Aerospace & Defense

  • October 31, 2024

    Ex-Prez Who Stole Secrets Must Be Stopped, Company Says

    A Colorado company that makes environmental control technology for aircraft is asking a federal judge to enjoin its former president and other ex-employees from developing a competing product, arguing that it has already lost at least one customer worth "several million dollars" to the alleged trade secret theft.

  • October 31, 2024

    The 2024 Law360 Pulse Leaderboard

    Check out the Law360 Pulse Leaderboard to see which firms made the list of leaders in all-around excellence this year.

  • October 31, 2024

    Firms' Hiring Strategies Are Evolving In Fight For Top Spot

    Competition for top talent among elite law firms shows no signs of slowing down, even amid economic uncertainty, with financially strong firms deploying aggressive strategies to attract and retain skilled professionals to solidify their market position.

  • October 30, 2024

    Retrial Begins In Abu Ghraib Torture Case Against Contractor

    A Virginia-based defense contractor returned to a federal court in Alexandria on Wednesday to face claims that it aided and abetted torture at Iraq's Abu Ghraib military prison after a trial on the same allegations ended in a hung jury earlier this year.

  • October 30, 2024

    Army Corps Says Biz Inflated Costs Of Nixed Clean-Up Deal

    The Army Corps of Engineers pressed the federal claims court to ditch most of a disaster recovery contractor's $4.9 million contract termination claim, saying the contractor inflated the termination's costs by seeking payment for services that were already paid for.

  • October 30, 2024

    4th Circ. Affirms Soldier's Loss Against Fluor Over Bombing

    A split Fourth Circuit panel on Wednesday affirmed the dismissal of a soldier's lawsuit against Fluor Corp. over injuries he sustained in a 2016 suicide bombing in Afghanistan, holding the suit's state tort claims are preempted by a "combatant activities" exception in federal law.

  • October 30, 2024

    FCC To Consider Undersea Cable Security Review In Nov.

    The Federal Communications Commission next month is expected to embark on a review of security measures for undersea cables, an issue of growing concern over the last year.

  • October 30, 2024

    Southwest Seeks To Dismantle Military Leave Class

    Southwest Airlines urged a California federal judge to disassemble a nearly 3,000-member class of workers who say the company violated federal law by failing to pay them for short stints of military leave, saying new evidence shows there are too many individualized issues to warrant class treatment.

  • October 30, 2024

    Gov't Contracts Of The Month: Uranium And Missile Detection

    Over the past month, the Biden administration advanced plans to secure the nuclear energy supply chain with $3.5 billion worth of uranium enrichment contracts and added $1.8 billion to its next-generation missile detection program. Here are Law360's most note-worthy government contracts for October 2024.

  • October 30, 2024

    Gulfstream Arbitration Notice To Worker Adequate, Court Says

    Jet manufacturer Gulfstream Aerospace's use of a hyperlink to the terms of its arbitration requirement for employee disputes was adequate notice to a worker who later tried to sue, an intermediate Massachusetts appellate court said Wednesday.

  • October 29, 2024

    DOJ Will Restrict Data Swapping With 'Countries Of Concern'

    The U.S. Department of Justice has proposed new rules that will make it the regulator of any type of transaction that would put certain kinds of sensitive privacy data in the hands of any "covered persons" or "country of concern."

  • October 29, 2024

    'Breathtaking' Pentagon Leak Merits 16 Years, Feds Say

    Prosecutors urged a federal judge on Tuesday to sentence a former Massachusetts Air National Guardsman to more than 16 years in prison for posting top secret military documents to the social media platform Discord, calling the crimes a historic and "breathtaking" betrayal of national security.

  • October 29, 2024

    Bell Owes $16M In Trade Secrets Row With Vendor, Jury Finds

    A Texas jury on Tuesday largely found in favor of Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. in a suit claiming that it used a former vendor's trade secrets to prep a replacement supplier, concluding that Bell breached its contract with the vendor but that the Fort Worth, Texas-based aerospace manufacturer hadn't stolen intellectual property.

  • October 29, 2024

    US Finalizes Investment Ban On Chinese Emerging Tech

    The Biden administration finalized plans to ban U.S. investors from funding emerging Chinese technology, saying the restrictions are necessary to prevent Beijing from advancing technologies critical to its military modernization campaign. 

  • October 29, 2024

    GAO Says Space Force Right To Deny Inmarsat Satellite Deal

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office has denied a protest from satellite communications contractor Inmarsat over the U.S. Space Force's award of a $114.6 million contract for Ku-band satellite bandwidth and equipment, ruling that the government was justified in finding Inmarsat's proposal technically unacceptable.

  • October 29, 2024

    DOD Says Boeing Overcharged For Cargo Plane Spare Parts

    The Department of Defense's Office of the Inspector General has issued a report finding that the Air Force overpaid about $1 million for spare parts in a contract with Boeing for C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft.

  • October 29, 2024

    Bannon Released From Prison As Election, NY Trial Loom

    Former President Donald Trump ally Steve Bannon was released from federal prison Tuesday after serving a four-month sentence for contempt of Congress, a week before Election Day and a month and a half ahead of his next criminal trial in New York.

  • October 29, 2024

    Cash-Strapped Boeing Prices Upsized $21B Share Sale

    Boeing said Tuesday it had priced an upsized sale of common and depositary shares to raise more than $21 billion, in an offering guided by Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP that would bolster the plane maker's cash balances amid a protracted strike.

  • October 29, 2024

    Kasowitz Defense Tech Trio Joins Pillsbury In DC

    As investment in government contracts, defense, technology and cyber deals continues to increase, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP has hired a trio of policy experts to its government law and strategies team in Washington to assist with lobbying support of U.S. allied-owned defense companies and other clients.

  • October 29, 2024

    2nd Circ. Says FBI Agents Immune From Suit Over No-Fly List

    The Second Circuit on Tuesday upheld a lower court's decision finding immunity for FBI agents who were accused of placing four Muslim men on a no-fly database after they declined to become informants.

  • October 29, 2024

    Military Reservist Not Exempt From Extra Pay, Justices Told

    Military reservists are owed top-up pay if they're called to serve during a war or national emergency, regardless of whether they're directly serving in those events, a U.S. Coast Guard reservist told the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • October 29, 2024

    Navy Reservist Gets 30 Months For Visa Letter Bribe Scheme

    A Navy reserve commander was sentenced to 30 months in prison after being convicted of taking bribes from Afghan nationals in exchange for recommendation letters for visa applications.

  • October 28, 2024

    NASA Says Sensor Co.'s Contract Breach Case Should Fail

    NASA has said the U.S. Court of Federal Claims should throw out a sensor business's breach of contract suit over commercialization and licensing deals related to patented NASA technology, saying certain milestones couldn't be reached under the pact.

  • October 28, 2024

    Feds Defend DEI Monitor Provision In Boeing Plea Deal

    The U.S. Department of Justice said it will consider diversity and inclusion when it picks an independent compliance monitor for The Boeing Co. under a proposed plea agreement in the company's criminal conspiracy case, reassuring a Texas federal judge that the selection process will be rigorous.

  • October 28, 2024

    Boeing Moves Ahead With $19B Share Sale Amid Cash Crunch

    Boeing launched plans Monday to sell common and preferred stock estimated to raise nearly $19 billion, potentially easing the aviation giant's cash crush amid a prolonged strike and production setbacks, represented by Kirkland & Ellis LLP and underwriters' counsel Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP.

Expert Analysis

  • Law Firms Should Move From Reactive To Proactive Marketing

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    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.

  • Opinion

    The Big Issues A BigLaw Associates' Union Could Address

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    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.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For A BigLaw Associates' Union

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    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.

  • Why DOJ's Whistleblower Program May Have Limited Impact

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s new whistleblower pilot program aims to incentivize individuals to report corporate misconduct, but the program's effectiveness may be undercut by its differences from other federal agencies’ whistleblower programs and its interplay with other DOJ policies, say attorneys at Milbank.

  • How Justices Upended The Administrative Procedure Act

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    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.

  • FTC Drives Crackdown On Connected Cars' Data Privacy Risk

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    After the Federal Trade Commission's warning to automakers about data privacy, which continues to emerge as a national concern, automakers must carefully examine their data collection, use and retention practices, say Catherine Castaldo and Michael Rubayo at Reed Smith.

  • Lessons From Recent SEC Cyber Enforcement Actions

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    The recent guidance by the SEC's Division of Corporation Finance is helpful to any company facing a cybersecurity threat, but just as instructive are the warnings raised by the SEC's recent enforcement actions against SolarWinds, R.R. Donnelley and Intercontinental Exchange, say attorneys at O'Melveny.

  • How Cos. With Chinese Suppliers Should Prep For Biotech Bill

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    A proposed bill to prohibit government-affiliated life sciences companies from contracting with Chinese biotech companies of concern may necessitate switching to other sources for research and supplies, meaning they should begin evaluating supply chains now due to the long lead times of drug development, say John O'Loughlin and Christina Carone at Weil Gotshal.

  • Mirror, Mirror On The Wall, Is My Counterclaim Bound To Fall?

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    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.

  • DOJ Paths To Limit FARA Fallout From Wynn's DC Circ. Win

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    After the D.C. Circuit’s recent Attorney General v. Wynn ruling, holding that the government cannot compel retroactive registration under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, the U.S. Department of Justice has a few options to limit the decision’s impact on enforcement, say attorneys at MoFo.

  • Series

    Playing Dungeons & Dragons Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing Dungeons & Dragons – a tabletop role-playing game – helped pave the way for my legal career by providing me with foundational skills such as persuasion and team building, says Derrick Carman at Robins Kaplan.

  • Bid Protest Spotlight: Misplaced Info, Trade-Offs, Proteges

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    James Tucker at MoFo examines three recent decisions concerning the consequences of providing solicited information in the wrong section of a bid proposal, the limits of agency discretion in technical merit, best-value trade-off evaluations, and the weight of the experience and capabilities of small businesses in mentor-protégé joint venture qualification.

  • Unpacking Executive Privilege, Contempt In Recent Cases

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    The U.S. House of Representatives’ recent move to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress is the latest example in a growing trend of executive privilege disputes, and serves as a warning to private citizens and corporate leaders who are in communication with the president, says Kristina Moore at Womble Bond.

  • 3 Leadership Practices For A More Supportive Firm Culture

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    Traditional leadership styles frequently amplify the inherent pressures of legal work, but a few simple, time-neutral strategies can strengthen the skills and confidence of employees and foster a more collaborative culture, while supporting individual growth and contribution to organizational goals, says Benjamin Grimes at BKG Leadership.

  • The OIG Report: DOJ's Own Whistleblower Program Has Holes

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    A recent Office of the Inspector General memo found that the U.S. Department of Justice’s whistleblower program failed to protect federal employees whose security clearances were allegedly suspended in retaliation — a serious cause for concern that could have a potential chilling effect on would-be whistleblowers, says Diana Shaw at Wiley.

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