BP has published BP Energy Outlook 2035 country and regional factsheets, detailing the company’s predictions for the world energy picture through the next 20 years.

Among its predictions, the company sees North American energy production rising by 33 percent, while consumption expands by just 5 percent, making the continent energy self-sufficient by 2015. And North America’s share of global demand continues to decline from 22 percent today to 17 percent by 2035.

Also, the decline in energy intensity accelerates, the expected rate of decline post 2020 is 50 percent higher than the decline rate achieved from 1990-2010, declining 2.4 percent per year. And North American energy production grows by 1.3 percent per year from 2013 to 2035, slightly below the global average of 1.4 percent.

Download the factsheet.

A free on-demand webinar posted by Frost & Sullivan highlights the key trends and challenges faced by the world energy sector in the coming years.

Vote Solar has posted a free on-demand webinar on utilities’ application of standby and fixed cost charges specific to solar PV for customers choosing to go solar through a billing practice called net energy metering (NEM) in an attempt to recover their costs.

Jim Kennerly of the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center Jim presented on his recent paper: Rethinking Standby and Fixed Cost Charges: Regulatory and Rate Design Pathways to Deeper Solar Cost Reductions.

“While solar PV’s impact on utilities has been a hot topic for the past year, little attention has been paid to the potentially damaging risks posed by these solar PV-specific rate designs (often informally referred to as solar ‘fees’ or ‘taxes’) upon the Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative’s efforts to reduce the non-hardware ‘soft’ costs of going solar,” Kennerly says.

View the presentation slides or the recorded webinar.

In an agreement Tuesday that settled an 11-year-old deal gone awry, Boston Scientific agreed to pay Johnson & Johnson $600 million, an amount far less than the more than $7 billion in damages that Johnson & Johnson sought in relation to its botched acquisition of Guidant, a medical device company, in 2004, reports The New York Times.

The case resurfaced last year after nearly a decade of inaction on the issue with Johnson & Johnson suing the smaller Boston Scientific, seeking damages that would have equaled nearly half of Boston’s Scientific’s market value.

The Times says the legal wrangling dates back to 2004, when Johnson & Johnson agreed to acquire Guidant for $25.4 billion.

Read the story.

Dan Gold, partner in Wilson Elser

Commercial services attorney Dan Gold has joined Wilson Elser’s Miami office as a partner.

Formerly of Ehrenstein Charbonneau Calderin, Gold’s practice is focused on bankruptcy and creditor’s rights, representing distressed businesses, professional services firms and financial institutions that become litigation targets in bankruptcy cases. He works with debtors, secured and unsecured creditors, trustees, indenture trustees and distressed businesses in all aspects of bankruptcy, including litigation, asset sales and out-of-court restructurings.

“Dan’s practice complements Wilson Elser’s national Bankruptcy practice,” said Anthony Strasius, regional managing partner of Wilson Elser’s Miami office. “While the national practice has always served clients in jurisdictions throughout the country, having Dan’s experience and skill set in South Florida bolsters the practice’s geographic footprint and provides our clients with ready access to an accomplished, local attorney.”;

Gold’s industry experience includes aviation, retail, real estate development, financial services firms and banks. His client base comprises New York–based financial institutions and national companies with a Florida presence.

Having seen firsthand how bankruptcy can set back lives and threaten businesses and families, Gold contributes his time to counseling young adults in colleges and high schools about proper credit management skills and the consequences of abusing credit. His efforts and presentations through the CARE Program help young people to avoid incurring excessive debt.

Since 2009, Gold has made repeat appearances on the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list. Additionally, he is a former board member and currently serves on the Judicial Liaison Committee of the Bankruptcy Bar Association for the Southern District of Florida, and is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute.

Gold earned his J.D. degree from Boston College Law School (2003), where he was an articles editor on the Boston College Intellectual Property and Technology Forum. He earned his M.A. degree from the University of New Mexico (2000), and he graduated cum laude with a B.A. degree from Vanderbilt University (1992).

Chesapeake Energy Corp. filed suit Tuesday alleging that its founder and former chief executive, Aubrey K. McClendon, stole confidential company data during his last months on the job in order to launch his new oil and gas empire, Reuters reports.

The suit says McClendon “misappropriated highly sensitive trade secrets from Chesapeake” and “subsequently used these trade secrets for the benefit of” a company he founded in 2013, American Energy Partners LP. Chesapeake filed the civil complaint in Oklahoma County District Court.

“In the suit, Chesapeake claims McClendon asked his assistant to print maps and data about unleased acreage and that McClendon also sent himself blind copies of the same documents at a personal email address during his last months at the company,” the report says. “The company says it discovered McClendon’s actions through a forensic analysis of his Chesapeake email account.”

Read the story.

Imperative Information Group has posted a free on-demand webinar considering the federal, state, and local issues surrounding employers’ evaluation of candidates’ criminal history information.

In order to effectively and consistently evaluate the criminal histories of prospective and current employees, it is important that employers consider which criminal offenses are relevant to specific jobs, Imperative Information Group says on its website.  Additionally, the age and frequency of offenses should also be considered when evaluating relevancy.

However, Mike Coffey, SPHR, president of Imperative Information Group, maintains that criminal records, even those that are not directly related to a particular position’s risk factors, may still be relevant in selecting the right candidate.

In addition to discussing issues surrounding employers’ evaluation of candidates’ criminal history information, Coffey will also review tools for developing and documenting policies concerning the impact of individuals’ criminal histories on their employment eligibility.

Watch the on-demand webinar.

The business of commercial litigation finance is making inroads in the United States, after it was pioneered in Australia and spread to Britain, reports Crain’s New York Business. Litigation funders pay upfront legal costs for plaintiffs or their lawyers in return for a share of a settlement, judgment or verdict down the road.

The finance firms portray themselves as white knights as they help entrepreneurial firms that retain them to wage battles against bigger, better-funded companies that steal their intellectual property, renege on contracts or commit fraud or other offenses against them.

“Many litigation-finance firms are backed by hedge funds, private-equity firms, family offices and other investors who sink millions into these funders, betting on returns that are not correlated with the ups and downs of the stock market.” Crains reports.

Read the story.

A Fox Rothschild LLP litigation team wona victory for client Coventry II DDR/Trademark Montgomery Farm LP, concluding a years-long dispute that originated in a bankruptcy case, according to an announcement from the firm.

Partners Mark Goodman and Michael Rumac led the team.

“In the case, a Texas attorney represented a client against Trademark and filed proceedings seeking sanctions and to hold Trademark in contempt of court for violating the bankruptcy stay,” the firm says on its website. “Not only did Trademark defeat the contempt claims (which were also successfully defended in the first Fifth Circuit appeal) but also, Trademark flipped the tables on [the opposing lawyer] when the court sanctioned her and her firm.”

Read the story.

Lawyers from BakerHostetler’s Privacy and Data Protection team hosted an informative webinar providing an in-depth discussion of the issues raised in the firm’s recent blog post on “FAQs by Employers Regarding the Anthem Data Breach.” That webinar is now available for free viewing on-demand.

The webinar covers legal obligations under HIPAA, the duty to notify, obligations for employers offering group plans, responding to employees’ concerns, obligations of ERISA fiduciaries, ERISA preemption of state law obligations, and recommended next steps.

The firm has made both the PowerPoint presentation and the recorded webinar available.

PowerPoint presentation | recorded webinar

BTI Consulting has released its BTI Client Service All-Stars, attorneys are truly delivering superior client service, according to the general counsel and decision makers for legal services.

“14 years of research illustrates how hard it is and how strong a performance is needed to join the ranks of the BTI Client Service All-Stars,” BTI says on its website.

No attorney can self-nominate, refer a client to be interviewed, pay or otherwise find a way into the report. BTI says its went straight to the source — the general counsel and decision makers for legal services — to find out exactly which attorneys are truly delivering superior client service.

Download the report.

Lighthouse eDiscovery, a leader in technology-enabled eDiscovery services, has announced that the company has selected one of the preeminent private equity firms in the world as its investment partner, Spire Capital. Spire has supported several companies in diverse industry sectors by facilitating growth, guiding strategic direction and enabling those firms to reach their specific business goals.

In a news release, Lighthouse said Spire Capital is a well-known New York based private equity investor that partners with growing businesses and assists with sales growth, geographic expansion and technology development in order for their companies to take market-leading positions. Spire Capital will take a minority equity position in Lighthouse with this investment. Lighthouse will use Spire’s financial investment to build out an East Coast operations center and geographically-redundant data center, and to expand into Europe.

Read the story.

ESI International offers a complimentary on-demand webinar designed for contract managers, program managers and business analysts, and their professional duty to communicate effectively in a way that informs, persuades when appropriate, and always protects the interests of the organization.

The webinar can help provide an understanding of why effective communication is a critical skill in contract management, ESI says on its website.

It also covers knowledge of specific areas in the contract management cycle where clear communication is vital to success, such as: requirements analysis, statement of work development, proposal preparation, price justifications and rationale for vendor selection. And it offers practical tips on developing and improving effective communication skills.

Download the on-demand webinar.

In an interview published on Alston & Bird’s website, David Revelt, counsel in the firm’s Real Estate & Finance Investment Group, discusses the state of the solar industry in the United States, its growth and what the future holds against the backdrop of expiring state and local rebates and subsidies and the 30 percent federal investment tax credit.

He discusses how tax credits and other rebates factor into solar financing, the future for the solar industry after the ITC expires, and how he got involved in the solar industry.

Read the inteview.

Multiple compounding factors are driving national movement toward a more modern electricity grid, one that enables a cleaner energy future, reports the Interstate Renewable Council in a new white paper.

IREC says this report offers a unique look at easing that transition, and offers five insightful approaches for state utility regulators who, ultimately, will facilitate this transition through the rules and regulations that govern the electricity system and electric utilities.

“IREC seeks to provide regulators with some practical pathways for consideration as they address the changing roles and interests of customers and utilities,” says IREC’s Regulatory Program Director, Sara Baldwin Auck.

Download the white paper.

Microsoft has announced in a statement that the company and Samsung Electronics have settled a contract dispute over patent royalties.

Microsoft sued Samsung last year in a federal court in New York, accusing Samsung of breaching a collaboration agreement by initially refusing to make royalty payments after the U.S. company announced its intention to acquire Nokia’s handset business in September 2013, reports Reuters.

“The lawsuit claimed Samsung still owed $6.9 million in interest on more than $1 billion in patent royalties it delayed paying. Samsung has countered that the Nokia acquisition violated its 2011 collaboration deal with Microsoft” Reuters says.

Read the story.

U.S. oil rigs continued to get hammered this week despite still-rising levels of production, reports BloombergBusiness.

A report from Baker Hughes shows that the international rig count for January 2015 was 1,258, down 55 from the 1,313 counted in December 2014, and down 67 from the 1,325 counted in January 2014. The international offshore rig count for January 2015 was 314, down 24 from the 338 counted in December 2014, and up 12 from the 302 counted in January 2014.

The collapse in oil prices has wiped out more than 100,000 oil jobs worldwide.

Read the story.

Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing announced the addition of five new hires to the Houston-based law firm.

Edward Goolsby is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Houston Law Center, Mr. Goolsby was editor-in-chief of the Houston Law Review. Mr. Goolsby is also a summa cum laude graduate of Northwestern University where he earned a B.S. in journalism and political science.

Ryan Hackney is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard University and a graduate with highest honors from the University of Texas School of Law. He was associate editor of the Texas Law Review. He has a B.A. and M.A. in History of Science.

Mark Holden is cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School, Mr. Holden was managing editor of the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy. He is also a cum laude graduate of Columbia University where he received a B.A. in political science.

E. Phileda Tennant is a magna cum laude graduate of Brown University, Ms. Tennant is also a graduate of Harvard Law School. She was a line editor on the Harvard Journal on Legislation. Her undergraduate degree is a B.A. in political science.

Kenneth Young is a graduate with honors of The University of Chicago Law School, Mr. Young was managing editor of The University of Chicago Law Review. He also graduated magna cum laude from Brigham Young University where he received a B.S. in molecular biology and Japanese.

Shipman & Goodwin LLP has expanded its Washington, D.C. office with the addition of three attorneys — John W. Ryan, Thomas M. Haas and Rachel G. Talay — who bring considerable patent and national security experience to both the firm and its D.C. office, a firm spokesman said. The move also extends the firm’s representation of national companies in the biotechnology, life sciences and medical products industries.

“With the addition of these accomplished attorneys, we have further strengthened the firm’s ability to provide our clients with the full range of services they need to protect their valuable intellectual property assets,” said Glenn M. Cunningham, Chair of the firm’s Business Litigation and Intellectual Property Practice Groups.

John Ryan, partner, has more than 25 years of experience as a registered patent attorney and handles matters involving litigation, due diligence, licensing, infringement and validity opinions, freedom to operate opinions, portfolio management and patent preparation and prosecution. He has worked in a wide variety of technical disciplines including biotechnology, medical devices and pharmaceuticals. In addition, Mr. Ryan was an adjunct professor at Albany Law School, where he taught a course on the licensing of intellectual property.

Thomas Haas, counsel, provides a full range of intellectual property services in a wide variety of technologies. He assists clients with patent portfolio management, patent litigation, preparing and prosecuting patent applications, merger and acquisition due diligence, infringement and validity studies, freedom to operate studies, licensing and drafting material transfer and confidentiality agreements. Mr. Haas has experience with a broad range of technologies and worked as a former patent examiner in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, where he examined biotechnology patent applications with a focus on genetically engineered plants, plant genes, molecular biology and microbiology.

Rachel Talay, counsel, has extensive experience advising clients on business and corporate matters as well as issues relating to national security. She handles a variety of transactions for private companies and individuals, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures and formation and start-up activities. She acts as outside general counsel on matters including governance, foreign jurisdiction management and filings, licensing, intellectual property protection, reorganizations and ownership changes. Ms. Talay assists clients with national security reviews of transactions and counsels them on unique national security and intelligence issues.

Shipman & Goodwin LLP is a full-service law firm with more than 160 attorneys and offices in Hartford, Stamford, Greenwich and Lakeville, Conn. and in Washington, DC. Founded in 1919, the firm’s attorneys represent many businesses, institutions, individuals and government entities in Connecticut, throughout New England and nationally. For more information, please visit www.shipmangoodwin.com.

PwC presents a complimentary on-demand webinar looking at deal activity in the oil and gas sector and asking what this means for 2015 M&A activity.

2014 was a significant year for U.S. deal activity in the oil and gas sector, PwC says on its website. The U.S. oil and gas deals market experienced unprecedented growth resulting in total deal value increasing by 133% relative to the preceding four year average with 2014 total deal value reaching $322 billion. Additionally, 2014 was an active year in the U.S. capital markets for oil and gas companies. However after an active deals year, recent oil and gas price declines have reintroduced volatility to the oil and gas sector at levels not seen since the financial crisis. The question now is what does this mean for 2015 M&A activity?

This webcast focuses on key themes found in the PwC quarterly M&A analysis along with our insights on deals done in the past year and what the deal market for 2015 may hold.

Watch the on-demand webinar.