources For On-Site Generation May Be A Risky Bet

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering treating large on-site generators used at data centers as mobile rather than stationary sources under the Clean Air Act, a significant policy change that would leave developers that adopt this solution at risk of regulatory reversals, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

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What Jury Holdouts Can Teach Trial Lawyers About Strategy

Though a hung jury can be a disappointment, a psychological understanding of jury holdouts can help trial lawyers shape their damages arguments and understand leadership and group composition as a function of jury selection, says Clint Townson at Townson Litigation.

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3 AI Adoption Mistakes GCs Should Avoid

The pressure in-house legal teams face to quickly adopt artificial intelligence tools, combined with budget constraints and the need to evaluate a crowded market of options, sets the stage for implementation mistakes that are often difficult to undo, says former 23andMe general counsel Guy Chayoun.

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Murdaugh Sues Ex-Court Clerk Who Tried To Sway The Jury

By Jack Karp

Disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh is suing the court clerk whose attempt to influence the jury in his murder trial led the South Carolina Supreme Court to overturn his murder conviction.

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Morgan & Morgan Atty Barred From Harvard Suit Over AI Error

By Chris Villani

A Massachusetts judge on Monday said a Morgan & Morgan PA attorney may not appear before him in a suit against Harvard University over the theft of body parts donated to its medical school, saying the lawyer did not learn his lesson after signing off on briefs in another case with fake case law generated by artificial intelligence.

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Trump Seeks Circuit Seats For 2 Judges He Appointed

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump's recent picks for the Eighth and Tenth Circuits mark the first time in his second administration that he's seeking to elevate judges he appointed in his first term.

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Health Co. Wants Kirkland Off IP Case For 'Cardinal Sin'

By Elliot Weld

A healthcare company suing medical technology company Commure Inc. over alleged trade secret theft has said Kirkland & Ellis LLP should be disqualified from representing Commure because the healthcare company had tried to retain Kirkland prior to filing the suit and shared confidential information before anyone asked who the defendant was going to be.

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Wyoming Prosecutor Confirmed Despite Misconduct Rebuke

By Courtney Bublé

Just a few days ago, federal judges tossed nine criminal indictments after President Donald Trump's pick to lead the U.S. attorney's office of Wyoming was accused of prosecutorial misconduct. On Monday evening, he was confirmed to permanently lead the office.

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Analysis

Half The Nation's Bar Apps Could Remove Rape Questions

By Cara Bayles

By next year, it's possible that about half of U.S. jurisdictions will have amended character and fitness questions to avoid dredging up aspiring lawyers' sexual trauma. But while advocates hail the reforms as progress, concerns linger about the patchwork this could create across the country.

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Ex-Willkie Atty Banned By SEC For Insider Trading

By Emily Sawicki

A former Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP mergers and acquisitions attorney who earlier this month admitted to taking part in a widespread BigLaw insider trading scheme will be barred from representing a client before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a minimum of four years, according to an order the agency issued Monday.

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NY Judge Largely Halts Manhattan Immigration Courts Arrests

By Rae Ann Varona

A New York federal judge Monday largely barred U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from conducting arrests at three Manhattan immigration courthouses, finding there was no good reason why "unfettered discretion" by ICE officers was better than a policy with arrest limitations.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court this past week handled a broad mix of celebrity estate litigation, merger disputes, investor suits, record demands, sanctions fights and questions over corporate moves away from Delaware.

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