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Channel: Above the Law
- Non-Sequiturs: 09.03.10
- Survivor?s Curse: Those Who Survived Layoffs Witness Hard Times
The Am Law MidLevel survey, released earlier this week, revealed what many already knew: the people who were able to hang onto their jobs during the recession are really unhappy.
Times are tough for the survivors, and today we have more evidence. An employee in the Dallas office of Sedgwick sent an open letter to the… Continue reading »
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Tags: Biglaw, Depressing Things, Low Morale, Midsize / Regional Firms, Midsize firms, Sedgwick, Sedgwick Detert Moran & Arnold, Survivor's Curse
 
Facebook - Lawyer - Employment - Law - WriterMore
- Does Religion Trump Sexual Orientation at NYU Law School?
Earlier this week, we discussed the discovery of potentially anti-Semitic graffiti in Vanderbilt Hall, the home of NYU Law School. Yesterday Dean Richard Revesz issued a forceful response to the law school community via email, condemning the graffiti as “highly offensive and hurtful” and declaring that “[s]uch hateful conduct is deplorable and has no place… Continue reading »
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Tags: Gay, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Li-ann Thio, NYU Law, NYU Law School, Religion, Richard Revesz, Ricky Revesz, Thio Li-ann
New York University School of Law - Law School - Law - NYU Law School - Orthodox JudaismMore
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- Tweet of the Day: John Quinn on a Possible Squire Sanders / Hammonds Merger
Since we last checked in on him on Twitter, John Quinn — founding partner of litigation powerhouse Quinn Emanuel, and one of the nation’s ’s top business litigators — has gained about 200 followers. And if he keeps tweeting in such insightful, funny, and brutally candid fashion, his following — right now he’s at 665… Continue reading »
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Tags: Hammonds, john quinn, Law Firm Mergers, Quinn Emanuel, Quote of the Day, Sanders & Dempsey, Social media, Social Networking Websites, Tweet of the Day, Twitter
Twitter - Facebook - Business - Social network service - Social networkMore
- The Student Loan Racket: Now in One Easy to Understand Graphic
- Job of the Week: The South Rises Again
Two weeks ago, Lateral Link brought you a Job of the Week from Hotlanta. Well, this week the South rises again, as the JOW comes from the Queen City herself. You just can?t keep a good woman down.
Position: Corporate Associate (Securities)
Location: Charlotte, NC
Description: Firm is seeking a corporate associate with 3-5… Continue reading »
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Tags: Advertising, Charlotte, Job of the Week, Job Searches, Jobs, Shameless Plugs, Sponsored Content, This Is an Ad
Lateral Link - Facebook - Twitter - Advertising - Law firmMore
- ILTA 2010: What Happens There, Ends Up Everywhere, Online
- Morning Docket: 09.03.10
- Cut Your Losses, or Finish Law School? An ATL Debate
Channel: FindLaw News - Top Stories
Channel: Law.com - Newswire
- In 'Doo-Wop' Case, 3rd Circuit to Consider 'Prevailing Party' Fees Issue
A court battle over rights to the names of two 1950s doo-wop groups has sparked an appeal that could have far-reaching effects in civil rights litigation. The 3rd Circuit has granted en banc rehearing to decide the proper test to determine a plaintiff's entitlement to attorney fees as the "prevailing party." The underlying battle started when New Jersey officials threatened to take action against a music promoter who was using the two groups' names in a concert series -- a position the state later reversed. More
- Federal Circuit Applies Recent High Court Case to Find Successor Liability
The Federal Circuit has ruled that a defendant's successor companies are liable for an $8 million default judgment in a patent infringement case. The panel rejected the district court's decision to apply South Korean law concerning successor liability, ruling that New Jersey law should apply because Daewoo Electronics' U.S. subsidiary has headquarters in New Jersey. The court cited a recent U.S. Supreme Court case that deemed that the laws of a company's "principal place of business" should apply to transactions. More
- DOJ Files Suit Against Office of Controversial Ariz. Sheriff
The Department of Justice is stepping up its investigation into the office of controversial Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a nationally known opponent of illegal immigration. DOJ attorneys filed a complaint Thursday in federal court, alleging that Arpaio and his staff have obstructed their investigation into whether the sheriff's office is discriminating based on national origin in its police practices and jail operations. A lawyer for the sheriff's office said he has tried to cooperate with the Justice Department. More
- Hoskin Farina & Kampf Finds Cost-Effective DMS With Worldox
Hoskin Farina & Kampf sought out a more robust document management system that integrated deeply with Outlook, and with greater flexibility regarding document rights management and security controls. They chose Worldox. Firm administrator Tony Lozano describes the install and results. More
- Report: Legal Representation Helps Asylum Seekers Succeed in Court
In fiscal year 1986, immigration judges denied almost nine out of 10 asylum requests. In the first nine months of fiscal 2010, only half of the requests were rejected -- a record low, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a nonpartisan research organization at Syracuse University. The report also noted that a longtime problem -- judge-to-judge disparities in asylum decisions -- continues to plague the immigration courts, despite the substantial increase in the legal representation of asylum seekers. More
- Kaplan Sets Hearing on 'Taint' of U.S. Witness in Trial of bin Laden Bodyguard
On Thursday, Southern District of New York Judge Lewis A. Kaplan addressed whether the government may call as a witness a man whose identity was revealed by the former Osama bin Laden bodyguard, Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, when he was subjected to "extremely harsh interrogation methods" by the CIA. Ghailani moved to suppress the statements that led to the discovery of the witness in April. Although the witness's identity has not been released, court papers suggest he would testify regarding Ghailani's purchase of "hundreds of pounds of explosives." More
- Patel Dismisses Civil Suit Over InterMune Marketing Claims
A suit aiming to hold a drug maker, its marketer and a former CEO accountable for what consumers said was illegal marketing has failed even after prosecutors earlier won a criminal conviction in the matter. Judge Marilyn Hall Patel of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California dismissed with prejudice the class action claim brought on behalf of consumers and their insurers against defendants including InterMune and its former CEO, Scott Harkonen, who awaits sentencing in a related criminal case. More
- Law Firms Line Up for 3G's $4 Billion Bite of Burger King
A whopper of a late summer for M&A lawyers grew even fatter Thursday, when Burger King announced its sale to investment firm 3G Capital for $4 billion. Four Am Law 100 firms -- Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom; Holland & Knight; Kirkland & Ellis; and Weil, Gotshal & Manges -- landed key legal advisory roles on the deal, which will return the world's second-largest hamburger chain to the private sector. More
- Enlisted Sikh Becomes First in 30 Years to Win Right to Wear Faith Articles in Army
For the first time in more than 30 years, the U.S. military has allowed an enlisted Sikh soldier to maintain his religiously mandated turban, beard and hair while serving in the Army. A team of lawyers at McDermott Will & Emery and attorneys at the Sikh Coalition also won one-time exceptions last year for two Sikh Army officers. The teams' efforts have spurred interest in Congress; in the past year, more than 50 members have written to military officials requesting that Sikhs be accepted into the U.S. Armed Forces. More
- Calif. Appeals Court Turns Down Plea to Intervene on Prop 8 Defense
A California appeals court on Thursday denied the Pacific Justice Institute's petition for a writ of mandamus to force the state's governor and attorney general to defend Proposition 8 in court, killing the latest attempt by foes of gay marriage to shore up standing for the pending appeal of Chief Judge Vaughn Walker's July ruling. A motions panel at the 9th Circuit ordered the Prop 8 proponents to "include in their opening brief a discussion of why this appeal should not be dismissed for lack of Article III standing." More
Channel: ABA Journal Top Stories
- Sometime Girlfriend Arrested on Suspicion of Murdering Attorney, After Eviction Filing
A woman who reportedly had an on-again, off-again relationship with a California attorney found dead in his home earlier this week has been arrested on suspicion of murdering him. Mark Hafen, 58, had filed an eviction case against Verginia Turner, 42, early this year when she refused to move out of his Salinas home, reports the Californian. She was given a five-day notice to vacate in July as a result of the Monterey County Superior Court case, according to the newspaper. Hafen worked as a family court attorney. An autopsy has not yet been completed, but authorities say he may?  More
- ?Burning Man Barrister? Offers Free Legal Advice to Festival Revelers
In response to complaints about overzealous law enforcement agents at the annual Burning Man art and music festival in the Nevada dessert, a Palo Alto, Calif., attorney has formed Lawyers for Burners, a legal defense team to aid festival revelers in their brushes with the law. David Levin, aka the Burning Man Barrister, accused federal officers of destroying a peaceful counterculture celebration in the Black Rock Desert, reports the Associated Press. "It's a police state out there," Levin said of the presence of undercover agents at dances and drug-sniffing dogs that roam the camps, according to the newspaper. "There's very?  More
- Entrepreneurs Are Attracting Major Cash to Draw Legal Services Away from Law Firms
A new class of lawyer-entrepreneurs in U.S. legal services is attracting hundreds of millions of dollars from global investors, even while traditional law firms are forced to cut back. These risk-takers speak a language investors understand. Rather than profits per partner, they talk about market share and return on invested capital. They converse as easily about finance, technology and management as finer points of law. And their enterprises produce steady returns even when unemployment soars and stock markets tank. Some drive down costs by automating routine legal tasks. Others assemble dedicated teams of lawyers for in-house legal departments to draft?  More
- Holy Smokes Batman! Law in Comics Featured in New Exhibit
Lawyers often identify with superheroes, but sometimes don?t get much validation for it. However the library at Yale Law School offers a bit of that, with the new exhibition ?Superheroes in Court: Lawyers, Law and Comic Books.? Mark S. Zaid, a Washington, D.C., lawyer and comic book collector, organized the exhibition, which today got a mention in the New York Times Arts Beat blog. It features illustrations of Superman on the witness stand being accused of murder (falsely, of course) and a handcuffed Batman and Robin, facing a jury full of Jokers, literally. Zaid, a litigator who often represents government?  More
- Firm?s New ?EZ Ticket? Defense Site Aims to Help Drivers Keep Records Clean
A San Antonio personal injury lawyer is adding traffic ticket defense, via the Internet, to his practice. Wallace Brylak Jr. set up EZTicketHelp.com, to handle traffic citations given by the San Antonio Police Department. According to KENS5.com, a local television news website, one can visit EZTicketHelp.com, enter the ticket information, and an attorney will go to court and provide a defense. According to Brylak?s website, most matters are resolved within 72 hours. Attorneys reportedly seek differed dispositions for clients, where tickets don?t show up on the individual's driving record. The firm tells prospective clients they'll benefit because there's: "No standing?  More
- Madoff Clients Balk at Trustee?s $34M Tab
Former investment clients of Bernard Madoff are challenging the $34 million bill submitted by his bankruptcy trustee, Baker Hostetler partner Irving Picard. The August 20 statement bills for services between Feb. 1 and May 31, according to the New York Post. According to Madoff investors, who made the Manhattan Bankruptcy Court filing, they don?t have the ability to evaluate the services, because the court previously ruled that Baker Hostetler doesn?t have to file detailed billing reports. Kevin McCue, Picard?s spokesperson, declined to comment, according to the Post, but noted that the law firm is paid by Securities Investor Protection Corp.,?  More
- Are Alternative Fees Fizzling? Bloggers Offer Contrarian View
The firestorm over alternative fees has produced more smoke than fire, according to a Canadian legal consultant. Writing at his blog Rants & Raves, consultant Patrick McKenna recalls his own unsuccessful attempt to interest general counsel in alternative fees while representing an AmLaw-listed, regional law firm of more than 500 lawyers. McKenna says he contacted more than 35 GCs of Fortune 500 companies to discuss how the firm could deliver savings of 25 to 40 percent, and possibly more. ?I completely struck out!? he writes. ?No bunts, no hits, not even a sniff of interest.? He later heard from a?  More
- War Funk Band in Battle with Pepsi Over ?Friends? Song
Some members of the original soul-funk band War have sued PepsiCo. for using their 1975 hit song ?Why Can?t We Be Friends? in a Pepsi Max commercial without their permission. The band members say Pepsi should have negotiated with them even if the company purchased rights to the song from music publishers or other owners, according to the Associated Press and TMZ. The suit says the band "did not consent to the use of their performance" in the ad. The suit, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles, seeks $10 million in damages. A PepsiCo statement said it believes the lawsuit is?  More
- Lawyer Sues for $700K After His Arrest for Failing to Show ID in Courthouse
A Maryland lawyer in a hurry to file some briefs decided to take a stand when an officer at the appeals court in Annapolis asked to see his ID. Norman Christopher Usiak refused, the Baltimore Sun reports. His resulting arrest spurred Usiak to file a $700,000 lawsuit claiming false arrest, false imprisonment and assault. Being forced to show an ID "is the antithesis of access to a free court system,? Usiak, a Frederick, Md., lawyer, told the newspaper. ?I took a stand. It was offensive to me." According to a police report on the June 2007 incident, Usiak gave a?  More
- Lawyer Censured for Punching Restaurant Patron in Music Dispute
A New York lawyer has been censured for punching a restaurant patron over noisy music. According to a New York appeals court, the dispute began when lawyer William Caits ?was disturbed by noise emanating from a portable DVD player in a nearby booth? that was occupied by the patron and her father. Caits asked them to lower the volume and also complained to the manager. ?After respondent voiced his dissatisfaction with the patron's adjustments and the manager's suggestion that he relocate, the verbal altercation escalated, culminating with respondent punching the victim,? the opinion says. In 2007, Caits was convicted in?  More
Channel: AOL News
- Teacher's Sex Trial Defense: It Was Love
An attorney for a Georgia teacher charged with having sex with a 17-year-old student claims it's not a crime because the pair were in love. More
- Judge Wipes Out Couple's Mortgage Debt
A New York couple has a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving weekend after a judge canceled the half-million dollar debt they owed on their Long Island home. More
- Do Video Games Breed War Criminals?
A study by two human rights groups says many video games encourage players to flagrantly violate real-life criminal and humanitarian law. By allowing players to kill injured soldiers, attack civilians and destroy churches and mosques, says the study, the games suggest that modern warfare has no limits or rules. One gaming industry expert calls the virtual havoc "just fun, harmless escapism." More
- Couple's Suit Says Sewage Killed Relative
An Ohio couple says a sewage pipe collapse three years ago saturated their house with toxins that can never be cleaned and led to the death of Dorothy Dulick, the 84-year-old mother of one of the homeowners, according to local media reports. More
- Jury Awards $100K in Naked Torso Case
A jury has awarded $100,000 to a woman whose doctors supplied photos of her naked torso for a newspaper article without first obtaining her permission, said the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The 2006 article, which was about cosmetic surgery, ran in a local newspaper, the Riverfront Times. Among other topics, it addressed the fine points of surgery on female genitalia, which embarrassed the plaintiff, said the Post-Dispatch. "I can't explain to you how horrified I was," the woman, who has been identified in court papers as Jane Doe, told the paper. More
- Cop in Fatal Crash Was Driving 94 MPH
An arrest affidavit says a Milford police officer charged with manslaughter for a car crash that killed two teenagers was driving 94 miles per hour and was not on an emergency call. State police earlier this month charged Jason Anderson with two counts of second-degree manslaughter and one count of reckless driving. He was released on $250,000 bond. More
- Colorado Ski Town Legalizes Pot
The Colorado ski town of Breckenridge has voted overwhelmingly to legalize marijuana. More
- California Drivers Flout Cell Phone Ban
California is among the 18 states that prohibit people from talking on hand-held cell phones while driving. Yet violating the law has turned into a popular craze in the Golden State, reported ABC News, starting with serial offender and first lady Maria Shriver. The California Highway Patrol said it has issued more than 100,000 tickets since the law went into effect a year and a half ago. According to ABC, drivers seem to delight in flouting the regulation, not even bothering the hide the phone when a police car passes. More
- Is the Hate Crimes Bill Enough?
As President Obama waited for the nation?s first federal civil rights law protecting gays and lesbians reaches his desk, the mother of the hate crime victim for whom it?s named defended the administration against charges by some activists that he had forsaken their cause. More
- Church Sued Over Doctor's Alleged Abuse
A group of people who claim they were molested by a Connecticut doctor have filed suit against the Hartford Archdiocese, claiming that the Catholic church bears part of the burden for letting Dr. George Reardon work for decades at a church-affiliated hospital despite complaints, according to The Hartford Courant. More
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