Know What's Happening in Legal
Know What's Happening in Legal
Delaware Supreme Court lets insurers pursue contract claims against Blackbaud over ransomware breach
The Delaware Supreme Court reversed lower‑court dismissals, permitting insurers to bring breach‑of‑contract actions against Blackbaud for its 2020 ransomware incident. Blackbaud had previously paid a $3 million SEC fine and $49 million to state attorneys general for misleading breach disclosures.
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By the numbers: Oil majors acquire $164M of Alaska oil leases
A federal judge rejected As You Sow’s request for a preliminary injunction against Chubb, finding the activist group failed to demonstrate a likelihood of success under the ordinary business exclusion of Rule 14a‑8(i)(7). The court also noted Chubb, a Swiss‑based insurer, was not properly served, granting additional time for service. The disputed proposal sought a climate‑change compensation report tied to subrogation practices, but the judge deemed it an ordinary business matter. The decision leaves two similar shareholder‑proposal lawsuits unresolved and may prompt further judicial clarification of the rule.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has ordered the immediate shutdown of Essex‑based law firm Rainer Hughes after suspecting dishonesty by its manager, Sanjay Panesar, and possible breaches of accounts rules. The intervention, overseen by north‑west firm Stephensons, affects a practice of...
Attorneys announced a consent decree ending the Murthy v. Missouri litigation that alleged federal agencies coerced social‑media platforms to suppress protected speech. The agreement restricts the CDC, CISA and the Surgeon General from threatening platforms over content for a ten‑year...
In this episode of Technically Legal, host Chad Main talks with husband‑wife founders Kara Peterson and Richard DiBona about their AI‑native legal research app, Describe. The duo explains how a personal employment dispute during the pandemic led them to discover...
President Donald Trump is weighing the removal of Attorney General Pam Bondi, whose tenure has been marred by an Epstein‑related subpoena and criticism for not pursuing political opponents aggressively. Sources say Trump’s top candidate to replace her is EPA Administrator...
In early 2025 the Trump administration created large national defense areas along the U.S. southern border, placing the land under military jurisdiction and allowing soldiers to assist in immigration enforcement. Federal prosecutors subsequently filed a surge of military trespass charges—over...
Align Capital Partners has secured roughly $405 million for a continuation fund dedicated to Proceed, its tech‑enabled legal services platform. The capital will support Proceed’s next phase of growth, including product development and potential acquisitions. The continuation vehicle allows existing investors...
HM Revenue and Customs has told UK vaping businesses to register for a new excise duty regime or face a trading ban from October 2026. The scheme introduces a duty stamp on all vape liquids, including non‑nicotine products, with a...
A High Court judge, Mr Justice Derek Sweeting, was issued a formal warning for misconduct due to significant delays in delivering judgments in two separate cases. The first case saw an 11‑month gap between the July 2024 hearing and the final...
Paris Arbitration Week’s 10th‑anniversary session highlighted how neuroscience reshapes advocacy. Speakers explained that the autonomic nervous system drives three states—social engagement, fight‑or‑flight, and shutdown—that directly affect a lawyer’s clarity, tone, and persuasiveness. Simple practices such as eye‑closing, breath regulation, and...
Weightmans, a Liverpool‑based firm with over 1,500 lawyers across ten UK offices, announced mergers with London’s Elborne Mitchell and Leeds‑based Myton Law effective 1 April 2026. Elborne Mitchell adds insurance, employment and commercial expertise, while Myton Law brings a niche focus on...
The FCA will launch its new UK Consumer Composite Investments (CCI) regime on 6 April 2026, replacing the EU‑PRIIPs and UCITS KID templates with a flexible, consumer‑focused Product Summary Document (PSD) backed by a Core Product Information (CPI) file. The rules remove...
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett has reopened its Singapore office, marking a strategic return to the Asian market after a three‑year absence. The move is positioned as a cornerstone of the firm’s broader push to capture the region’s booming private‑equity (PE) activity. By...
In this episode of Clock Talk, Adam Becker chats with Andrea Shaheen, Director of Global Legal Talent Development at Stryker, and Katrine Chevalier, Legal Operations Manager for DHL Americas, about the Education Advisory Council’s role in shaping legal‑ops learning. They...
Australia’s government has passed the Copyright Amendment Bill, extending the 1986 Copyright Act to address “orphan works” – creative material whose owners cannot be identified or located. The reform permits public use of such works, especially in education, for a...
Money on 8-1 ruling for birthright citizenship. Gorsuch gives majority opinion Alito gives concurrence but makes it clear that he WOULD get rid of it if he could but then he wouldn’t be a citizen either. Thomas writes lone unhinged dissent giving...
Very SIMPLE people who understand SIMPLE matters…. While @matinyarare & his friends are wrestling with definitions of a term, the ordinary Zimbabwean is more interested in what the Bill seeks to achieve… You will catch up folks, the smart people...
The Western Australian government introduced a sweeping ban on trawling in the Pilbara fishing zone on 1 January, citing severe risk to demersal species such as pink snapper and dhufish. Commercial operators Sea Harvest Group and Westmore Seafoods allege the ban...
Efforts to level the informational playing field across firms — by mandating data-sharing or expanding access to consumer risk information — are increasingly at the centre of Europe’s digital regulatory agenda. https://t.co/3koMS2B5Ui
Most compliance frameworks lean on consent as the primary lawful basis. Consent can be withdrawn at any time. Thailand's PDPA proves it: that's structural vulnerability, not safe harbor. Map your processing to contract performance + legitimate interest first. https://t.co/PTQjD2GryX
The UK government is drafting changes to the National Planning Policy Framework to make it easier to approve intensive livestock farms after sustained lobbying by the British Poultry Council. The proposal would raise the threshold for refusing applications on environmental...
Interesting Caixin article on China’s intensifying crackdown on the consumer lending and loan-facilitation business, with regulators summoning major platforms for talks and pressing the industry to sharply curb borrowing costs. https://t.co/BIv3i5trGx
Dumb Politicians with Dumb Ideas New York state legislators consider limits on commercial rent increases in New York City — a measure that would mirror the existing rent stabilization law that covers 1 million apartments. https://t.co/daJo29os8b
Latham & Watkins has engaged boutique firm Fountain Court to defend online trading platform Plus500 in a securities group action. The litigation, filed by a coalition of investors, alleges misrepresentations in Plus500's disclosures. Latham will oversee strategy while Fountain Court...
On April 2, 2026, a senior private capital partner left McDermott Will & Emery to join rival US firm Proskauer Rose. The lateral hire brings over 15 years of experience handling private equity and venture capital transactions across technology and...
Deepak Kapoor argues that India’s intricate, multi‑layered legal system requires AI built specifically for its statutes, courts, and regulatory bodies. Generic, globally trained models often hallucinate citations, miss jurisdictional nuances, and fail to handle multilingual judgments. Native Legal AI, exemplified...
Donald Trump appeared in the public gallery as the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on his executive order to end birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment. Solicitor General John Sauer struggled to persuade the justices, with Chief Justice Roberts, Justice...
AUSTRAC has ordered payment platform MHITS Limited to appoint an external auditor to verify its anti‑money laundering and counter‑terrorism financing (AML/CTF) compliance. The directive follows a broader supervisory campaign that previously targeted WorldRemit and Airwallex and issued sector‑wide warnings about...
Australia’s competition watchdog fined Photobook Shop AU$39,600 (≈US$26,100) for orchestrating undisclosed influencer endorsements, marking the first penalty of its kind under Australian Consumer Law. The retailer gave influencers products worth $50‑$400 and required them to omit any mention of sponsorship, even...
The FCA will classify bullying, harassment and related workplace misconduct as regulatory breaches starting 1 September 2026, extending its Code of Conduct beyond financial wrongdoing. Firms must treat such non‑financial misconduct as a compliance issue, updating reporting channels, disciplinary processes and senior‑management...
The Supreme Court issued an 8‑1 decision in Chiles v. Salazar, with Justice Jackson dissenting alone and Justices Kagan and Sotomayor joining the majority to defend a broad view of commercial free speech. The opinion sparked speculation about internal tensions...
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court held that a sole proprietor who is also the sole employee need only give a 120‑day workers’ compensation notice to the employer, not to the insurer. The ruling reversed a Commonwealth Court decision that had required...
Germany and Italy have tabled a joint proposal to give the EU a “kill switch” for foreign stablecoins that operate through multi‑issuer, cross‑border structures. The draft would require the European Banking Authority to ban any token whose home‑country regulatory regime...
The English private rented sector showed a marked slowdown in rent growth during March as landlords and tenants appear to be holding off on new contracts ahead of the Renters’ Rights Act, which takes effect on 1 May. Goodlord’s rental index...
The author finished editing the Supreme Court case *Chiles v. Salazar* for the Barnett/Blackman supplement, emphasizing its utility as a teaching tool. The 8‑1 decision, with Justice Gorsuch’s majority opinion, offers a clear synthesis of content and viewpoint discrimination doctrine...
Financial institutions are increasingly relying on independent AML/CTF audits to evaluate the effectiveness of their anti‑money‑laundering and counter‑terrorist‑financing controls. The audit function employs risk‑based sampling of high‑risk transactions and verifies compliance reporting to senior management and the board. Findings are...
Trade compliance and export documentation are essential for firms conducting cross‑border sales, ensuring legal adherence and smooth customs clearance. Exporters must furnish a suite of papers—including commercial invoices, packing lists, certificates of origin, and export licenses—to banks before any financing...
The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has finalized rules that require customers who permanently abolish their gas connections to pay a cost‑reflective fee, ending state caps that previously spread removal costs across remaining users. Distributors will also be mandated to...
Hong Kong businessman Jason Poon was sentenced by the High Court to one month in prison for two counts of contempt of court and ordered to pay HK$262,000 (approximately US$33,500) in legal costs. The contempt stemmed from a YouTube livestream...
Customer risk‑rating models remain a cornerstone of AML, yet most banks still rely on static employment, salary and product data collected at onboarding. These legacy scores frequently misclassify customers, inflating false‑positive alerts and driving costly manual reviews. A new generation...
The Delaware Court of Chancery issued a letter opinion in Shareholder Representative Services v. Sphera Solutions, clarifying when optimistic buyer statements cross from mere puffery into actionable fraud. The magistrate held that Sphera’s promise to substantially increase its marketing budget...
Step 4 of the Know‑Your‑Customer (KYC) workflow requires the account‑opening team to compile and present verified customer data to senior management or designated authorizers. The presentation must clearly flag the customer’s risk tier, include full identification documents, source‑of‑funds details, and, for...
AML and CTF investigations start from a suspicion rather than solid evidence, differentiating them from standard police procedures. Compliance teams compare the customer’s risk profile with the flagged transaction and seek an explanation; a satisfactory response closes the alert, while...
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has ordered fuel retailers to pass on the latest federal fuel excise reduction of about 5.7 Australian cents per litre (≈3.8 US cents) as quickly as possible. This follows an earlier 26.3‑cent cut...
President Droupadi Murmu signed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, which replaces the self‑identification framework established by the Supreme Court’s 2014 NALSA judgment with a mandatory medical‑board certification process. The amendment narrows the legal definition of transgender,...
Clyde & Co has recruited an 18‑lawyer team from DLA Piper to bolster its Bangkok office, marking one of the most significant hires in Thailand’s legal market this year. Led by partners Robert Tang and Samata Masagee, the group adds...
The Australian government, via the Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024, has tasked the OAIC with drafting a Children’s Online Privacy Code. The OAIC released the draft this week, opening it for public comment and targeting the 72 million data...
Russia’s digital minister announced measures to slash VPN usage, including potential fees for heavy international traffic and penalties for non‑compliant platforms. At the same time, Apple has removed several custom VPN and proxy apps from its Russian App Store, prompting...
Halper Sadeh LLC has issued advisory notices to shareholders of McCormick & Co., Corebridge Financial and Urgent.ly, warning that the pending mergers with Unilever Foods, Equitable Holdings and the sale to Agero may contain terms that limit competing offers or...
Novisto has bought London‑based carbon‑management software provider Minimum, merging carbon accounting into its ESG suite to meet expanding EU, UK and California reporting mandates. The deal, announced today, gives the Montreal‑based firm end‑to‑end data capabilities for large enterprises facing stricter...
