By Keith Goldberg

The Biden administration faces new= hurdles for its climate and energy policies with Republicans gaining contr= ol of the U.S. House of Representatives by a slim margin Wednesday as votes= continued to be counted, but some Capitol Hill watchers spot an opening fo= r a bipartisan breakthrough on legislation to speed up permitting for energ= y infrastructure.=0D

GOP House Majority Will Bring Scrutiny, Tight Budgets<= /a>

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Analysis

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By Juan Carlos Rodriguez

With Republicans now in control of= the U.S. House of Representatives, the Biden administration's climate and = environmental justice goals will move further out of reach as the new major= ity is likely to tighten the purse strings and vigorously pick apart federa= l agency actions.=0D

NYC Announces Plan For Soccer Stadium Mega Project

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By Emma Whitford

A onetime industrial area of New Y= ork City next to Citi Field in Corona, Queens, is the future home of a prof= essional soccer stadium anchoring a mixed-use development with apartments, = a public school and hotel, Mayor Eric Adams announced Wednesday.=0D

LA Voters Pick Affordable Housing Advocate Bass As May= or

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By Chuck Slothower

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Rep. Karen Bass, a veteran legisla= tor and reliable ally of Democratic constituencies, has overcome a challeng= e from billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso to win election as the= next mayor of Los Angeles.=0D

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Utah Axes $100K Fee Bid In Gold Mine Spill

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By Ali Sullivan

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The state of Utah nixed its bid fo= r a contractor to reimburse it for more than $100,000 in fees for allegedly= mishandling certain records in relation to a Colorado gold mine that ruptu= red in 2015, saying it will toss its request for now to allow the construct= ion company to finish preparing a settlement document.=0D

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Real Estate Rumors: St. John, WSC, Quadlogic Controls<= /a>

By Andrew McIntyre

St. John Properties is said to hav= e leased out 12,000 square feet in Maryland, WSC Communities is reportedly = hoping to sell a trio of development sites in Santa Monica and Quadlogic Co= ntrols is said to have leased 12,702 square feet in Queens.=0D

Judge Keeps Trump-Era ESA Rules In Place, Pending Revi= ew

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POLICY & REGULATION

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By Caleb Symons

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A California federal judge who thi= s year nullified a number of steps the Trump administration took to weaken = the Endangered Species Act opted Wednesday to leave those policies in place= , following their revival, at least until the federal government decides wh= ether it will revise them.=0D

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ENFORCEMENT

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EU Finalizes Anti-Dumping Duties On Chinese, Brazilian= Steel

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By Alyssa Aquino

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The European Commission finalized = anti-dumping tariffs on Chinese and Brazilian imports of a steel used in be= verage cans, containers and home appliances, saying Wednesday that the prod= ucts were being sold in the European Union at unfairly low prices.=0D

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LITIGATION

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Fight Heats Up Over Ga. Solar Farm Erosion Liability <= /a>

By Madeline Lyskawa

The owners and partners of Georgia= -based Lumpkin Solar Farm fired back at claims shoddy management is to blam= e for the 1,238 cubic yards of eroded sediment that allegedly washed off-si= te and polluted a nearby property and lake, saying there are disputed facts= that should be decided by a jury.=0D

Ill. Court Finds Auto Exclusion Bars Coverage For Cras= h Injury

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By Hope Patti

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A woman who was injured when a car= penter struck her and her car with his truck cannot seek coverage under his= commercial general liability policy, an Illinois state appeals court ruled= , holding that an auto exclusion applied since the carpenter was acting as = an employee when operating the vehicle.=0D

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EXPERT ANALYSIS

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Questions To Ask Before Making A Lateral Move As Partn= er

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By Lauren Wu

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Law firm partners considering late= ral moves should diligently interview prospects — going beyond standa= rd questions about compensation to inquire about culture, associate retenti= on and other areas that can provide a more comprehensive view, says Lauren = Wu at VOYLegal.=0D

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

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Federal Courts' Abuse Probes Lack 'Independence,' GAO = Says

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By Andrew Strickler

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Federal court procedures for looki= ng into fraud and abuse allegations don't do enough to protect their invest= igations' independence, a Congressional watchdog said Wednesday.=0D

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Firm Asks Justices To Protect Dual-Purpose Client Comm= s

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By Kat Lucero

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The U.S. Supreme Court should adop= t a broad interpretation of attorney-client privilege that shields mixed-us= e legal advice if it has a significant legal purpose, an unnamed tax law fi= rm fighting to protect client communications from grand jury subpoenas said= Wednesday.=0D

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Fed. Circ. Asked To Bar Del. Patent Suit Funding Probe= s

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By Dorothy Atkins

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A patent owner has asked the Feder= al Circuit to order a Delaware federal judge to vacate his new standing ord= er that probes whether patent owners accurately disclosed who's funding pat= ent litigation, arguing that the court's new practice is an "illegal and un= precedented crusade" to enforce its own patent policy.=0D

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Greenberg Traurig Adds 31-Person IP Team

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By Matt Perez

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Greenberg Traurig announced on Wed= nesday that it has brought on 19 intellectual property and technology attor= neys and patent agents, primarily in its Salt Lake City office.=0D

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Kelley Drye Names New Firm Chair To Take Reins On Jan.= 1

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By Jake Maher

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Kelley Drye & Warren LLP's exe= cutive committee has elected a new leader for the next four years, the firm= announced Wednesday, selecting its government relations and public policy = practice chair who boasts over 30 years of leadership experience.=0D

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Jenner & Block Adds Capitol Riot Investigator In D= C

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By Alison Knezevich

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An investigative counsel for the c= ommittee probing the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol has joined Je= nner & Block LLP as the firm continues to add attorneys with government= experience to its Washington, D.C., office.=0D

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9th Circ. Finds No Conflict In $34M Hagens Berman Fee = Award

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By Bryan Koenig

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A Ninth Circuit panel refused= Wednesday to upend a district court order giving Hagens Berman Sobol Shapi= ro LLP and other firms $33.8 million in fees and another $6.8 million in ex= penses from over $113 million in lithium-ion battery price-fixing settlemen= ts, rejecting objector assertions of a conflict of interest.=0D

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Lex Machina Report Says 2021 Slowest For Ch. 11 In A D= ecade

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By Vince Sullivan

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A new bankruptcy report released t= his week by legal analytics company Lex Machina shows 2021 had the fewest n= umber of Chapter 11 cases filed in the last decade after 2020 saw a spike d= ue to the COVID-19 pandemic.=0D

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Perry Guha Fights 'Shameful' Bid To DQ It In Leon Blac= k Case

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By Ryan Boysen

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Litigation boutique Perry Guha LLP= says it should not be disqualified from defending Apollo Global Management= 's billionaire ex-CEO Leon Black against sexual assault allegations, callin= g opposing counsel Wigdor LLP's claims that the firm is conflicted because = it employs a former prosecutor who may have investigated Black "shameful" a= nd "improper gamesmanship."=0D

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2nd Circ. Upholds Convictions Of Former NYS Judge<= /p>=0D =09=0D

By Andrea Keckley

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A panel of Second Circuit judges u= pheld a former Brooklyn judge's convictions for obstructing a probe of form= er Municipal Credit Union CEO Kam Wong in an unpublished opinion Wednesday,= finding that her arguments lack merit and pointing out that her 15-month s= entence fell below the pre-sentence report's guidelines.=0D

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Attys Sold Tax Avoidance Scheme In 7 States, Indictmen= t Says

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By Anna Scott Farrell

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Federal prosecutors indicted two S= t. Louis attorneys and a North Carolina insurance agent Wednesday, accusing= them of running a tax scheme across at least seven states for 11 years tha= t defrauded the government of tens of millions of tax dollars.=0D

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La. Law Firms Defend Virus Coverage Suit

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By Ben Zigterman

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Two New Orleans-based law firms as= ked a Louisiana federal court Wednesday to reject Starr Indemnity & Lia= bility Co.'s bid for a pretrial win in their COVID-19 coverage suit, citing= a state appellate court's ruling in favor of a policyholder.=0D

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<= img src=3D"https://sli.law360news.com/imp?s=3D734819&li=3D201&m=3Dd120cdb40= 65a859edc70326799a21fe8&p=3D179472" border=3D"0" width=3D"100%" style=3D"wi= dth: 100%; max-width:300px !important;margin-bottom:0;"/>

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COMPA= NIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

=0D

=0D Animal Legal Defense Fund=0D

=0D

=0D Apollo Global Management LLC=0D

=0D

=0D Apple Inc.=0D

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=0D Bloomberg=0D

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=0D Bray & Scarff=0D

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=0D BuzzFeed Inc.=0D

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=0D Center for Biological Diversity<= /a>=0D

=0D New York City Football Club LLC<= /a>=0D

=0D Earthjustice=0D

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=0D Environmental Restoration LLC=0D

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=0D Erie Insurance Inc.=0D

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=0D Hitachi Ltd.=0D

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=0D Infrastructure & Ener= gy Alternatives Inc.=0D

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=0D Invesco Ltd.=0D

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=0D KBR Inc.=0D

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=0D LG Chem Ltd.=0D

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=0D Leadership Council on Leg= al Diversity=0D

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=0D Lex Machina Inc.=0D

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=0D LexisNexis Group Inc.=0D

=0D

=0D Los Angeles Times=0D

=0D

=0D Major League Soccer LLC=0D

=0D

=0D Municipal Credit Union=0D

=0D

=0D NEC Corp.=0D

=0D

=0D Natural Resources Defense Coun= cil=0D

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=0D New York City Economic D= evelopment Corp.=0D

=0D

=0D New York Mets=0D

=0D

=0D New York State Bar Association=0D

=0D Pacific Legal Foundation=0D

=0D

=0D Panasonic Corp.=0D

=0D

=0D RELX PLC=0D

=0D

=0D Sierra Club=0D

=0D

=0D Sony Corp.=0D

=0D

=0D Starr International Co. Inc.=0D

=0D

=0D Toshiba Corp.=0D

=0D

=0D Twitter Inc.=0D

=0D

=0D University of California Davis=0D