Energy

Expert Analysis

• 7 Stages Of Grief: Impact Of Oil Downturn On Energy Attys

  

  As oil prices fell, many companies recognized that their capital structures were unsustainable. The response to the commodity price crisis has affected energy attorneys throughout the U.S., and has continued to evolve as a lower-price environment appears inevitable for the next year and potentially beyond, say attorneys with Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

• Why The Yukos Ruling Reaches Beyond Legal Battle

  

  The ramifications of a Dutch court's decision to overturn a record $50 billion award of damages to the former shareholders of Yukos Oil goes far beyond the immediate financial interests of the parties involved. The case is important for foreign investor sentiment toward Russia and the country’s relations with the West, says Stéphane Bonifassi, executive director of ICC FraudNet.

• A Smarter Approach To Renewable Energy Reliance In Calif.

  

  Pressure from nongovernmental organizations to close the storage facility at Porter Ranch in California is just one example of a concerted effort to damage the state's oil and gas businesses. Instead of badgering the industry, environmental groups should focus on lobbying for legislation to streamline the permitting process for renewable energy projects, say Jeffrey Dintzer and Dione Garlick at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP.

• OPINION: Engaging The Media May Help Your Client

  

  While I am confident that the decisions in Windsor and Obergefell were made on the basis of the dictates of the Constitution, I am also confident that the communications efforts undertaken gave the justices additional comfort to make the right call, and ensured that these decisions were not treated as a Roe v. Wade redux, says Liz Mair, former online communications director for the Republican National Committee and president of Mair Strategies.

• Public Trust Doctrine Suit Could Clear Procedural Hurdles

  

  An Oregon magistrate judge's findings and recommendation in Kelsey Cascade Rose Juliana v. U.S. has the potential to allow this controversial climate change suit to overcome jurisdictional challenges. If the judge's recommendations are eventually adopted, the case could have a major impact on the trajectory of climate litigation going forward, say Lauren Sidner and George Wilkinson at Vinson & Elkins LLP.

• Using The New Federal Rules To Rein In Discovery

  

  The 2015 amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure present a fertile opportunity for defendants to leverage the rules' renewed focus on reasonableness and proportionality to rein in rampant discovery abuse. Courts' application of the amended rules has already shown promise in this regard, say Martin Healy and Joseph Fanning of Sedgwick LLP.

• Dentons: A New Kind Of Network?

  

  Dentons is two different law firm networks in one. So even if the Swiss verein structure should eventually fail and Dentons is forced to operate as a network of independent law firms, it could still be a significant market force, says Mark A. Cohen, a recovering civil trial lawyer and the founder of Legal Mosaic LLC.

• Compromise In Congress Over Bipartisan Energy Reform

  

  The Energy Policy Modernization Act was recently approved by the U.S. Senate, and although it contains some potentially controversial provisions, the bill reflects significant bipartisan cooperation that has been somewhat rare in Congress in recent years, especially with respect to energy and environmental policy, say attorneys at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.

• What To Know About Trade Secret Law In Saudi Arabia

  

  As Saudi Arabia's market continues to expand and with its stock market becoming increasingly opening to foreign investors, many U.S. companies and banks are expanding operations in and to the kingdom. These expansions pose a great opportunity for many technology and life science companies — and the potential for the theft or misappropriation of a company’s trade secrets by an employee or business partner, say Paul Keller and Jihad ... (continued)

• Oil And Gas Termination Payments: Devil Is In The Details

  

  Most energy contracts are written under a standard form master agreement where it's not immediately evident that there’s much room for dispute. However, despite the relatively straightforward nature of the calculations involved with termination payments, experience shows there is plenty of room left for disagreement, say Richard Goldberg and James Read at The Brattle Group.