Russia Must Put Up Security In $50B Yukos Award Suit

By Caroline Simson

England's Court of Appeal on Thursday ordered Russia to put up nearly £1 million (£1.3 million) in security as it appeals the enforcement of some $50 billion in arbitral awards to former shareholders of Yukos Oil Co., citing a "real risk" that the country could refuse to pay if it's unsuccessful.

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India Loses Bid To Block $273M UAE Investment Claim

By Robbie Kalus

India failed on Thursday to block a $273 million claim brought by the Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority, a government-backed investment vehicle in the United Arab Emirates, over a collapsed aluminium production, as a London appeals court rejected the country's challenge to an arbitration tribunal's jurisdiction.

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Investor Says $68M Bulgaria Award Can't Be Nixed

By Gautama Mehta

A renewable energy investor asked the D.C. Circuit to enforce a €61 million ($68 million) arbitral award it won from Bulgaria, arguing Bulgaria's accession to the European Union did not render the treaty under which that award was granted inapplicable.

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Reed Smith Seeks 2nd Circ. Emergency Stay In Eletson Row

By Bonnie Eslinger

Reed Smith urged the Second Circuit in an emergency motion to pause lower court decisions requiring the firm to turn over client files related to shipping company Eletson, saying the courts have "presumed the outcome" of a bankruptcy appeal before scheduled December oral arguments.

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Notice Flaws Sink Malawi Bid To Enforce $8.6M Award

By Tom Lotshaw

A New Jersey federal judge refused to confirm an $8.6 million arbitral award a Malawi telecommunications regulator secured against Precisely Software Inc. after finding that it failed to do enough to notify the U.S. company of the arbitration proceedings.

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Series

Being In The Peace Corps Made Me A Better Lawyer

When I served in the Peace Corps, the people of the West African village where I was stationed helped me acclimate to my new surroundings and enabled me to develop problem-solving, teamwork and empathy skills that have bolstered my legal practice far beyond the ability to offer technical advice, says Brian Bewley at McGuireWoods.

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New Weil-Willkie Domains Add To Merger Speculation

By Marialuisa Taddia

Two domain names that combine the names of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP have been registered, fueling speculation about a potential merger between the two prominent Wall Street law firms.

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Bonus Spotlight

Hueston Hennigan Bumps Clerkship Bonus To $205K

By Lynn LaRowe

Trial boutique Hueston Hennigan is offering a $205,000 bonus to lawyers who have completed one or more federal clerkships, the firm confirmed Thursday.

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'Grave Errors': 5th Circ. Boots Judge After AI 'Botch Job'

By Jeff Overley

A Mississippi federal judge's careless use of artificial intelligence tools led to "sloppy edicts" riddled with "falsehoods and fabrications," the Fifth Circuit held in a Thursday night opinion removing the judge from litigation over an anti-DEI law in the Magnolia State because of his "extraordinarily grave errors."

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Texas Judge Probe Shows Lack Of Mental Impairment Process

By Jack Karp

Fifth Circuit officials have done a reasonable job of handling a rare situation involving a Texas federal judge who appears to be undergoing a mental health crisis, but the episode highlights that a more standardized way of dealing with federal judges experiencing mental impairment needs to be established, experts and scholars say.

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Jackson Walker Hits Back At Fee Clawback Sanction Move

By Vince Sullivan

Law firm Jackson Walker said Wednesday that it should not be sanctioned for failing to bring to a Texas federal judge's attention additional cases involving an undisclosed romantic relationship between a bankruptcy judge and one of its attorneys because the U.S. Trustee already investigated those cases and didn't take action.

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GOP Reps. Seek Probe Of Fla. Judge's Sanctions Order

By Courtney Bublé

Top Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee asked the Judicial Conference Thursday to investigate a Florida federal judge for potential misconduct with an order she issued in the case involving the leak of President Donald Trump's tax returns.

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JPMorgan, Ex-Frank Execs Clash Over $2.1M In Legal Fees

By Jarek Rutz

JPMorgan Chase & Co. faced renewed demands in the Delaware Chancery Court on Thursday to pay about $2.1 million in withheld legal fees for convicted Frank founder Charlie Javice and former executive Olivier Amar, as their lawyers accused the bank of using repeated billing objections to delay funding for their criminal defenses.

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Roundup MDL Atty Fund 'Cries Out' For Review, 9th Circ. Told

By Dorothy Atkins

Plaintiffs' firms urged the Ninth Circuit to reverse a ruling Thursday requiring them to contribute 8% of their recovery fees to a common benefit fund in multidistrict litigation over Monsanto's Roundup weed killer, arguing the judge ignored a special master's recommendation and the issue "cries out for some appellate supervision."

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