In Texas, all state agencies effectively have an "expiration date": each is periodically abolished, by operation of law, unless the Legislature passes a bill to extend its existence. Established in 1977, the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission evaluates […]
The first four months of 2017 have been chock full of major developments in the law surrounding oil and gas, and we have been reporting on them regularly in our podcast, Energy Law Round Up. Today, we bring you a convenient summary of everything that […]
KRCL oil-and-gas trial lawyer Tom Ciarlone, in the latest episode of our energy law podcast, gets you up to speed on the status of stringent new fracing rules for federal and tribal lands, and also dials you into several important developments out of […]
Offering an employee additional time off in lieu of paying overtime wages is something that, for the most part, is currently limited to government employers. While some private sector employers mistakenly offer such a benefit, it is—with a few exceptions […]
My experience in prosecuting trade secret and non-compete cases has shown me, time and time again, the advantages of company-owned cell phones for employees (especially for oilfield service companies, among which workers frequently migrate), as opposed […]
Join oil-and-gas litigation partner Tom Ciarlone for our energy law podcast, as he discusses the intersection of the oil patch with class actions and the Fair Labor Standards Act; the federal government's liability for the environmental cleanup of […]
Today, President Donald Trump will sign an executive order putting into motion a review by the Department of the Interior of all national monuments established since 1996—on its surface a seemingly uneventful action, but the ultimate purpose of […]
As long as the current economic conditions prevail and domestic oil production provides better opportunity for American interests, the acquisition and development of stateside mineral rights will predominate. An excellent and obvious example of this […]
In the latest episode of our energy law podcast, Tom Ciarlone discusses the nation's first legislative fracking ban and a lower bar for class certification in royalty underpayment actions, as well as multiple decisions out of the Texas Supreme Court […]
Yesterday, the Supreme Court held 7-1 that a federal appellate court may only conduct an abuse of discretion review of orders for enforcement of EEOC subpoenas. The case is McLane Co. Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 581 U.S. --- (2017 […]
As employment related claims continue to rise, businesses must evaluate all available options to attempt to mitigate costs and risks associated with these claims. One common way to address these issues is to obtain an Employment Practices Liability […]
The value of modified home loans serviced under Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines could be diminished by a March 9, 2017 ruling against JP Morgan Chase Bank in Fried v. JP Morgan Chase & Co., No. 16-3069, 2017 WL 929752 (3d. Cir. Mar 9, 2017 […]