legal watch blog

D.C. Madam Trial -- All About the Male, er, Mail

The Blog of the Legal Times is offering up-to-the-minute coverage of the trial of D.C. Madam, Deborah Palfrey.

Early accounts suggest that prosecutors downplayed some of the salacious details in their opening statement to get jurors focused on RICO, the legal issue at the center of the trial. In short, as Catherine Connolly said, the case is about the mail (not the male). 

Still, the trial will necessarily delve into the facts because jurors will need to determine whether Palfrey's operation involved unlawful prostitution. Louisiana Sen. David Vitter, a former client of Palfrey's service, has been listed on the witness list. And I just heard a report on the local ABC affiliate that jurors heard testimony from two local lawyers today -- one from D.C., one from Rockville, Md. -- who testified that they used Palfrey's escort service 50 and 100 times, respectively. Both lawyers received immunity in exchange for their testimony -- though I wonder whether their admission of participation in unlawful activity could trigger the interest of a bar grievance committee. I certainly hope not. 

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Posted by Carolyn Elefant on April 8, 2008 at 03:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Where There's Smoke, There's Flames

A blogger's posting about a lawyer-couple's lawsuit against their neighbor for her failure to abate cigarette smoke seepage from her apartment into a common hallway ignited a swarm of flames against lawyers for their aggressive, obnoxious and money-grubbing ways. The firestorm started with Simple Justice blogger Scott Greenfield's post criticizing John Stossel's commentary that lawyers are parasites ruining America. As evidence of lawyers' bullying ways, Stossel cited a lawsuit by lawyers Jonathan and Jenny Selbin against their co-op neighbor, Galina Huff, demanding that she cease and desist from causing smoke to enter the common hallway. Greenfield initially agreed that the Selbins seemed unreasonable, though he later learned from an e-mail from the Selbins that they had made several attempts to negotiate with Huff before filing the suit. But disclosure of that information didn't do much to allay the swarm of nasty commentary, causing Greenfield to ponder why lawyers have such a bad rap.

However, perhaps the public has good reason to criticize the Selbins themselves -- albeit, not the entire legal profession. New York magazine suggests that the Selbins weren't as reasonable as they depicted themselves; among other things:

• They introduced the lawsuit by slipping a note under the neighbor's door that read: "As you may not be aware, we are both lawyers and both litigators, for whom the usual barriers to litigation are minimal."
• In the complaint, they referred to the neighbor, Galila Huff, a quirky restaurant owner with a Chihuahua named Boo-Boo, as "evil."
• They complained that Huff had Boo-Boo urinate on their son's stroller in retaliation for their complaints.
• When ABC News pointed out that this was in fact New York City -- "There are lots of chimneys, and exhaust fumes from cars, trucks, and buses. How pristine does the air have to be?" -- Jonathan Selbin retorted, "Have you asked Ms. Huff how she would react if we put dog poison in the shared hallway?"

You might think that the suit was destined for trial with this kind of back and forth. However, this morning, the New York Times reported that the lawsuit has settled -- no thanks to either party.  According to the Times: 

Within days of publicity over the lawsuit, a company called Aerus, formerly known as Electrolux, offered to install a free air filtration system in both the Selbins' and Ms. Huff's apartments that the company said would clear the smoke. Joe Urso, CEO of Aerus, said that the filtration system had been installed and that he believed it was instrumental in driving the settlement.

So basically, it took an air filter to clear the air between these feuding parties.

Unfortunately, it's the outrageous stories like this one or the $65 million pants suit brought by administrative law judge Roy Pearson against his dry cleaner that gain so much press and, ultimately, tarnish the reputation of all of us lawyers. 

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Posted by Carolyn Elefant on April 8, 2008 at 03:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Still Two Sides of the Bar in the Legal Profession

Two lawyers walk into a bar ... One orders a round of drinks for the house. The other one puts on an apron and serves it.

Is the above quote just another silly lawyer joke -- or is it an accurate reflection of the current state of the legal profession?  That's the issue that Greg Burns tackles in this lengthy piece in Sunday's Chicago Tribune.

Burns argues that the upper fourth of earners in the legal profession have continued to prosper, while the bottom three-fourths have lost ground. At the top of the spectrum, mega law firms with their millionaire partners and -- at least up until the past few recessionary months -- their ever-increasing associate paychecks continue to grow, with many corporate counsel still willing to pay large firm rates. At the other end, it's harder for those who don't find large-firm jobs to make a living because the rising cost of legal education means that smaller paychecks don't stretch as far. Most graduates who accept lower-paying jobs in public interest can barely pay their bills after meeting student loan obligations -- a point well illustrated by Jen Wrenn's experience, who tends bar on the weekends to supplement her prosecutor's salary. And at all ends of the spectrum, there's dissatisfaction. Lower-earning lawyers stress about finances, while those earning big paychecks stress about long hours or lack of meaningful work.

Burns' current description of the profession seems accurate; indeed, we've discussed these trends previously here. What's more interesting are the predictions for the future:

Academic researchers believe change is coming to the profession. John Coates of Harvard Law School, for one, has a clear vision of how economics will reshape long-standing practices. He foresees the American Bar Association and state bar examiners coming under pressure to reduce the cost of law school by relaxing rules. That could mean accrediting online programs or allowing two-year degrees instead of the standard three....Restrictions on practicing law without a license also will relax, Coates predicts, so paralegals can handle house closings, leases, simple contracts and wills. More legal work will be carried out at a discount offshore, as well...Eventually, Coates says, the great divide in lawyer incomes will divide again, this time into three categories: The super-highly-paid, a middle tier of the highly paid and, by far the biggest group, everybody else.

In my view, these future predictions overlook the way that technology is starting to and will continue to break down the barriers in our profession. Lower technology costs -- for legal research, case management, document automation and client relation software -- enable lawyers to leave their firm with a few clients and handle the same matters as they did at their large firm without losing a large portion or revenues to overhead. Technology also allows multiple solo and small-firm lawyers to team up in virtual arrangements to offer the same broad range of expertise as a large firm. While some clients will always want or need a large firm, many will find that smaller, specialized shops suit their needs. And though the bar may relax rules on conflicts, that won't solve the problem of conflicts that is inevitable with large-firm growth. After all, some clients would rather not be represented by the same firm that represents the parent corporation of the subsidiary that's suing them -- even if permitted by bar rules. Finally, technology will also help solo and smaller-firm lawyers to figure out ways to deliver lower-cost service while still making a profit. These lawyers may not earn as much as their superearning peers at the associate-leveraged, megafirms, but they'll still do quite, quite well.

So readers, you tell me. Is the legal profession on course towards an even deeper divide between the "haves" and "have nots?" Or will we lawyers find a way to unite at the bar, instead of standing separated on two sides?

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Posted by Carolyn Elefant on April 8, 2008 at 03:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Presidential Election Roundup

Once again, here's another installment of our presidential election roundup, with the latest tidbits on the candidates and the law-related issues in the race. 

Obama the Associate. Obama has referenced his background as a civil-rights attorney at various points during the campaign. This L.A. Times story provides more detail on Obama's four years in private practice, noting that during his tenure at a small civil-rights firm, he spent 70 percent of his time handling voting rights, civil rights and employment cases. While Obama is now a superstar, back then he handled grunt cases just like any other junior lawyer -- for example, defending nonprofits in minor matters like a slip and fall or a $336 claim for reimbursement for baby-sitting services. Not surprisingly, "those were not the cases that Obama highlighted" in his first book,
"Dreams From My Father." 

Hillary Uses Hogan for Taxes. Who's the lawyer behind the Clintons' recently released tax returns?  According to American Lawyer, the Clintons have been using Howard Topaz, a New York-based tax partner at Hogan & Hartson to prepare tax returns for the past four tax cycles. That's a fairly significant gig for the firm, given that between 2000 and 2007, the Clintons' tax returns show combined earnings of $109 million, on which they paid $33 million in taxes. Prior to 2004, the Clintons used an accounting firm.

Supreme Court Predictions for the Candidates. Kim Eisler of the Washingtonian is the most recent commentator to take a stab at predicting the candidates' possible Supreme Court picks. For McCain, Eisler identifies former Justice Department Viet Dinh as "an intriguing possibility" because of the Vietnam connection. McCain endured five years of captivity by the North Vietnamese between 1967 and 1973, while Dinh fled Vietnam for the United States in 1978, spending 12 days in a boa with no food or water. As for a Democratic president, Eisler describes former solicitor general Seth Waxman as "the next justice in waiting," while Harvard Law School Dean Elena Kagan is the "almost certain top choice replacement for Ruth Bader Ginsburg." Interesting selections, but still -- how unfortunate that even in the 21st century, we still have designated "female" seats on the court. Wouldn't Kagan make an equally suitable replacement for, say, Justice Stevens as she would for Justice Ginsburg?

Hard Growth for Soft-Money Groups. As in the 2004 presidential election, soft money groups are already expected to play a major role in 2008, reports The Boston Globe. Soft money groups -- known as 527 organizations -- came to prominence following campaign finance rules that limit individual donations to candidates to $2,300 per person per election and require candidates to disclosure contributors. By contrast, soft money groups, though prohibited from endorsing or supporting individual candidates, are not limited in fundraising and, thus, are not constrained in political spending. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) regulates 527 organizations and can assess stiff fines for violation of the rules, such as the prohibition on endorsing individual candidates. But right now, the Federal Election Commission is down to two commissioners from its usual panel of six due to congressional fights over appointments. As a result, some strategists fear that the FEC may not be able to effectively oversee 527 groups during this contentious election cycle.

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Posted by Carolyn Elefant on April 8, 2008 at 03:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Consulten, opinen y escriban
Saludos
Rodrigo González Fernández
DIPLOMADO EN RSE DE LA ONU
www.Consultajuridicachile.blogspot.com
www.lobbyingchile.blogspot.com
www.el-observatorio-politico.blogspot.com
www.biocombustibles.blogspot.com
Renato Sánchez 3586
teléfono: 5839786
e-mail rogofe47@mi.cl
Santiago-Chile

 

Soliciten nuestros cursos de capacitación en RESPONSABILIDAD SOCIAL EMPRESARIAL – LOBBY – BIOCOMBUSTIBLES    y asesorías a nivel internacional y están disponibles  para OTEC Y OTIC en Chile

FROM LEGAL WATCH BLOG

Apple v. Big Apple

If this keeps up, we may eventually need a new name for that fruit whose daily dose keeps the doctor away. As you will recall, last year computer maker Apple Inc. and The Beatles' company Apple Corps Ltd. settled their prolonged battle over use of the Apple name, with the California company getting ownership of the Apple trademark and licensing it back to Apple Corps. Now, Apple is taking on The Big Apple, claiming that New York City's GreeNYC environmental campaign uses an apple in its logo that too closely resembles Apple's apple.

New York has filed for a trademark on the stylized apple and Apple has responded by filing a formal opposition. Gerald Singleton, the IP lawyer representing the Big Apple, tells Wired magazine, "The city believes that Apple's claims have no merit and that no consumer is likely to be confused. This well-known city is using its new design in a variety of contexts that have absolutely nothing to do with Apple Inc." As for that fruit, perhaps the name "microsoft" could become available.

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Posted by Robert J. Ambrogi on April 3, 2008 at 09:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Penalty for Libel: Banishment?

Because tribal reservations have sovereignty over many of their own affairs, their laws sometimes veer away from the common law most of us are accustomed to. But tribal leaders at the Rocky Boy's Reservation in northern Montana apparently went too far astray from accepted notions of fairness when they adopted an anti-defamation ordinance Feb. 7 that allowed them to seize a defamer's personal property and permanently banish the offender from the reservation. A tribal member found to have slandered another could face loss of home and property, relinquishment of tribal membership, and status as a "nonentity with no civil rights."

Some reservation members were none too happy with the ordinance, which was enacted in the wake of letters disparaging tribal council members and their families. But unhappiness turned to anger when tribal police arrested a 70-year-old woman for allegedly circulating a defamatory letter about the tribe's leaders after she was unable to get financial help to fix her roof. "No place else in the United States could this happen, but on the reservation," said another woman who was questioned by police under the defamation ordinance.

Members of the tribe revolted. They organized a petition drive and were successful in convincing the tribal council to repeal the ordinance in a unanimous vote. Recounting the story in the Helena Independent Record, columnist Jodi Rave says it demonstrates that "some tribal leaders are willing to gamble with -- and ignore -- citizen rights." Of course, it also demonstrates the power of citizens to fight back and win.

[Hat tip to Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.]

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Posted by Robert J. Ambrogi on April 3, 2008 at 09:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Crossdressed Judge Reconsiders Resignation

Is it just that I live in Massachusetts, or is prudishness really dead? The most remarkable aspect of U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Somma's OUI arrest was not that he was dressed in drag, but that the legal community's response was to say, "So what? Let's get back to work." When news of Somma's crossdressing broke a week after his arrest, he quickly submitted his resignation, anticipating a "media frenzy." But when area lawyers rallied to urge him to stay, citing his skill on the bench, no doubt even he was surprised. In a letter this week to Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, the judge wrote:

I am gratified and humbled by the kind words expressed by so many in personal letters I received and in the several letters that were sent to the Court of Appeals supporting my reinstatement. That outpouring of support has led me conclude, contrary to my initial belief, that the media frenzy occasioned by this episode would not be an impediment to my continued service as a judge. Consequently, over the past few weeks I have been communicating with the Court of Appeals concerning my status and expect that these discussions will continue.

The circuit executive for the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals confirms that the effective date of Somma's resignation, which was to be April 1, is now extended to May 15. No one at the court is saying why the date was pushed back, but The Boston Globe reports today that some lawyers interpret the delay as intended to allow the circuit court time to consider rescinding Somma's resignation. Still, the article points out, rescission is by no means a done deal.

The real story here, as I said at the outset, is the legal community's reaction. The letter circulated in support of Somma said, "Recent events do not in any manner diminish Judge Somma's ability to fulfill his duties and to remain as a highly respected member of the bench." Globe writer Jonathan Saltzman zeros in on the import of this when he says:

The letter-writing campaign illustrates how perspectives have changed about behavior such as cross-dressing. Twenty years ago, several lawyers acknowledged, it was highly unlikely that the legal community would have rallied around a judge who was arrested under circumstances like those in the Somma case.

Is a judge's private life always out of bounds? Of course not, if it involves unlawful or unethical behavior. As Jeffrey Rosen writes this week in The New Republic, "Americans are infinitely tolerant of moral transgression, except where they're not." But perhaps the legal profession has reached the point where it accepts that a judge's personal preferences, provided they are lawful, are not reflections of morals and have no bearing on qualification to serve.

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Posted by Robert J. Ambrogi on April 3, 2008 at 09:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Justice Goes to the Dogs (and Cats)

Pet food maker Menu Foods is ready to settle claims that its tainted products killed or injured thousands of household pets. The New Jersey Law Journal reports today that the Canadian manufacturer has reached a settlement in principal with lawyers for plaintiffs in the multi-district litigation, which consolidated some 120 lawsuits from throughout the U.S. Last year, Menu recalled 60 million containers of pet food after it received complaints of pets dying and ill after eating pet food contaminated with tainted flour imported from China.

No terms have been disclosed. A notice posted by Menu Foods on its Web site says that the terms of the settlement will be filed May 1 in federal court in New Jersey, with a hearing scheduled there May 14. The company had earlier estimated its costs associated with the recall to be $55 million (Canadian), and its notice this week said that estimate "remains unchanged." Allowing for other costs, that would suggest that the settlement amount is somewhere south of that.

Complicating these cases from the outset -- as Carolyn Elefant noted here when they were filed -- was the measure of damages for loss of a pet. Carolyn pointed to a post at the Milwaukee Injury Board in which David Lowe discussed the types of damages that may be available to pet owners. Arriving at an answer is complicated, Lowe said, because damages for loss of a pet vary significantly from state to state. But the scope of the recall, he wrote then, could present the appropriate opportunity "to test the old assumptions and make some new law in this area."

This week's settlement might indicate that neither side is ready to test those old assumptions. If that is not to be the legacy of this litigation, perhaps -- as Kia Franklin suggests at TortDeform -- it at least will lead to tougher regulation. After all, when it comes to the well-being of their dogs and cats, pet owners are not likely to roll over and play dead.

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Posted by Robert J. Ambrogi on April 3, 2008 at 08:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Consulten, opinen y escriban
Saludos
Rodrigo González Fernández
DIPLOMADO EN RSE DE LA ONU
www.Consultajuridicachile.blogspot.com
www.lobbyingchile.blogspot.com
www.el-observatorio-politico.blogspot.com
www.biocombustibles.blogspot.com
Renato Sánchez 3586
teléfono: 5839786
e-mail rogofe47@mi.cl
Santiago-Chile

 

Soliciten nuestros cursos de capacitación en RESPONSABILIDAD SOCIAL EMPRESARIAL – LOBBY – BIOCOMBUSTIBLES    y asesorías a nivel internacional y están disponibles  para OTEC Y OTIC en Chile

Dear Colleagues and Friends,Center for Asia Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP) and the United Nations International

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Greetings from the Center for Asia Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP) and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (UN-ISDR)!
 
We are pleased to invite you to the Third Global Congress of Women in Politics and Governance which will be held on October 19-22, 2008 at the Dusit Hotel, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines.  The theme of the congress is "Gender and Climate Change".

Women and environment experts have raised concern over the absence of women in the discourse and debate on climate change, a global mainstream issue that is currently impacting the entire world. The involvement of women in areas of environmental management and governance should not be perceived as an afterthought. Women's roles are of considerable importance in the promotion of environmental ethics.
The current imperative is for women to understand the phenomenon of climate change and its impacts and implications at the individual, household, community and national levels. Studies show that women have a definite information deficit on climate politics and climate protection. Only with this information can women take their proper, significant and strategic role in the issue of climate change.
Invited to this congress are women parliamentarians, women in decision - making and governance, environment organizations, youth Leaders and Media Practitioners
The Congress will have the following objectives:
Overall Purpose: To provide a forum for women legislators, and women in decision making and environment organizations at all levels, in formulating gender-responsive legislation and policies.


Specific Objectives:
a) To understand the phenomenon of climate change, its impacts and implications;
b). to review and examine the gender aspects of climate change and formulate appropriate actions to address such;
c). to define the roles women can play in addressing the issues of climate change at the global, national and sub-national levels; and
d). to identify and define the action agenda for parliamentarians, policy advocates and women leaders to support global and national actions to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Congress Proceedings:
The discussion on gender and climate change will be organized around identifying the challenges to action as well as defining the appropriate responses to effectively address the impacts of climate change. Inputs to the discussion will be collected and organized around: 1) geographic location and 2) types of actions: i.e. preparedness, risk reduction: building community resilience; adaptation; and mitigation. Cross cutting these discussions will be the identification of technologies in aid of responding to climate change.
The focus of the discussions will revolve around defining and elaborating actions (i.e. preparedness, disaster risk reduction, adaptation, and mitigation) to cope with climate change and its impacts.
Preparedness and disaster risk reduction is about building individual and community capacities to position themselves and their communities so that the likelihood of climate change-induced disasters is reduced; the intensity or adverse impacts of disasters are cushioned and that inhabitants are able to respond promptly, expeditiously and effectively. Adaptation entails actions that moderate harm, or exploit benefits, of climate change.  Mitigation entails actions that minimizes or cushions the adverse impacts of climate change.
In all of these actions, special attention will be given to defining how women and gender could be mainstreamed. In other words, the Congress should define how women can be given the social space to participate, influence, and benefit from global and local responses to climate change.
The registration fee for the four day congress is one hundred eight thousand Philippine Pesos (P108, 000). per person for single room accommodations and Eighty eight thousand Philippine Pesos (P88, 000). per person for twin room sharing accommodations (two persons in one room). We are sending you the detailed information sheet (which contains the registration form) as an attachment to this email.

The training will be held on Oct 19-22, 2008. However, the participants will be requested to be in Manila the day before, October 18, 2008 and leave Manila only on October 23, 2008. The overnight hotel accommodation on October 18, 2008 is already included in the fee. Participants will be billeted in the Dusit Hotel, the venue of the congress and hotels near the Dusit Hotel, accessible within walking distance. Room accommodations in the Dusit Hotel, the venue of the Congress will be on a first come - first served basis.

You can also download the full information sheet and registration form for this Third Global Congress of Women in Politics and Governance from our website, <http://www.capwip.org>

Importance of the Congress

Today, on the average, one person out of nineteen in a developing country will be hit by a climate disaster, compared to 1 out of 1,500 in an OECD country. Climate change creates life time traps: in Niger, a child born during a drought is 72 percent more likely to be stunted than a child born during a normal season.

We hope that your organization can send participants to the Third Global Congress of Women in Politics and Governance. The Theme of "Gender and Climate Change" is the first time this will be discussed in a forum whose objective is to formulate gender responsive legislation and policies for national governments and parliaments.

We truly hope that the environment organizations will find this forum a good opportunity to advocate gender and climate change policies and programs through gender responsive legislation to the women parliamentarians, decision makers, the youth leaders, media and the funding agencies/organizations. Let us join hands in promoting gender responsive governance through transformative leadership and citizenship. We are looking forward to your participation.


Very truly yours,

(signed)
Dr. Jung Sook Kim
President
Center for Asia Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP)




Center for Asia Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP)
YSTAPHIL Building, 4227-4229 Tomas Claudio Street, Baclaran,
Parañaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel. (632) 8516934 (632) 8516954; Tele Fax: mobile phone +639184596603
E-mail: globalcongress2008@gmail.com; globalcongress2008@capwip.org <mailto:globalcongress2008@gmail.com; globalcongress2008@capwip.org>; capwip@capwip.org <mailto:capwip@capwip.org> Web: www.capwip.org <http://www.capwip.org>; www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org <http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org>

Consulten, opinen y escriban
Saludos
Rodrigo González Fernández
DIPLOMADO EN RSE DE LA ONU
www.Consultajuridicachile.blogspot.com
www.lobbyingchile.blogspot.com
www.el-observatorio-politico.blogspot.com
www.biocombustibles.blogspot.com
Renato Sánchez 3586
teléfono: 5839786
e-mail rogofe47@mi.cl
Santiago-Chile

 

Soliciten nuestros cursos de capacitación en RESPONSABILIDAD SOCIAL EMPRESARIAL – LOBBY – BIOCOMBUSTIBLES    y asesorías a nivel internacional y están disponibles  para OTEC Y OTIC en Chile

Treasury Dept. Plan Would Give Fed Wide New Power

 

Treasury Dept. Plan Would Give Fed Wide New Power

By EDMUND L. ANDREWS

Published: March 29, 2008

WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department will propose on Monday that Congress give the Federal Reserve broad new authority to oversee financial market stability, in effect allowing it to send SWAT teams into any corner of the industry or any institution that might pose a risk to the overall system.

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Doug Mills/The New York Times

Henry M. Paulson Jr.

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A Plan for an Overhaul

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Text: Treasury's Summary of Regulatory Proposal (March 29, 2008)

Talking Business: Knee Jerks for Reform Are Overdue (March 29, 2008)

Times Topics: Henry M. Paulson Jr.

The proposal is part of a sweeping blueprint to overhaul the nation's hodgepodge of financial regulatory agencies, which many experts say failed to recognize rampant excesses in mortgage lending until after they set off what is now the worst financial calamity in decades.

Democratic lawmakers are all but certain to say the proposal does not go far enough in restricting the kinds of practices that caused the financial crisis. Many of the proposals, like those that would consolidate regulatory agencies, have nothing to do with the turmoil in financial markets. And some of the proposals could actually reduce regulation.

According to a summary provided by the administration, the plan would consolidate an alphabet soup of banking and securities regulators into a powerful trio of overseers responsible for everything from banks and brokerage firms to hedge funds and private equity firms.

While the plan could expose Wall Street investment banks and hedge funds to greater scrutiny, it carefully avoids a call for tighter regulation.

The plan would not rein in practices that have been linked to the housing and mortgage crisis, like packaging risky subprime mortgages into securities carrying the highest ratings.

The plan would give the Fed some authority over Wall Street firms, but only when an investment bank's practices threatened the entire financial system.

And the plan does not recommend tighter rules over the vast and largely unregulated markets for risk sharing and hedging, like credit default swaps, which are supposed to insure lenders against loss but became a speculative instrument themselves and gave many institutions a false sense of security.

Parts of the plan could reduce the power of the Securities and Exchange Commission, which is charged with maintaining orderly stock and bond markets and protecting investors. The plan would merge the S.E.C. with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates exchange-traded futures for oil, grains, currencies and the like.

The blueprint also suggests several areas where the S.E.C. should take a lighter approach to its oversight. Among them are allowing stock exchanges greater leeway to regulate themselves and streamlining the approval of new products, even allowing automatic approval of securities products that are being traded in foreign markets.

The proposal began last year as an effort by Henry M. Paulson Jr., secretary of the Treasury, to make American financial markets more competitive against overseas markets by modernizing a creaky regulatory system.

His goal was to streamline the different and sometimes clashing rules for commercial banks, savings and loans and nonbank mortgage lenders.

"I am not suggesting that more regulation is the answer, or even that more effective regulation can prevent the periods of financial market stress that seem to occur every 5 to 10 years," Mr. Paulson will say in a speech on Monday, according to a draft. "I am suggesting that we should and can have a structure that is designed for the world we live in, one that is more flexible."

Congress would have to approve almost every element of the proposal, and Democratic leaders are already drafting their own bills to impose tougher supervision over Wall Street investment banks, hedge funds and the fast-growing market in derivatives like credit default swaps.

But Mr. Paulson's proposal for the Fed echoes ideas championed by Representative Barney Frank, the Massachusetts Democrat who is chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.

Both see the Fed overseeing risk across the entire financial spectrum, but Mr. Frank is likely to favor a stronger Fed role and to subject investment banks to the same rules that commercial banks now must follow, especially for capital reserves.

The Treasury plan would let Fed officials examine the practices and even the internal bookkeeping of brokerage firms, hedge funds, commodity-trading exchanges and any other institution that might pose a risk to the overall financial system.

That would be a significant expansion of the central bank's regulatory mission.

Consulten, opinen y escriban
Saludos
Rodrigo González Fernández
DIPLOMADO EN RSE DE LA ONU
www.Consultajuridicachile.blogspot.com
www.lobbyingchile.blogspot.com
www.el-observatorio-politico.blogspot.com
www.biocombustibles.blogspot.com
Renato Sánchez 3586
teléfono: 5839786
e-mail rogofe47@mi.cl
Santiago-Chile

 

Soliciten nuestros cursos de capacitación en RESPONSABILIDAD SOCIAL EMPRESARIAL – LOBBY – BIOCOMBUSTIBLES    y asesorías a nivel internacional y están disponibles  para OTEC Y OTIC en Chile

Lawyers as Litigants in Boston

Lawyers as Litigants in Boston

Yesterday brought two appellate opinions from Boston-based courts -- one federal, one state -- in which lawyers participated not as advocates, but as litigants. One, from the state's highest court, the Supreme Judicial Court, addressed the applicability of an anti-SLAPP statute to the lawyer's attempts to recover his legal fees. The other, from the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, involved a divorcing lawyer's attempt to keep his ex-wife from getting a stake in his retirement plans.

The SJC decision, Wenger v. Aceto, involved a case that pit the lawyer, Gregory J. Aceto, against his former client, a physician. When the client's check to Aceto bounced and the client failed to accept delivery of Aceto's formal demand for payment, the lawyer asked a local court to issue a criminal complaint against the client for larceny by check. The request was denied, but it got the attention of the client, who sued his former lawyer for malicious prosecution and abuse of process. The lawyer filed a motion to dismiss based on the state's anti-SLAPP law -- the "strategic litigation against public participation" law that is intended to protect the right to petition the courts. The SJC granted the lawyer's motion to dismiss (although it allowed the client's consumer protection claim to continue). "Although we may dislike or disfavor an attorney's choice to seek a criminal complaint against a former client in an attempt to collect payment for past services," Justice John M. Greaney wrote for the SJC, "we cannot deny any citizen the constitutional right to petition the courts to seek legal redress."

In the case decided by the 1st Circuit, Geiger v. Foley Hoag LLP Retirement Plan, Foley Hoag commercial litigator David R. Geiger went to federal court on the heels of a contentious state court divorce that assigned his ex-wife an interest in his three retirement plans. He filed suit under ERISA seeking to enjoin the plans' administrator from making the transfer to his ex-wife. She intervened and was successful in having the case dismissed. On appeal, the 1st Circuit affirmed the dismissal, concluding that Geiger, who represented himself, failed to protect his pension rights in the state court proceeding, "on the mistaken belief that the federal courts had exclusive jurisdiction."

For lawyers as litigants, that's one win, one loss.

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Posted by Robert J. Ambrogi on March 28, 2008 at 09:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

'Neutral' Sites as Fronts for Firms

At the Fortune blog Legal Pad, Roger Parloff points to perhaps the most recent example of what strikes me as an increasingly common and problematic trend -- PI firms setting up seemingly neutral front sites devoted to health, pharmaceutical or other issues they handle. Parloff's example is myMeso, a site about mesothelioma that, he writes, "looks like it's probably run by a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) group devoted to providing dispassionate information about the dreaded, fatal, asbestos-linked cancer." In fact, the site is operated by Alabama plaintiffs' firm Beasley Allen Crow Methvin Portis & Miles and written by employees of the firm. Parloff had to "scroll down a ways" before he found a faint, watermark-like box indicating the site was a "public awareness web site sponsored by Beasley Allen."

Since Parloff's post, the firm has modified the page so that its sponsorship is prominently identified. But this is only one example of many. Pick a disease, add dot-com, and you're likely to find yourself at a site portrayed as a victims' or consumers' resource but run by a law firm. Some are transparent, some are not. There is Mesothelioma.com, Asbestos.com and plenty of others. A variation on this theme are lawyer referral sites such as the Top Lawyers sites I wrote about here in October ('TopLawyers' Floods YouTube, Web).

A Beasley Allen partner tells Parloff he does not consider the site confusing to consumers. Ethics specialists say the site may be OK under ethics rules because it does not directly solicit clients -- and may even be protected by the First Amendment. Notably, Parloff writes, several legal-ethics experts initially saw no problem with the site, "since none realized that the site was run by a law firm until I told them."

I am all for law firms disseminating useful information to consumers. But they should be up-front about it. If a firm sets up a set to provide information, it should lay claim to it, not lay silent behind a hidden wall.

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Posted by Robert J. Ambrogi on March 28, 2008 at 09:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

USPTO Chief Slams Bad Patents

No less an innovator than IBM once filed a patent on a system for providing restroom reservations. Or, as Ars Technica more crassly describes it, "Big Blue wanted a patent on taking a number to use the can." According to the post, Jon Dudas, the director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, in a speech yesterday at the Tech Policy Summit in Hollywood, cited that example as symptomatic of the problems facing his office.

While companies generally want patents in order to protect intellectual property, that's not the only a reason for seeking patents. Dudas noted that Wall Street loves it when companies file patents, since patent numbers can be used as an easy proxy for innovation and R&D work. The sheer number of patents can also make it easier to strike cross-licensing agreements with other companies, as it makes a given patent portfolio look broader and stronger.

While no one would argue that bad patents "promote innovation," they do often make business sense, Dudas told the summit's attendees. That is why the number of bad applications is surging and the percentage of patent approvals is dropping dramatically. But how should the surge be slowed? One proposal being floated is to raise the filing fee significantly, but Dudas believes this would be counter to the USPTO's mission to be open to all inventors. He has other ideas for stemming the surge:

Dudas wants to see the barrier to filing raised in less costly ways, such as requiring minimal searching for similar or identical previous patents, and he wants applicants to describe exactly how their invention expands the state of the art; in other words, make a strong argument that your idea is demonstrably better than what's already out there. These changes alone will 'drop out a significant portion of bad applications.'

Lurking in the background is the controversial patent reform bill still making its way through Congress. Will it pass? Dudas told his summit audience that he gives the bill a better than 50 percent chance of success during this session of Congress. Meanwhile, if you need to use the restroom while you're waiting, e-mail IBM for a number.

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Posted by Robert J. Ambrogi on March 28, 2008 at 09:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Martin Takes Helm of Bingham in Boston

Both The Boston Globe and Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly have the news that Ralph C. Martin II has been named managing partner of the 270-lawyer Boston office of Bingham McCutchen, putting to rest speculation that the former Boston district attorney would run for mayor of that city in 2010. Both reports also say that Martin is the first black managing partner at a large Boston law firm. "I've been joking with Ralph that I see his new job as mayor of the firm's Boston office," Bingham Chairman Jay S. Zimmerman told the Globe. "What that means is he's charged with listening to people, understanding their needs and concerns, and making sure our Boston office remains a vibrant internal community."

Martin, 55, was district attorney of Suffolk County, where Boston is located, from 1992 to 2002 -- elected to that office as a Republican. He'd been exploring a mayoral run for several months. In addition to running the Boston office, he will continue to practice law and to serve as managing principal of the firm's government relations offshoot, Bingham Consulting Group.

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Posted by Robert J. Ambrogi on March 28, 2008 at 08:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

God's Lawyer Pens Legal Help Book

When a legal self-help book is promoted as coming from God's legal department, you can't ask for a higher authority. That's the pitch for the new book from "Christian lawyer" Stephen L. Bloom, The Believer's Guide to Legal Issues, due out April 1. "I've seen people, including Christian believers, getting caught up in very painful legal nightmares, damaging their relationships, making themselves miserable, all by following traditional secular legal advice and values," Bloom says. "So I've written this book to empower people to rise above the mindset of greed and revenge so prevalent in the law, to draw them instead to God's vision of lasting peace, restored relationships and true justice."

A partner at the firm of Irwin & McKnight in Carlisle, Penn., Bloom is an adjunct professor of business at Messiah College, a legal columnist for Good News Daily and the former host of a radio program, "Practical Counsel -- Christian Perspective." According to his personal Web site, he regularly speaks at churches, colleges and professional schools, and elsewhere, offering advice on how audiences can "integrate Biblical Christian values and perspectives into their real-life decisions." His new book, according to information on this site, addresses common legal issues such as real estate, wills and trusts, bankruptcy, divorce, litigation and business. His goal, he says, is to discuss these issues from a Biblical perspective:

By presenting the unique and practical Christian perspective of a lawyer informed by God's rich array of relevant scriptural wisdom and tempered by two decades of representing and counseling real life clients on the very same kinds of legal situations its readers now face, this book will release multitudes of Christian believers from the tangled web of moral confusion and ethical compromise so often promoted and exacerbated by lawyers and the legal establishment.

Among readers' reviews of the book at Christianbook.com, there are the good words any writer might pray for. One reviewer calls it "a page turner -- easy to read and yet powerful in applying Scripture to real life situations." No word, however, on feedback from the legal department's Chief Legal Officer.

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Posted by Robert J. Ambrogi on March 28, 2008 at 06:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Consulten, opinen y escriban
Saludos
Rodrigo González Fernández
DIPLOMADO EN RSE DE LA ONU
www.Consultajuridicachile.blogspot.com
www.lobbyingchile.blogspot.com
www.el-observatorio-politico.blogspot.com
www.biocombustibles.blogspot.com
Renato Sánchez 3586
teléfono: 5839786
e-mail rogofe47@mi.cl
Santiago-Chile

 

Soliciten nuestros cursos de capacitación en RESPONSABILIDAD SOCIAL EMPRESARIAL – LOBBY – BIOCOMBUSTIBLES    y asesorías a nivel internacional y están disponibles  para OTEC Y OTIC en Chile

Law.com Blog Network

Para que los abogados que viajan a los USA por razones profesionales conozcan más del los colegas  en los EEUU

Law.com Blog Network

Adam Smith, Esq.

Bruce MacEwen

Bruce MacEwen is a lawyer and consultant to law firms on strategic and economic issues. During his career, Bruce has been CEO of a dot-com; practiced securities law in-house for nearly 10 years at Morgan Stanley/Dean Witter; and was an associate with Shea & Gould and with Breed, Abbott & Morgan in New York. Bruce has written for or been quoted in: Fortune; The Wall Street Journal; The New York Times; Bloomberg News; Business 2.0; The National Law Journal; Law Firm, Inc. and Law Technology News, and frequently appears as a speaker or panelist at legal industry conferences nationally and internationally. He received his BA magna cum laude in economics from Princeton University, his JD from the Stanford Law School and is an MBA candidate in finance at NYU's Stern School of Business. A native New Yorker, he lives on Manhattan's Upper West Side with his wife and dog.

ALM Research Blog

Charles J. Lowry

Charles J. Lowry is Director of Client Relations for ALM Research, a division of ALM Law and Business. He is responsible for presenting to law firm and vendors to the legal profession the marketing, business development and competitive intelligence tools available through ALM Research.

Prior to coming to ALM Research, Lowry held a variety of editorial and sales/marketing positions at Matthew Bender, Lexis and Kluwer Law International. He holds a B.A. degree in philosophy and a Ph.D. in classics. He lives in Brooklyn, New York and works from the New York City office of ALM. More Info…

Blawg Review

Blawg Review is the blog carnival for everyone interested in law; a traveling post including links and commentary on the best recent law blog articles, hosted by a different blogger every week. Blawg Review is the collaboration of a worldwide community of lawyers, law students and law professors; a law blog project administered by an anonymous Editor.

BLT

We cover law, lobbying, politics, crime, courts, business and culture in the nation's capital and beyond.

The Common Scold

Monica Bay

Monica Bay is editor-in-chief of Law Technology News, and has been with ALM since 1985. A member of the California bar, she spent 13 years based in San Francisco, where she was senior editor at The Recorder and Counsel Connect (Law.com's predecessor). She helped the "Late Show with David Letterman" set up its first Web site on AOL before moving to New York City in 1998 to oversee LTN. She writes about legal technology, "green law," law firm management and culture, and has been known to pay a little bit of attention on her blog to the New York Yankees.

Counsel to Counsel

Stephen Seckler

Stephen Seckler is managing director of the Boston office of BCG Attorney Search, the largest search firm in the United States dedicated to law firm placement. For more than 10 years, he has counseled partners and associates who want help exploring their career options. Previously, after graduating from Northeastern University School of Law, he was a program attorney for eight years for Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, where he developed hundreds of programs for one of the top CLE providers in the country. He subsequently launched Seckler Legal Consulting, where he recruited talent for law firms and corporations and coached lawyers on career and marketing issues. During this time, he published an electronic newsletter, Seckler's Legal Digest, with links to career and marketing resources. He also facilitated a monthly roundtable for the Career Services Committee of the New England Corporate Counsel Association and served on the Steering Committee of the Solo and Small Firm Practice Section of the Boston Bar Association. He created Counsel to Counsel to provide a forum for lawyers who want to increase their overall career satisfaction. He also authors a column, "Career Consult," for Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and sits on the Boston Bar Association's Standing Committee on Work/Life Balance. Steve is qualified to administer the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (he is an ENFP) and is interested in law office technology, management and entrepreneurship.

Crime & Federalism

Michael Cernovich
Norm Pattis

Michael Cernovich graduated from law school at Pepperdine University in December 2004. He has a B.A. in Legal Studies with a Philosophy Minor. After passing the bar, he would like to open his own law firm or work for the Federal Defenders or Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office.


Norman A. Pattis is a Connecticut criminal defense lawyer and civil rights attorney. He has won multi-million dollar verdicts in police misconduct and employment cases, and has represented persons accused of crimes ranging from contract murder, sexual assault and bank robbery to white collar offenses involving embezzlement by public officials. His practice focuses equally on the state and federal courts. Pattis has argued in the Connecticut Appellate and Supreme Courts, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second and Sixth Circuits, and has appeared before the United States Supreme Court in prisoner's rights litigation. He consults with lawyers across the country on cases arising under 42 U.S.C. Section 1983. In addition, he owns the Whitlock Farms Booksellers, in Bethany, Connecticut, a used and rare bookstore that has been operating out of two barns since 1948. For the past eight years, he has written a weekly column about the law and legal affairs for The Connecticut Law Tribune. His first attempt at fiction, Dark Justice, was published in serial form in the Law Tribune.

EDD Update

The EDD Update Blog is a collaborative blog with over 18 attorneys, consultants and editors. Blog authors represent some of the electronic discovery industry's best practitioners and analysts. Many of the authors are also on the editorial boards of both Law Technology News and Law.com's Legal Technology section. The blog will cover law, technology, analysis, news and events in EDD. A separate page of the blog will detail the biographies of the writers that include: editors Monica Bay, Claire Duffet and Sean Doherty; practitioners Robert Ambrogi, George Rudoy (Sherman & Sterling), Matt Kesner (Fenwich & West), David Bowerman (Preston Gates & Ellis); and consultants Craig Ball, Michael Arkfeld, Tom Gelbman, Tom O'Connor, and George Socha.

The Estrin Report

Chere Estrin

Chere Estrin, Ph.D., CEO of Estrin LegalEd, a continuing legal education organization, produces the popular paralegal blog, The Estrin Report. Ms. Estrin has written eight books in the legal field and is the founder of The Paralegal SuperConferences. She is an Inc. magazine Entrepreneur of the Year finalist, recipient of the Los Angeles/Century City Chamber of Commerce Women of Achievement award, and is a co-founding member of the International Paralegal Management Association. A lively and much sought-after national seminar leader, Chere's speaking engagements frequently sell out early.

FutureLawyer

Rick Georges

Rick Georges is a solo practitioner, practicing in St. Petersburg, Florida. He is active in the St. Petersburg, Florida, and American Bar Associations, and presents seminars and programs on the use of computers in the practice of law. He has authored the "FutureLawyer" column for the Tampa Bay Review and other publications, and has taught law office management and computer-assisted legal research at the College and Law School level.

How Appealing

Howard Bashman

Howard J. Bashman, a nationally recognized attorney, operates his own appellate litigation boutique in Willow Grove, Pa., a suburb of Philadelphia. Howard appears regularly before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and Pennsylvania's state appellate courts. In 2003, American Lawyer Media named Bashman one of Pennsylvania's top 40 lawyers under age 40 on the strength of his appellate litigation practice…more

Human Law

Justin Patten

Justin Patten is a British solicitor, mediator and trainer. As a qualified solicitor, he has also acted for clients on a wide range of disputes and is familiar with the legal process. Over the last 18 months he has elected to specialize in mediation, providing a full mediation service to businesses and via law firms, as well as providing practical mediation training. His blog covers the issues of mediation and alternative ways of resolving disputes.

Inhouse Blog - News for InHouse Counsel

Geoffrey G. Gussis

Geoffrey G. Gussis created Inhouse Blog - News for InHouse Counsel to collect news and job postings relevant to in-house counsel. A former general counsel of an advertising and marketing services provider, Geoff is an attorney with Riker, Danzig, Scherer, Hyland & Perretti, LLP, in Morristown, N.J., where his practice focuses on corporate and technology transactions. He received his B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania in 1995, and went on to receive his J.D. from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis in 1998, where he was an associate editor of the law review.

Insurance Scrawl

Marc Mayerson

Marc Mayerson is a partner Spriggs & Hollingsworth, a litigation firm in Washington, D.C. In his practice, he is often involved in insurance disputes that include a broad range of insurance policies (CGL, property, D&O, ERISA, fidelity, business interruption/extra expense, and others) and many types of losses, including some rather exotic ones, such as genetically modified foods and complex financial frauds. Mayerson also teaches the insurance law class at George Washington University's law school. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he was a member of the Harvard Law Review.

I/P Updates

William F. ("Bill") Heinze

Bill Heinze, the author of I/P Updates, is a former Investigative Attorney for the U.S. International Trade Commission. Mr. Heinze is an alumnus of the University of Texas (B.S.M.E., M.B.A.) and George Washington University Law School. He is currnyl in-house with one of the world's leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technologies.

JD Bliss

Joshua Fruchter

The publisher of JD Bliss is Joshua Fruchter, a graduate of New York University School of Law and an attorney admitted in New York. Joshua practiced bankruptcy law at Kaye Scholer from 1993 to 1999 before embarking on an Internet marketing career. In 2002, Joshua founded eLawMarketing, which now provides online marketing services to over 80 law firms and law-related organizations in the United States and abroad. Joshua lectures and writes regularly on Internet marketing for law firms, and currently sits on the editorial board of Marketing the Law Firm, a newsletter published by ALM Media. In September 2004, Joshua founded JD Bliss as a blog and email newsletter service to help attorneys achieve greater work life balance, career satisfaction and personal growth, and to assist law firms with attorney retention efforts.

Jottings by an Employer's Lawyer

Michael Fox

Michael Fox, who specializes in labor and employment law, is a litigator with Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. He is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law…more

LA Legal Pad

The National Law Journal's LA Legal Pad is a new daily blog for the Los Angeles area that covers law firm news and local legal developments. We are interested in hearing from lawyers and law firms in the Los Angeles and surrounding communities about who's moving where and why, who's getting the business and who's not, who's won and who's lost, and what's going on in the courts. Please contact blog editor Elizabeth Amon at eamon@alm.com with your stories, tips and suggestions.

Law Department Management

Rees Morrison

Rees Morrison CMC has been consulting with law departments for 17 years to help them manage themselves and their outside counsel. A former practicing lawyer, author of six books, a Senior Director of Hildebrandt International based in Somerset, NJ, Rees welcomes your comments.

LawMarketing Blog

Larry Bodine

Larry Bodine is a strategic marketing consultant who helps law firms generate revenue and get new business by developing business development strategies, coaching lawyers to develop their personal marketing plans, and using technology to market the firm. He practiced law in Madison, Wisconsin and is a cum laude graduate of both Seton Hall University (J.D., 1981) and Amherst College (B.A., 1972).

Leadership for Lawyers

Mark Beese

Mark Beese's blog Leadership for Lawyers focuses on issues of leadership, management, and marketing for law firms. Mark is known as the "Marketing Guy" at Holland & Hart, a 350 attorney law firm with 13 offices in seven states across the Rocky Mountain West and Washington, D.C. Mark is a frequent speaker on topics of law firm leadership and marketing. He holds an MBA in Marketing and is the former president of the Legal Marketing Association in Colorado and an alumnus of Leadership Denver and Leadership Buffalo.

Legal Blog Watch

Carolyn Elefant

Robert Ambrogi

Carolyn Elefant tracks and analyzes the postings of Law.com bloggers and others for Legal Blog Watch. She is also the writer of My Shingle, a blog to give solos and small firms a comprehensive online guide for starting and running a firm, and trading advice and accomplishments. In doing so, Ms. Elefant occasionally offers up tales of her own private practice, a blend of energy regulatory work, renewable project development and permitting, litigation and appellate practice.

Robert Ambrogi is a lawyer, writer and media consultant, and he tracks new and intriguing Web sites of interest to the legal profession through his blog LawSites. A longtime legal journalist, Bob has been editor of the National Law Journal, director of the ALM News Service, publisher of The Connecticut Law Tribune, editor of Lawyers Weekly USA and editor of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. More recently, he was vice president of the legal consulting firm Jaffe Associates. He writes the Web Watch column for Law Technology News and is author of the book, The Best (and Worst) Legal Sites on the Web.

Legal Pad

Legal Pad is the blog of The Recorder and Cal Law, a daily newspaper and Web site covering the legal industry in California. They are the pre-eminent publications for the California legal community, with a daily e-mail alert for the latest legal news, plus another for case decisions from all California appellate courts, as well as award-winning news coverage and insightful commentary. When its reporters and editors are not producing all that, they drop by Legal Pad to blog about the stuff that might otherwise fall through the cracks.

Legal Sanity

Arnie Herz

Legal sanity is a blog offering insights, observations and news on building successful business relationships in the law. A graduate of the University of Michigan (BA 1984) and Fordham Law School (JD 1991), Arnie began his career as a big firm litigator and then moved on to a successful Wall Street partnership. In 2000, he started his own firm and now handles a range of matters for a diverse group of clients in addition to serving as a mediator. In 2004, Arnie launched a training and development business through which he presents programs and keynotes to lawyers and other service professionals on optimizing work relationships without depletion and self-sacrifice. His approach to client relationships and counseling has been featured in a number of distinguished publications, including the Harvard Negotiation Law Review, the ABA Journal and The New York Law Journal.

Legal Technology Blog

The Legal Technology Blog will be a collaborative effort between the Law.com's Legal Technology Editor and Associate Editor, members of the Board including Ari Kaplan, and freelance writers Brett Burney and C.C. Holland.

May It Please The Court

J. Craig Williams

J. Craig Williams writes daily observations on law and legal news for May it Please the Court. Before founding the WLF | The Williams Law Firm and beginning his career as a business litigator, Mr. Williams was a broadcaster and a journalist. He obtained his law degree, with distinction, from the University of Iowa College of Law… more

My Shingle

Carolyn Elefant

Carolyn Elefant's blog gives solos and small firms a comprehensive guide for starting and running a firm, and trading advice and accomplishments. In doing so, Ms. Elefant occasionally offers up tales of her own private practice, a blend of energy regulatory work, renewable project development and permitting, litigation and appellate practice.

Robert Ambrogi's LawSites

Robert Ambrogi

Robert Ambrogi is a lawyer, writer and media consultant, and he tracks new and intriguing Web sites of interest to the legal profession through his blog LawSites. A longtime legal journalist, Bob has been editor of the National Law Journal, director of the ALM News Service, publisher of The Connecticut Law Tribune, editor of Lawyers Weekly USA and editor of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. More recently, he was vice president of the legal consulting firm Jaffe Associates. He writes the Web Watch column for Law Technology News and is author of the book, The Best (and Worst) Legal Sites on the Web.

Silicon Valley Media Law Blog

Cathy Kirkman

Cathy Kirkman writes about media and technology law from a Silicon Valley perspective for her Silicon Valley Media Law Blog. She is an equity partner at legal powerhouse Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Palo Alto, where her practice focuses on media law, licensing and e-commerce. Before that, she practiced in the entertainment department of Loeb and Loeb in Los Angeles. A native of Palo Alto, she graduated Order of the Coif from Stanford Law School and Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard University. She has advised clients such as Google, Napster, Creative Commons, Lucasfilm, Pixar, Bad Boy, and numerous start-ups and venture capitalists on intellectual property matters.

Tex Parte

Tex Parte is a daily blog from the award-winning editors and reporters of Texas Lawyer. It provides inside information on law firms, courts, in-house counsel and legal developments from across the state that readers won't find anywhere else. Contact editor in chief Colleen McGushin at cmcgushin@alm.com with stories, tips and suggestions.

Wired GC

John Wallbillich

John Wallbillich writes about the role of the general counsel and corporate law from the inside out at Wired GC. John was general counsel for an energy company in the Midwest for over 12 years and a corporate lawyer (in-house and in private practice) before that. In late 2006, John launched Lexvista Partners, an Ann Arbor, Mich.-based legal advisory and development firm.

 

Consulten, opinen y escriban
Saludos
Rodrigo González Fernández
DIPLOMADO EN RSE DE LA ONU
www.Consultajuridicachile.blogspot.com
www.lobbyingchile.blogspot.com
www.el-observatorio-politico.blogspot.com
www.biocombustibles.blogspot.com
Renato Sánchez 3586
teléfono: 5839786
e-mail rogofe47@mi.cl
Santiago-Chile

 

Soliciten nuestros cursos de capacitación en RESPONSABILIDAD SOCIAL EMPRESARIAL – LOBBY – BIOCOMBUSTIBLES    y asesorías a nivel internacional y están disponibles  para OTEC Y OTIC en Chile

Howrey Offers Suits, Harbottle Offers Sex

from legal watch blog:

Howrey Offers Suits, Harbottle Offers Sex

Above the Law's David Lat reports that Howrey may be filming some type of video of its firm.  Lat's informant notes that the Howrey set included "multiracial attorneys in suits everywhere." Meanwhile Ben Moshinsky at The Lawyer.com reports that a London-based firm,

Harbottle and Lewis is taking a different marketing approach.  From Moshinsky's post:

One of Lawyer2B.com's switched-on news seekers obtained an email sent to a broadsheet by the firm's PR agency complete with a picture of Harbottles' strapping trainees to try to drum up some interest in the firm.  The said PR person apparently wanted to sell a story about the wonderful working conditions at Harbottles, using a healthy sprinkling of sex to spice up the offering.  "This item might make an excellent picture story to cheer up credit crunch-induced depression," went the pitch. "I think seeing a beautiful woman on the front page of the FT might well do wonders for the economy!"

Moshinsky wonders what's next -- maybe some grainy 8mm video footage?

Sphere: Related Content

Posted by Carolyn Elefant on March 25, 2008

Consulten, opinen y escriban
Saludos
Rodrigo González Fernández
DIPLOMADO EN RSE DE LA ONU
www.Consultajuridicachile.blogspot.com
www.lobbyingchile.blogspot.com
www.el-observatorio-politico.blogspot.com
www.biocombustibles.blogspot.com
Renato Sánchez 3586
teléfono: 5839786
e-mail rogofe47@mi.cl
Santiago-Chile

 

Soliciten nuestros cursos de capacitación en RESPONSABILIDAD SOCIAL EMPRESARIAL – LOBBY – BIOCOMBUSTIBLES    y asesorías a nivel internacional y están disponibles  para OTEC Y OTIC en Chile