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Environmental

  • April 23, 2025

    Insurer Says No Coverage For $7.8M Tornado Damage Suit

    The insurer for a construction inspection company claimed it owed no coverage for a suit alleging the company overlooked deficiencies that contributed to a $7.8 million tornado loss, telling a New Jersey federal court the policyholder had no coverage for professional services gone wrong.

  • April 23, 2025

    Judge Slams TCPA Atty Over Filing With 'No Legitimate Basis'

    A North Carolina magistrate judge on Wednesday chastised a Telephone Consumer Protection Act litigant and his attorney for filing a reply to a discovery motion after the court had already ruled on it, striking the reply from the docket and warning that further filings without "a legitimate basis" could lead to sanctions.

  • April 23, 2025

    Sierra Metals, Alpayana Reach $176M Deal After 'Hostile' Bid

    Toronto-based mining company Sierra Metals Inc. said Wednesday it has reached a preliminary agreement to sell the business to Alpayana Canada in a deal worth approximately $176 million, in a U-turn for the company after characterizing an earlier Alpayana offer as a "hostile" takeover bid.

  • April 23, 2025

    Akerman Adds Womble Bond Renewable Energy Pro In NC

    Akerman LLP has added a former Womble Bond Dickinson LLP partner to the firm's Charlotte, North Carolina, office for its corporate practice group, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • April 23, 2025

    Apollo Plugs $220M Into Energy-Focused Joint Venture

    Private equity giant Apollo, advised by Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, on Wednesday announced plans to commit up to $220 million into a new joint venture partnership with Brown Rudnick LLP-led Bullrock Energy Ventures.

  • April 23, 2025

    Judge Likely To Block Trump Collective-Bargaining Ban

    A D.C. federal judge appeared ready on Wednesday to block President Donald Trump's executive order threatening to strip as many as 100,000 federal employees of their collective bargaining power, saying the order seems to target unions because they've challenged his actions, not because of any purported national security justification.

  • April 23, 2025

    M&A 'Pause' Requires Nimble, Creative Dealmaking

    With deals stalling in a market defined by uncertainty, attorneys and the dealmakers they counsel are leaning on creative structures — from earnouts to partial stake sales — to keep transactions alive, according to corporate lawyers advising on major mergers and acquisitions.

  • April 22, 2025

    PacifiCorp Should Pay For 39 Years Of Fire Trauma, Jury Told

    A group of nine displaced property owners started the latest trial Tuesday over 2020 wildfires during which PacifiCorp chose not to de-energize its power lines, telling an Oregon state jury that more than 39 years' worth of harm has been done when all the plaintiffs' sagas are considered together.

  • April 22, 2025

    Audit Finds Calif. Universities' Repatriation Efforts Still Slow

    The University of California system, despite years of demands for compliance to a federal law designed to protect Indigenous burial sites, still lacks accountability and urgency to return to tribes the thousands of Indigenous remains and artifacts in its collections, according to a state audit on the process.

  • April 22, 2025

    Wind Farm Work Stoppage Raises Energy Project Risks

    The Trump administration's recent move to freeze construction of a federally approved offshore wind farm has energy infrastructure developers concerned that their permits may not protect them from the government pulling the plug on their projects.

  • April 22, 2025

    US Intends To Proceed With Ariz. Copper Mine, Justices Told

    The U.S. government says there has been no doubt that it intends to proceed with a land exchange in Arizona for a planned multibillion-dollar copper mine, telling the U.S. Supreme Court that its recent notice of publication of a final environmental impact statement for the project does not constitute urgent review.

  • April 22, 2025

    Ohio Derailment Not Caused By Texas Hurricane, Rail Co. Says

    Railcar company GATX Corp. told a federal jury Tuesday that after three weeks of testimony, only a single witness had advanced Norfolk Southern's theory that a 2017 hurricane in Texas caused the hidden damage to a GATX-owned car that would eventually set off the 2023 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

  • April 22, 2025

    Phillips Steps Down As FERC Commissioner

    Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Commissioner Willie Phillips stepped down from his role on Tuesday, paving the way for President Donald Trump to install a Republican majority at the five-member agency.

  • April 22, 2025

    GAO Report Looks At Gen AI's Environmental, Human Effects

    Generative AI's promises to boost productivity and transform industries could benefit people, but it also comes with risks of social harm, and its effects on the environment remain unclear, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a report released Tuesday.

  • April 22, 2025

    Nuclear Startup To Go Public Through $475M SPAC Deal

    Nuclear startup Terra Innovatum said Tuesday it plans to go public at a valuation of $475 million by merging with special purpose acquisition company GSR III Acquisition Corp., joining several industry peers to go public through a SPAC deal.

  • April 22, 2025

    At Least 10 Firms Assist On $1B Barrick Gold Alaska Deal

    Barrick Gold Corp. said Tuesday it has agreed to sell its 50% interest in the Donlin Gold Project in Alaska to Paulson & Co. and Novagold Resources Inc. for $1 billion in cash, in a deal steered by at least 10 law firms.

  • April 21, 2025

    EPA Tells Enviro Justice Employees Reductions Are Coming

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday issued reduction in force notices to employees in the recently shuttered environmental justice and civil rights office, as part of the agency's plan to carry out President Donald Trump's order to get rid of all diversity, equity and inclusion positions.

  • April 21, 2025

    Calif. Judges Who Lost Homes Sue LA Over Palisades Fire

    A California federal judge and a retired federal magistrate judge whose homes were destroyed in the Pacific Palisades wildfire have sued the city of Los Angeles over the deadly inferno, saying two water reservoirs drained by the city's water department for repairs prior to the blaze substantially caused their losses.

  • April 21, 2025

    'Embarrassed' Judge Can't Yet Rule On Woolsey Fire Suit

    A Los Angeles judge told attorneys from Southern California Edison and the state of California on Monday he is "embarrassed" that he is unable to yet rule on the government's motion for summary adjudication in its complaint seeking recovery of funds distributed to local agencies during the devastating Woolsey Fire in 2018.

  • April 21, 2025

    New Cos. Added As 7 Other Firefighter Unions Join PFAS Suit

    Seven firefighters unions have joined a proposed class action accusing 3M Co., DuPont and safety gear companies of knowingly exposing first responders to cancer-causing "forever chemicals" in their protective equipment, according to a newly amended complaint filed in Connecticut federal court.

  • April 21, 2025

    AFGE Units Ask Court To Nix Agencies' Labor Contracts Suit

    American Federation of Government Employees affiliates told a Texas federal court Monday to dismiss a lawsuit from the Department of Defense and other federal agencies asking the court to allow termination of collective bargaining agreements, saying the government does not have standing.

  • April 21, 2025

    Wind Farm Co. Asks 10th Circ. To Undo Osage Teardown Order

    Enel Green Power North American Inc. is asking the Tenth Circuit to reverse a lower court's $4.2 million judgment and order requiring it to remove 84 wind turbines from the Osage Nation reservation, arguing that its conclusion of continuing trespass for the retention of backfill rocks is unprecedented and illogical.

  • April 21, 2025

    Offshore Leasing Withdrawal Ruling Not Moot, Court Told

    Environmental groups on Friday insisted an Alaska federal judge can reinstate her decision barring the Trump administration from undoing former President Barack Obama's withdrawal of offshore waters from oil and gas leasing, blasting the government's contention that the ruling remains moot.

  • April 21, 2025

    DOL Tells 5th Circ. It May Rescind Biden-Era ESG Rule

    The U.S. Department of Labor told the Fifth Circuit on Monday it's considering rescinding a Biden-era rule allowing retirement fiduciaries to consider issues like climate change and social justice when choosing investments, according to filings in a suit challenging the rule from conservative states and energy companies.

  • April 21, 2025

    Feds Vow To Cut NY Funds If Congestion Pricing Stays On

    The U.S. Department of Transportation on Monday amplified threats to pull federal funding for Manhattan roadway projects if congestion pricing continues, saying state officials now have until May 21 to explain why they're flouting a federal directive to halt the "unconscionable" program.

Expert Analysis

  • COP29 Offers Pathway To A Global Carbon Market

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    COP29, the recently concluded United Nations climate conference, represented a breakthrough in the establishment of standards for a global carbon market — and voluntary carbon market participants in the U.S. and elsewhere can enhance the value of their projects by aligning them with these standards, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    Fixing Up Cars Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    From problem-solving to patience and adaptability to organization, the skills developed working under the hood of a car directly translate to being a more effective lawyer, says Christopher Mdeway at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • 2024 Has Been A Momentous Year For ESG

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    Significant developments in the environmental, social and governance landscape this year include new legislation, evolving global frameworks, continued litigation and enforcement actions, and a U.S. Supreme Court decision that has already affected how lower courts have viewed some ESG challenges, say attorneys at Katten.

  • Advancing Storage-Integrated Power Generation In Turkey

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    Recent proposals by energy regulators in Turkey have laid the groundwork for further development of electricity generation plants with integrated energy storage facilities — offering opportunities for project developers and investors, and a possible model for U.S. regulators, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • Making The Pitch To Grow Your Company's Legal Team

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    In a compressed economy, convincing the C-suite to invest in additional legal talent can be a herculean task, but a convincing pitch — supported by metrics and cost analyses — may help in-house counsel justify the growth of their team, say Elizabeth Smith and Roger Garceau at Major Lindsey.

  • The Story Of 2024's Biggest Bank Regs, And Their Fate In 2025

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    U.S. federal bank regulators were very active in 2024 with initiatives ranging from antitrust and capital to proposals regarding controlling shareholders and incentive-based compensation, but many regulations face an uncertain future under the new administration, say attorneys at Latham.

  • Opinion

    1 Year After Rule 702 Changes, Courts Have Made Progress

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    In the year since amendments to the Federal Rules of Evidence went into effect, many federal judges have applied the new expert witness standard correctly, excluding unreliable testimony from their courts — but now state courts need to update their own rules accordingly, says Lee Mickus at Evans Fears.

  • An Underutilized Tool To Dismiss Meritless Claims In Texas

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    In Texas, special appearances provide a useful but often overlooked tool for out-of-state defendants to escape meritless claims early in litigation, thus limiting discovery and creating a pathway for immediate appellate review, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

  • When US Privilege Law Applies To Docs Made Outside The US

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    As globalization manifests itself in disputes over foreign-created documents, a California federal court’s recent trademark decision illustrates nuances of both U.S. privilege frameworks and foreign evidentiary protections that attorneys must increasingly bear in mind, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • Executive Orders That Could Affect Financial Services In 2025

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    The incoming Trump administration is likely to quickly revive or update a number of prior executive orders, and possibly issue new ones, that could affect financial services by emphasizing market discipline rather than regulatory initiatives to drive change in the industry, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • Green Projects Face States' Foreign Land Ownership Limits

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    As states impose restrictions and disclosure requirements around foreign investment in agricultural land — in some cases piggybacking on existing federal rules — renewable energy developers and investors must pay close attention to how the rules vary, says Daniel Fanning at Husch Blackwell.

  • What 2024 Trends In Marketing, Comms Hiring Mean For 2025

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    The state of hiring in legal industry marketing, business development and communications over the past 12 months was marked by a number of trends — from changes in the C-suite to lateral move challenges — providing clues for what’s to come in the year ahead, says Ben Curle at Ambition.

  • How Attorneys Can Master The Art Of Eye Contact At Trial

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    As a growing body of research confirms that eye contact facilitates communication and influences others, attorneys should follow a few pointers to maximize the power of eye contact during voir dire, witness preparation, direct examination and cross-examination, says trial consultant Noelle Nelson.

  • Series

    Group Running Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The combination of physical fitness and community connection derived from running with a group of business leaders has, among other things, helped me to stay grounded, improve my communication skills, and develop a deeper empathy for clients and colleagues, says Jessica Shpall Rosen at Greenwald Doherty.

  • Hawaii Climate Insurance Case Is Good News For Energy Cos.

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    The Hawaii Supreme Court's recent ruling in a dispute between an oil company and its insurers, holding that reckless conduct in the context of activities that can cause climate harms is covered by liability policies, will likely be viewed by energy companies as a positive development, say attorneys at Fenchurch Law.

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