Aerospace & Defense

  • May 21, 2024

    Copyright Claims Against Defense Agencies Go To Trial

    A Court of Federal Claims judge has ruled that a geospatial technology firm's copyright infringement claims against defense agencies must go to trial, citing disputed facts about whether related software was effectively created on the government's time and dime.

  • May 21, 2024

    More Classified Docs Were Found After Mar-A-Lago Raid

    Additional classified documents were found at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, including in Trump's bedroom, after the FBI's August 2022 search of the Florida property, according to a filing unsealed Tuesday in the criminal case accusing him of mishandling classified documents.

  • May 21, 2024

    Feds Say Importer Can Get Domestic Steel, Instead Of Duty Relief

    The U.S. Department of Commerce defended its refusal to exempt a steel company from potentially millions of dollars worth of national security tariffs, saying it was swayed by evidence that the company could source materials domestically.

  • May 21, 2024

    BASF Agrees To $316.5M Settlement In PFAS Foam MDL

    Attorneys representing public water systems in a South Carolina multidistrict litigation over so-called forever chemicals in drinking water announced Tuesday that they've reached an agreement in principle with defendant BASF Corp., which will pay $316.5 million to resolve the claims.

  • May 21, 2024

    Strategic Hiring Was The New Normal For BigLaw In 2023

    The 400 largest law firms by headcount in the U.S. grew more slowly in 2023 than in the previous two years, while Kirkland & Ellis LLP surpassed the 3,000-attorney threshold, according to the latest Law360 ranking.

  • May 21, 2024

    The Law360 400: Tracking The Largest US Law Firms

    The legal market expanded more tentatively in 2023 than in previous years amid a slowdown in demand for legal services, especially in transactions, an area that has been sluggish but is expected to quicken in the near future.

  • May 21, 2024

    3rd Circ. Revives American Airlines Pilots' Military Leave Suit

    The Third Circuit reopened a class action Tuesday accusing American Airlines of unlawfully denying pilots pay for short military assignments while compensating employees for jury duty and bereavement leave, ruling a trial is needed to determine whether time off for military service is fungible with paid absences.

  • May 20, 2024

    SolarWinds Accuses SEC Of 'Troubling Pattern' Of Distortion

    SolarWinds Corp. is calling out the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for what it deems to be a "troubling pattern" of overstating its case against the government contractor, saying that a recent admission by the agency "dooms" claims that the company knew a customer had been hacked and failed to report it.

  • May 20, 2024

    Texas Judge Rescinds Denial Of SpaceX's Rethink Bid

    A Texas federal judge on Monday walked back his decision last week not to reconsider an order transferring SpaceX's National Labor Relations Board constitutionality dispute to a California court, saying he is "awaiting input from the Fifth Circuit."

  • May 20, 2024

    Startup Admits Sharing IP With Boeing After Supposed Swipe

    The co-founder of a startup accusing the Boeing Co. of plotting to steal its intellectual property to build a copycat electric jet acknowledged during cross-examination Monday that his company kept willingly sharing trade secrets with the aviation giant after discovering the alleged misappropriations.

  • May 20, 2024

    FCC Told Ad Disclosure Rule Would Violate APA, Free Speech

    Broadcasters are continuing their push to get the Federal Communications Commission to drop the potential inclusion of some political ads and public service announcements from proposed foreign disclosure rules, this time saying that the rule would violate the First Amendment.

  • May 20, 2024

    Kepler Backs SpaceX Push To Revamp 'Big LEO' Band

    Satellite tech company Kepler Communications Inc. has urged the Federal Communications Commission to move forward with a potential new sharing framework for the "Big LEO" band as recently proposed by SpaceX.

  • May 20, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Delaware was full of drama last week, as proposed changes to the state's corporate law statutes raised eyebrows and a professor's friend-of-the-court brief sparked a very unfriendly public exchange. Delaware's court of equity banged the gavel on pipeline and social media disputes, and shareholders filed new suits alleging insider trading, vote bungling, unfair stock buybacks and merger shenanigans. In case you missed any of it, here's the recap of all the top news last week from Delaware's Chancery Court.

  • May 20, 2024

    China Sanctions 3 US Firms For Arms Sales To Taiwan

    The Chinese Government has sanctioned units of Boeing, General Atomics and General Dynamics over the companies' sales of weapons to Taiwan, barring the companies from trade or investment in China, citing alleged threats to its sovereignty.

  • May 20, 2024

    Menendez Texts With Wife A Legislative Promise, Judge Says

    Emoji-laden texts between Sen. Robert Menendez and his wife about an arms sale constitute a legislative promise, a Manhattan federal judge reiterated Monday, as the government seeks to prove the power couple had a corrupt agreement with a New Jersey businessman.

  • May 20, 2024

    Assange Gets Final Appeal In Fight Against US Extradition

    Julian Assange won a lifeline in his long-running fight against extradition to the U.S. on Monday as an English court granted him permission to challenge assurances from American authorities that the WikiLeaks founder would not face discrimination at trial.

  • May 17, 2024

    Manufacturer Slapped With Sanctions In Seaplane Crash Case

    A Washington state judge sanctioned an aircraft manufacturer for "willful" discovery violations on Friday in a lawsuit over a 2022 seaplane accident that killed 10 people, then ruled during a hearing that maritime law covers the accident, which a plaintiffs attorney says will expand the relief victims' families can seek.

  • May 17, 2024

    Boeing Jury Urged To Award Startup At Least $163M At IP Trial

    An electric-jet company told a Seattle jury Friday that Boeing misappropriated its trade secrets to build a copycat plane under the guise of investing in the startup, entitling it to an award of more than $163 million.

  • May 17, 2024

    VA Deal Winner Says Protest Not Based On Common Sense

    The winner of a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs mail-order pharmacy deal urged the U.S. Court of Federal Claims to toss a competitor's protest of the award, saying the protester's challenge was based on an incorrect reading of applicable regulations.

  • May 17, 2024

    How A $3K Pro Se Claim Led To A 9-0 High Court Decision

    A milestone victory at the U.S. Supreme Court for $3,000 in wages started with a Pentagon worker’s principled commitment to his employer — a dedication that ironically led to a decadelong fight against his own bosses. Stuart R. Harrow and his attorneys speak to Law360 about how a seemingly low-stakes conflict turned into a high-profile case with reverberations for hundreds of federal employees.

  • May 17, 2024

    Defense Cos. Delaying Delivery Of F-35 Parts, Watchdog Says

    A government watchdog has called out production and software delays within the U.S. Department of Defense's F-35 program, saying contractors Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney are delivering aircraft and engines late despite the fighter jet moving into full production status.

  • May 17, 2024

    Sanctioned Man's Daughter Says Blacklist Inescapable

    A Myanmar woman the U.S. blacklisted based on conclusions her father provided fuel to Myanmar's military regime accused the U.S. government of trapping her on a sanctions list, leaving her unable to support herself or complete studies at Columbia University.

  • May 17, 2024

    Industry Emboldened After Justices Galvanize Agency Attacks

    In the year since the U.S. Supreme Court said "extraordinary" and "far-reaching" attacks on administrative enforcers can skip agency tribunals and go straight to federal district court, ambitious challenges to regulatory powers are rapidly gaining traction, and the high court is poised to put them on an even firmer footing.

  • May 17, 2024

    Menendez Bribery Trial: 5 Things To Know About Week 1

    Explosive opening statements, closed-door jury questioning and an FBI agent's recount of the moment he found a treasure trove of gold bars and cash highlighted the first week of trial in the government's second corruption case against U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez.

  • May 17, 2024

    Texas Judge Denies SpaceX's Rethink Bid In Transfer Spat

    A Texas federal judge won't reconsider his decision to transfer SpaceX's constitutional challenge to the National Labor Relations Board's structure to a California court, saying on Friday that the rocket company didn't give a "compelling reason" to rethink the ruling.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Expanded Detention Will Not Solve Immigration Challenges

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    The recently defeated bipartisan border package included provisions that would increase funding for detention, a costly distraction from reforms like improved adjudication and legal representation that could address legitimate economic and public safety concerns at much lower cost, say Alexandra Dufresne and Kyle Wolf at Cornell University.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: Facts Differ But Same Rules Apply

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    Zachary Jacobson and Sarah Barney at Seyfarth examine two decisions illustrating that reliance on a technicality may not save an otherwise untimely appeal, and that enforcement of commercial terms and conditions under a federal supply schedule contract may be possible.

  • Series

    Spray Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My experiences as an abstract spray paint artist have made me a better litigator, demonstrating — in more ways than one — how fluidity and flexibility are necessary parts of a successful legal practice, says Erick Sandlin at Bracewell.

  • How Policymakers Can Preserve The Promise Of Global Trade

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    Global trade faces increasing challenges but could experience a resurgence if long-held approaches adjust and the U.S. accounts for factors that undermine free trade's continuing viability, such as regional trading blocs and the increasing speed of technological advancement, says David Jividen at White & Case.

  • New Russia Sanctions Reveal Int'l Enforcement Capabilities

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    Significant new U.K., U.S. and EU sanctions imposed on Russia notably target Europe-based individuals and entities accused of sanctions evasion, and with an apparent political will to enhance capabilities, the rhetoric is translating into international enforcement activity, say lawyers at Cadwalader.

  • 10 Areas To Watch In Aerospace And Defense Contracting Law

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    The near future holds a number of key areas to watch in aerospace and defense contracting law, ranging from dramatic developments in the space industry to recent National Defense Authorization Act updates, which are focused on U.S. leadership in emerging technologies, say Joseph Berger and Chip Purcell at Thompson Hine.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Independence Is Imperative This Election Year

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    As the next election nears, the judges involved in the upcoming trials against former President Donald Trump increasingly face political pressures and threats of violence — revealing the urgent need to safeguard judicial independence and uphold the rule of law, says Benes Aldana at the National Judicial College.

  • How Harsher Penalties For AI Crimes May Work In Practice

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    With recent pronouncements from the U.S. Department of Justice that prosecutors may seek sentencing enhancements for crimes committed using artificial intelligence, defense counsel should understand how the sentencing guidelines and statutory factors will come into play, says Jennie VonCannon at Crowell & Moring.

  • Document Retention Best Practices To Lower Litigation Risks

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    As new technologies emerge and terabytes of data can be within the purview of a single discovery request, businesses small and large should take four document management steps to effectively minimize risks of litigation and discovery sanctions long before litigation ensues, says Kimbrilee Weber at Norris McLaughlin.

  • Series

    Riding My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Using the Peloton platform for cycling, running, rowing and more taught me that fostering a mind-body connection will not only benefit you physically and emotionally, but also inspire stamina, focus, discipline and empathy in your legal career, says Christopher Ward at Polsinelli.

  • Compliance Steps After ABA White Collar Crime Conference

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    Senior law enforcement officials’ statements this month at the American Bar Association's white collar crime conference suggest government enforcement efforts this year will increasingly focus on whistleblower incentives, artificial intelligence and data protection, and companies will need to update their compliance programs accordingly, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents

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    Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.

  • What 2 Years Of Ukraine-Russia Conflict Can Teach Cos.

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    A few key legal lessons for the global business community since Russia's invasion of Ukraine could help protect global commerce in times of future conflict, including how to respond to disparate trade restrictions and sanctions, navigate war-related contract disputes, and protect against heightened cybersecurity risks, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Risks Of Nonmutual Offensive Collateral Estoppel In MDLs

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    After the Supreme Court declined to review the Sixth Circuit's ruling in the E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. personal injury litigation, nonmutual offensive collateral estoppel could show up in more MDLs, and transform the loss of a single MDL bellwether trial into a de facto classwide decision that binds thousands of other MDL cases, say Chantale Fiebig and Luke Sullivan at Weil Gotshal.

  • Wesco Ch. 11 Ruling Marks Shift In Uptier Claim Treatment

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    A Texas bankruptcy court’s recent decision in In re: Wesco Aircraft Holdings leaves nonparticipating creditors with a road map to litigate to judgment non-pro rata liability management transactions, and foreshadows that bankruptcy courts may no longer be a friendly forum for these types of claims, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

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