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.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Oil majors acquire $164M of Alaska oil leases
The Federal Court of Appeal upheld the lower court’s decision to strike a proposed class action brought by a second‑generation residential‑school survivor. The court ruled the claim was barred by the 2006 Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) release and lacked a reasonable cause of action. The appellant, born in 1991, could not rescind the settlement despite being a minor when the IRSSA was executed. The appeal was dismissed with no error found in the original characterization of the claim.
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced a strategic market status (SMS) investigation into Microsoft’s business software ecosystem, set to start in May. The probe targets Microsoft’s licensing practices that may restrict competition in cloud services, especially as AI...
The SEC’s amended Regulation S‑P, effective August 2, 2024, imposes new privacy and breach‑notification rules on investment advisers. Smaller advisers—those managing less than $1.5 billion in assets—must comply by June 3, 2025, while larger firms have until December 3, 2025. The amendments require...
On 30 March 2026 the FCA issued Policy Statement 26/3, establishing final rules for two motor‑finance consumer redress schemes covering loans from April 2007 to November 2024. The schemes split the original 17‑year period into a 2007‑14 “Scheme 1” and a 2014‑24 “Scheme 2”, with...
The UK House of Lords has accepted an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill that would mandate consent verification for online pornography, potentially making Britain the first nation with comprehensive consent‑based regulation. The proposal, championed by Conservative peer Gabby...
Law firms spend over $500,000 annually on student recruitment alone, not counting salaries, training, and mentorship costs. A recent survey of twenty firms revealed that mentorship, business‑development training, and deriving value from student work are the biggest post‑hire challenges. Firms...
The Bank of England detailed its cross‑border resolution framework, highlighting lessons from the 2023 failures of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Credit Suisse. Using SVB’s UK subsidiary and Credit Suisse’s £506 billion (≈$632 billion) asset base, the BoE explained how coordination with...
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not give the president authority to impose tariffs, invalidating duties on imports from China, Canada, Mexico and dozens of other nations. The decision opens roughly $166 billion in...
China’s State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Civil Affairs announced a ban on using vacant apartments as "bone ash apartments" to store cremated remains. The practice emerged as families sought affordable alternatives to costly cemetery plots, which...
The UK Financial Conduct Authority unveiled final rules for its motor‑finance redress scheme, setting the compensation bill at just over £9 billion (approximately $11.5 billion), down from earlier £11 billion estimates. Lloyds Banking Group alone faces a £2 billion ($2.5 billion) liability, while Close Brothers...
Russia’s government approved draft bills that force all domestic crypto trades through licensed exchanges, custodians or approved banks, capping retail purchases at 300,000 rubles (about $3,700) per year and requiring a competency test. Qualified investors receive broader access, while residents...
In this episode, DLA Piper partner Yoni Tuchman walks listeners through the legal pitfalls that can cost venture capital general partners millions, focusing on mis‑drafted management fee clauses, distribution waterfall nuances, and key‑person provisions. He explains how fees are calculated—often...
Shipowners are facing a surge in subjective injury claims, especially for pain and suffering, with some verdicts exceeding $10 million. Courts see more nuclear verdicts driven by emotional narratives and per‑minute suffering calculations. Traumatic brain injury cases are particularly complex, relying...
The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued new guidance urging employers to review automated decision‑making (ADM) tools used in recruitment, citing the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 that eases lawful AI adoption. The regulator highlighted both efficiency gains...
The Reserve Bank of India has deferred the rollout of new capital market exposure directions for banks until July, responding to industry requests. The move provides immediate relief to lenders and is expected to influence equity financing and stock valuations...
A random‑sample survey by Northwestern University shows 60% of U.S. federal judges have used at least one generative AI tool, yet only about 22% employ it daily or weekly. The findings highlight cautious integration of AI in the federal judiciary.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a new whistleblower platform that will pay informants 10‑30% of fines recovered from Medicare and Medicaid fraud, targeting an estimated $70 billion in annual abuse. The program mirrors the IRS’s whistleblower scheme, directs payouts from penalties,...
A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction that stops the Department of Defense from branding AI startup Anthropic a supply‑chain risk, a move the court said appears to be classic First Amendment retaliation. The ruling curtails a Trump‑era directive...
Federal investigators have opened a probe into Ford Motor Co.'s Blue Cruise system after two 2024 crashes in Texas and Pennsylvania killed three people. The National Transportation Safety Board will issue recommendations on how partially automated, hands‑off features monitor driver...
Tyler Perry handed out $250,000 in $1,000 gift cards to TSA workers at Hartsfield‑Jackson Atlanta International Airport after weeks without pay. The Department of Homeland Security ordered the cards returned, citing federal rules that prohibit cash or cash‑equivalent gifts to...
The Federal Trade Commission has mailed warning letters to the CEOs of Mastercard, Visa, PayPal and Stripe, telling them to stop blocking payments for adult‑oriented games on Steam. The move follows a 2025 dispute in which Mastercard‑linked processors forced Valve...
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission released a 68‑page policy package that insulates cryptocurrencies from a range of existing regulations. The move follows a wave of enforcement dismissals and signals a coordinated shift with the CFTC, prompting both industry optimism...
Employee data breach reports to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office reached 3,872 incidents in 2025, the highest level in at least seven years. That marks a 5% rise from the previous year and a 29% increase versus 2019, when reporting...
The Third Circuit ruled that New Jersey’s “Background Circumstances Rule,” which imposed a heightened burden on majority‑group plaintiffs under the NJLAD, is incompatible with the statute and therefore dead in federal court. The decision follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous...
Europe, the United States and several Asian governments announced new regulations this week to keep sensitive AI data, models and ontologies under national oversight. The moves come as the global AI governance market is projected to jump from $430 m in...
Premier Mortgage Resources and Canopy Mortgage have agreed to settle a year‑long lawsuit alleging a poaching scheme involving the Lillibridge family. The family, former Premier employees, were accused of recruiting colleagues and transferring in‑progress loans to Canopy, prompting Premier to...
The European Commission has launched an in‑depth state‑aid investigation into France’s €72.8 billion (≈ $79 billion) support package for six new nuclear reactors totaling 9,990 MW, slated for commissioning between 2038 and 2044. The aid combines a subsidised loan covering 60% of construction costs,...
Cyber‑risk firm KYND warns insurers that U.S. privacy lawsuits tied to routine website tracking have surged from a few hundred to over 2,000 cases annually. The claims focus on marketing pixels and analytics tools rather than data breaches and can...
The Hague Conference on Private International Law welcomed Guatemala as its 93rd member on 4 March 2026, expanding the organization’s global reach. On the same day the 2019 Judgments Convention entered into force for Albania and Montenegro, while Monaco ratified the...
A federal court settlement in Missouri v. Biden disclosed that White House officials pressured Facebook to label accurate vaccine information as misinformation. The dispute stemmed from a BMJ investigation on Pfizer’s COVID‑19 trial that was flagged by a Facebook fact‑checker,...
Transparency is emerging as a critical differentiator in personal injury law, with claimants increasingly expecting clear explanations of each case stage. National Claims highlights that uncertainty around legal processes, evidence requirements, and timelines fuels demand for openness. Industry bodies such...
In 2018 a heated dispute erupted between French and British scallop fishermen in the English Channel, culminating in a physical clash where roughly 35 French boats confronted five British vessels. The conflict stemmed from divergent national fishing rules—France bans scallop...
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit, allowing Alabama Power to retain its $39‑per‑month standby fee for residential solar customers, one of the highest in the United States. The fee, calculated at $5.41 per kilowatt of installed capacity, adds roughly $39...
The Court of Appeal overturned the original Mazur ruling, delivering a judgment that clarifies the scope of supervision and delegation in litigation. CILEX hailed the decision as a victory for its members, confirming that chartered legal executives can now litigate...
Effective Jan 1 2026, California expanded its CCPA/CPRA into a unified governance framework that blends privacy, cybersecurity, and AI regulations. The new rules mandate formal risk assessments for high‑risk processing, regulate automated decision‑making technologies, and require independent cybersecurity audits. Obligations roll out...
On 27 March 2026 the Australian Treasury released an exposure draft of the Corporations Amendment (Ban on Advertising Superannuation Funds During Onboarding) Regulations 2026. The draft amends the Corporations Regulations 2001 to enforce a ban on advertising MySuper products to new employees during onboarding,...
The Philippine Department of Justice has unilaterally extended the automatic visa stay for foreigners affected by the Middle East conflict until May 1, relieving them of any fees, fines or penalties. The extension builds on a prior order that allowed stays...
PensionBee has welcomed the FCA’s proposal to regulate ESG ratings providers, calling it a long‑overdue step toward greater transparency. The retirement‑savings platform urged the regulator to adopt a proportionate, internationally aligned framework that reduces reporting burdens on smaller firms. It...
CollBox, a payment‑acceleration platform for law firms, captured first place in the 10th annual Startup Alley pitch competition at the ABA Techshow in Chicago. The contest, which showcases emerging legal‑tech innovators, also saw Candle AI earn second place for its...
LegalTech Connect announced its inaugural Law Firm Research & Innovation Conference, scheduled for April 28 in New York. Early‑bird registration is priced at $949 but expires on March 31, after which tickets increase to $999. The agenda promises sessions on AI‑enabled research...
General Legal, an AI‑native law firm, uses a full‑stack artificial intelligence engine to draft and review commercial contracts, allowing it to deliver standard agreements for as little as $500 while maintaining 40‑50% profit margins. By automating roughly 80% of the...
London International Disputes Week (LIDW) has refreshed its board, appointing Quadrant Chambers COO Sarah Longden and Stewarts partner Sherina Petit as new members. They replace Ben Giaretta and Emily Morris, who helped steer LIDW’s post‑pandemic revival. Longden brings 30 years...
President Trump’s recent executive orders are prompting the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to roll back the long‑standing ALARA radiation‑protection standards that have limited worker and public exposure at federal nuclear sites. The changes could allow up...
The Indian government will roll out a new Income‑Tax Act 2025 and related budget measures on April 1, 2026, including a higher securities transaction tax (STT) on futures‑and‑options (F&O) trades. STT on futures rises to 0.05% (from 0.02%) and on options to...
Starlink will appeal Namibia's telecom regulator decision that rejected its licence and spectrum access because the company is fully foreign‑owned, violating the country's 51% local‑ownership rule. Nigeria's communications authority has mandated that telcos compensate customers with airtime credits when service...
The UK government, together with regulator Ofgem, has launched a consultation on revising cyber‑resilience rules for downstream gas and electricity licensees. The proposal would impose baseline cyber security requirements on all Ofgem‑licensed operators, while applying stricter standards to the most...
PCMI, a cloud‑based provider of finance‑and‑insurance software for automotive dealers, announced Nick Scissons as its new General Counsel. Scissons will lead the global legal function, advising the executive team, board and investors on strategy, governance and risk. He arrives from...
A recent panel of regulators, crypto technologists, legal experts and bank executives debated the looming inheritance crisis in digital assets. Participants highlighted that lost private keys can render cryptocurrency permanently inaccessible, leaving heirs unable to claim rightful wealth. While self‑sovereignty...
Queensland introduced the Fighting Antisemitism and Keeping Guns Out of the Hands of Terrorists and Criminals Amendment Bill 2026 on March 11, criminalising words, symbols and expressions that may "menace, harass or offend." Within weeks, Brisbane artist James Hillier was...
A U.S. federal judge in California largely sided with Amy Taylor, frontwoman of Amyl and the Sniffers, in her copyright dispute with photographer Jamie Nelson. The court denied Nelson's anti‑SLAPP motion, allowed Taylor to amend her federal claim and keep...
