Applicability of Privilege to Internal Investigations Upheld, Again
Client Alert | 1 min read | 08.12.15
In a decision preserving the strength of the attorney-client privilege, the D.C. Circuit in U.S. ex rel. Barko v. Halliburton once again vacated an order from the district court requiring KBR to produce attorney-client privileged documents created during an internal investigation. Specifically, the D.C. Circuit granted mandamus based on the "clear and indisputable error" in the findings that (1) KBR had waived the privilege under Rule 612 by allowing a non-lawyer, Rule 30(b)(6) witness to review the investigation report during deposition preparation; and (2) KBR had put the investigation report into issue by mentioning the company's "investigative mechanism" in a motion for summary judgment.
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Client Alert | 3 min read | 10.15.25
On August 15, 2025, the Treasury Department and IRS released updated guidance concerning Beginning of Construction requirements to qualify for clean energy tax credits. This new guidance is critical for developers to consider as they rush to qualify for the tax credits before they expire entirely. The much-anticipated guidance followed the July 7, 2025 Executive Order 14315, Ending Market Distorting Subsidies for Unreliable, Foreign-Controlled Energy Sources (“July 7, 2025 Executive Order”), which signaled that the Trump Administration was planning to strictly enforce the termination of production and investment tax credits for solar and wind facilities that are set to expire under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB Act), covered in more detail here. The new guidance comes at a time when many in the industry are struggling to keep up with the myriad ways that the new administration is working to roll back wind and solar tax credits, leaving developers to piece through the recent guidance to determine how best to structure and invest in clean energy projects given the volatile position of the current administration vis-a-vis wind and solar energy.
Client Alert | 10 min read | 10.15.25
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Building Blocks of Design Law: CJEU rules on LEGO Group Modular Design Protection