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Houston Appeals Court Affirms Arbitration Award for Environmental and Other Damages in Oil and Gas Case
August 6, 2014
Texas’ First Court of Appeals in Houston has affirmed a trial court’s decision to confirm an arbitration panel’s damages award in an oil and gas exploration and production dispute. In Forest Oil Corp. v. El Rucio Land and Cattle Co., Inc., et al., No. 01-13-00040-CV (Tex. App. – Houston [1st Dist.], July 24, 2014), a property owner, McAllen, sued Forest Oil Corporation over the alleged environmental damage the company caused to his ranch. According to McAllen, Forest Oil contaminated the soil...
August 6, 2014
Texas’ First Court of Appeals in Houston has affirmed a trial court’s decision to confirm an arbitration panel’s damages award in an oil and gas exploration and production dispute. In Forest Oil Corp. v. El Rucio Land and Cattle Co., Inc., et al., No. 01-13-00040-CV (Tex. App. – Houston [1st Dist.], July 24, 2014), a property owner, McAllen, sued Forest Oil Corporation over the alleged environmental damage the company caused to his ranch. According to McAllen, Forest Oil contaminated the soil...
10 Tips for a Successful Mediation
August 6, 2014
If your company is headed to a mediation, you’re in good company. A recent study of more than 350 Fortune 1000 companies showed that nearly all of them have used mediation in the last three years to resolve a dispute. Compared to other dispute resolution mechanisms, mediation can be attractive for any number of reasons, not the least of which is that you are the master of your own fate and you have the opportunity to resolve matters early on—privately and without the extended costs and risks...
August 6, 2014
If your company is headed to a mediation, you’re in good company. A recent study of more than 350 Fortune 1000 companies showed that nearly all of them have used mediation in the last three years to resolve a dispute. Compared to other dispute resolution mechanisms, mediation can be attractive for any number of reasons, not the least of which is that you are the master of your own fate and you have the opportunity to resolve matters early on—privately and without the extended costs and risks...
The Way We Live Our Lives in Stories
August 5, 2014
We think of stories as a wildly creative art form but within that creativity and that diversity there is a lot of conformity. Stories are very predictable. No matter where you go in the world, no matter how different people seem, no matter how hard their lives are, people tell stories, universally, and universally the stories are more or less like ours: the same basic human obsessions, and the same basic structure. The structure comes down to: stories have a character, the character has a predicament...
August 5, 2014
We think of stories as a wildly creative art form but within that creativity and that diversity there is a lot of conformity. Stories are very predictable. No matter where you go in the world, no matter how different people seem, no matter how hard their lives are, people tell stories, universally, and universally the stories are more or less like ours: the same basic human obsessions, and the same basic structure. The structure comes down to: stories have a character, the character has a predicament...
What Really Should Be in General Counsel’s Skill Set
August 5, 2014
A recent ALM article, "Sea Change in GC Role Requires New Competencies," by E. Leigh Dance, got me thinking. I agree with Dance on the competencies required of a general counsel, except for one thing. The article could have been written 30 years ago. The same skills have been required for a long time because some aspects of the general counsel's responsibilities haven’t changed. But some have, and this is where some GCs need to focus to ensure that they have the appropriate skills for the job—in...
August 5, 2014
A recent ALM article, "Sea Change in GC Role Requires New Competencies," by E. Leigh Dance, got me thinking. I agree with Dance on the competencies required of a general counsel, except for one thing. The article could have been written 30 years ago. The same skills have been required for a long time because some aspects of the general counsel's responsibilities haven’t changed. But some have, and this is where some GCs need to focus to ensure that they have the appropriate skills for the job—in...
Texas Supreme Court Denies Petition for Review in Fraud Suit Filed Following Arbitration
August 5, 2014
The Supreme Court of Texas declined to review a fraud case stemming from an arbitration proceeding. In Patten et al. v. Johnson et al., No. 14-0433, a JAMS arbitrator issued an award in favor of Johnson over a business dispute with Patten. Later, that award was vacated due to an undisclosed relationship between the arbitrator and Johnson and a new arbitration was conducted. After Patten prevailed at the new arbitral hearing, he filed a complaint for fraud against Johnson, the law firm of Fish...
August 5, 2014
The Supreme Court of Texas declined to review a fraud case stemming from an arbitration proceeding. In Patten et al. v. Johnson et al., No. 14-0433, a JAMS arbitrator issued an award in favor of Johnson over a business dispute with Patten. Later, that award was vacated due to an undisclosed relationship between the arbitrator and Johnson and a new arbitration was conducted. After Patten prevailed at the new arbitral hearing, he filed a complaint for fraud against Johnson, the law firm of Fish...
‘Hackcess to Justice’ is Aug. 7 and 8 in Boston
August 1, 2014
For anyone interested in legal technology or access to justice, possibly the most interesting event during the annual meeting is its first-ever hackathon, sponsored by the ABA Journal and Suffolk University Law School. If you are not familiar with the term, a hackathon is an event in which groups of people compete in teams to develop computer or mobile applications. The theme of this hackathon is Hackcess to Justice – and there is prize money to be had. A total of $3,000 will be awarded to the top three...
August 1, 2014
For anyone interested in legal technology or access to justice, possibly the most interesting event during the annual meeting is its first-ever hackathon, sponsored by the ABA Journal and Suffolk University Law School. If you are not familiar with the term, a hackathon is an event in which groups of people compete in teams to develop computer or mobile applications. The theme of this hackathon is Hackcess to Justice – and there is prize money to be had. A total of $3,000 will be awarded to the top three...
Third Circuit Weighs In on Class Arbitrability Issue
August 1, 2014
In Opalinski v. Robert Half International, the Third Circuit held that the question whether parties agreed to class arbitration...
August 1, 2014
In Opalinski v. Robert Half International, the Third Circuit held that the question whether parties agreed to class arbitration...
Public Alert: New Juror Scam Seeks Personal Data
August 1, 2014
A new juror scam email, which fraudulently seeks personal information that could aid identity theft, has been reported in at least...
August 1, 2014
A new juror scam email, which fraudulently seeks personal information that could aid identity theft, has been reported in at least...
NLRB GC Says McDonald’s a Joint Employer With Franchisees
July 31, 2014
Richard Griffin Jr., general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), on Tuesday brought a new meaning to the phrase...
July 31, 2014
Richard Griffin Jr., general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), on Tuesday brought a new meaning to the phrase...
Algorithm Predicts US Supreme Court Decisions 70% of Time
July 31, 2014
A legal scholar says he and colleagues have developed an algorithm that can predict, with 70 percent accuracy, whether the US Supreme...
July 31, 2014
A legal scholar says he and colleagues have developed an algorithm that can predict, with 70 percent accuracy, whether the US Supreme...
