Environmental

  • January 06, 2025

    Feds Hit Georgia Developer With Suit Over Native Artifacts

    The United States has accused a Georgia developer of violating its Clean Water Act permit by illegally filling in wetlands, so it could build residences on a floodplain even though it knew about the presence of protected archaeological sites and cultural objects on the property.

  • January 06, 2025

    Mich. Residents Say Solar Investors Can't Arbitrate Fraud Suit

    Michigan residents who allege Florida investment firms funded a company that duped them into buying defective solar panels have urged a federal judge to deny the firms' bid to arbitrate or dismiss the claims, saying the court has already rejected the investors' arguments.

  • January 06, 2025

    Biden Closes Off Coastal Areas To Offshore Drilling

    President Joe Biden on Monday announced a ban on new offshore oil and gas drilling in more than 625 million acres of U.S. waters on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and in Alaska after determining that the environmental and economic risks and harms outweigh the benefits of drilling.

  • January 06, 2025

    Paul Hastings, Cravath Steer Pork Giant Smithfield's IPO Filing

    Pork producer Smithfield Foods Inc. on Monday submitted the year's first filing for an initial public offering, part of a spinoff from China's WH Group Ltd., represented by Paul Hastings LLP and underwriters' counsel Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP.

  • January 06, 2025

    Nippon, US Steel Hit Back With Suits After Biden Blocks Deal

    Japan's Nippon Steel Corp. and U.S. Steel Corp. have filed two lawsuits following President Joe Biden's Friday decision to block their planned $14.9 billion merger, claiming Monday that the deal was blocked for "purely political reasons." 

  • January 03, 2025

    3rd Circ. Won't Hit Brakes On NY Congestion Toll Launch

    New York City's highly litigated congestion pricing toll program began Sunday morning after the Third Circuit denied an emergency motion for an injunction to delay it while an appeal by the state of New Jersey unfolds.

  • January 03, 2025

    Energy Cos. Ask Top Calif. Court To End Climate Change Suits

    A half-dozen global energy giants urged California's top court Thursday to review a lower court's decision allowing climate change suits against them to proceed, arguing that California courts don't have jurisdiction over claims stemming from global fossil fuel use.

  • January 03, 2025

    3 Firms Seek $36M Fee Award In 'Historic' NJ PFAS Deal

    The Law Offices of John K. Dema PC, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP and Cohn Lifland Pearlman Herrmann & Knopf LLP have asked a New Jersey state court to award $36.7 million in attorney fees for their work in securing a $393 million deal over "forever chemical" contamination by Belgian chemical company Solvay as special counsel to the Garden State.

  • January 03, 2025

    Treasury Unveils Flexible Final Regs For Hydrogen Tax Credit

    The U.S. Treasury Department released final rules Friday for hydrogen production tax credits that allow fuel produced using nuclear-generated electricity or methane to qualify for the incentive, making the regulations more flexible than what was proposed last year.

  • January 03, 2025

    Biden Blocks $14.9B US Steel-Nippon Deal

    President Joe Biden on Friday formally blocked the planned $14.9 billion merger between Japan's Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel, making good on a prior pledge to keep the latter steelmaker U.S.-owned in one of his final flexes of executive power over cross-border deals.

  • January 02, 2025

    Samsung Sued Over Alleged PFAS In Galaxy Watch Wristbands

    Samsung has been putting "forever chemicals" in the wristbands it sells for its smartwatches and fitness trackers, according to a proposed class action filed in California federal court by a Los Angeles resident who cites a newly published scientific study.

  • January 02, 2025

    9th Circ. Revives Pot Fines Suit Against Calif. County

    A proposed class of Northern California landowners can pursue a swath of constitutional claims against Humboldt County officials with the Ninth Circuit ruling they plausibly pled the county was overzealous in its efforts to crack down on allegedly illegal cannabis growers.

  • January 02, 2025

    Calif. Says Insurers Must Expand Coverage In High-Risk Areas

    California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced Monday that carriers will be required to increase coverage in areas of the state that are at high risk of wildfires, marking the final major step in the department's historic regulatory effort to restabilize the state's insurance market.

  • January 02, 2025

    Solar Panel Tech Co. Faces Investor Suit Over Project Delays

    Solar power software and tracking company Nextracker Inc. has been hit with a proposed shareholder class action in California federal court alleging it misled investors about production delays it faced following a spike in demand caused by tax credits offered through the Inflation Reduction Act.

  • January 02, 2025

    Feds Ink $1B Supply Deal With Constellation Nuke Plants

    The U.S. General Services Administration said Thursday it has cut the largest energy procurement deal in its history after purchasing 10 million megawatt-hours of electricity from Baltimore-based Constellation New Energy Inc. in combined energy contracts totaling more than $1 billion.

  • January 02, 2025

    Ga. County Sues 3M, Daikin To Remove PFAS From Landfill

    A Georgia county has filed a lawsuit against 3M Co., Daikin America Inc. and several other manufacturers and users of so-called forever chemicals, alleging the sale and use of the toxic chemicals in carpet manufacturing has caused a "public-health crisis" across the northwestern part of the state.

  • January 02, 2025

    Trump Transition Underway At Key Environmental Agencies

    President-elect Donald Trump's landing teams — tasked with aiding the upcoming transition in the White House — are busy gathering information to set the new administration on course to implement its priorities on day one.

  • January 01, 2025

    How Wall Street Regulators May Adapt To Trump's Return

    The incoming presidency of Donald Trump is likely to upend some Biden-era policies at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, leaving proposed rules on climate and artificial intelligence in the lurch while its sister agency, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, could be given more authority over the cryptocurrency industry.

  • January 02, 2025

    The Top Property Insurance Cases To Watch In 2025

    Two cases that could change the policies offered by California's insurer of last resort and a forthcoming Hawaii Supreme Court decision on a $4 billion wildfire settlement are among the top property insurance suits to follow in the new year. Here, Law360 looks at five cases that practitioners should note in 2025.

  • January 01, 2025

    The Top 5 High Court Cases To Watch This Spring

    The U.S. Supreme Court justices will return from the winter holidays to tackle major First Amendment questions and several administrative law disputes — all arising from the Fifth Circuit — that could further change how federal agencies promulgate rules and defend them.

  • January 01, 2025

    Georgia Cases To Watch In 2025

    The fate of a prosecution of President-elect Donald Trump, Ford's ongoing fight over claims it hid the rollover dangers of its Super Duty trucks, and a feeding frenzy of class actions after a major metro Atlanta industrial fire are among the cases that will take center stage in Georgia's courts this year.

  • January 01, 2025

    5 Energy Transactional Trends To Watch In 2025

    A second Donald Trump presidency and a resulting shift in federal policy away from clean energy and toward fossil fuels will cloud the dealmaking environment for the energy industry, but attorneys believe the deal pace will remain brisk across the sector. Here are five transactional trends that are worth watching closely this year.

  • January 01, 2025

    3 Areas Where SEC Enforcement May Change Under Trump

    The leadership of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is slated to change hands in three weeks when President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated, and attorneys believe that a Republican-led SEC is likely to bring with it a downturn in crypto- and climate-related cases as well as a potential end to recordkeeping sweeps.

  • January 01, 2025

    The Hottest Topics Appellate Attys Are Tracking In 2025

    Appellate lawyers in 2025 should probably stock up on coffee and expect some all-nighters — numerous high-profile appeals, a new presidential administration and a new framework for legal challenges to regulations suggest it'll be an uncommonly tumultuous trip around the sun.

  • January 01, 2025

    2025 Michigan Cases To Watch

    Attorneys predict the new five-justice Democratic majority on the Michigan Supreme Court this year could put teeth into a once-strong consumer protection statute, continue to tweak the state's premises liability law and could take on a federally posed question of the constitutionality of medical malpractice caps.

Expert Analysis

  • What NFL Draft Picks Have In Common With Lateral Law Hires

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    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.

  • Opinion

    Toxic Water Case Shows Need For Labeling To Protect Kids

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    A recent case involving contaminated alkaline water that inflicted severe liver damage on children underscores the risks that children can face from products not specifically targeted to them, and points to the need for stricter labeling standards for all bottled water, says Vineet Dubey at Custodio & Dubey.

  • Replacing The Stigma Of Menopause With Law Firm Support

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    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.

  • Planning Law Firm Content Calendars: What, When, Where

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    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.

  • What To Expect From Evolving Wash. Development Plans

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    The current round of periodic updates to Washington counties' growth and development plans will need to address new requirements from recent legislation, and will also likely bring changes that should please property owners and developers, says Jami Balint at Seyfarth.

  • Series

    Playing Golf Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    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.

  • Brownfield Questions Surround IRS Tax Credit Bonus

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    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.

  • 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.

  • Energy And AI: Key Issues And Future Challenges

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    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.

  • From Muppet Heads To OJ's Glove: How To Use Props At Trial

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    Demonstrative graphics have become so commonplace in the courtroom that jurors may start to find them boring, but attorneys can keep jurors engaged and improve their recall by effectively using physical props at trial, says Clint Townson at Townson 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.

  • 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.

  • How Corner Post Affects Enviro Laws' Statutes Of Limitations

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Corner Post v. Federal Reserve Board has helped to alter the fundamental underpinnings of administrative law — and its plaintiff-centric approach may have implications for some specific environmental laws' statutes of limitations, say Chris Leason and Liam Martin at Gallagher and Kennedy.

  • 2 Vital Trial Principles Endure Amid Tech Advances

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    Progress in trial technologies in the last 10 years has been transformative for courtroom presentations, but two core communication axioms are still relevant in today's world of drone footage evidence and 3D animations, say Adam Bloomberg and Lisa Walters at IMS Legal Strategies.

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