Legal Blog Watch

Legal Blog Watch

Thomas' 'Jurisprudence of Extremism' If nothing else in recent weeks, we know where Justice Clarence Thomas stands on Anita Hill and the value of a Yale law degree. But given his day job, we might ask, "Where does he stand on constitutional issues such as, say, free speech?" As it so happens, a First Amendment Center symposium published this week, Justice Thomas & the First Amendment, explores that question in depth, with contributions from a who's who of First Amendment scholars. In a forward, Erwin Chemerinsky, UC Irvine law school dean-to-be, sums up what he sees as the symposium's stark conclusion: "Justice Thomas is the most radical member of the current Supreme Court and likely one of the most radical justices in history in his desire to overrule precedent and dramatically change the law. Virtually every essay describes an area where Justice Thomas, in concurring or dissenting opinions, has urged major departures from prior decisions and doctrines." In his contribution to the symposium, an essay on the "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" case (notably, one that never mentions that phrase),  Loyola Law professor William D. Araiza calls Thomas' body of work the "jurisprudence of extremism." Chemerinsky agrees and adds the observation that Thomas' First Amendment rulings add up to be neither consistently pro- or anti-speech. Three qualities they do share: disregard for stare decisis, a preference for bright-line rules and adherence to originalism. Read more in this broad-ranging collection of essays that also includes a bibliography, an analysis of his voting record on key topics and his answers to First Amendment questions from his confirmation hearings. Posted by Robert J. Ambrogi on October 10, 2007 at 12:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) The Four Laws of Lawyer Marketing We are a profession bound to uphold the law, but do you know the laws of lawyer marketing that will help ensure your success? Fear not, for legal-marketing consultant Tom Kane has compiled the four laws of successful lawyer marketing in a series of posts at The Legal Marketing Blog. Kane draws on an article written by another legal marketer, Trey Ryder, in which Ryder, in turn, draws on lessons from the book Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind. As Kane sums them up, the four laws of legal marketing are: The Law of Perception. Create visibility and credibility for yourself. The Law of Leadership. It is better to be first than to be better. The Law of the Category. Be first in your category; if you can't, then create a new category. The Law of the Mind. Being first gets you nowhere if nobody perceives you as first. It all seems to boil down to establishing yourself as a leader in your field and then making sure that potential clients know you as a leader in your field. Given that, I am surprised that Kane never mentions blogs. For any lawyer striving to uphold the laws of lawyer marketing, is there a better tool than blogging? Posted by Robert J. Ambrogi on October 10, 2007 at 12:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) Law Profs Dissent on Tutu Speech A decision by the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., to bar Archbishop Desmond Tutu from speaking on campus has drawn criticism from many corners of the globe -- including the university's own law school. As reported at Minnesota Lawyer Blog, 18 members of the law school's faculty, led by professor Thomas C. Berg, co-director of the Murphy Institute for Catholic Thought, Law and Public Policy, sent a letter to university President Fr. Dennis Dease asking him to reconsider his decision. Reportedly, Dease believed that an on-campus appearance by the noted South African cleric and human rights activist would be hurtful to some Jewish students and faculty members because of controversy over remarks Tutu is alleged to have made about Israel in a 2002 speech (remarks that, according to this piece, he never said). Berg's letter says: "To reject a distinguished speaker based on worries that his words may cause hurt or offense to some is entirely at odds with the search for truth that should characterize a Catholic university. Speech taking positions on controversial subjects will often be offensive or hurtful to some people. Nevertheless, a Catholic university should be willing to open itself to such speech -- and criticisms of that speech -- in order to learn the truth." The law school is seeking permission to host Tutu on its own if the university does not change its mind, the blog reports. Meanwhile, in another post at the same blog, Mark Cohen, the editor of Minnesota Lawyer newspaper, calls on the university to reconsider its decision. While the decision may have been driven by good intentions, he says, the university is "doing the wrong thing for all the right reasons." A commentary in the Star-Tribune offers a similar critique, acknowledging that Dease's decision was "motivated by a genuine desire to avoid hurting Minnesota's Jewish community," but calling it wrong and unethical nonetheless. Posted by Robert J. Ambrogi on October 10, 2007 at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) Careers Number Crunching: Money v. Happiness The conventional wisdom is that Biglaw associates make piles of money but are miserable, while their smaller-firm counterparts earn much less but enjoy a better quality of life. At the blog Empirical Legal Studies, Indiana University School of Law professor William D. Henderson stood that conventional wisdom against available data from NALP, the ABA's Young Lawyers Division and other sources, and, guess what -- the conventional wisdom is pretty much right. The data show that over the eight-year spread of the typical associate track, Biglaw associates will earn $631,000 more in salaries than associates at firms of two to 25 lawyers and $524,000 more than those at firms of 51 to 100 lawyers -- and that does not include bonuses. But nearly half those Biglaw associates will spend much of those eight years working at least 60 hours a week, while roughly 40 percent of those in firms of one to four lawyers work 40 or fewer hours a week. Henderson sums it up this way: "[T]he bottom-line is this: 60 hours is a long workweek. For many people, eight years of this pace may not be worth the $631,000 (2-25 lawyer shop) or $524,000 (50-100 lawyer firm) pay differential. After all, these years are the prime of many lawyers' lives.  Solving this work-life balance issue is the holy grail for this up-and-coming generation of young lawyers. On the one hand, this effort seems quixotic. On the other hand, as Wayne Gretzky used to say, you miss 100% of the shots you never take. On one level, we can all admire the temerity of youth." But Henderson is quick to suggest that not all large firms are necessarily harsh places to work. As it turns out, the more elite the firm, the longer the working hours and the less desirable the working conditions. Ironically, he adds, it is the students who leave law school with the broadest array of options who choose these harshest firms, opting for prestige and money over quality of life. Posted by Robert J. Ambrogi on October 10, 2007 at 12:23 PM

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

 

soliciten nuestros cursos de capacitación   y asesorías en LOBBY  a nivel internacional

from legal watch blog

 

Law.com Home Legal Blog Watch Home About The Bloggers

Legal Blog Watch Thomas' 'Jurisprudence of Extremism' If nothing else in recent weeks, we know where Justice Clarence Thomas stands on Anita Hill and the value of a Yale law degree. But given his day job, we might ask, "Where does he stand on constitutional issues such as, say, free speech?" As it so happens, a First Amendment Center symposium published this week, Justice Thomas & the First Amendment, explores that question in depth, with contributions from a who's who of First Amendment scholars. In a forward, Erwin Chemerinsky, UC Irvine law school dean-to-be, sums up what he sees as the symposium's stark conclusion: "Justice Thomas is the most radical member of the current Supreme Court and likely one of the most radical justices in history in his desire to overrule precedent and dramatically change the law. Virtually every essay describes an area where Justice Thomas, in concurring or dissenting opinions, has urged major departures from prior decisions and doctrines." In his contribution to the symposium, an essay on the "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" case (notably, one that never mentions that phrase),  Loyola Law professor William D. Araiza calls Thomas' body of work the "jurisprudence of extremism." Chemerinsky agrees and adds the observation that Thomas' First Amendment rulings add up to be neither consistently pro- or anti-speech. Three qualities they do share: disregard for stare decisis, a preference for bright-line rules and adherence to originalism. Read more in this broad-ranging collection of essays that also includes a bibliography, an analysis of his voting record on key topics and his answers to First Amendment questions from his confirmation hearings. Posted by Robert J. Ambrogi on October 10, 2007 at 12:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) The Four Laws of Lawyer Marketing We are a profession bound to uphold the law, but do you know the laws of lawyer marketing that will help ensure your success? Fear not, for legal-marketing consultant Tom Kane has compiled the four laws of successful lawyer marketing in a series of posts at The Legal Marketing Blog. Kane draws on an article written by another legal marketer, Trey Ryder, in which Ryder, in turn, draws on lessons from the book Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind. As Kane sums them up, the four laws of legal marketing are: The Law of Perception. Create visibility and credibility for yourself. The Law of Leadership. It is better to be first than to be better. The Law of the Category. Be first in your category; if you can't, then create a new category. The Law of the Mind. Being first gets you nowhere if nobody perceives you as first. It all seems to boil down to establishing yourself as a leader in your field and then making sure that potential clients know you as a leader in your field. Given that, I am surprised that Kane never mentions blogs. For any lawyer striving to uphold the laws of lawyer marketing, is there a better tool than blogging? Posted by Robert J. Ambrogi on October 10, 2007 at 12:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) Law Profs Dissent on Tutu Speech A decision by the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., to bar Archbishop Desmond Tutu from speaking on campus has drawn criticism from many corners of the globe -- including the university's own law school. As reported at Minnesota Lawyer Blog, 18 members of the law school's faculty, led by professor Thomas C. Berg, co-director of the Murphy Institute for Catholic Thought, Law and Public Policy, sent a letter to university President Fr. Dennis Dease asking him to reconsider his decision. Reportedly, Dease believed that an on-campus appearance by the noted South African cleric and human rights activist would be hurtful to some Jewish students and faculty members because of controversy over remarks Tutu is alleged to have made about Israel in a 2002 speech (remarks that, according to this piece, he never said). Berg's letter says: "To reject a distinguished speaker based on worries that his words may cause hurt or offense to some is entirely at odds with the search for truth that should characterize a Catholic university. Speech taking positions on controversial subjects will often be offensive or hurtful to some people. Nevertheless, a Catholic university should be willing to open itself to such speech -- and criticisms of that speech -- in order to learn the truth." The law school is seeking permission to host Tutu on its own if the university does not change its mind, the blog reports. Meanwhile, in another post at the same blog, Mark Cohen, the editor of Minnesota Lawyer newspaper, calls on the university to reconsider its decision. While the decision may have been driven by good intentions, he says, the university is "doing the wrong thing for all the right reasons." A commentary in the Star-Tribune offers a similar critique, acknowledging that Dease's decision was "motivated by a genuine desire to avoid hurting Minnesota's Jewish community," but calling it wrong and unethical nonetheless. Posted by Robert J. Ambrogi on October 10, 2007 at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) Careers Number Crunching: Money v. Happiness The conventional wisdom is that Biglaw associates make piles of money but are miserable, while their smaller-firm counterparts earn much less but enjoy a better quality of life. At the blog Empirical Legal Studies, Indiana University School of Law professor William D. Henderson stood that conventional wisdom against available data from NALP, the ABA's Young Lawyers Division and other sources, and, guess what -- the conventional wisdom is pretty much right. The data show that over the eight-year spread of the typical associate track, Biglaw associates will earn $631,000 more in salaries than associates at firms of two to 25 lawyers and $524,000 more than those at firms of 51 to 100 lawyers -- and that does not include bonuses. But nearly half those Biglaw associates will spend much of those eight years working at least 60 hours a week, while roughly 40 percent of those in firms of one to four lawyers work 40 or fewer hours a week. Henderson sums it up this way: "[T]he bottom-line is this: 60 hours is a long workweek. For many people, eight years of this pace may not be worth the $631,000 (2-25 lawyer shop) or $524,000 (50-100 lawyer firm) pay differential. After all, these years are the prime of many lawyers' lives.  Solving this work-life balance issue is the holy grail for this up-and-coming generation of young lawyers. On the one hand, this effort seems quixotic. On the other hand, as Wayne Gretzky used to say, you miss 100% of the shots you never take. On one level, we can all admire the temerity of youth." But Henderson is quick to suggest that not all large firms are necessarily harsh places to work. As it turns out, the more elite the firm, the longer the working hours and the less desirable the working conditions. Ironically, he adds, it is the students who leave law school with the broadest array of options who choose these harshest firms, opting for prestige and money over quality of life. Posted by Robert J. Ambrogi on October 10, 2007 at 12

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

 

soliciten nuestros cursos de capacitación   y asesorías a nivel internacional

Chile, Executive Branch

CHILE   Executive Branch

Chile has a presidential system of government. The executive authority is vested in the President, who acts as Head of State and Government. He or she symbolizes and represents the permanent interests of the country. The President is elected to a four-year term in a direct election and must receive a majority of the votes cast. If more than two candidates run for the office of president, and none receives a majority of the votes (50 percent plus one), a run-off election is held between the two who received the largest pluralities. The President cannot be re-elected to a consecutive second term. According to the Constitution, the authority of the President extends to everything that involves the conservation of internal public order and the external security of the Republic, in agreement with the Constitution and the laws. The Executive has the power to introduce bills and promulgate laws; to call plebiscites; to submit constitutional amendments; to appoint Cabinet members, Ambassadors and regional authorities (no Senate approval is required); the Comptroller General of the Republic (with the consent of the Senate); the Supreme and Appellate court judges (from slates submitted by the Supreme Court); and to appoint and remove the Commanders in Chiefs of the Armed Forces. In addition, the President conducts international relations and assumes the position of Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces during a war. Each May 21st, in front of the National Congress, the President must give the country an account of the administrative and political situation of the Nation.   President Michelle Bachelet was elected on January 15, 2006, in a second round, with 53,49 percent of the vote, and her term will continue until March 11, 2010. Michelle Bachelet is the fourth President from the Concertación coalition. The Concertación is made up of the Christian Democratic Party (PDC), the Party for Democracy (PPD), the Socialist Party (PS) and the Radical Social Democratic Party (PRSD). La Moneda Palace The seat of the Executive Branch is La Moneda Palace. Inaugurated in 1805, it is one of the most notable buildings constructed by the Spanish crown in its American colonies. It was designed by the Italian architect Joaquín Toesca, and construction began in 1784. La Moneda houses the offices of the President and three Cabinet ministers: Interior, Presidency and Government Affairs. It owes its name to the fact that it originally housed a mint (moneda means coin). Former President Ricardo Lagos decided to open La Moneda to the public. People of all ages can cross the Palace and walk through the courtyards. It has become a custom to throw coins into the fountain of the Patio of the Orange Trees. The coins are collected periodically and used for charitable purposes.

Saludos
Rodrigo González Fernández
DIPLOMADO EN RSE DE LA ONU
www..Consultajuridicachile.blogspot.com
www.lobbyingchile.blogspot.com
www.el-observatorio-politico.blogspot.com
Renato Sánchez 3586
telefono: 5839786
santiago-chile

 

soliciten nuestros cursos de capacitación en lobby y rse a nivel internacional

Chile Your Best Bet

Chile Your Best Bet

Building on a successful investment strategy For Chile, international integration is not a passing fashion. It is a strategic project that determine the country's capacity for ongoing growth and development. And foreign investors have a key place in this project. Chile has many natural advantages. Our long, narrow country is an immense source of wealth, ranging from the vast, mining-rich Atacama Desert to the fertile agricultural lands of central and southern Chile and the imposing glaciers and water resources of Patagonia. The Chilean people are also a key asset. Developing our human capital is one of the pillars of our growth strategy. Experience shows that we score well on this point. Educational coverage is extremely high; some of Latin America's best universities and business schools are in Chile; and, according to a National Census, over 16% of the population, up from just 9% a decade ago, has a higher-education qualification. But if smaller economies, like Chile are to take full advantage of their natural wealth, they must integrate into, and compete on, international markets. That is imperative for successful development. Chile no longer seems as remote as it once did. Over the last decade, modern transport infrastructure, advanced logistics and world-class telecommunications services have helped to demolish the barriers of distance between our country and the rest of the world. And, because Chilean firms have expanded internationally, our businesspeople and executives have the advantage of hands-on experience of markets around the world. At the same time, Chile has successfully opened its own markets to foreign investors. They are not only welcomed and assured of freedom from discrimination, but also find an attractive business environment, anchored in Chile's political and social stability, its solid macroeconomic fundamentals and its tradition of integrity and transparency. Today, as a result of these policies, Chile is widely identified as an obvious first choice for foreign investors seeking to expand into Latin America and, indeed, other world markets. This is, we believe, one of the keys to the future of foreign investment in Chile. A growing number of overseas companies are already using Chile as a base from which to export to - or provide services for - regional markets. But we are not resting on our laurels. Instead, the Chilean Government is actively seeking to encourage this new trend by, for example, eliminating tax barriers to the use of Chile as a platform for investments in other countries. Chile is also deeply committed to free trade. Since 1990, we have developed an expanding network of free trade agreements, including Mexico and Canada. The trade agreements signed with China, the European Union, the United States, South Korea and the European Free Trade Association, as well as the Strategic Transpacific Economic Association Agreement with New Zealand, Singapore and Brunei, have not only opened up many more foreign markets to Chilean goods; they have also led to more dynamic cultural and social exchange among these countries and international cooperation in the area of science and technology. These agreements, combined with others in Latin America - including Chile's associate membership of the MERCOSUR bloc - have helped businesses in our country to escape the constraints of a small domestic market. Instead of targeting only Chile's 15 million inhabitants, they now enjoy privileged access to over 800 million consumers around the world, a figure that will rise to almost 1.2 billion, once our country's free trade agreements with the United States, South Korea and the EFTA come into force. But competitiveness is not only the result of export diversification and international integration; it also requires the joint efforts of all members of society, not just the government and the business sector. That is the only way to tap into a country's full potential and, by promoting social cohesion, that is also what the Chilean Government is seeking to achieve. The progress in the quality of education, a new unemployment insurance scheme, a reform of criminal justice and a plan to improve the efficiency and response time of healthcare services point in this direction, as do the efforts to deepen democracy and strengthen civil liberties. In a bid to guard against a digital divide within the country, the government is also sponsoring a network of public Internet centers and is also, for example, opening school computer laboratories, out of class hours, to communities, especially in poor and rural areas. Since 1990, the number of Chileans living below the poverty line has halved, but much still remains to be done. In 2002, the Chilean Government launched a targeted program that seeks to reach those who still fall outside the state welfare net and, through this initiative, which benefits 225,000 families, eradicating extreme poverty. In addition, a number of adult education programs and workplace training schemes - in line with Chile's policy of building labor skills - provide our less-qualified citizens with opportunities to better their employment prospects. Chile offers a secure environment for its business investors and their employees. A low crime rate is just one of the elements that make up a high quality of life, which is widely appreciated by foreign investors. And Chile not only has an open economy, it is also open to social and cultural change. Achieving stable and sustainable progress is not easy. But, through its steady economic growth and the increasing participation of its citizens in the benefits of that growth, Chile has shown that it is possible. We know that, for all these reasons, Chile is attractive to foreign investors. But we also know that, in this new century, building on Chile's advantages is crucial for the future of our country's relationship with the rest of the world. That is why we are constantly seeking to improve the business environment we have created.

 

Saludos
Rodrigo González Fernández
DIPLOMADO EN RSE DE LA ONU

WWW.INVERTIRENCHILE.BLOGSPOT.COM
www..Consultajuridicachile.blogspot.com
www.lobbyingchile.blogspot.com
www.el-observatorio-politico.blogspot.com
Renato Sánchez 3586
telefono: 5839786
santiago-chile

 

soliciten nuestros cursos de capacitación EN LOBBY  a nivel internacional

Free Trade Agreements-CHILE

CHILE

Free Trade Agreements

China
United States
Canada
Mexico
South Korea
Central America
European Free Trade Association (EFTA)

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Association Agreements

UE
New Zealand, Singapore, Brunei, and Chile (P4)

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Complementation Agreements

Argentina
Bolivia
Colombia
Ecuador
Mercosur
Peru
Venezuela

Saludos
Rodrigo González Fernández
DIPLOMADO EN RSE DE LA ONU
www..Consultajuridicachile.blogspot.com
www.lobbyingchile.blogspot.com
www.el-observatorio-politico.blogspot.com
Renato Sánchez 3586
telefono: 5839786
santiago-chile

 

soliciten nuestros cursos de capacitación  LOBBY Y RSE a nivel internacional

Our Country

¿QUIEREN INVERTIR EN CHILE?   Our Country

We are pleased to welcome you on your visit to view  our country both as friends and in a professional capacity. We say as friends because you accepted our invitation to look at us closely, to become acquainted with the variety offered by our geography and to seek the eye-catching points that make us attractive to the rest of the world. And in a professional capacity because you come to Chile backed by your experience and a profound knowledge of an industry that has turned into an engine of  devolpment in today's economy. Nowadays people want to travel, they want to visit different places and they want to learn about other cultures. Tourism is no longer a privilege enjoyed by a few but rather the wish of many who want to  discover by themselves how others live and what they are like. When people know each other better, distrust among them decreases. We are building a global world in which tourism faces major challenges. Chile wishes to grow by enhancing its presence in the international arena. Having our tourism industry grow is also part of this project and your visit will help us make headway toward this aim. We welcome you warmly and wish you a happy and fruitful sojourn in Chile. A Snapshot of Chile   The Territory   The Indigenous People   A Cultural Explosion   Territorial organization

 

Saludos
Rodrigo González Fernández
DIPLOMADO EN RSE DE LA ONU

www..Consultajuridicachile.blogspot.com
www.lobbyingchile.blogspot.com
www.el-observatorio-politico.blogspot.com
Renato Sánchez 3586
telefono: 5839786
santiago-chile

 

soliciten nuestros cursos de capacitación en inversion extranjera en chile  a nivel internacional

Legal Blog Watch

Legal Blog Watch

Technology Changes the Law Sometimes technology, not ideology, drives change in the law. And in the case of DNA evidence, technology has done what the Constitution and the due process clause never could: lead to systemic changes in state laws to allow convicted defendants to reopen closed criminal cases and seek access to DNA evidence for testing through procedures that did not exist at the time of trial. The trend is discussed in this New York Times article, Exoneration Using DNA Brings Change in Legal System. The article reports that as the result of the exoneration of more than 200 convicts through use of DNA evidence over the past decade, states are now providing easier access to DNA evidence. From the article: All but eight states now give inmates varying degrees of access to DNA evidence that might not have been available at the time of their convictions. Many states are also overhauling the way witnesses identify suspects, crime labs handle evidence and informants are used. At least six states have created commissions to expedite cases of those wrongfully convicted or to consider changes to criminal justice procedures. One of them, the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice, will hold a hearing this month on remedies for people who have been wrongfully convicted. Personally, I've never understood the reluctance of prosecutors and courts to allow access to DNA evidence for testing that was not technologically possible at the time of trial. Many times, DNA evidence will corroborate the outcome, thus increasing the credibility of the conviction. And where the DNA evidence exonerates a defendant, then an innocent person can be freed -- a result that I'd assume all players in the criminal justice system would want to achieve. In any event, my policy argument doesn't matter as much anymore, and that's fine -- because 200 exonerations based on DNA evidence is the most powerful argument of all. Posted by Carolyn Elefant on October 1, 2007 at 02:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) Lawyers Seek Six Figures for Refund Over Discredited Memoir Remember James Frey, the author of the memoir A Million Little Pieces, a purported "real life" memoir about Frey's drug use that Frey later admitted he'd fabricated? Disappointed readers subsequently filed a class action against Frey and his publisher, Random House, seeking a refund for the cost of the book, and they'll be getting a small refund check. Now, as The Smoking Gun reports here, only 1,345 of 4 million purchasers have actually sought a refund. No matter; the lawyers who brought the suit are still seeking $788,333.33 in legal fees for their efforts. Evan Smith, one of the attorneys in the case, noted that it cost about $335,000 to publicize the proposed book refund settlement in newspaper advertisements. I'm not sure how Smith can justify the extent of the fees sought. If only a few customers sought a refund due to poor publicity, then  Smith should not be permitted to recover the full costs of what was, apparently, an unsuccessful advertising initiative. On the other hand, if few customers sought a refund just because it wasn't worth their time -- or they enjoyed the book, notwithstanding that it was a false account, then wouldn't Smith's fees be disproportionate to the benefit achieved? What's your view? Posted by Carolyn Elefant on October 1, 2007 at 02:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) News From the First Monday in October It's the first Monday in October, which brings plenty of news and commentary about the Supreme Court to the blawgosphere. In this article, Tony Mauro discusses the first case of the term, Washington State Grange v. Washington Republican Party (consolidated with State of Washington v. Washington Republican Party. According to Mauro, the case is the first of three voting-related cases scheduled for the docket that invoke the First Amendment. And if you're interested in reading other news predictions for the coming term, check this post from Blog of the Legal Times that rounds up several news stories discussing what's ahead. SCOTUS Blog also has some First Monday news -- the creation of a Supreme Court wiki that will serve as an added resource on the Court. Posted by Carolyn Elefant on October 1, 2007 at 02:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) Blawg Review #128 This week's Blawg Review #128 travels overseas, hosted here at Trinity College graduate student Daithi Mac Sithigh's Lex Ferrenda. Over in Dublin, this first Monday in October has significance other than it does here; it's the first day of class for the new crop of undergrads. So, Mac Sithigh chooses a back-to-school theme to organize the highlights of the past week in the blawgosphere. Even if you're not a new student, this week's comprehensive Blawg Review #128 is worth studying. Posted by Carolyn Elefant on October 1, 2007 at 02:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Saludos
Rodrigo González Fernández
DIPLOMADO EN RSE DE LA ONU
www..Consultajuridicachile.blogspot.com
www.lobbyingchile.blogspot.com
www.el-observatorio-politico.blogspot.com
Renato Sánchez 3586
telefono: 5839786
santiago-chile

 

soliciten nuestros cursos de capacitación a nivel internacional

Legal Blog Watch

Legal Blog Watch

Supreme Court Adds 17 Cases to Its Calendar This morning, the Supreme Court announced the 17 new cases that it's added to its calendar for the new term, as reported here at SCOTUS Blog (to review the petitions seeking cert and case dockets, visit this link). The cases include some interesting issues, such as the constitutionality of requiring voters to show a photo ID before they may vote; the constitutionality of execution by lethal injection where the procedure poses a risk of pain and suffering in violation of the Eighth Amendment ban  on "cruel and unusual punishment"; and a Fourth Amendment case involving an unlawful search under state law that Volokh conspirator and Fourth Amendment guru Orin Kerr is interested in. We'll be covering many of these cases here at Legal Blog Watch, so stay tuned ... Posted by Carolyn Elefant on September 25, 2007 at 02:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) Law Firm Salaries: If You Can't Beat Them, Retreat From Them When New York firm Simpson Thacher announced its decision to raise starting associate salaries to $160,000, most law firms raced to jump on the bandwagon. But as this article (9/25/07) reports, one midsize New York law firm, Duval & Stachenfeld, has taken an opposite strategy: It pays starting associates $60,000 -- or $100,000 below the going rate. Salaries don't stay flat, however, and by their third year, D&S associates can expect to match salaries of their counterparts at top firms. There are several reasons behind D&S's approach. From the article: The idea is that [the firm] will attract first-years from second-tier schools or less-competitive students at the top schools. Within two years, about half of those junior associates will prove themselves and hop on the gravy train of the top scale. Meanwhile, the hefty pay for mid-level and senior associates makes Duval & Stachenfeld an attractive option for unsatisfied laterals from top firms. In addition, lower pay enables the firm to hire more associates and to mitigate clients' concerns that they're subsidizing the cost of training high-paid associates. Given the realities of the the current legal market that my colleague Bob Ambrogi posted on yesterday, there are probably no shortage of applicants for positions at D&S, even with the lower pay scale. Moreover, it's a win-win situation for the firm, which gets the benefits of cheap labor by lawyers who are grateful for an opportunity to have a job at all. Question for readers: Why aren't more firms taking this approach? Posted by Carolyn Elefant on September 25, 2007 at 02:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) What Google Docs Means for the Law Wired GC has two posts on Google Docs that merit review. (Full disclosure: My husband works for Google, though not on this product, and even my sixth-grade daughter uses Google docs to edit a newspaper that she runs with some friends outside of school). If you're not familiar with Google Docs and how it works, this post from Wired GC offers a neat and simple explanatory video. But why should you care about Google Docs or other open source, collaborative applications, for that matter? Wired GC responds here. He writes that Google Docs may make some users question why they've been paying so much for complicated collaborative software that Google has made available for free. And by making this application available at no charge, people become more comfortable with "software-as-a-service." Finally, Wired GC concludes: Getting back to the law, note what is happening here. When you make working together easier, you don't just do things better. You also do fewer things faster and therefore much cheaper. Much of the business model of the legal industry is based upon doing too many things slower. Have you or your firm started exploring these kinds of collaboration tools? And is Wired GC right -- is the availability of fairly robust open source applications making lawyers rethink more costly models? Posted by Carolyn Elefant on September 25, 2007 at 02:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) Blawg Review #127 This week, trial lawyer and jury consultant Ann Reed hosts Blawg Review #127 at her blog, Deliberations. And the verdict on her voir dire-themed Blawg Review is unanimously favorable, as evidenced by this litany of positive commentary and trackbacks. Even the sometimes curmudgeonly David Giacalone of f/k/a/ offers a positive review of Reed's Blawg Review, finding Reed "not guilty" of thematic excess.  Posted by Carolyn Elefant on September 25, 2007 at 02:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Saludos
Rodrigo González Fernández
DIPLOMADO EN RSE DE LA ONU
www..Consultajuridicachile.blogspot.com
www.lobbyingchile.blogspot.com
www.el-observatorio-politico.blogspot.com
Renato Sánchez 3586
telefono: 5839786
santiago-chile

 

soliciten nuestros cursos de capacitación a nivel internacional

'Environment: The UN Conference on Climate Change Part II'

'Environment: The UN Conference on Climate Change Part II'
by Juliana Rotich


- Thematic Plenary- Adaptation. Facilitator is Dr. Asha-Rose migiro Deputy Secretary General
Co chaired by HE Jan Peter Balkenende, Prime Minister of the Netherlands and H.E Mr. Fakhruddin  Ahmed the Honourable Chief Advisor of the Non-Party Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh.

I will be doing short form blogging in the form of tweets in the newly created channel for Global voices: http://twitter.com/GlobalVoicesEnv Short summaries of what the leaders are saying in the 2nd plenary session "The challenge of Adaptation" (Note:session began at 3pm, I will tweet it from 4pm onwards).

Note that Part I is posted here.

You may view the latest post at
http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/2007/09/24/environment-the-un-conference-on-climate-change-part-ii/

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Best regards,
The Global Voices Team
globalvoices.online@gmail.com

Saludos
Rodrigo González Fernández
DIPLOMADO EN RSE DE LA ONU
www..Consultajuridicachile.blogspot.com
www.lobbyingchile.blogspot.com
www.el-observatorio-politico.blogspot.com
Renato Sánchez 3586
telefono: 5839786
santiago-chile

 

soliciten nuestros cursos de capacitaciónen Calentamiento Global y Biocombustibles a nivel internacional

re You Using the Five Types of

Are You Using the Five Types of
Links Properly?

by Ben Yoskovitz

This is the first guest post by Ben Yoskovitz.

Not all links are created equally, and not all links serve the same purpose.

Brian Clark reminds us that using click here as anchor text is still valid. But Lisa Barone disagrees; her argument being that keywords in the anchor text are critical.

They're both right.

Click to continue →

September 19, 2007

Saludos
Rodrigo González Fernández
DIPLOMADO EN RSE DE LA ONU
www..Consultajuridicachile.blogspot.com
www.lobbyingchile.blogspot.com
www.el-observatorio-politico.blogspot.com
Renato Sánchez 3586
telefono: 5839786
santiago-chile

 

soliciten nuestros cursos de capacitación a nivel internacional

the front page the new yor times

the front page

Complaint Says Hsu Admitted Fraud

By ALAN FEUER and MIKE McINTIRE

Prosecutors said Norman Hsu, the Democratic fund-raiser, confessed to F.B.I. agents that he had swindled investors.

• Text: Criminal Complaint (pdf)
• Times Topics: Norman Hsu
• The Lede: The Original Ponzi

The Long Run

In 9/11 Chaos, Giuliani Forged a Lasting Image

By MICHAEL POWELL

Rudolph W. Giuliani's conduct during and after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks brought him back from the edge of irrelevancy.

• A Stern Line on Race and Politics (July 22, 2007)
• Times Topics: Rudolph W. Giuliani | Video
• Related Articles and Documents

Value of Dollar Falls to New Low Against the Euro

By VIKAS BAJAJ and IAN AUSTEN

The euro traded above $1.40 for the first time since the common European currency was introduced.

•  Back Story With David Leonhardt (mp3)

Protest in Louisiana Echoes the Civil Rights Era

By RICHARD G. JONES

More than 10,000 demonstrators rallied in Jena, La., to protest the treatment of six black teenagers.

• Slide Show: March on Jena, La.

Guards' Shots Not Provoked, Iraq Concludes

By SABRINA TAVERNISE and JAMES GLANZ

Iraq's Ministry of Interior is proposing a radical reshaping of the way American diplomats in Iraq are protected.

Illegal Immigrants Chase False Hope to Canada

By MONICA DAVEY and ABBY GOODNOUGH

Illegal immigrants to the United States have been arriving in a Canadian border town looking for asylum.

Calls for a Breakup Grow Ever Louder in Belgium

By ELAINE SCIOLINO

A sense of crisis prevails in Belgium, as separatists want to slice the country horizontally along ethnic lines.

Bush Threatens Veto of Child Health Bill

$6 Billion in Contracts Reviewed, Pentagon Says

Critics Right and Left Protest Book Removals

Cases of Cholera Reach Baghdad

Spitzer Gets Victory in Inquiry

Scientists Report Severe Retreat of Arctic Ice

Landis's Positive Doping Test Upheld

Saludos
Rodrigo González Fernández
www..Consultajuridicachile.blogspot.com
www.lobbyingchile.blogspot.com
www.el-observatorio-politico.blogspot.com
Renato Sánchez 3586
telefono: 5839786
santiago-chile

 

Escribanos, consúltenos, opine

The Long Run

The Long Run

In Olympics Success, Romney Found New Edge

Jeffrey D. Allred for The New York Times

In 2001, Mitt Romney, as chief executive of the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, received the Olympic torch from Lambis Nikolaou, president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee in Athens.

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By KIRK JOHNSON

Published: September 19, 2007

SALT LAKE CITY — Mitt Romney walked onto the Olympic stage in 1999 a rich businessman still smarting from losing his first bid for public office. He walked off, three years later, a star-polished candidate who would be elected governor of Massachusetts in a matter of months. This was the place of his emergence and his transition.

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The Long Run

Starting Over

This is part of a series of articles about the lives and careers of contenders for the 2008 Republican and Democratic presidential nominations.

Previous Articles

In 2000, a Streetwise Veteran Schooled a Bold Young Obama (Sept. 9, 2007)

In Turmoil of '68, Clinton Found a New Voice (Sept. 5, 2007)

Fred D. Thompson: Walking Washington's Fine Line (Aug. 27, 2007)

Rudolph W. Giuliani: In a Volatile City, a Stern Line on Race and Politics (July 22, 2007)

Barack Obama: In Illinois, Obama Proved Pragmatic and Shrewd (July 30, 2007)

Times Topics: Barack Obama

Multimedia

Slide Show

Romney and the 2002 Olympic Games

Blog

The Caucus

The latest political news from around the nation. Join the discussion.

• Candidate Topic Pages

• More Politics News

In rescuing the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games, which had been tarnished by scandal, Mr. Romney learned the ways of Washington and the hurly-burly of politics, mastered the news media, built a staff of loyalists and made fund-raising connections in Utah that have proven vital to his presidential campaign.

"The Olympics gave him a public persona he didn't have before," said Robert H. Garff, a businessman who served as the chairman of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee. "He grew into the person he is today."

But the hardheaded and hard-nosed pragmatism that allowed Mr. Romney to juggle an unruly coalition of politicians, sponsors and volunteers as chief executive of the Games now haunts him on the campaign trail among some conservative Republicans. They complain that he has no core beliefs and shifts positions on a range of issues to placate various constituencies.

As a Republican presidential hopeful, for example, Mr. Romney portrays himself as a budget hawk who would take a hard line on federal spending and Congressional earmarks, the pet projects that lawmakers insert in spending bills. Back then, though, he lobbied heavily for earmarks, helping extract millions of federal dollars for projects in some cases only loosely tied to the Olympics and drawing the ire of Senator John McCain of Arizona, a longtime critic of earmarks and now a rival for the Republican presidential nomination.

While even Mr. Romney's critics concede that the Games — which had faced serious potential

financial difficulties before his arrival — were a huge success, some say he made those early problems seem worse than they were to embellish his accomplishments. Others grouse about his showman's instinct for the spotlight: the countless photo-ops, the television spots. Even the little Olympic pins sold to collectors carried his image, cloaked in the American flag.

Ever calibrating his pitch, Mr. Romney scored big sponsors (including the Games "first official cake mix" and "Olympic meat") and sidelined critics (sometimes by just inviting them in to air their grievances). He paid attention to virtually every detail, including the scripts for board presentations and the traffic — once jumping from his car to unsnarl jammed vehicles en route to a ski event.

It was clear then to many in Utah that Mr. Romney was probably aiming for bigger things. "It was obvious that he had an agenda larger than just the Olympics," Mr. Garff said.

In a recent interview, Mr. Romney said the Games had prepared him for the complexity of public life.

"I never saw a more difficult turnaround situation than the one at the Olympics," he said. "And the team, not just me, but a remarkable team of public leaders and Olympic leaders pulled off something which was a massive undertaking and which had a crisis written all over it."

Asked how he put together the effort, Mr. Romney checked off his list: hire the right people, motivate them, make decisions on the basis of analysis and debate, set bench marks to measure success.

"He always has an objective in mind and a goal that he works toward," said Randy L. Dryer, a lawyer and a former member of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee who worked closely with Mr. Romney and described himself as a Democrat, but also an admirer of Mr. Romney's. "But he's not unwilling to modify that objective if it's an uphill battle and not worth the fight to get there — he is not bullheaded."

Challenge After Defeat

After his failed bid for the Senate seat held by Edward M. Kennedy in 1994, Mr. Romney grew restless. The loss "felt worse than we had imagined," he wrote in his book, "Turnaround: Crisis, Leadership and the Olympic Games" (Regnery, 2004). He had also recently bought a ski house in Park City, Utah, and the idea of simply making more and more money, he said in his book, was losing its appeal. So he quickly jumped at the chance to lead the Organizing Committee, which was trying to recover from the taint of scandal, and just as quickly formulated a strategy.

Beginning in late 1998, articles had begun to pile up about hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts bestowed on members of the International Olympic Committee by some of those involved in Utah's bid for the Games. As resignations, investigations and tales of greed filled the headlines, some politicians and business leaders even suggested that Utah should abandon the effort to be host of the Games.

"I knew that the first thing I needed to do was to draw a clear, bright, heavy line between what had happened before and what was going to happen in the future," Mr. Romney wrote in his book. "No one likes joining a loser, but they like rooting for, and helping, a comeback kid."

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Saludos
Rodrigo González Fernández
www..Consultajuridicachile.blogspot.com
www.lobbyingchile.blogspot.com
www.el-observatorio-politico.blogspot.com
Renato Sánchez 3586
telefono: 5839786
santiago-chile

 

Escribanos, consúltenos, opine