Federal prosecutors in Houston have officially agreed to allow National Oilwell Varco to avoid criminal and civil prosecution for dozens of trade sanction violations the Houston-based oil and gas driller allegedly committed in Iran, Cuba and Sudan. NOV signed a non-prosecution agreement on Nov. 9, which requires the company to pay $25 million in fines. The Texas Lawbook has the details.
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Ten Things: How to Plan a Legal Dept. Offsite
Corporate executives have used “offsite” meetings to develop strategy, set goals, energize the team, enhance teamwork and cooperation is the offsite. Legal departments seldom use this tool, but general counsel should reconsider.
Legal department offsites can bring big benefits to the department and the company. This edition of “Ten Things” discusses how to plan and host a successful legal department offsite.
Latham’s New ‘Book of Jargon’ Helps Professionals Become Fluent in Oil & Gas-Speak
© 2016 The Texas Lawbook. By Natalie Posgate (Nov. 10) – Michael P. Darden and Stephen Szalkowski are fluent in the language of oil & gas, but they recognize that
Latham’s New ‘Book of Jargon’ Helps Professionals Become Fluent in Oil & Gas-Speak
© 2016 The Texas Lawbook. By Natalie Posgate (Nov. 10) – Michael P. Darden and Stephen Szalkowski are fluent in the language of oil & gas, but they recognize that
Texas Supreme Court Ponders Level of Cross-ownership Allowed in Alcoholic Beverage Permit Case
In a case with potentially huge implications for beer and wine retailers, the Texas Supreme Court is weighing how much of a stake in a brewery could trigger Texas laws designed to separate brewers and retailers. Mexican convenience store operator Cadena Comercial is appealing the state’s denial of a permit to sell beer and wine in its planned Texas stores. Wal-Mart and other retailers are closely watching the case to see if the court adopts a strict “single-share” standard in determining ownership interests.
Fifth Circuit Accepts Sam Wyly Bankruptcy Appeal
Lawyers for Sam Wyly and his deceased brother were granted permission Thursday to appeal Bankruptcy Judge Barbara Houser’s ruling that the Wylys committed tax fraud and owe $1 billion to the IRS directly to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The appellate court agreed to allow the Wylys to skip the usual step of having a federal district judge review their case. The Texas Lawbook has the details.
Election Day and Political Speech: What Texas Employers Need to Know
Texas employers have special obligations under state and federal law when it comes to workers’ voting and political speech rights. Violations can carry serious criminal penalties and even draw the attention of regulators.
The Transformation of Private Law Librarianship
As the legal industry has been undergoing a transformation during the past 30 years, private law librarianship has also had to transform itself to become more efficient.
Law firm librarians have transformed into knowledge managers, electronic services librarians, project managers, subject specialists, web developers, and competitive intelligence experts. This article discusses the external and internal forces that have helped shape the new private law librarian, and what the future holds.
Exclusive – GC Forum Names Corporate In-House Lawyers of the Year
The GC Forum awarded its prestigious Magna Stella Awards to lawyers in corporate legal departments at American Air Liquide, Dell, Marathon Oil, Parkland Hospital, Total Petrochemicals, Waste Management and Vinmar Group. GCs and and their top deputies were honored for the extraordinary projects and successes during the past year.
Texas AG Paxton Seeks Dismissal of SEC Charges
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked a federal judge to dismiss recent charges of securities fraud filed against their client by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In court documents filed Friday, Paxton’s lawyers argue that the SEC’s newest allegations must be thrown out because they do “not alleged sufficient facts to support its theory that Mr. Paxton had a legal duty to disclose any sales commission arrangement.”