Insights

In the first days of his Administration, President Trump has issued a number of Executive Orders that mark a significant shift in United States energy and climate policy, marked by deregulation and a focus on traditional energy sources. President Trump’s second term agenda will have profound implications not only domestically but also on the international stage. Understanding the impact of these policies is crucial for businesses and investors alike. This article will explore the effects of President Trump’s agenda with respect to climate change policy, oil and gas, and solar energy sectors.

President-elect Donald Trump plans to impose widespread tariffs when he takes office in late January 2025. He has stated that one of his first executive orders will be to impose a 25% tariff on all products imported from Canada or Mexico. Products imported from China, such as metals, coatings, plumbing components and HVAC parts, could face an additional 10% tax above current tariffs. The imposition of such tariffs will have significant implications for megaprojects, including large infrastructure developments like highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, and railways, as well as large-scale energy projects like power plants, oil and gas facilities, and renewable energy installations.

President Donald Trump’s planned (or proposed) tariffs in his second administration may have a profound impact on megaprojects, including large infrastructure developments like highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, and railways, as well as large-scale energy projects like power plants, oil and gas facilities, and renewable energy installations.

The start of 2025 has seen the introduction of the new arbitration rules for the Qatar International Center for Conciliation and Arbitration (“QICCA”). The new rules, entitled the ‘Arbitration Rules 2024’, reflect the changing world of dispute resolution, and the rules are nearly double in length to the 2012 rules reflecting the QICCA’s understanding that arbitration is a competitive environment, and that institutional bodies need to adapt to meet the end-users’ needs. The 2024 rules are a considerable improvement, offering new regimes of expedited and emergency procedures, and transparency on third-party funding, making dispute resolution more accessible and user-friendly. We detail some of the more significant changes below.

It’s a whole new ball game for European patent ligation: The Unified Patent Court opened for business on June 1, 2023.

The Eleventh Annual Juris Conferences’ Investment Treaty Arbitration Conference will tackle the complex developments raised by investor-state arbitration and its intersection with international investments in the technology sector. Although there have only been a few investment cases touching on issues related to the technology sector, with continued international integration and the rise of product piracy, counterfeiting, issues related to IP rights, cybersecurity, and the internet of things, international trade and investment disputes may be inevitable in the years to come. A group of eight authors again take contrary positions and grapple with the dramatic developments of investment arbitration as it relates to technology, intellectual property and investor-state arbitration. The expert faculty will then continue the debate following the original contributions from the authors for what always proves to be highly entertaining. This conference will be of great value to practitioners, industry counsel, and academics alike who are interested in these important cutting-edge issues.

Since 2003, Venezuela has maintained strict controls on the exchange of the local currency (bolívares) into hard currency. As a result, companies doing business in Venezuela are finding their revenue earned in the country to be stranded there and unable to be repatriated, leaving them in arrears with overseas vendors and creditors.  While oil prices keep falling and the Venezuela economy worsens, the government has adopted measures reportedly intended to allow companies to repatriate their funds. However, such measures appear uncertain and risk causing a substantial devaluation of Venezuela’s local currency. Depending on how companies have structured their investments into Venezuela, they may be able to use international investment agreements (IIAs) to seek a negotiated solution or pursue international arbitration against Venezuela to recover their funds.