Chancellor William Chandler III is known for decisions that gave broad deference to corporate boards, including the 2006 Disney decision and this year's Airgas ruling. Vice Chancellor Leo Strine appears to be the leading candidate to succeed him. Chandler hasn't yet identified the firm he'll join.

Ever since Visa and MasterCard reached a $7.2 billion agreement to resolve merchant claims over credit card "swipe fees," critics have been coming out of the woodwork. Now they've formally opposed the class action settlement in court, with the objector's lawyers at Constantine Cannon warning of "serious risks" if the deal is approved.

How to choose between a record $2 billion ICSID award and a $2 billion ICC award that's also in record terrain? We've decided to throw up our hands and pronounce a tie for the 2012 Global Lawyer of the Year. We're honoring Debevoise & Plimpton's David W. Rivkin for his ICSID win in Occidental v. Ecuador, and Shearman & Sterling's Henry Weisburg, for prevailing in The Dow Chemical Company's ICC feud with Kuwait.

A jury trial kicks off on Monday in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's fraud case against Fabrice Tourre, the only Goldman Sachs & Co. employee directly targeted by the agency in wake of the financial crisis. Here are four things to look for as the three-week trial unfolds.