Dentons Canada advises on structuring of historic First Nations equity investment in BC’s largest natural gas pipeline system

Noting that In the Matter of Robert Bentkowski, et al [Respondents], Supreme Court ruled in favor of Respondents on their promissory estoppel cause of action and their cause of action under Administrative Code of the City of New York §12-126 (b) (1), and the Appellate Division affirmed, the Court of Appeals [1] vacated those rulings, [2] reversed the order of the Appellate Division and [3] remitted the matter to Supreme Court for a determination on Respondents' remaining causes of action.In the words of the Court of Appeals:"The Appellate Division has not, however, expressly decided whether a promissory estoppel cause of action can be based on promises made while the relevant question was a mandatory subject of collective bargaining. Here, we need not decide whether to recognize a promissory estoppel cause of action, either generally or in this particular context, because petitioners have failed to establish the existence of a clear and unambiguous…

The Spanish government has approved BBVA’s hostile takeover bid for Banco Sabadell but as I anticipated in an earlier Truth on the Market post, it did so while imposing stringent conditions. Both banks will be required to maintain separate legal identities, management, and operations for at least three years, potentially extendable to five. These conditions effectively delay the merger’s synergies (cost reduction, unified governance, scale efficiencies) and raise questions about the government’s legal authority to impose such constraints. I noted in my previous post that the government could execute a form of indirect intervention through conditions so demanding that the operation would become unfeasible. What was then a hypothesis has now materialized in all its starkness. The decision, contained in a lengthy 25-page document, is light on technical or legal findings and heavy on unsupported assertions, circular justifications, and conditions that are…

If you’ve experienced sexual harassment at work and signed an arbitration agreement, you may be wondering whether you’ve waived your right to take your case to court. The Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021 (EFAA) changed this landscape significantly. This federal law now gives employees who have experienced workplace sexual harassment the power to choose whether to pursue their claims through arbitration or in court, even if they previously signed arbitration agreements. Understanding how this law protects your rights is crucial for ensuring you can seek justice for sexual harassment in the workplace.Employer Use of Arbitration AgreementsEmployers are increasingly using arbitration agreements. These arbitration agreements can be found in various types of employment contracts, including offer letters, employment agreements, and non-disclosure agreements.Aspects of Arbitration Favor EmployersWhat is arbitration? Arbitration…

On February 15, 2025, scholars, practitioners, students and policymakers convened at the New Directions in Environmental Law 2025 conference at Yale Law School to analyze changes and emerging issues in environmental law. Student reporter Sharaza Shalita prepared this edited summary of the panel entitled Is Traditional Environmental Law Really a Barrier to Achieving U.S. Climate Goals? New Directions in the Permitting Debate featuring panelists Howard Crystal, Alexandra B. Klass, Zachary Liscow, and Joshua Macey, and moderated by student and NDEL committee member Thomas Peterson. The Central Debate: Are Environmental Laws an Obstacle to Renewable Energy? The energy transition and environmental protection are often seen as two sides of the same coin, yet tensions arise when regulations designed to protect the environment are perceived as obstacles to the rapid deployment of renewable energy infrastructure. This panel, featuring experts in law, economics, and environmental policy,…

California has enacted a major reform for CEQA, creating a substantial exemption for infill urban housing.  I’ve written why this is, on balance, beneficial for housing and the environment.  But I also want to highlight a pitfall as the state continues looking at future reforms for CEQA.  California has long relied on CEQA as a gap-filler for its other environmental laws.  As the state pares back CEQA, it should look at where it needs to update other state environmental laws to fill in gaps, where appropriate. State Senator Scott Wiener and Assemblymember Buffy Wicks have been the main leaders in the state legislature in pushing for updating CEQA to facilitate housing and building a clean energy infrastructure.  In this interview, Senator Wiener emphasizes that he thinks the environmental downsides of CEQA reform are relatively minimal because: First of all, outside of CEQA, California has very strong environmental laws, like it’s protecting…

Not all AI is built for legal and IP decision-making’s rigor. An American lawyer made headlines in 2023 for citing fictitious court cases in a court filing—cases that never occurred. The perpetrator: a chat AI that created legal precedents with impressive confidence and zero accountability. Recent news in the UK came out about official notices regarding court cases using generative AI after official court cases uncovered hallucinated citations. These high-profile mistakes all share a common concern among legal and intellectual property organizations: AI computer programs can convincingly deceive, and if not regulated by experts, its consequences can be anywhere from embarrassment to malpractice. As more and more IP professionals integrate generative AI into processes—everything from patent disclosures to prior art searches—it’s time to confront an uncomfortable reality: Not all AI is built for legal and IP decision-making’s rigor. And without…

Global law firm Dentons advised NEPI Rockcastle N.V. and its subsidiary NE Property B.V. on obtaining two major revolving sustainability-linked credit facilities totaling €290 million. Finance, Banking, Securities and Corporate Finance, Real Estate, ESG in real estate

Dentons is pleased to have advised Ninja, the quick delivery firm based in Saudi Arabia, on its recent US$254 million investment round led by Riyad Capital. This significant fundraise, valuing the company at around US$1.5 billion, marks the company's emergence as the kingdom's newest tech unicorn and underscores Saudi Arabia's growing prominence as a regional venture capital hub. Corporate, Corporate in the Middle East, Investment Advisors, Technology, Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Jeddah, Riyadh

Global law firm Dentons is expanding its corporate and transactional advice in Germany with the recruitment of Sebastian Klingen, who has joined the firm as a partner in the Düsseldorf office. Corporate, Corporate in Germany, Europe, Germany, Düsseldorf

Caribbean: Dentons has announced the elevation of Shervon Pierre to the Firm’s partnership on the eve of its 7th anniversary in the Caribbean as the region’s only true pan-Caribbean law firm covering 14 jurisdictions with the formal addition of its 15th later this year with Turks and Caicos extending the reach of the world’s largest law firm. Banking and Finance, Corporate, Employment and Labor, Hospitality and Leisure, Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Real Estate, Energy, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago

Dentons Lee participated in the Korea-Germany Medical Industry Cooperation Forum, held on Monday, June 30, 2025, at the Best Western Premier Gangnam Hotel in Seoul, delivering a presentation on key considerations for German medical companies entering the Korean market. Labor and Employment, Life Science and Health Care, Seoul

Jeannie Marie Paterson (University of Melbourne - Law School), Vivi Tan (RMIT; University of Melbourne - Melbourne Law School) & Julian Webb (University of Melbourne - Melbourne Law School) have posted Generative AI in Small Value Consumer Disputes: Reviving Not Resolving Challenges of Design and Governance in Online Dispute Resolution ((2025) 48(4) University of New South Wales Law Journal (Forthcoming)) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: This article examines the benefits and risks of generative AI use in an important domain that is currently under-serviced by the civil justice system: small value consumer claims, where generative AI has been proposed as a means of closing the access to justice gap. In the field of online dispute resolution ('ODR'), use has already been raised, and in some instances actioned, of digital tools such as expert systems and rules-based chatbots to assist potential litigants. Generative AI has considerable attractions in…

People take medicine to get better, not to end up in the ER, worse off than before. It happens more than you’d think. Drugs that were supposed to help end up hurting people because someone cut corners, didn’t speak up, or flat-out ignored warnings. When big pharma or a careless provider is at fault, regular people are left to clean up the mess. What Goes Wrong and How It Happens Not every bad reaction to a drug means someone’s liable. However, there’s a difference between an unlucky side effect and a drug that should’ve never been on the market, or one that wasn’t properly made, labeled, or prescribed. Some drugs are dangerous by design. They were never safe, and the company pushed them out anyway. Others are fine in theory, but something went wrong in the manufacturing process. Maybe a batch got contaminated, or the formula wasn’t mixed right. Either way, the result is a drug that shouldn’t be in your body. Then there’s…

The National Taxpayer Advocate has released her Fiscal Year 2026 Objectives Report to Congress, a statutorily-required annual report outlining the objectives of the Office of the Taxpayer Advocate for the upcoming fiscal year. While covering many topics, the report helpfully provides updated data regarding the status of the dwindling IRS workforce. Most critically, the Taxpayer Advocate reports that between Inauguration Day in January, and June 4, 2025, the number of IRS employees has been reduced from 102,113 to 75,702, a reduction of more than 25 percent. The bulk of this reduction was achieved through what the Taxpayer Advocate refers to as “employee departure incentives,” rather than layoffs. As we have previously covered, these incentive programs encourage IRS employees to voluntarily resign but continue receiving pay and benefits for a limited period of time. The Taxpayer Advocate’s report contains the following chart showing IRS personnel losses…

Over 30 human rights organizations and NGOs on Monday urged the United Nations and governments worldwide to hold Chinese officials to account for the continued systemic repression of human rights lawyers. The letter warned that as a result of the systemic crackdown on the legal profession, legal professionals’ and activists’ willingness to express their views has significantly declined, resulting in a chilling effect on opposition against government repression, crimes against humanity, and human rights violations. In the joint statement, Amnesty International, among others, urged governments to “heed” the call by UN experts to counter this development by establishing a “dedicated mechanism to monitor and report on the human rights situation in China.” Known as the “709 Crackdown,” dating back ten years, the Chinese government has arbitrarily repressed and prosecuted numerous legal practitioners and human rights activists,…

[If this is the best the law deans can muster, SCOTX should seriously reconsider what value the ABA provides. ] Last week, I submitted a comment to the Supreme Court of Texas. In short, I argued that SCOTX should discount the opinions of the law school deans, as they do not represent the public interest. I've now reviewed the letter signed by deans from eight law schools, including my own. With respect, I did not find this letter very persuasive. Indeed, if this is the best the law deans can muster, then SCOTX should seriously reconsider what value the ABA provides. By contrast, the letter from University of Texas Dean Bobby Chesney offers a candid and realistic assessment of the costs and benefits of the ABA. Let's walk through the primary letter, which I suspect was drafted by Dean Leonard Baynes at the University of Houston Law Center. (As a general rule, the lead signature usually belongs to the primary mover.) First, the letter states that the ABA provides a…

Navigating a personal injury claim can be daunting, and selecting the right attorney is one of the most critical decisions you’ll make. Often, injury victims are confronted with two options: a local personal injury attorney or a larger, well-known national firm. While national firms often attract attention due to their extensive marketing budgets, hiring a skilled local attorney can offer unique and compelling benefits tailored to your case.   This post explores the advantages of hiring a local personal injury attorney like Freddy Saavedra of Saavedra Law Firm. From personalized attention to deep community ties, you’ll discover why choosing local is often the most innovative legal strategy.   Deep Understanding of Local Laws and Courts Knowledge of Local Legal Requirements One of the key advantages of hiring a local attorney is their thorough understanding of state and local laws. Each state has its own rules and regulations for personal injury…

In-custody police interviews are high-pressure situations, especially if you don’t fully understand your rights. At The Sims Law Firm in Ridgeland, Mississippi, we know how quickly these encounters can lead to damaging statements or even serious charges. Whether you’ve been arrested or formally charged, or simply asked to come in for questioning, knowing how and when to assert your constitutional rights is critical to protecting your future. What Does the Sixth Amendment Guarantee? The Sixth Amendment protects criminal defendants by guaranteeing a public trial without delay, an impartial jury, the right to a lawyer, and the right to cross-examine your accusers and the charges against you. This right to counsel applies during all “critical stages” of prosecution—but only after formal charges are filed (by indictment, arraignment, or complaint). As clarified in Texas v. Cobb, the right is “offense-specific,” meaning it only applies to the…