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January 17, 2025
Venezuela Says $2B In Bonds Can't Be Enforced
More than five years into litigation aimed at enforcing nearly $2 billion in defaulted bonds against Venezuela's state-owned oil company, the country is urging a New York federal judge to nix the case on the grounds that the bonds are illegal under its domestic law.
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January 17, 2025
FirstEnergy Execs Hit With RICO Charges Over Bribe Scandal
Two former executives of FirstEnergy Corp. have been hit with federal racketeering charges over their alleged scheme to bribe Ohio House of Representatives members for a billion-dollar bailout that has drawn scrutiny from government agencies and led to long prison sentences for others involved in the scandal.
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January 17, 2025
Michigan Justices Won't Answer Securities Test Issue
The Michigan Supreme Court on Friday denied an appeal from a developer asking justices to find a state law test rather than a federal one should be used to determine if a promissory note is a security, leaving in place a ruling that keeps the developer liable for notes issued in a $6 million project.Â
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January 17, 2025
DC Circ. Sends LNG-By-Rail Rule Back To Drawing Board
The D.C. Circuit on Friday wiped out a Trump-era rule allowing liquefied natural gas to be transported by rail and said any replacement rule must contain an extensive environmental review given the catastrophic risks of an accident or spill.
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January 17, 2025
Ex-Mozambique Finance Head Gets 8½ Years In $2B Bond Rap
A Brooklyn federal judge sentenced Mozambique's former finance minister to 8½ years in prison Friday for facilitating a corrupt $2 billion loans-for-bribes deal, ordering him to forfeit $7 million and imposing time beyond the six years the defendant has been incarcerated.
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January 17, 2025
Off The Bench: Arrest In NBA Betting Probe, 76ers' Arena Deal
In this week's Off The Bench, the betting fraud investigation with a former National Basketball Association player at the center produces another arrest, the Philadelphia 76ers pull out of one new arena agreement and sign up for another, and a champion fighter is accused of assaulting a woman at a basketball game.
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January 16, 2025
Trump's DOT Pick Says Air Safety, New Tech Big Priorities
President-elect Donald Trump's would-be transportation secretary pledged to oversee a leaner and more efficient U.S. Department of Transportation focused on expediting project permitting, prioritizing mega infrastructure projects, and ensuring that Boeing and aviation safety gets "back on track."
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January 16, 2025
Interior Nom Stresses Need For More Fossil Fuels
Interior secretary nominee Doug Burgum said on Thursday that he will promote U.S. energy dominance and add more fossil fuel-derived electricity to the grid, as Democrats and Republican senators sparred over how much emphasis should be given to renewables.
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January 16, 2025
NC Biz Court Bulletin: Judge Bids Adieu, TikTok Wants Out
The North Carolina Business Court's former chief judge hung up his robes for the last time as the court entered the new year with a ruling that shapes the fate of beset real estate company MV Realty's consumer fraud trial and arguments by TikTok Inc. that its platform being "too engaging" isn't enough for the state to begin an enforcement action.
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January 16, 2025
Treasury Updates Bonus Energy Tax Credit Safe Harbors
The U.S. Treasury Department provided updates Thursday to safe harbors that clean energy project developers can use to qualify for bonus tax credits for domestically sourcing steel and aluminum parts in response to new trade restrictions on solar products from China by President Joe Biden's administration.
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January 15, 2025
Alaska Says Death Of USF Would Be 'Devastating' For State
The people of Alaska will suffer if the U.S. Supreme Court does not undo a Fifth Circuit decision demolishing the Federal Communications Commission's multibillion-dollar subsidy fund, which reduces phone and internet costs for schools, libraries and low-income households, the state has told the justices.
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January 15, 2025
Interior Department Finalizes New Tribal Recognition Rule
The U.S. Department of the Interior has updated provisions to a federal rule that will allow Native American tribes that were denied federal recognition to re-petition for the title under certain conditions.
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January 15, 2025
Biz Court Calls Out Biogas Co. For 'Stack' Of Broken Promises
A North Carolina Business Court judge pondered during a sanctions hearing Wednesday whether a biogas company should be held in contempt for allegedly violating a court order, saying the company has repeatedly fallen short of its promises in a fight with lenders over funding for renewable energy projects.
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January 15, 2025
Sterlington Lands DC Int'l Arbitration Atty From A&O Shearman
Sterlington PLLC said Wednesday that it has hired an international arbitration attorney who has represented clients in some of the largest commercial disputes heard before tribunals over the last decade as its sixth major lateral hire in the past five months.
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January 15, 2025
Elusive Cognizant Witness Ready To Testify, Gov't Says
A witness from India whose 2023 absence on the brink of the foreign bribery trial of two former Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. executives set off a lengthy delay is now willing to testify, federal prosecutors said, despite stating they were under no obligation to respond to defense counsel's concerns.
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January 14, 2025
FCC Reverses Judge, Rejects Disputed C-Band Payment
Reversing an in-house judge's decision, the Federal Communications Commission has denied a further payment of nearly $70,000 to a company that claimed it was owed more for relocating from the C-band airwaves to make way for 5G wireless.
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January 14, 2025
Tribe Members Look To Intervene In 8th Circ. Pipeline Case
Twenty members of the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation have urged the Eighth Circuit to let them intervene in a Marathon Petroleum Corp. subsidiary's lawsuit challenging the Interior Department's reversal of decisions related to a pipeline crossing the reservation's land in North Dakota.
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January 14, 2025
DC Circ. Axes Challenge To Grid Project Perk
A coalition of energy consumers has no standing to challenge the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's grant of an abandonment incentive to the developer of an Iowa transmission project, a D.C. Circuit panel ruled Tuesday.
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January 14, 2025
Ex-Cognizant Execs Seek Update On Elusive Gov't Witness
A vital prosecution witness whose unavailability delayed the highly anticipated 2023 trial of two former Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. executives on foreign bribery charges in New Jersey federal court might again be missing in action as the new trial date of March 3 approaches, according to court filings.
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January 13, 2025
Spain Denied Stay In €28.2M Intra-EU Energy Award Fight
A D.C. federal judge has refused to pause a renewable energy investor's arbitral award lawsuit against Spain as the country seeks U.S. Supreme Court review of an appellate decision that greenlighted enforcement of intra-European Union investor-state awards in U.S. federal courts.
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January 13, 2025
Colombian Refinery Co. Gets $1B McDermott Award OK'd
Colombia's state-owned oil company on Friday won enforcement of a $1 billion arbitral award issued against Dutch and British units of Texas-based construction firm McDermott International following a dispute over a refinery modernization project.
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January 13, 2025
Rail Group Rips FRA In 8th Circ. Waiver Battle
The rail industry has told the Eighth Circuit that the Biden administration is flouting federal law by intentionally delaying decisions on waiver applications from railroads seeking to use new brake and track inspection technologies.
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January 13, 2025
FHWA Ends 'Buy America' Waiver For Manufactured Products
The Federal Highway Administration on Monday finalized a rule ending a decades-long exception to "Buy America" domestic sourcing requirements for manufactured products used in federally funded highway projects, a change the agency said was intended to boost domestic manufacturing.
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January 13, 2025
Ga. Waste Authority Sues To Block County's Audit Attempt
A Georgia county's solid waste authority, whose finances came under scrutiny from the Federal Bureau of Investigation last year, has sued its county's government to block an effort by the county to force inspections and audits of its waste facilities.
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January 13, 2025
76ers Drop Controversial Plan For New Center City Arena
The Philadelphia 76ers are going to stay in South Philly rather than pursuing a plan to move into a new stadium by Chinatown, according to announcements Monday from the City of Brotherly Love's mayor and the 76ers' owner.
Expert Analysis
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How Law Firms Can Avoid 'Collaboration Drag'
Law firm decision making can be stifled by “collaboration drag” — characterized by too many pointless meetings, too much peer feedback and too little dissent — but a few strategies can help stakeholders improve decision-making processes and build consensus, says Steve Groom at Miles Mediation.
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Opinion
Litigation Funding Disclosure Key To Open, Impartial Process
Blanket investor and funding agreement disclosures should be required in all civil cases where the investor has a financial interest in the outcome in order to address issues ranging from potential conflicts of interest to national security concerns, says Bob Goodlatte, former U.S. House Representative for Virginia.
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Carbon Offset Case A Win For CFTC Enviro Fraud Task Force
An Illinois federal court's decision in Commodity Futures Trading Commission v. Ikkurty — earning the CFTC a sizeable monetary award that will likely incentivize similar enforcement pursuit — shows the impact of the commission's Environmental Fraud Task Force, say attorneys at Steptoe.
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What NFL Draft Picks Have In Common With Lateral Law Hires
Nearly half of law firm lateral hires leave within a few years — a failure rate that is strikingly similar to the performance of NFL quarterbacks drafted in the first round — in part because evaluators focus too heavily on quantifiable metrics and not enough on a prospect's character traits, says Howard Rosenberg at Baretz+Brunelle.
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Replacing The Stigma Of Menopause With Law Firm Support
A large proportion of the workforce is forced to pull the brakes on their career aspirations because of the taboo surrounding menopause and a lack of consistent support, but law firms can initiate the cultural shift needed by formulating thoughtful workplace policies, says Barbara Hamilton-Bruce at Simmons & Simmons.
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Planning Law Firm Content Calendars: What, When, Where
During the slower month of August, law firms should begin working on their 2025 content calendars, planning out a content creation and distribution framework that aligns with the firm’s objectives and maintains audience engagement throughout the year, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.
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Series
Playing Golf Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Golf can positively affect your personal and professional life well beyond the final putt, and it’s helped enrich my legal practice by improving my ability to build lasting relationships, study and apply the rules, face adversity with grace, and maintain my mental and physical well-being, says Adam Kelly at Venable.
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Brownfield Questions Surround IRS Tax Credit Bonus
Though the IRS has published guidance regarding the Inflation Reduction Act's 10% adder for tax credits generated by renewable energy projects constructed on brownfield sites, considerable guesswork remains as potential implications seem contrary to IRS intentions, say Megan Caldwell and Jon Micah Goeller at Husch Blackwell.
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Law Firms Should Move From Reactive To Proactive Marketing
Most law firm marketing and business development teams operate in silos, leading to an ad hoc, reactive approach, but shifting to a culture of proactive planning — beginning with comprehensive campaigns — can help firms effectively execute their broader business strategy, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.
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Energy And AI: Key Issues And Future Challenges
Artificial intelligence promises new technical advantages for the energy industry, but it is also responsible for vast, and growing, energy consumption — so the future of AI and energy will require balancing technological advancement with regulatory oversight, environmental responsibility and infrastructure development, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Opinion
The Big Issues A BigLaw Associates' Union Could Address
A BigLaw associates’ union could address a number of issues that have the potential to meaningfully improve working conditions, diversity and attorney well-being — from restructured billable hour requirements to origination credit allocation, return-to-office mandates and more, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.
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Opinion
It's Time For A BigLaw Associates' Union
As BigLaw faces a steady stream of criticism about its employment policies and practices, an associates union could effect real change — and it could start with law students organizing around opposition to recent recruiting trends, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.
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How Justices Upended The Administrative Procedure Act
In its recent Loper Bright, Corner Post and Jarkesy decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court fundamentally changed the Administrative Procedure Act in ways that undermine Congress and the executive branch, shift power to the judiciary, curtail public and business input, and create great uncertainty, say Alene Taber and Beth Hummer at Hanson Bridgett.
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Vendor Rights Lessons From 2 Chapter 11 Cases
A Texas federal court’s recent critical vendor order in the Zachry Holdings Chapter 11 filing, as well as a settlement between Rite Aid and McKesson in New Jersey federal court last year, shows why suppliers must object to critical vendor motions that do not recognize creditors' legal rights, says David Conaway at Shumaker.
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Mirror, Mirror On The Wall, Is My Counterclaim Bound To Fall?
A Pennsylvania federal court’s recent dismissal of the defendants’ counterclaims in Morgan v. Noss should remind attorneys to avoid the temptation to repackage a claim’s facts and law into a mirror-image counterclaim, as this approach will often result in a waste of time and resources, says Matthew Selmasska at Kaufman Dolowich.