Environmental

  • August 29, 2025

    Nuke Plant Restarts: Chances Exist, But Challenges Await

    Growing U.S. electricity demand has sparked moves to restart shuttered nuclear power plants in order to help feed that appetite for power, but the recommissioning process is far from simple. Here, attorneys who work on nuclear matters outline to Law360 several considerations that go into bringing a plant out of mothballs.

  • August 29, 2025

    Amazon Can't Scrap Toilet Paper Suit, Consumers Say

    Plaintiffs suing Amazon in a proposed class action that accuses the retail juggernaut of lying to consumers about the environmental impacts of its toilet paper and other paper products said the company's effort to hide behind third-party forestry certifications doesn't justify the suit's dismissal.

  • August 29, 2025

    Real Estate Recap: School Housing, Texas Land, Miami Transit

    Momentum in the student housing sector, limits to foreign ownership of Texas land and incentives in Miami transit zones were among the key developments covered this week in Law360 Real Estate Authority.

  • August 29, 2025

    DC Circ. Backs Biden Gulf Drilling Plan Amid Trump Revamp

    The D.C. Circuit rejected environmental groups' bid to scale back the U.S. Department of the Interior's 2024-2029 offshore oil and gas leasing program, finding the plan satisfied all legal requirements.

  • August 29, 2025

    Norwegian Shipping Co. Pleads Guilty To Pollution Charge

    Shipping company V.Ships Norway admitted to illegally dumping oil-contaminated waste in the Atlantic Ocean and was sentenced to pay a $2 million fine, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • August 29, 2025

    Trump Admin Yanks $679M In Offshore Wind Projects

    The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Friday that it is canceling $679 million in federal funding for a dozen offshore wind projects, the latest salvo in the Trump administration's attack on wind power. 

  • August 29, 2025

    Hurricane Maria Fraud Suit Against Adjuster Thrown Out

    A Puerto Rico federal court tossed an insurer's lawsuit against a public adjuster alleging it inflated its calculation of damage that a Puerto Rico town suffered from Hurricane Maria in 2017, finding the lawsuit amounts to "overly broad claims of dissatisfaction with the opposing party's conduct during the insurance claim process."

  • August 29, 2025

    NLRB Atty Joins Blank Rome's Labor Group In Philadelphia

    An attorney who spent the first 15 years of his legal career working with National Labor Relations Board has recently moved into private practice and joined Blank Rome LLP's growing labor team.

  • August 29, 2025

    States Say White House Caved In AmeriCorps Cut Fight

    A coalition consisting of Maryland, two dozen other states and D.C. that is challenging the Trump administration's attempts to slash AmeriCorps programs and withhold funds announced Friday the White House has chosen to release nearly $185 million as it faced "a blistering legal defeat."

  • August 28, 2025

    Trump Ends Bargaining Rights For Workers At More Agencies

    President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order that purports to remove collective bargaining rights from federal workers at several more agencies, including NASA, the National Weather Service and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, a move that one union slammed as "retaliation."

  • August 28, 2025

    9th Circ. Rules BLM Can Implement Oregon Logging Plan

    Officials at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management sufficiently vetted an Oregon logging project that conservationists claim will harm threatened wildlife, a Ninth Circuit panel has ruled, concluding the project does not violate earlier plans to protect coastal forest habitats.

  • August 28, 2025

    EPA Backs Truck-Makers' Bid To Block Calif. Emissions Regs

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday joined truck-makers in asking a California federal court to immediately block implementation of the state's emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks.

  • August 28, 2025

    Court Blocks Bid To Keep Everglades Detention Center Open

    A Florida federal judge denied a bid to halt a preliminary injunction requiring the government to cease operations at an Everglades immigration detention center, ruling no new evidence was shown that its detainees are dangerous or why a facility must be placed in that particular location. 

  • August 28, 2025

    Tribal Members Seek 5th Circ. Redo In San Antonio Park Row

    Two members of a Native American church are asking the Fifth Circuit to rehear its appeal, which looks to block the restoration of a San Antonio park, saying that if left uncorrected, the opinion will leave religious believers vulnerable and sow confusion among district courts.

  • August 28, 2025

    Energy Dept. Extends Pa. Plant's Lifespan, Citing Power Risks

    U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Thursday ordered PJM Interconnection and Constellation Energy to continue operating a Pennsylvania power plant that was supposed to have closed in May.

  • August 28, 2025

    Red States Fight Youths' Effort To Stop Trump Energy Orders

    Blocking implementation of President Donald Trump's energy-related emergency orders would harm the U.S. electric grid and economy in ways that would outweigh any purported climate change benefits, Republican-led states told a Montana federal judge.

  • August 28, 2025

    Hawaii Transient Tax Is Unconstitutional, Cruise Cos. Say

    The extension of Hawaii's 11% transient accommodation tax to cruise ship passengers under a new law violates the U.S. Constitution, a group of cruise companies told a U.S. district court.

  • August 28, 2025

    UK Plastic Packaging Tax Revenue Dips As Exemptions Rise

    The U.K. has collected slightly less revenue from its tax on plastic packaging over the past year as manufacturers have begun using more recycled materials to qualify for exemptions from the levy and imports have declined, HM Revenue & Customs said Thursday.

  • August 28, 2025

    FedArb Hires Ex-RTX Legal Chief As Commercial Mediator

    California-based alternative dispute resolution service Federal Arbitration Inc., or FedArb, announced Wednesday the hiring of a former corporate vice president and chief litigation counsel at aerospace and defense conglomerate RTX Corp. as a Connecticut-based mediator and arbitrator focused on commercial matters.

  • August 28, 2025

    Hotel Group Says Insurer Owes $12.5M For Helene Losses

    A hotel group said it is entitled to recover $12.5 million from a Liberty Mutual unit for business interruption losses stemming from Hurricane Helene, the company said, telling a North Carolina federal court that the insurer has unjustifiably and in bad faith refused to provide coverage.

  • August 28, 2025

    Commonwealth Fusion Systems Wraps $863M Funding Round

    Private fusion company Commonwealth Fusion Systems on Thursday revealed that it clinched an $863 million Series B2 funding round, marking what the company says is the "largest amount raised" among deep tech and energy companies since its 2021 $1.8 billion Series B funding round.

  • August 27, 2025

    Buyers Drop State Claims In Target Deceptive 'Clean' Label Suit

    A proposed class of consumers alleging Target's Clean range of beauty products actually contain chemicals harmful to humans and the environment agreed Wednesday to voluntarily dismiss their specific state law claims without prejudice.

  • August 27, 2025

    Tribe Wins Limited Approval Of Bid To Intervene In Casino Suit

    A California federal judge said the Koi Nation may intervene in the state's lawsuit over a U.S. government plan to put land into trust for the tribe's proposed casino, but she also ruled it hasn't waived its sovereign immunity so it will not be joined to the litigation as an indispensable party.

  • August 27, 2025

    Colorado Sues Mobile Home Park Over Unsafe Drinking Water

    Colorado health officials told a state judge on Wednesday that a local mobile home park's drinking water tested positive for potentially dangerous bacteria, and the mobile home park is violating state law by ignoring mandated further testing and refusing to notify residents of the test results.

  • August 27, 2025

    Solar Co. Failed To Give Proper Layoff Notice, Suit Says

    Solar energy company PosiGen failed to provide proper notice before terminating hundreds of employees as part of a mass layoff affecting workers at sites in Pennsylvania, Louisiana and other states, according to a proposed class action filed in Delaware federal court.

Expert Analysis

  • What's At Stake As 9th Circ. Eyes Cultural Resource Damages

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    In Pakootas v. Teck Cominco, the Ninth Circuit is faced with the long-unresolved question of whether cultural resource damages are recoverable as part of natural resource damages under the Superfund law — and the answer will have enormous implications for companies, natural resource trustees and Native American tribes, says Sarah Bell at Farella Braun.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: The Perils Of Digital Data Protocols

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    Though stipulated protocols governing the treatment of electronically stored information in litigation are meant to streamline discovery, recent disputes demonstrate that certain missteps in the process can lead to significant inefficiencies, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Preparing For Corporate Work

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    Law school often doesn't cover the business strategy, financial fluency and negotiation skills needed for a successful corporate or transactional law practice, but there are practical ways to gain relevant experience and achieve the mindset shifts critical to a thriving career in this space, says Dakota Forsyth at Olshan Frome.

  • Strategies To Help Witnesses Manage Deposition Anxiety

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    During and leading up to deposition, witnesses may experience anxiety stemming from numerous sources and manifesting in a variety of ways, but attorneys can help them mitigate their stress using a few key methods, say consultants at Courtroom Sciences.

  • How Cos. Can Mitigate Increasing Microplastics Liability Risk

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    Amid rising scrutiny in the U.S. and Europe of microplastics' impact on health and the growing threat of litigation against consumer product and food and beverage manufacturers, companies can limit liability through compliance with labeling laws, careful contract management and other practices, say attorneys at Rogers Joseph.

  • Strategizing For Renewable Energy Project Success In Texas

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    The Electric Reliability Council of Texas has long been a key market for renewable energy projects, but rising financial and regulatory uncertainty means that developers and investors must prepare for inflation and policy risks, secure robust insurance coverage, and leverage tax equity transferability to ensure success, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • A Cold War-Era History Lesson On Due Process

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    The landmark Harry Bridges case from the mid-20th century Red Scare offers important insights on why lawyers must be free of government reprisal, no matter who their client is, says Peter Afrasiabi at One LLP.

  • How Latin American Finance Markets May Shift Under Trump

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    Changes in the federal government are bringing profound implications for Latin American financial institutions and cross-border financing, including increased competition from U.S. banks, volatility in equity markets and stable green investor demand despite deregulation in the U.S., says David Contreiras Tyler at Womble Bond.

  • Series

    Improv Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Improv keeps me grounded and connected to what matters most, including in my legal career where it has helped me to maintain a balance between being analytical, precise and professional, and creative, authentic and open-minded, says Justine Gottshall at InfoLawGroup.

  • How BigLaw Executive Orders May Affect Smaller Firms

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    Because of the types of cases they take on, solo practitioners, small law firms and public interest attorneys may find themselves more dramatically affected by the collective impact of recent government action involving the legal industry than even the BigLaw firms named in the executive orders, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Opinion

    Lawsuits Shouldn't Be Shadow Assets For Foreign Capital

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    Third-party litigation financing amplifies inefficiencies from litigation and facilitates national exposure to foreign influence in the U.S. justice system, so full disclosure of financing arrangements should be required as a matter of institutional integrity, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • How To Accelerate Your Post-Attorney Career Transition

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    Professionals seeking to transition to nonattorney careers may encounter skepticism as nontraditional candidates, but there are opportunities for thought leadership and to leverage speaking and writing to accelerate a post-attorney career transition, say Janet Falk at Falk Communications and Evgeny Efremkin at Toronto Metropolitan University.

  • Key Takeaways From The 2025 Spring Antitrust Meeting

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    Leadership changes, shifting priorities and evolving enforcement tools dominated the conversation at the recent American Bar Association Spring Antitrust Meeting, as panelists explored competition policy under a second Trump administration, agency discretion under the 2023 merger guidelines and new frontiers in conduct enforcement, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • What PFAS-Treated Clothing Tariff Bill Would Mean For Cos.

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    In keeping with a nationwide trend of greater restrictions on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, legislation pending in the U.S. House of Representatives would remove tariff advantages for PFAS-treated clothing — so businesses would be wise to proactively adapt their supply chains and review contracts to mitigate liability, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Be An Indispensable Associate

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    While law school teaches you to research, write and think critically, it often overlooks the professional skills you will need to make yourself an essential team player when transitioning from a summer to full-time associate, say attorneys at Stinson.

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