Corporate Law

Corporate Rights Are Again at Issue as AT&T Wants to Keep Info a Secret

Six years ago, a major telecommunications provider informed the Federal Communications Commission that it had discovered “irregularities” in one of its operations under the federal E-Rate program, which helps fund telephone and Internet access for schools and libraries. The provider was SBC Communications Inc., at the time a quite large…

Jan 1, 2011 8:40 AM CST

Stuck on Snowy Airport Tarmac Nearly 12 Hours, Passengers Weren’t Covered by New Deplaning Rule

After airline passengers complained about sometimes being stranded for hours on the tarmac without food and other amenities, due to unusual weather conditions, new federal regulations were adopted holding carriers responsible for such delays and requiring that passengers be able to deplane after three hours. But they don’t apply to…

Dec 29, 2010 3:55 PM CST

Despite Hi-Tech Safety Equipment, Lack of Training Aided Oil Rig Disaster, NY Times Reports

After the Deepwater Horizon blew up in an inferno of flames in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, many assumed the fire on the drilling rig was an inevitable result of the oil spilling out of the undersea well that its crew had mistakenly failed to seal. But in…

Dec 28, 2010 1:04 PM CST

Doc Film Helped Chevron Subpoena Plaintiffs’ US Legal Files in $113B Ecuador Enviro Case

A documentary film encouraged by the lead plaintiff’s lawyer in a $113 billion case concerning alleged damage to a South American rain forest apparently didn’t achieve the result attorney Steve Donziger anticipated. Lawyers for Chevron Corp. used the documentary, Crude, to persuade a federal judge in New York both to…

Dec 23, 2010 9:09 PM CST

Ho-Ho No-No: Xmas Gifts Could Soon Be Illicit Bribes, So Set Policy Now, UK Experts Advise

It’s best to be wary before getting too merry this holiday season, as far as corporate gift-giving is concerned. New legislation that will take effect in April in the United Kingdom at least arguably prohibits some traditional corporate Christmas gifts, and now is the time for companies to be establishing…

Dec 22, 2010 9:58 PM CST

Major London-Based Law Firms Look to Australia for New Global Base

As the world’s BigLaw firms look to maintain their preeminence, Australia is becoming the new frontier for those wishing to take over top deals from local legal partnerships. Allen & Overy which established offices in Perth and Sydney earlier this year, has reported banner profits from its global operations. And…

Dec 22, 2010 1:21 AM CST

King & Spalding Advised Ex-Glaxo Lawyer Charged With Obstruction, Defense Filing Says

A former lawyer for GlaxoSmithKline Plc now facing an obstruction case is seeking information in discovery from a well-known law firm that advised her on her employer’s behalf, according to a defense filing. But as lawyers for Lauren Stevens apparently prepare an advice-of-counsel defense, the government is arguing that the…

Dec 22, 2010 12:03 AM CST

Supreme Court Grants Cert and Rules for Businesses in Growing Percentage of Cases

The Roberts court is accepting more businesses cases and ruling more often for business interests, in percentage terms. The Roberts court has ruled for business interests 61 percent of the time during its five terms, while the Rehnquist court sided with business 46 percent of the time in its last…

Dec 20, 2010 4:11 PM CST

US Sues BP and 8 Other Entities Over Gulf Oil Spill, Seeking Cleanup Costs and Penalties

As civil and criminal investigations continue to determine responsibility for the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that began April 20, the U.S. Department of Justice has sued BP Exploration and Production Inc. and eight other defendants. Its suit, filed in federal court in New Orleans, contends that…

Dec 15, 2010 11:16 PM CST

Sued By Brunei Prince for Alleged $7M Theft, His Ex-Lawyers Win $21M as Prince Gets $54K

A lawsuit by a prominent former client had a silver lining for the husband-and-wife attorneys he accused of abusing his trust to steal some $7 million from him. After a trial lasting more than a month, a New York jury began deliberations today and soon made two awards totaling $21…

Dec 15, 2010 10:54 PM CST

After Babies’ Deaths, Feds Ban Drop-Side Cribs, OK ‘Strongest Crib Standard in the World’

Following the deaths of at least 32 babies since 2000 from falls or strangulation, the Federal Product Safety Commission today adopted new crib-safety specifications that one observer called the “strongest crib standard in the word.” The new rules ban all drop-side cribs and impose tougher rules for crib slats and…

Dec 15, 2010 8:05 PM CST

‘Hostile Makeover’ Pits Employer Against Employee Concerning Unhealthy Habits

Two hospitals in Florida are part of a “hostile makeover” workplace trend: They are requiring job applicants to take a nicotine test, in order to screen out any who smoke, writes columnist Beth Kassab in the Orlando Sentinel. A majority of states ban such employer intrusion into a worker’s off-the-job…

Dec 14, 2010 11:56 PM CST

Major Del. Law Firm at Which IT Manager Allegedly Traded on Client Merger Info Is ID’d

One of Delaware’s biggest and best-known corporate law firms was reportedly the victim of an alleged insider-trading scheme by a former information technology and security manager. Although not identified in a Securities and Exchange Commission complaint filed against Jeffrey Temple, 40, the law firm from which he stole client merger…

Dec 8, 2010 10:30 PM CST

Another New Law School Is Proposed: U of Del. Wants to Open State’s First Public Option

A new law school is on the drawing board in the corridor between New York City and Washington, D.C., where the University of Delaware is proposing to open its doors to fledgling legal eagles in 2015. The law school, which would be located in Newark, about 20 minutes down Interstate…

Dec 8, 2010 12:09 AM CST

New Rules, New Work: A Lot is Still to be Decided Under Dodd-Frank

Lawyers interpreting the behemoth Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, signed by President Barack Obama last summer, may find their workloads—and perhaps their pessimism—renewed. Dodd-Frank is named after co-sponsoring Sens. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., and Barney Frank, D-Mass. They led the hammering out of compromises resulting in new powers…

Dec 1, 2010 6:50 AM CST