Aerospace & Defense

  • January 30, 2025

    Nelson Mullins-Led Serco Unit To Buy Defense Biz For $327M

    Serco Group PLC said Thursday that a subsidiary has agreed to buy a defense software business from U.S. aerospace giant Northrop Grumman Corp. for $327 million, allowing it to tap into the "huge" sector as geopolitical tensions threaten to boil over.

  • January 29, 2025

    Trump Orders Guantánamo Prep For 30K 'Criminal' Migrants

    President Donald Trump on Wednesday directed the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to prepare Naval Station Guantánamo Bay to detain tens of thousands of "high-priority criminal" undocumented migrants, a move he previewed before signing an anticipated law aimed at detaining migrants charged with certain offenses.

  • January 29, 2025

    4th Circ. Mulls If Tossing No-Poach Suit Rewards Bad Behavior

    As the Fourth Circuit mulled the idea of reviving a proposed class action accusing military shipbuilding contractors of agreeing not to poach each other's engineers, one judge rebuffed the idea that the suit had no legs because there were no specific allegations of fraudulent concealment.

  • January 29, 2025

    USPTO Backlog 'Unacceptable,' Trump's Commerce Pick Says

    Commerce secretary nominee Howard Lutnick said at his confirmation hearing Wednesday that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's backlog of unexamined patent applications is "unacceptable," and pledged to work to reduce it so that patents are issued more quickly.

  • January 29, 2025

    Families Of Slain Urge Justices To Uphold Terror Victim Law

    Relatives of U.S. nationals killed in terrorist attacks in Israel told the U.S. Supreme Court this week that the Second Circuit was wrong to invalidate a federal law that broadened jurisdiction for Anti-Terrorism Act cases against the Palestine Liberation Organization.

  • January 29, 2025

    6th Circ. Doubts Free Speech Flouted By Deer Hunt Drone Ban

    Sixth Circuit judges sounded skeptical on Wednesday that a drone company can challenge a Michigan law barring drone use to hunt deer by claiming the law violates their free-speech ability to use the devices to locate and communicate about fallen game, with the judges suggesting the statute seems to regulate conduct rather than speech.

  • January 29, 2025

    Chinese Co. Execs Convicted Over Fentanyl Chemical Imports

    Two former executives of a Chinese chemical company were convicted Wednesday of charges related to a purported scheme to import fentanyl precursor chemicals in order to manufacture large quantities of the drug, as well as laundering funds.

  • January 29, 2025

    Exail Escapes Suit Challenging Award In Aerospace Feud

    A Manhattan federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a case brought by two units of French aerospace firm Safran hoping to nix an arbitral award to Exail Technologies, saying the latter company was right that it had not been given proper notice of the case.

  • January 29, 2025

    Ex-Sen. Menendez Gets 11 Years For Bribes, Abuse Of Power

    A Manhattan federal judge sentenced Robert Menendez to 11 years in prison on Wednesday after a jury convicted the former U.S. senator from New Jersey of engaging in a lengthy, million-dollar course of bribery and corruption, saying his crimes merit "serious consequences."

  • January 29, 2025

    India Asks High Court To Nix $1.3B Telecom Award

    The Republic of India urged the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a Ninth Circuit order that refused to enforce a $1.3 billion arbitral award against the commercial arm of its space agency, arguing that a lower court had baselessly said that India held control over the division.

  • January 29, 2025

    Trump's Commerce Nominee Backs Maximalist Tariff Approach

    President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Commerce voiced support for an expansive use of tariffs Wednesday, repeatedly telling lawmakers that new levies should be imposed to correct the "disrespect" U.S. businesses face in overseas markets.

  • January 29, 2025

    White House Rescinds Trump's Spending Freeze

    The White House on Wednesday rescinded a directive freezing federal funding, saying it wants to end litigation and confusion, but said the move will not end a review of spending to ensure compliance with a series of executive orders by the president.

  • January 29, 2025

    Defense Department's Top Atty To Join Hilton As GC

    The former general counsel of the U.S. Department of Defense, who was the first woman confirmed by the Senate as CIA general counsel, is joining Hilton in March as its top attorney, the global hospitality company has announced.

  • January 28, 2025

    DC Circ. Says Gov't Made A Mess Pulling 9/11 Planners' Pleas

    After four hours of oral arguments on the government's bid to yank back plea deals from a pair of 9/11 co-conspirators that had already been signed, the D.C. Circuit agreed on one thing Tuesday — that this was a problem that need never have landed on their laps.

  • January 28, 2025

    Sig Sauer's Strategy To DQ Experts Gets Knocked Out At 6th Circ.

    Gunmaker Sig Sauer Inc.'s legal strategy to disqualify experts who testified its P320 pistol was defectively designed suffered a blow when the Sixth Circuit ruled, in a split decision, that the witnesses could opine on if the arms manufacture should have utilized a safer build, forecasting potential outcomes in similar appeals before the Third and Tenth circuits.

  • January 28, 2025

    Boeing Supplier Seeks $583K Fees In Texas Biz Records Suit

    A Boeing supplier, Spirit AeroSystems Inc., has asked a federal judge to approve over $583,000 in legal fees after it won a bid to shut down attempts by Texas state officials to examine its business records.

  • January 28, 2025

    Combat Vet Says Army Base Job Triggered PTSD In $25M Suit

    A U.S. Army combat veteran has filed a worker discrimination complaint seeking $25 million from a Washington recycling company, alleging that his former civilian employer mocked his military service and dispatched him to a military base despite knowing it brought back war zone fears and triggered PTSD symptoms.

  • January 28, 2025

    Transgender Troops Challenge Trump's Military Ban

    A group of current and prospective transgender service members sued the Trump administration in D.C. federal court on Tuesday over an executive order barring transgender troops from serving in the military, saying the order is unconstitutional.

  • January 28, 2025

    Trump Wants 'Iron Dome' Missile Defense System For US

    President Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. Department of Defense to create an "Iron Dome" defense system to protect against ballistic missiles and other advanced aerial threats, saying those weapons pose the "most catastrophic threat" to the U.S.

  • January 28, 2025

    Calif. Panel Says Workers Can Be Added To $935K Wage Deal

    A California state appeals court declined to upend an order allowing the reopening of a $935,000 settlement that resolved workers' wage and hour lawsuit against an aerospace company, saying the employer failed to show that unionized employees were correctly exempted from the deal.

  • January 28, 2025

    Trump Bars Trans Service Members, DOD Diversity Initiatives

    President Donald Trump has issued executive orders eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs within the military, reinstating service members who refused COVID-19 vaccinations and barring service by openly transgender troops.

  • January 28, 2025

    Menendez Says Any Prison Time Should Wait For Appeal

    Former U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez told a Manhattan federal judge ahead of his sentencing hearing Wednesday that any prison term should be delayed until after his appeal of his bribery conviction plays out, saying the Second Circuit could well rule in his favor.

  • January 28, 2025

    Judge Temporarily Halts Trump's Funding Freeze

    A D.C. federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a Trump administration freeze on federal spending that was set to go into effect at 5 p.m., as a group of nearly two dozen attorneys general filed a separate case challenging what they described as an illegal and potentially catastrophic move.

  • January 28, 2025

    DOD Raises Propulsion Program Contract Ceiling To $3.5B

    The U.S. Air Force modified two contracts previously awarded to GE Edison Works and Pratt & Whitney to develop engines intended to be used in its next-generation fighter jets, boosting the contract ceiling from $975 million to $3.5 billion.

  • January 28, 2025

    Trump Wants TikTok 'Bidding War' As Microsoft Enters Talks

    President Donald Trump said that Microsoft is in discussions to purchase TikTok, stressing that a bidding war would be a "good thing" because that's how to get "the best deal."

Expert Analysis

  • 5 Notable Anti-Money Laundering Actions From 2024

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    Regulators' renewed interest in anti-money laundering programs in 2024 led to numerous enforcement actions and individual prosecutions in industries like banking, cryptocurrency and gaming, including the blockbuster TD Bank settlement and investigations of casinos in Nevada, says Michael Beckwith at Dickinson Wright.

  • Series

    Group Running Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The combination of physical fitness and community connection derived from running with a group of business leaders has, among other things, helped me to stay grounded, improve my communication skills, and develop a deeper empathy for clients and colleagues, says Jessica Shpall Rosen at Greenwald Doherty.

  • Opinion

    6 Changes I Would Make If I Ran A Law School

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    Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner identifies several key issues plaguing law schools and discusses potential solutions, such as opting out of the rankings game and mandating courses in basic writing skills.

  • Firms Still Have The Edge In Lateral Hiring, But Buyer Beware

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    Partner mobility data suggests that the third quarter of this year continued to be a buyer’s market, with the average candidate demanding less compensation for a larger book of business — but moving into the fourth quarter, firms should slow down their hiring process to minimize risks, say officers at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

  • Preparing For The New Restrictions On Investment Into China

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    In light of a new regulatory program governing U.S. investments in China-related technology companies of national security concern, investors should keep several considerations in mind, including the rules' effect on existing and new investments, compliance hurdles, and penalties for noncompliance ahead of the rules' January implementation, say attorneys at Gunderson Dettmer.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: 1 Type Of Case Complexity Stands Out

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    In contrast to some cases that appear complex due to voluminous evidence or esoteric subject matter, a different kind of complexity involves tangled legal and factual questions, each with a range of possible outcomes, which require a “sliding scale” approach instead of syllogistic reasoning, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Note 3 Simple Types Of Legal Complexity

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    Cases can appear complex for several reasons — due to the number of issues, the volume of factual and evidentiary sources, and the sophistication of those sources — but the same basic technique can help lawyers tame their arguments into a simple and persuasive message, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • What Insurers Need To Know About OFAC's Expanded FAQs

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    The Office of Foreign Assets Control's recently expanded insurance FAQs clarify how OFAC views insurance policies in a number of specific circumstances involving sanctioned parties, and make plain that sanctions compliance is the responsibility of all participants in the insurance ecosystem, including underwriters, brokers and agents, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    Gardening Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Beyond its practical and therapeutic benefits, gardening has bolstered important attributes that also apply to my litigation practice, including persistence, patience, grit and authenticity, says Christopher Viceconte at Gibbons.

  • How Trump's 2nd Term May Alter The Immigration Landscape

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    Rhetoric from Donald Trump's campaign and his choice of hardline appointees indicate that a more restrictive and punitive approach to immigration is in our immediate future, especially in areas like humanitarian relief, nonimmigrant visa processing, and travel and green card eligibility, says John Quill at Mintz.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Reframing Document Review

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    For attorneys — new ones especially — there is much fulfillment to find in document review by reflecting on how important, interesting and pleasant it can be, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Inside The Appeals Board's 2024 Report To Congress

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    An in-depth examination of the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals’ annual report reveals ​a continuing decline in new cases, motions and hearings, a trend that may correspond with ​t​he increased use of alternative dispute resolution, and expedited or accelerated proceedings, say attorneys at Miller & Chevalier.

  • How Boards And Officers Should Prep For New Trump Admin

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    In anticipation of President-elect Donald Trump's proposed tariffs and mass deportation campaign, company officers and board members should pursue proactive, comprehensive contingency planning to not only advance the best interests of the companies they serve, but to also properly exercise their fiduciary duty of care, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

  • Implementing Human Rights Due Diligence

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    The Bureau of Industry and Security’s recent removal of a Canadian surveillance provider from its export blacklist, after just eight months, illustrates the importance of integrating human rights due diligence into the vetting process by asking a few targeted questions, say attorneys at Cravath.

  • DC Circ. Decision Opens Door To NEPA Regulation Litigation

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    A recent D.C. Circuit decision in Marin Audubon Society v. Federal Aviation Administration could open the door to more litigation over the White House Council on Environmental Quality's National Environmental Policy Act regulations, and could affect how many agencies conduct and interpret environmental assessments, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

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