Commercial Contracts

February 15, 2013
In-House Attys Name 11 Exceptional Insurance Lawyers

Corporate in-house counsel have named 11 insurance industry attorneys they say stand out in the field for exceptional client services, emphasizing the importance of communication and business understanding in securing results.
February 15, 2013
GCs Name Cream Of The Crop Litigators

Corporate counsel singled out nearly 100 litigators as the most client service-driven in their field thanks to their innate ability to deliver solid outcomes, effectively communicate litigation strategy and prioritize their clients' business interests.
August 31, 2012
4 Firms Feared Most By In-House Counsel

When dealing with high-stakes litigation, there are four top-notch firms that in-house counsel dread seeing on the other side of the courtroom, according to a new survey of corporate counsel.
June 29, 2012
Law360's Global 20 Firms Open Up New Frontiers

For the second year in a row, Law360 has selected and ranked the 20 law firms with the greatest global reach and expertise.
June 22, 2012
GCs Name Rolls Royce Of Law Firms

A new report based on interviews with corporate counsel has identified the eighteen law firms with the strongest brands in the legal market.
January 26, 2010
In-House Counsel Name Favorite Litigators

Litigators named by corporate counsel in a new report for providing excellent client service all seem to share one trait: a profound knowledge of their clients' businesses and goals.
June 18, 2009
Litigation Shifts As Credit Crunch Deepens: Report

As the credit crisis deepens, litigation surrounding it has shifted in target from subprime-related companies to asset management firms and begun focusing on more complex financial instruments such as collateralized debt obligations and credit default swaps, according to a recent report.
October 13, 2008
Employment Issues Top In-House Lawyers' Worry List

Labor and employment issues remain one of the top concerns for corporate counsel, outranking almost every other legal conflict, according to a survey to be released on Tuesday.
February 14, 2007
Wall Street's Most Litigious Companies

The countless lawsuits brought by home owners in the wake of the devastating Hurricane Katrina has propelled insurance company Allstate Corp to the top of our list of most litigious financial services firms last year.
November 5, 2005
IP Litigation Awards, Settlements Reach Record Highs

Topped by medical device maker Medtronic’s dizzying $1.35 billion payout to a Los Angeles surgeon, this is turning out to be a blockbuster year for settlements and awards in intellectual property litigation, according to our survey of litigation payouts and the firms that win them.

Expert Analysis

UK Joint Ventures: Sanctions And Corruption Risks

What should be at the forefront of the mind of any in-house counsel or compliance officer whose company operates in joint ventures is section 7 of the U.K. Bribery Act, which holds that an organization does not even need to be aware of corrupt conduct in order to be guilty of an offense, say attorneys with Dechert LLP.
New Ways To Manage Old Pension Liabilities

If there were techniques to reduce or even eliminate future pension payment obligations and their volatile financial statement impact without breaking promises to retirees, private equity buyers might find a number of transactions more viable. With that in mind, private equity buyers may be able to adopt some of the approaches used recently by General Motors and Verizon, say Sarah Fitts and Alicia McCarthy of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP.
Lehman Derivative Litigation Still Looms Large

The market’s attention is fixed firmly on the future of derivatives. Questions about the Dodd Frank requirements, and to what extent the use of swaps in structured finance and other transactions will return, are front and center. And yet, there are also lessons to be learned from the past use of these somewhat esoteric financial instruments, which continue to be tested in litigation — with more to come on the Lehman front, say attorneys with Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP.
Wrap Your Head Around ISO's Additional Insured Revisions

Presumably in response to developing law on the scope of additional insured coverage, the Insurance Services Office has recently revised its standard commercial general liability forms and endorsements. Although the true scope of their effect is unclear, the revisions can further complicate an already complex area and negatively impact both additional and named insureds, says Roberta Anderson of K&L Gates LLP.
How Far Patent Licensors Can Go In US, China And Korea

International patent licensing can be challenging. In the U.S., most licensing arrangements are analyzed under the rule of reason, which can create uncertainty. In China, there are multiple sources of law and a lack of precedent. And in Korea, legality turns on whether the restraint is reasonably related to a legitimate business justification, says Koren Wong-Ervin, a consultant in the Office of International Affairs at the Federal Trade Commission.
Is TAR Right For Your Discovery Project?

There are several critical decision factors to weigh to assess whether Technology Assisted Review is right for a discovery project — for example, the nature of the case, internal capabilities, production considerations and overall comfort with this technology, say Michele Lange and Joseph White of Kroll Ontrack Inc.
Catch Me If You Can: How To Serve Foreign Defendants

You are sitting at your desk when your client calls to tell you that his or her customer breached an agreement. As you do your intake, you ask where the customer resides. You learn that the potential defendant has recently moved to “Country X.” Suddenly, what first appeared to be a simple breach of contract case has become a venture into the exotic world of international service of process and jurisdiction, say attorneys with Nossaman LLP.
Make Your Florida Real Property Descriptions Certain

As the Florida real estate market continues to face an uncertain future, the purchase and sale of distressed properties and mortgage loans encumbering such properties present some challenges — making it a prudent time to review what constitutes a valid property description in an agreement for the sale of real property, says Sean O'Toole of Lowndes Drosdick Doster Kantor & Reed PA.
Class Arbitration Is Back In Arbitrators’ Hands

Arbitrators can still interpret contracts pretty much any way they want, according to the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling in Oxford Health Plans LLC v. Sutter. The holding should come as no great surprise as it reflects decades of federal arbitration law, yet the unanimous ruling is a surprise, given what preceded it, says Christopher King of Homer Bonner Jacobs.
The New Frontier Of Agreements To Negotiate

The Delaware Supreme Court’s recent decision in SIGA Technologies Inc. v. PharmAthene Inc. will turn many heads, as it explicitly established a right under Delaware law to seek expectation damages for certain bad faith breaches of an agreement to negotiate, says Benton Bodamer of Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP.