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TOP NEWS Analysis Crunch Time For Wind Developers As Tax Credit Lapse Looms
Time is growing tight for wind developers to grab the remaining slice of the federal renewable energy production tax credit before it phases out at year’s end and to complete existing projects in time to reap the full benefit of the credit, experts say.
PG&E Equipment Caused Calif. Wildfires, Judge Finds
A California federal judge has tentatively found that Pacific Gas & Electric Co.'s equipment's vulnerability to falling tree limbs has been "the single most recurring cause" of the 2017 and 2018 California wildfires to which the company has been linked.
9th Circ. Upholds Calif. Low Carbon Fuel Standard
A Ninth Circuit panel on Friday rejected a bid by a group of trade and energy organizations to sink California's low carbon fuel standard, saying their claims weren't different enough from those in prior challenges — which also failed — to warrant a different outcome.
Judge Hits Pause Button On Atlantic Seismic Testing Permits
A South Carolina federal judge on Friday barred the federal government from issuing permits that allow oil and gas companies to injure or otherwise disrupt whales and other marine mammals during seismic testing off the Atlantic coast until Congress restores funding to federal agencies.
6th Circ. Won't Rethink Decision On CWA's Reach
A split Sixth Circuit has said it will not review a panel’s decision concluding the Clean Water Act does not regulate pollutants that travel from a source to navigable waters through groundwater.
PETROLEUM Oro Negro Ch. 15 Parties Agree To Mediate Rig Fight
In an effort to streamline dual bankruptcy proceedings for Mexican oil rig company Perforadora Oro Negro in its home country and the U.S., a domestic mediator will join negotiations between the company and its creditors in a jack-up rig seizure dispute, a U.S. bankruptcy judge said.
BLM Had No Right To Key For Tribal-Linked Wells: 10th Circ.
The Tenth Circuit sided with a well operator and a pair of landowners in a dispute over oil and gas lease sites on land linked to an Indian tribe, saying the Bureau of Land Management lacked authority to demand a key to the locks on the sites' gates.
Texas Justices Take Up Permian Basin Lease Ownership Row
The question of whether an appeals court can overrule a contract dispute settlement between two oil companies that traded $3 million in potential damages for a 25 percent working interest in Permian Basin oil and gas leases will come before the Texas Supreme Court next month.
RENEWABLES Colo. Gov. Orders Move To Electric Vehicles Statewide
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed an executive order Thursday that outlines the steps the state must take to achieve 100 percent renewable electricity by 2040, a plan that would direct some of the $70 million settlement from Volkswagen's federal emissions case toward the promotion of electric vehicles.
COAL Consol Says Ex-Prez Can't Show Gender Played Role In Pay
The changing structure and nature of the coal industry were behind a female Consol Energy Inc. executive’s termination, not her gender or her complaints about being paid less than her male counterparts, the company argued Thursday in an effort to toss her lawsuit from a Pennsylvania federal court.
Wis. Tribe Appeals To 7th Circ. Over Mich. Mine Ruling
The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin has filed a Seventh Circuit appeal of a lower court ruling that dismissed its suit over a Michigan state permit for a proposed zinc and gold mine, saying the federal government has abandoned its obligation to exercise jurisdiction over the Clean Water Act.
Orrick Adds Ex-Norton Rose Energy Tax Expert In NY
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP has announced that a former tax partner at Norton Rose Fulbright with a focus on renewable energy joined the firm in its New York office.
Gibson Dunn Snags Jones Day Energy Transactions Attorney
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP has added a former Jones Day attorney with experience in renewable, fossil fuel and other energy-related transactions as a partner in the firm's Denver office.
Automated Vehicles In 2019: Predictions And Suggestions
As the automated vehicle industry continues to grow and expand in 2019, innovators will face novel questions concerning data privacy, open source compliance, advertising claims, and local, state, federal and international regulations, say attorneys with O'Melveny & Myers LLP.
Settlement Counsel Key For Efficient Mass Tort Resolution
Team-based specialization in mass tort litigation defense allows each member to draw on individual strengths, maximizing their contribution. A core tenet of this approach is using settlement counsel to focus on strategic initiatives and end-game resolution efforts, separate from the heated battle lines of the litigation, say attorneys at Faegre Baker Daniels.
Analysis Skadden's Deal With DOJ Comes With Woes For Greg Craig
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP called its $4.6 million deal with the U.S. Department of Justice “closure” after failing to register its lobbying work for the Ukrainian government, yet experts say the settlement actually exposes serious legal risks faced by ex-partner Greg Craig and potentially others. Analysis Skadden Began Ukraine Work With Caution, Ended It In Lies
Emails released by the U.S. Department of Justice show how Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP lawyers slowly abandoned caution toward a foreign lobbying law and began openly lying to federal investigators during their engagement with the Ukrainian government from 2012 to 2013. Analysis Skadden Deal Shows DOJ's FARA Focus Shifting To High Gear
The settlement announced Thursday between Skadden Arps Meagher & Flom LLP and the U.S. Department of Justice is the latest sign of increased enforcement of the current Foreign Agent Registration Act, even as efforts to update the law have gone nowhere. Analysis For Skadden's Brand, Ukraine Scandal A Shot Across The Bow
Skadden’s unregistered lobbying work for the Ukrainian government has cost the law firm $4.6 million in a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, but could the debacle cost the firm even more in reputational damage? How Skadden's Foreign Agent Scandal Unfolded
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP has agreed to pay a $4.6 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice for failing to register as a foreign agent. Here, we look at how the firm got to this point. Feature Could A Tougher Standard For Law Schools Hurt Diversity?
The American Bar Association’s governing body is poised to vote later this month on a proposal to create stricter standards for law school bar passage rates, a move some say could have a negative impact on the diversity of the legal profession. Fed. Circ. To Remain Open During Shutdown
The Federal Circuit said in an order published on Friday that it would remain open during the partial government shutdown, with all deadlines remaining in place and all oral arguments proceeding as scheduled, as the federal courts brace themselves to run out of available funds within the coming days. GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week
Two new reports found that in-house lawyers are increasingly looking for nontraditional perks such as flexible work arrangements and paid meals in addition to hefty bonuses, and that law firm leaders in the new year are overall fairly confident about their own shops' prospects but have more gloomy predictions about the domestic and global economies. These are some of the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week. 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. Podcast Law360's Pro Say LIVE: SDNY Chief Talks Women In The Law
This week the Pro Say podcast is live from the New York State Bar Association's annual meeting, talking with the chief judge of the Southern District of New York about how women are faring in the legal profession. Judge Orders Blue Cross Attys To Shape Up In Antitrust MDL
The Alabama federal judge overseeing sweeping antitrust litigation against the Blue Cross Blue Shield network has said he can no longer wait for the insurance giant’s army of lawyers to marshal themselves into a more manageable group, ordering a dozen attorneys into a "Council of Twelve" to streamline a leadership plan. Feature Behind The Scenes, #TimesUp Fund Gets To Work
The TimesUp Legal Defense Fund, born of a social media hashtag, has grown to $24 million and is so far funding sexual harassment litigation, defamation defense, and public relations on behalf of dozens of women. But most of its work is taking place behind the scenes.
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