Whilst major motor manufacturers are struggling, specialist sportscar manufacturer Lotus is expanding its R&D and production facilities. And it has full order books.

Five foreign subsidiaries of Thermon Manufacturing Company, a San Marcos, Texas-based firm, have agreed to pay a total of USD176,000 in combined civil penalties.

Lotus Engineering is using the recession to develop and launch a range of new ecology and economy-friendly products. The latest, its Range Extender Engines comes just as oil prices climb above USD70 per barrel.

A US judge has removed one of the USA's largest law firms, Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal, from representing First American Title Insurance Company in a class action suit. The firm, its partners and all other lawyers at the firm are injuncted against acting for the company in the litigation which raises questions about the migration of teams of lawyers and - perhaps even more importantly - what constitutes conflict.

The Law Society of Singapore has announced a shake up in the training regime and measures to help those returning to practice and foreign lawyers seeking transfer in a bid to become a regional centre for law.

A Texas court has awarded Canadian software company i4i almost USD300 million in damages, interest and costs - and injuncted Microsoft from the continued use of aspects of XML in its WORD product range.

When a court in Texas found in favour of a small Toronto based software company against Microsoft, the success was shared by the owners of the company - owners which include a specialist VC fund that buys into companies engaged in litigation.

With an increase in purchasing in the automotive sector from GBP20,600 million in a survey in 2011 to GBP23,600 million in the 2012 survey, The Automotive Council says that there are signs that things aren't so bad.