Practice areas

The US Supreme Court will today hear a case aimed at overturning a law which denies federal benefits to same-sex couples, a day after the court scrutinised a state gay marriage ban. | 13yrs

The chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has warned in-house lawyers as well as those in private practice that cartels are a top priority for the regulator. | 13yrs

Top British media lawyers have claimed that the government's proposals for a statute-backed press regulator will not achieve its goals and may in fact breach European law. | 13yrs

A prominent San Francisco law firm and its named partner have been slapped with a order to pay $67,495 in opponent legal fees for pursuing 'unreasonable and vexatious' legal action connected to am airline merger. | 13yrs

Lawyers representing Baltimore families whose $1.5 billion damages award against Texas oil giant ExxonMobil was overturned have asked Maryland's highest court for extra time to pursue reconsideration. | 13yrs

There was virtually no increase in patent applications by UK businesses last year, suggesting that incoming tax breaks have not yet been successful in encouraging innovation at British companies, research by City law firm RPC yesterday found. | 13yrs

Lawyers in Australia are hoping that an agreement signed with Qatar last week will bring them extra alternative dispute resolution work in connection with the 2022 World Cup to be staged in the Arab state. | 13yrs

A US brewer which produces several global brands including Budweiser has attempted to challenge a London court ruling after claiming a judge made comments about the 'quality of beer'. | 13yrs

British energy company BP and the US state of Alabama have asked a judge to issue sanctions against US oilfield services company Halliburton over a delay in handing over cement samples connected to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. | 13yrs

An EU report which suggested that piracy has no effect on legal digital music purchases has been slammed by a global trade body as 'flawed, misleading and disconnected from commercial reality'. | 13yrs

Frankfurt finance giant Deutsche Bank has been forced to backtrack on its 2012 profit figures after it set aside hundreds of million of euros yesterday to cover its legal costs. | 13yrs

Californian technology company Apple may face court-ordered penalties for 'unacceptable' conduct after allegedly collecting personal information through its iPhone device without permission and sharing it with third parties. | 13yrs

Several British newspapers are reportedly taking 'high-level legal advice' after a deal was struck to establish a new press watchdog under a royal charter backed by legislation. | 13yrs

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has launched an initiative urging tycoons and global companies to settle their disputes in London, following reports that some £3.5 billion is brought in annually from abroad by lawyers. | 13yrs

A leading immigration lawyer has expressed concern over the increasing politicisation of the Australian visa programme, suggesting that tightening visa requirements may adversely affect employers who rely on temporary workers. | 13yrs

A search engine dedicated to providing copyright-free blueprints for a range of 3D printable objects is set to be launched by a company that has already developed 3D printed gun parts, potentially sparking a mass of legal challenges. | 13yrs

Lawyers have identified the ability to show that funds are immediately available as the most important factor when choosing a third-party litigation funder, research reveals today. | 13yrs

Iran has hired controversial French lawyer Isabelle Coutant-Peyre to take legal action against Hollywood over several films - including recent Oscar-winner Argo - which they claim have portrayed the Islamic state in an unrealistic manner. | 13yrs

Californian technology giant Google has agreed to shell out $7 million to settle with 38 US states which claimed the company had collected personal data without authorisation through its Street View service. | 13yrs