Analysis

State Of 2026 Energy Dealmaking: Midyear Report

By Keith Goldberg

The war in Iran is the most influential development that has shaped energy dealmaking so far in 2026, and that figures to still be the case in the second half of the year. Other factors include data center demands and tax credits. Here, attorneys outline to Law360 the trends that are defining energy transactions this year.

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EPA Floats Compliance Changes To Truck Emission Regs

By Gautama Mehta

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday proposed reducing the mileage for which trucks that will be built in 2027 have to adhere to emissions standards established in 2023.

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Judge Backs Feds' Valuation Method In Windfarm Grant Fight

By Tom Lotshaw

A U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge ordered several California wind farm owners and the federal government to largely employ a method the government proposed to value their facilities and hash out a decade-old dispute over grants worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

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Fed. Circ. Hunts For Definition Of Heat-Resistant Brick

By Jack McLoone

A Federal Circuit panel pressed attorneys Thursday on how to define specialized heat-resistant bricks when compared to a similar product while considering a claim that the U.S. Court of International Trade essentially nullified duty orders on bricks by reinterpreting a previous appellate court decision.

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Brief

EU, South Africa Meet To Discuss Clean Energy Trade Deal

By Dylan Moroses

South African and European officials began an intergovernmental dialogue Thursday to continue implementation efforts on the green energy trade deal signed last year, with particular focus on the kinds of businesses and investment projects the deal should encourage, according to a news release by the European Commission.

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Brief

WTO, IMF, World Bank, IEA Cite Uneven Iran War Toll

By Dylan Moroses

The ongoing war in Iran sharply raised energy and fertilizer prices when it began, and although those prices have dropped, the conflict continues to fuel significant trade volatility, according to a joint statement issued by the leaders of four global economic rule-setting bodies.

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Exxon, Chevron Can't Exit Climate Suit Over Wash. Heat Death

By Rachel Riley

A Washington state judge said Wednesday that Exxon, Chevron and other oil giants must face a lawsuit over a death in a 2021 heat wave, distinguishing the case from other climate torts brought by cities and rejecting the companies' contention that the family of Juliana Leon is seeking to regulate global greenhouse gas emissions.

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DOJ Joins Another Suit Aimed At Calif. Emissions Rules

By Elaine Briseño

The U.S. Department of Justice has intervened in another lawsuit targeting California's emission rules for heavy-duty trucks, arguing the Clean Air Act bars states from attempting to enforce or adopt their own emissions standards for new vehicles.

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CFTC Puts CME's 24/7 Crude Oil Contract Trading On Ice

By Aislinn Keely

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission on Thursday slammed the brakes on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange's plan to offer round-the-clock trading on crude oil futures, calling the exchange's attempt to self-certify the contracts "wholly inappropriate" after the agency publicly sought feedback on the risks of 24/7 trading in the energy industry.

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Russia Says No Arbitration Pact Backed $219M Crimea Award

By Caroline Simson

Russia has now revived its argument that it never agreed to arbitrate a $219 million dispute with a subsidiary of one of Ukraine's largest privately owned energy distributors, telling a D.C. federal court that underlying treaty protections don't apply to Crimean investors.

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Levona Pans Greenberg Traurig, Reed Smith Privilege Claims

By Andrea Keckley

Levona Holdings has urged a New York federal judge to order Reed Smith LLP and Greenberg Traurig LLP to turn over privilege logs in discovery related to the company's motion for sanctions, saying there are "reasons to doubt" the firms' privilege claims.

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Orbital Data Centers Pose Environmental Risks, FCC Warned

By Ganesh Setty

Groups aimed at combatting pollution have urged the Federal Communications Commission to assess the environmental effects of low-orbit, satellite-based data centers before issuing any licenses for such projects, saying existing proposals "describe their plans in grandiose, civilization-changing terms."

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States Flag Freedom Forever's Deal With Financier In Ch. 11

By Clara Geoghegan

A dozen states have objected to Freedom Forever's settlement with one of its key financing partners, telling a Delaware judge they were concerned about the deal's impacts on customer contracts with the bankrupt solar panel installer.

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Investors Look To Enforce €52M Romania Energy Award

By Joyce Hanson

A Dutch investor and related European entities have urged a D.C. federal court to enforce an arbitral award now worth some €52 million ($59 million) that they won against Romania after the country yanked a series of incentives for renewable energy projects.

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DLA Piper Adds Kirkland Project Finance Partner In DC

By Jack Rodgers

DLA Piper has announced it hired a Kirkland & Ellis LLP partner who primarily works on U.S. and Latin American project finance matters with clients focused on natural resources financing.

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PacifiCorp Ruling Shows Limits Of Aggregate Wildfire Loss Models

An Oregon appeals court's recent decision in James v. PacifiCorp illustrates that in litigation involving multiple wildfires, materially different causation theories, and evidence tied to particular fires and locations, a single undifferentiated damages model is vulnerable to attack, say Paige Van Oosten and Jason Kim at Hunton and Kevin Cahill at FTI Consulting.

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How Reincorporating In Texas May Alter Earnout Disputes

While the DExit debate has focused on shareholder suits, far less attention has been paid to what reincorporating in Texas means for M&A disputes, making it particularly important to understand the nuances between Delaware and Texas earnout jurisprudence, say attorneys at Selendy Gay.

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Series

Bass Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Landing a trophy striped bass and closing a big deal both require cultivating the patience to finesse — not force — your way to desired outcomes, changing course when your old approach isn’t working and learning from the ones that got away, says Jon Ruiss at Alston & Bird.

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Bradley Adds Bankruptcy Atty From Arnall Golden In Atlanta

By Emily Johnson

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP has added an Arnall Golden Gregory LLP partner in its Atlanta office, strengthening its bankruptcy and creditors' rights practice with an attorney who brings more than 25 years of legal experience.

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Roundup

UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

By Laura Stewart Liberty

The past week in London has seen lawyer Ian Rosenblatt launch legal action against music mogul Simon Cowell, Boohoo face a fresh investor claim after previously facing allegations that it feigned ignorance of labor abuses in its supply chain, and an ex-Tory MP and his chief of staff sued by their former employer. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

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Oura Health Swaps In Sidley For Quinn After Ex-CEO's DQ Bid

By Dorothy Atkins

A California federal judge granted Oura Health's request to swap in Sidley Austin LLP for Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP in breach-of-contract litigation by the fitness tracker company's former CEO after the ex-executive sought to disqualify Quinn Emanuel for purportedly having access to his confidential data.

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11th Circ. Upholds Airline's Win In COVID Discrimination Case

By Irene Spezzamonte

A group of workers for a commercial airline and a related entity failed to support their claims that the companies' COVID-19 pandemic-era policies discriminated against their religious beliefs, the Eleventh Circuit ruled Friday, while sharply criticizing their attorney for his misuse of artificial intelligence.

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Brooklyn Legal Aid Provider's Union Sets Strike Deadline

By Andrea Keckley

The union for the Brooklyn Defender Services has voted to authorize a strike if it doesn't reach an agreement with managers by the morning of July 16.

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4 Takeaways From Probe Of Feb. 2025 Calif. Bar Exam Fiasco

By Emily Sawicki

Poor implementation of the February 2025 California Bar Exam resulted in millions of dollars in extra costs and negatively affected "a significant portion" of test-takers, according to a new report by the California State Auditor.

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UChicago Law Takes On AI With Phone And Laptop Ban

By Matt Perez

The University of Chicago Law School will prohibit the use of electronic devices such as laptops, tablets and phones in all first-year law school sections and courses as part of new policies dictating the use of artificial intelligence at the school.

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Roundup

GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Michele Gorman

Among the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week: The SEC chair said this year's corporate proxy season saw none of the "dire predictions" some had forecast, and in a recent survey, hundreds of law firm leaders said they're increasingly losing clients, citing problems in delivering their legal services.

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Reed Smith Creates AI-Focused Legal Services Team

By Emily Johnson

Reed Smith LLP has created a department to bring lawyers, e-discovery and AI professionals and others to support clients and the firm with legal, business and technology-focused guidance, and tapped a partner in Philadelphia to spearhead the effort.

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Baker Donelson Wins $45K From Tenn. Firm Over AI Misuse

By Lynn LaRowe

Tennessee personal injury firm Reaves Law Firm PLLC must pay more than $45,000 in attorney fees to Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC over Reaves Law's misuse of artificial intelligence in a federal malpractice suit against Baker Donelson.

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NJ Panel Urges Attys To Be 'Introspective' Before Retirement

By Jake Maher

A panel of attorneys and retired judges encouraged New Jersey lawyers to be "introspective" and plan ahead as they navigate leaving their identity as a lawyer behind in retirement.

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What To Know About New US Atty For Texas' Southern District

By Lynn LaRowe

Aaron Reitz, who was previously a top deputy to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and served in the U.S. Department of Justice before a failed bid for state attorney general, is now U.S. attorney for the Lone Star State's Southern District.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Greene Broillet & Wheeler LLP and Ludd & Ludd lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after a San Diego jury ordered Hyatt to pay $15.5 million over the death of a guest who was left uncontacted for a day after failing to check out.

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HHS' Ex-GC Committed Ethics Violations, Watchdog Says

By Craig Clough

A watchdog organization filed a complaint Thursday with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General seeking an investigation into former HHS general counsel Michael Stuart over alleged federal ethics violations, saying it appears he failed to divest from prohibited financial holdings and made prohibited investment purchases after taking office.

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NY Nonprofits Want ICE Docs On Courthouse Arrest Policies

By Stewart Bishop

Nonprofit groups suing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over courthouse arrest policies pressed a Manhattan federal judge to force the agency to produce documents and testimony concerning arrests it conducts outside immigration courts after the agency's revised policy concerning such arrests in Manhattan was put on hold.

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Atty's 'Fabricated Quotes,' 'Reliance on AI' Panned By Judge

By Craig Clough

A New York magistrate judge struck a brief Friday filed by an attorney representing a client suing Roc Nation after finding that it included numerous fabrications that may have resulted from artificial intelligence hallucinations, noting that the attorney has been "repeatedly" sanctioned or warned by multiple courts for the same behavior. 

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In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360

For those who missed out, here's a look back at the law firms, stories and expert analyses that generated the most buzz on Law360 last week.

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Davis Wright Atty Hit With Sanctions After Winning Sanctions

By Jeff Overley

After defending six-figure sanctions of plaintiffs lawyers for "a reckless course of prolonging litigation," a Davis Wright Tremaine LLP attorney is facing his own six-figure sanctions, with a California magistrate judge finding he "unnecessarily burdened" opposing counsel despite warnings dating back years about "improper litigation tactics."

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