Aerospace & Defense

  • December 05, 2024

    DEI Provision Dooms Boeing's 737 Max Plea Deal

    A Texas federal judge on Thursday rejected Boeing's plea agreement in its 737 Max criminal conspiracy case, finding flaws in how the U.S. Department of Justice intended to use race and diversity to select an independent compliance monitor to oversee Boeing, and how the court was cut out of that process.

  • December 05, 2024

    Holland & Knight Gets In On Trade Laterals With Export Expert

    Holland & Knight LLP announced Wednesday it was bringing aboard a new international trade partner at its Tysons Corner, Virginina, office, part of a recent flurry of hiring in the practice area as firms seek out expertise on export controls and other trade issues in the weeks following the 2024 presidential election.

  • December 05, 2024

    Helicopter Co. Says It Is Not Holding Up Fatal Crash Suit

    The aircraft company facing claims from the families of six Canadian Air Force members who died in a 2020 helicopter crash near Greece pushed back on a claim its bid to transfer the suit to Connecticut is forum-shopping, arguing it should be allowed to defend itself in the state where it is based.

  • December 04, 2024

    Separated Migrants Say ICE Contractor Can't Claim Immunity

    A father and son seeking to hold transportation services provider MVM Inc. responsible for its role in a Trump-era policy that separated them and thousands of other immigrant family members are hitting back against the company's bid to duck their class action claims.

  • December 04, 2024

    Boeing, Spirit Say Flyers Can't Forum-Shop 737 Blowout Suit

    Boeing, Spirit AeroSystems and Alaska Airlines have blasted an attempt by passengers to redo their suit over January's 737 Max 9 door plug blowout, saying the plaintiffs are improperly forum-shopping when their case is set for a consolidated bench trial in Washington federal court.

  • December 04, 2024

    Trump Nominates SpaceX Mission Leader As NASA Chief

    President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated Jared Isaacman, the commander of two landmark private space missions and CEO of a payment processing firm, as NASA's next administrator, saying Isaacman would "drive NASA's mission of discovery and inspiration."

  • December 04, 2024

    Homeless Vets Tell 9th Circ. To Deny Parking Access To UCLA

    A class of homeless, disabled military veterans fought the Regents of the University of California's appeal of its rejected stay motion, arguing in the Ninth Circuit that the lower court made the right decision because the veterans urgently need supportive housing on a Los Angeles campus.

  • December 04, 2024

    Trump Chooses Vance Adviser To Lead Army

    President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated Daniel Driscoll, a former soldier, venture capitalist and adviser to incoming Vice President JD Vance, to lead the U.S. Army.

  • December 04, 2024

    US Sanctions Vessels That Aid Iran's Nuclear Program

    The U.S. federal government has imposed sanctions on vessels that have played a critical role in transporting tens of millions of barrels of Iranian oil to foreign markets following the country's attack against Israel and its escalating nuclear program, according to a statement.

  • December 04, 2024

    Jan. 6 Rioter Unlikely To Succeed On Appeal, Judge Says

    A District of Columbia federal judge ordered a convicted rioter from the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol to serve the remainder of his more than four-year prison term while he appeals, saying his legal arguments are substantial but unlikely to result in a reduced sentence.

  • December 03, 2024

    Lockheed Martin Taps Carrier CLO And DOJ Veteran As GC

    Lockheed Martin has hired Carrier Corp.'s chief legal officer and U.S. Department of Justice veteran Kevin O'Connor as its new general counsel to succeed Maryanne Lavan, who is retiring after more than 30 years at the aerospace giant.

  • December 03, 2024

    Judge Won't Strike AECOM's 'New' Claims In Army Billing Suit

    A New York federal judge rejected a whistleblower's attempt to strike AECOM's purportedly new arguments in litigation accusing it of falsely billing the U.S. Army on a $1.9 billion support deal, writing "denied" in the margin of the whistleblower's request.

  • December 03, 2024

    Bearing Maker Settles With RTX, Rival In Trade Secrets Case

    A Connecticut roller bearing company has settled its lawsuits accusing military supplier RTX and a competitor of misusing trade secrets related to the design of a U.S. military bomb, after earlier delays in reaching an agreement.

  • December 03, 2024

    Calif. Man Charged With Shipping Firearms To North Korea

    Federal authorities on Tuesday arrested a man in San Bernardino County, California, accusing him of illegally exporting firearms, ammunition and other military equipment to North Korea by concealing the items inside shipping containers departing from Long Beach.

  • December 03, 2024

    Del. Justices To Review 3M Earplug MDL Coverage Dispute

    The Delaware Supreme Court agreed to review a lower court's finding that defense costs paid by 3M in underlying multidistrict litigation over the company's combat earplugs could not satisfy the self-insured retention of its subsidiary's insurance policies.

  • December 03, 2024

    Gov't Floats Sharing Plan For Lower 37 GHz Airwaves

    The Biden administration announced Tuesday that it was recommending shared use of the lower 37 gigahertz spectrum band among government and private-sector users.

  • December 03, 2024

    US-China Feud Simmers As Beijing Unveils New Export Curbs

    The Chinese government on Tuesday banned exports of several critical minerals to the U.S., citing national security concerns, a day after the Biden administration announced new restrictions of its own targeting Beijing's semiconductor operations.

  • December 03, 2024

    Blank Rome Beats Subpoenas Seeking Attys' Comp Info

    A Philadelphia federal judge on Tuesday tossed subpoenas that would have compelled Blank Rome LLP to share compensation information regarding three of its attorneys who are facing a malicious prosecution lawsuit, a day after the firm moved to quash the subpoenas.

  • December 03, 2024

    VA Announces Study On MDMA-Assisted Therapy For Vets

    The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced Tuesday it will fund a study on psychedelic-assisted therapy for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorder, alongside researchers from Brown University and Yale University.

  • December 03, 2024

    Trump Pledges To Block $14.9B US Steel-Nippon Deal

    President-elect Donald Trump has reiterated his opposition to the proposed $14.9 billion acquisition of Pennsylvania-based U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, pledging on Truth Social to block the deal and virtually extinguishing any remaining glimmers of hope that it can get done.

  • December 02, 2024

    DC Circ. Asked To Spike 'Dangerous' NEPA Regulatons Ruling

    Environmental groups are asking the D.C. Circuit to overturn a panel's "demonstrably dangerous" ruling that the White House Council on Environmental Quality lacks the authority to issue legally binding regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act.

  • December 02, 2024

    Commerce Steps Up Export Controls On Advanced Chip Tech

    The U.S. Department of Commerce issued a rule Monday to restrict exports of advanced computing technology and semiconductor manufacturing equipment, aimed at cutting off China's access to technologies that could boost its military capabilities in areas such as artificial intelligence.

  • December 02, 2024

    Pa. Justices To Weigh Asbestos Suits For Defunct Co.'s Parent

    The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania will take up an appeal over whether a case can pierce the corporate veil to turn tort claims against a dissolved company into claims against its parent company.

  • December 02, 2024

    Motor Carrier Must Cover $6.7M Jet Engine Loss, Co. Says

    A transportation company has told a Connecticut federal court that a subcontractor hired to transport a jet engine that was damaged en route to Alabama must defend and indemnify the company in an insurer's suit seeking to recover more than $6.7 million paid to the manufacturer of the engine.

  • December 02, 2024

    FCC Chair Makes Last-Ditch Plea For 'Rip And Replace'

    The Federal Communications Commission's chief called on key lawmakers to act soon to fund a program for securing telecom network equipment that faces a $3.08 billion shortage.

Expert Analysis

  • Biden Admin Proposals May Facilitate US, UK, Australia Trade

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    Recent proposals that create exceptions to U.S. export licensing requirements for defense trade with Australia and the U.K. would remove hurdles that have hindered trade among the three countries, and could enable smaller companies in the sector to greatly expand their trade horizons, say Keil Ritterpusch and Grace Welborn at Buchanan Ingersoll.

  • Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent

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    As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.

  • Boeing Saga Underscores Need For Ethical Corporate Culture

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    In the wake of recent allegations about Boeing’s safety culture, and amid the U.S. Department of Justice’s new whistleblower incentives, business leaders should reinvigorate their emphasis on compliance by making clear that long-term profitability requires ethical business practices, says Maxwell Carr-Howard at Dentons.

  • Series

    Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge​​​​​​​ at Robinson Bradshaw.

  • 5th Circ. Venue-Transfer Cases Highlight Mandamus Limits

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    Three ongoing cases filed within the Fifth Circuit highlight an odd procedural wrinkle that may let district courts defy an appellate writ: orders granting transfer to out-of-circuit districts, but parties opposing intercircuit transfer can work around this hurdle to effective appellate review, says Charles Fowler at McKool Smith.

  • A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence

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    The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.

  • To Make Your Legal Writing Clear, Emulate A Master Chef

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    To deliver clear and effective written advocacy, lawyers should follow the model of a fine dining chef — seasoning a foundation of pure facts with punchy descriptors, spicing it up with analogies, refining the recipe and trimming the fat — thus catering to a sophisticated audience of decision-makers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Circuit Judge Writes An Opinion, AI Helps: What Now?

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    Last week's Eleventh Circuit opinion in Snell v. United Specialty Insurance, notable for a concurrence outlining the use of artificial intelligence to evaluate a term's common meaning, is hopefully the first step toward developing a coherent basis for the judiciary's generative AI use, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.

  • National Security And The Commercial Space Sector: Part 2

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    Strategy documents recently published by the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Space Force confirm the importance of the commercial space sector to the DOD, but say little about achieving the institutional changes needed to integrate commercial capabilities in support of national security in space, say Jeff Chiow and Skip Smith at Greenberg Traurig.

  • National Security And The Commercial Space Sector: Part 1

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    The recently published U.S. Department of Defense space strategy represents a recalibration in agency thinking, signaling that the integration of commercial space capabilities has become a necessity and offering guidance for removing structural, procedural and cultural barriers to commercial-sector collaboration, say Jeff Chiow and Skip Smith at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Perspectives

    Trauma-Informed Legal Approaches For Pro Bono Attorneys

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    As National Trauma Awareness Month ends, pro bono attorneys should nevertheless continue to acknowledge the mental and physical effects of trauma, allowing them to better represent clients, and protect themselves from compassion fatigue and burnout, say Katherine Cronin at Stinson and Katharine Manning at Blackbird.

  • Series

    Playing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My deep and passionate involvement in playing, writing and producing music equipped me with skills — like creativity, improvisation and problem-solving — that contribute to the success of my legal career, says attorney Kenneth Greene.

  • Contractors Must Prep For FAR Council GHG Emissions Rule

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    With the U.S. Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council expected to finalize its proposed rule on the disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related financial risk this year, government contractors should take key steps now to get ready, say Thomas Daley at DLA Piper, Steven Rothstein at the Ceres Accelerator for Sustainable Capital Markets, and John Kostyack at Kostyack Strategies.

  • How Attys Can Avoid Pitfalls When Withdrawing From A Case

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    The Trump campaign's recent scuffle over its bid to replace its counsel in a pregnancy retaliation suit offers a chance to remind attorneys that many troubles inherent in withdrawing from a case can be mitigated or entirely avoided by communicating with clients openly and frequently, says Christopher Konneker at Orsinger Nelson.

  • The Effects Of New 10-Year Limitation On Key Sanctions Laws

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    Recently enacted emergency appropriations legislation, doubling the statute of limitations for civil and criminal economic sanctions violations, has significant implications for internal records retention, corporate transaction due diligence and government investigations, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

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