Law Information Live

Ernst & Young LLP Expands Focus on eDiscovery As Well As Includes Four Advisors To Fraud Investigation & Dispute Services Practice

2012-01-26T23:26:00.000-08:00

Ernst & Young LLP lately announced several recent additions to its Fraud Investigation & Dispute Services (FIDS) practice in order to meet the escalating demand for, as well as bolster its depth in, eDiscovery and fact-finding services. David Remnitz has been chosen as the FIDS Global and Americas Forensic Technology and Discovery Services (FTDS) Leader. He is also joined by Principals Adam Cohen and Todd Marlin in New York and Jay Sonbolian in Los Angeles.

Last year, Ernst & Young commenced expanding its focus on the eDiscovery marketplace in the US by acquiring Cataphora Legal, a division of Cataphora, Inc., a leader in the management and interpretation of digital communications. Consequently, Cataphora Legal's senior leadership team, including Jonathan Nystrom, Executive Vice President in Washington, DC, and Richard Oehrle, Ph.D, Chief Linguist in San Jose, CA, joined Ernst & Young LLP's FIDS practice as an Executive Director and Senior Manager, respectively. Seventeen additional members of the Cataphora Legal team also have become a part of Ernst & Young LLP.

Brian Loughman, Americas Leader of FIDS for the firm stated that many of their clients are requesting more advanced forensic technology and discovery services due to the significant amount of electronically stored information. In addition, the global climate of heightened enforcement of anti-bribery and corruption laws compels their clients to have more sophisticated tools at their disposal.

CarneyKelehan Ranked Among The Finest Law Firms

2011-12-27T22:21:00.000-08:00

Carney, Kelehan, Bresler, Bennett and Scherr, a universal practice law firm located in Columbia, was ranked among the 2011-2012 Best Law Firms by the U.S. News Media Group and Best Lawyers. CarneyKelehan was rated in Baltimore's tier 2 for real estate law.

Dave Carney, founder of CarneyKelehan stated that they were privileged to be ranked among the best law firms in the nation. He added that it is a testament to their supreme client service, decades of experience and flexibility to the varying needs of their community.

Carney, Kelehan, Bresler, Bennett and Scherr provides legal services to businesses, individuals and families in the Baltimore and Washington area for over four decades. A common law practice headquartered in Columbia, CarneyKelehan focuses in education, excise, real estate, public school, trusts and estates, business, labor, personal injury, worker's compensation and litigation in state and federal courts.

The Lanier Law Firm Redesigns Their Website

2011-12-01T21:54:00.000-08:00

Recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top law firms of US, the Lanier Law Firm developed the new website to combine a unique look with easier navigation. The redesigned site offers visitors with information on the firm, its practice areas and attorneys.

The Lanier Law Firm, one of the top trial law firms of United States, announces its newly redesigned website at http://www.lanierlawfirm.com.

Firm Founder and lead litigation counsel Mark Lanier stated that for many clients and fellow lawyers, their website represents the first chance for them to make a good impression. He also added that they want to ensure that Internet users can rapidly and easily find their story and learn about their legal capabilities.

The new website also provides access to news releases and media coverage of most important cases handled by The Lanier Law Firm.

With offices in Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and Palo Alto, The Lanier law firm is devoted to addressing client concerns with efficient and pioneering solutions in courtrooms across the country. The firm consists of exceptional trial attorneys with decades of skill handling cases concerning pharmaceutical liability, asbestos exposure, intellectual property, business litigation, product liability, maritime law, bad faith insurance claims, as well as sports and entertainment law.

Farleys Solicitors Manchester Evolves to Be A Northern Hub to Inquest Lawyers Group

2011-10-13T05:03:00.000-07:00

Farleys Solicitors is to turn out to be the host firm for meetings of the Inquest Lawyers Group, the first firm to do so outside of London. Inquest solicitors from across the North will be able to be a part of the discussion group held at Farleys Solicitors’ Manchester city centre office, the initial meeting of which will be held in November.

Inquest is a charitable organization offering help and assistance to bereaved family members who find themselves at the core of the inquest process. Their members include inquest solicitors from across England and Wales, who on a regular basis meet to discuss ways to improve access to justice, developments in the law, and access to funding for inquests.

Solicitors attending the meeting at Farleys will be able to work in partnership with fellow inquest practitioners in the North of England, as well as with London based solicitors, who will join the meeting via videolink.

Farleys is one of the chief law firms offering representation at inquests in the North of England.

Littler Accredited as the Best Law Firm For Women

2011-09-14T04:30:00.000-07:00

Littler Mendelson P.C. the labor law firm that is located in San Francisco has been acknowledged as the chief law firm for women by the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE), a division of Working Mother Media, and Flex-Time Lawyers LLC, marking the third year that Littler has been entrusted with this honor.

Marko Mrkonich, president and managing director of Littler stated that this recognition is mainly rewarding as the maintenance and development of their female attorneys is a core firm value. He also stated that they were tremendously committed to supporting their women lawyers and implementing new female and family friendly policies that persuade their professional success.

The 2011 best law firms for Women application was initiated in a partnership between Working Mother Media and Flex-Time Lawyers LLC. Firms with at least 50 lawyers were qualified to apply and the application included detailed questions regarding the issues that there most important to the maintenance and encouragement of female lawyers.The 50 winning firms were selected based on responses to an application measuring areas that included workforce profile, family-friendly policies, flexibility, leadership, reimbursement, development and withholding of women.

Rolls Building Court Complex Can Change London to a Global Legal Centre

2011-08-20T00:35:00.000-07:00

A £300m high-tech law court complex will unlock in the subsequent few weeks as the government tries to make the UK the world's most excellent destination for swiftly resolving worldwide high-value legal disputes and making a lot of money in the process.

The curvilinear,11-storey Rolls Building in Fetter Lane, close to the Royal Courts of Justice in central London, will comprise 31 courts, including three super-courts configured to include big, multiparty disputes.

The advertising of the Rolls Building, and British justice on the whole, to a worldwide business audience has already commenced, the Queen is being lined up for the building's inauguration ceremony, and the court's avant-garde electronic filing system, which is intended to make it mostly paperless, is being tested.

It is hoped from October that the Rolls Building will turn out to be the new home of the chancery division of the high court, the admiralty and commercial court, in addition to the technology and construction court. The government hopes it will draw high-profile business disputes from across the world, such as disputes over pipelines and property ventures, contested insurance payouts as well as environmental pollution claims.

Scores Of People Protest New Georgia Immigration Law

2011-07-14T04:03:00.000-07:00

A huge crowd rallied in downtown Atlanta lately against a fresh law that aims to crack down on unlawful immigration in Georgia.Those involved in the protest carried signs that read that stated This is Not My Georgia. Nearly between 10,000 and 15,000 people took part in the rally.

The protest was prearranged by numerous groups, including the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights.

A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction lately, for the moment, blocking key provisions of HB 87 while allowing other parts to go forward.U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash Jr.'s ruling blocks enforcement of two of the majority of the controversial sections of the law.

Thrash said that state and local law enforcement officers and officials have no authorization to arrest, keep in custody or prosecute anyone based upon sections 7 and 8 of HB 87 while this ruling remains in effect.

These sections would allow police to make inquiries about immigration status when questioning suspects in certain criminal investigations. They also would punish people who, during the commission of a crime, intentionally transport or harbor illegal immigrants.

Grand Rapids Law Firms Unite With The Intention To Drive Diversity

2011-06-16T05:54:00.000-07:00

The dozen law firms that agreed lately to find ways to bring more women and minorities into the profession are united by a common goal: increasing the legal talent pool in Grand Rapids by becoming more varied.

Working through the Grand Rapids Bar Association, the 12 firms signed a pledge to team up on a diversity plan. They aim to build up a five-year action plan by the year end that will direct the recruitment, retention and development of women and minorities in the local legal community.

Joy Fossel, a litigator and the diversity and inclusion partner at Varnum stated that the universal idea is to boost the talent pool .

Law firms drawn in drafting the diversity plan will seek to set up quantifiable goals for the future. The attempt builds on the work numerous law firms locally have completed for years to encourage and drive better diversity within the profession in Grand Rapids.

Fossel stated that it is definitely a major milestone for the legal community. For the first time ever, law firms are bringing together their collective heads jointly to embark upon a single hurdle that exists in their community.

Alabama Governor Signs Stringent New Immigration Law

2011-06-11T03:12:00.000-07:00

Alabama's governor has signed what he billed as a severe illegal immigration legislation, necessitating police to verify the status of anyone they suspect may be in the country illegally when stopped for another reason.

The bill due to take effect on September 1, was signed into law by Republican Governor Robert Bentley lately.

Its entrance makes Alabama the latest in a series of states, including Georgia and Arizona, to enact controversial new laws intended at tackling illegal immigration.On the other hand, civil rights groups and the Mexican government have been fast to criticize the move.

Based on a fact sheet presented by Alabama House Republicans, the bill will necessitate law enforcement officers to attempt to determine the immigration status of a person who they suspect is an illegal alien of this country.

Additionally, the legislation also makes it a criminal offense to offer transport or housing to an illegitimate immigrant. The state will need to check the nationality of students, and any company that knowingly employs an illegal immigrant will be penalized.

Bentley discarded suggestions the law is biased, and stated that he is confident it was drafted in such a way that it will endure legal challenges.

Litchney Law Firm Teams Up With Sutter Medical Center & Sutter Medical Foundation To Offer Legal Assistance

2011-05-31T01:49:00.000-07:00

Litchney Law Firm, that specializes in bankruptcy, short sale, estate planning, business law and more has teamed up with Sutter Medical Center & Sutter Medical Foundation of Sacramento to offer legal services.Litchney Law Firm will provide legal aid to the employees of Sutter Medical Center & Sutter Medical Foundation.

Employees at Sutter Medical Center and Sutter Medical Foundation can now obtain dependable legal assistance on all types of legal issues. Litchney Law Firm has several offices in strategic locations throughout the Sacramento and Northern California region.

Litchney Law Firm, located in California enjoys an excellent reputation in Sacramento by offering clients reliable as well as affordable legal solutions. Sarah Litchney, CEO of Litchney Law Firm says this as they place great significance on the best interests of their clients, thereby earning the trust and confidence of the clients the Litchney Law Firm represents.

Litchney Law Firm stated that they were proud to offer this special legal assistance program to Sutter Medical Center & the Sutter Medical Foundation. Litchney Law Firm has an enormous experience in Sacramento area bankruptcy filings. Additionally, they also possess almost half a century of combined legal experience. Litchney Law Firm has been voted as the #1 law firm in the area, offering outstanding legal services. Additionally, this law firm has experience working with numerous lenders and creditors.

New California Law Ensures Additional Parental Control Over Kids' Social Networking

2011-05-18T04:29:00.000-07:00

A fresh law California SB242 (a.k.a the Social Networking Privacy Act) would necessitate social media networks like Facebook to permit parents access to their children’s accounts and enforce all privacy settings to their greatest level by default.

In addition, parents would also have the option to request that images or text be removed from any social network page, within 48 hours upon his or her request.

The new bill, that is introduced by by State Senator Ellen Corbett, would levy a fine on any social network company that failed to conform by the rules. Companies might have to pay fine as high as $10,000 per incident, in case the rules are not followed.

Obviously, the social networking companies, are fervently opposed to the law. Facebook representative Andrew Noyes in his reaction to the projected legislation has stated that this is a serious threat to Facebook’s business in California.

Inspite of the fact that children under 13 are forbidden from joining Facebook as per the site’s rules, several kids have created accounts in facebook by giving a fake date of birth.

China Turns Out To Be The Fastest Developing Legal Market in the World

2011-04-29T22:11:00.000-07:00

China was the second most popular foreign location for great U.S. law firms during 2010. Based on the latest NLJ 250 - The National Law Journal's list of the major law firms in the United States - 70 firms maintained offices in China and had posted 2,055 lawyers there.

China has a long way to go to be transformed into the biggest destination for U.S.-based firms, however. The UK far outpaced China in 2010, with 5,303 lawyers in 78 offices which means that nearly one-third of NLJ 250 firms had a presence there.

Legal consultant Peter Zeughauser, who has done consulting work in China stated that in future, foreign firms will have extra lawyers in China than the United kingdom. Additionally he added that the only question remains how long this whole thing will take.

Zeughauser cautioned that the China boom has offered mounting pains for many firms. A major number of foreign firms have moved in too fast and found that their China offices aren't yet lucrative.He also added that foreign firms need a clearly distinct purpose, a source of inbound or outbound legal work, and they need to grasp the attention of Chinese lawyers or reputable expatriate lawyers there if they want to achieve something.

Schein & Cai LLP Ranked as One of The Top U.S. Patent Law Firm

2011-04-19T20:56:00.000-07:00

Schein & Cai LLP has been ranked as one of the Top U.S. Patent Firms for 2010 by Intellectual Property Today. The legal firms are ranked based on the quantity of patents issued in 2010 where the firm or individual attorney is listed as the legal representative. This recognition established the firm's persistent commitment to develop their clients' intellectual property rights, particularly in the area of patent prosecution.

Schein & Cai understands that intellectual property rights are the chief assets of their clients and is critical to their future sustainable growth. The firm works closely with their clients in order to evaluate their technology,industry and competitive landscape. Additionally they assist their clients to build up as well as implement integrated and cost effective intellectual property development strategies that take full advantage of the return on their R&D investment.

Schein & Cai LLP has been a focused business as well as intellectual property law firm situated in San Jose, California from 2003. Its practice areas consists of corporate law, intellectual property law (patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, intellectual property licensing),civil litigation , real estate law as well as employment law.

DU's Sturm College of Law Among The Top 100 in U.S. News and World Report

2011-03-29T23:25:00.000-07:00

DU's Sturm College of Law is rated among the top 100 best law schools in the county by U.S. News and World Report for the 10th consecutive year, moving up the ladder 3 spots this year to No. 77 from No. 80 last year.

The Sturm College of Law shares the No. 77 spot along with University of Pittsburgh as well as the University of Miami.

The research takes into consideration 12 factors when determining which schools will occur on the list, grouped into a quality assessment by law school peers and legal professionals,selectivity, placement success as well as faculty resources.

A major aspect that contributed to Sturm's increased ranking include the student-to-teacher ratio, which is presently 15:1. The better ranking is a sign that the college's vision is moving forward.

Dean Martin Katz stated that Sturm needs to work harder to enroll students with higher LSAT scores and plans to increase the median undergraduate grade point average of admitted students.

Italian Lawyers to Strike Over Compulsory Mediation in Commercial Cases

2011-03-16T02:56:00.000-07:00

Lawyers in Italy are on strike today in protest over latest laws requiring the parties to go to mediation in commercial cases.

The strike has been initiated by Italy’s national union of lawyers, the Organismo Unitario dell’Avvocatura Italiana. The organization asks lawyers to refrain from attending hearings in any civil, criminal, tax, or administrative proceedings as well as to send their customers letters urging them to sign a form letter of protest.

Based on reports, Italy currently endures a backlog of 5.4 million civil cases, and a 2008 European Union directive calls on every E.U. nation (except Denmark), to pass a law by May providing for mediation of cross-border civil cases. Only Italy’s fresh law makes it mandatory, effective March 21.

Texas is the Most Recent State to Consider Arizona Immigration Law

2011-03-04T01:43:00.000-08:00

Texas state lawmakers are pushing ahead with plans to execute an Arizona-style immigration law, increasing the total number of state considering implementing the controversial measure to almost a dozen.

Under the existing proposal Texas, state and local police officers would be permitted, but not necessary to help out enforce federal immigration laws under a negotiation plan working its way through the Texas Legislature.

The move is intended to signify a compromise amongst Democrats and Republicans. Immigrant rights activists say they are against the measure, expressing concerns that it could lead to racial discrimination.

A number of states are taking into consideration similar measures, however, no one has passed this far.

The Texas bill is crafted in part on the measure approved and signed into law in Arizona. Arizona governor Jan Brewer touched off a blaze after she signed the bill, ultimately culminating in a lawful challenge from the Justice Department.

John Grisham Invited To Speak At Law School Event

2011-02-25T01:28:00.000-08:00

Best selling author John Grisham will convey a speech on April 15 at the dedication of the new law school at the University of Mississippi.

Grisham who is recognized for his courtroom thrillers, is a graduate of the Ole Miss law school, which will be named for former Chancellor Robert Khayat in the midst of the campus event in Oxford.

Robert Khayat is a graduate of the school and was the 15th chancellor of the university during the period of 1995 to 2009.John Grisham is the author of popular novels such as "The Firm" and "The Pelican Brief."

Tennessee Lawmakers Hopeful to Pass Immigration Reform

2011-02-16T05:06:00.000-08:00

Tennessee lawmakers apprehensive with unlawful immigration are introducing the whole thing from an Arizona-style enforcement bill to necessities that driver's license exams be in English.

Analogous measures in the past have mostly been canceled in the House. This year, with Republican majorities in both the House as well as Senate, those procedures have their greatest chance yet of becoming law. But Republicans are less than integrated on what procedures to pass and how.

Speaking at a forum sponsored by The Associated Press and the Tennessee Press Association lately, Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey uttered trained support for requiring employers to utilize the federal E-Verify program to ensure their employees are authorized to work in the U.S.

He added that his main goal is to make Tennessee the finest place in the nation to own and operate a business.Additonally he added that he wanted to make sure that they were addressing those unlawful immigration problems, but not putting excessive burdens and unjustified paperwork on small businesses.

Legal, Political Differences Persists Over United States Health Care Law

2011-02-03T02:45:00.000-08:00

The political and legal differences over the law continues to increase although it has been almost a year since President Barack Obama signed the sweeping health-care reform act into law in the US.

Democrats in the U.S. Senate gathered to protect the president’s signature health-care law in the wake of yet another legal setback for the law lately in Florida.

Recently a federal judge in Florida ruled the law was unconstitutional , as part of the statute requires Americans to purchase health insurance.This happened to be the second federal court ruling against the fresh law. However two of federal judges have upheld it.

Senate Democrats conducted a hearing just lately to draw conclusion if the health-care law is constitutional,though that judgment is eventually expected to come from the Supreme Court. Also,republicans have been influenced by the recent court ruling in Florida and vow to persist in their efforts to repeal the health-care law.

Political analyst Charlie Cook states that the health-care law remains a conflict-ridden issue in the eyes of the public opinion. Charlie Cook recently stated that the American people are equally divided on health care development and this health care proposal.Additionally he said that there doesn’t exist a strong consensus to maintain it, neither is there a strong consensus to drop it off.

U.S. News-Best Lawyers Ranks Smith Debnam as Best Law Firm

2011-01-25T03:40:00.000-08:00

Smith Debnam Narron Drake Saintsing & Myers, LLP has been rated a first-tier “Best Law Firm” 2010 by U.S. News-Best Lawyers. The “Best Law Firms” rankings are obtained through a national survey circulated to both customers and leading lawyers, who are asked to specify which lawyer they considered best in their practice area.

In addition to this appreciation of the entire firm, John W. Narron and Rose H. Stout, Partners in the firm's family law section, were independently named as “The Best Lawyers in America 2011”. Both Narron and Stout are multiple recipients of this credit. The selection to this Best Lawyers list is based on an in-depth peer-review survey in which more than 39,000 top attorneys cast almost 3.1 million votes on the lawful abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas. As lawyers are not permitted to pay a fee to be listed, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered an exceptionally credible honor.

Haynes and Boone Ranked Among The Top 30 Law Firms For Interactive Gaming and Cyberspace Law

2011-01-12T22:36:00.000-08:00

Interactive Age has listed Haynes and Boone, LLP among the top 30 law firms for business and technology issues with relevance to video games, new media and interactive entertainment.

Interactive Age's survey displayed that only 530 attorneys nationally are focused on the swiftly budding gaming industry, which is exhibiting immense growth and a escalating number of transactions. Haynes and Boone has more than 70 permanent rational property and expertise attorneys with many paying attention mainly on gaming and cyberspace law.

David McCombs, partner and chair of Haynes and Boone's firmwide technology practice stated that Gaming and cyberspace law is becoming a major component of their by and large intellectual property practice and witnesses a lot of cross-over with traditional IP and technology issues.Additionally he also stated that the steady growth of this sector leaves companies facing rapid decisions in fairly unexplored territory.

The Interactive Age rankings were released in advance of the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law Game-Business-Law summit. The yearly conference unites worldwide video game industry leaders, developers, publishers, lawyers and venture capitalists to discover trends in the marketplace.

National Law Firm Miller Thomson Merges With Balfour Moss

2011-01-04T01:19:00.000-08:00

Balfour Moss, one of Saskatchewan's oldest law firms, lately merged with the national firm Miller Thomson, LLP.

Gerald Courage, the chair of Miller Thomson stated that this is the most recent in a series of planned mergers designed to expand and deepen Miller Thomson's national reach.

Balfour Moss was founded in 1895. Preceding to the merger, the law firm had 24 lawyers in Saskatoon and Regina. The expanded Miller Thomson firm now includes 480 lawyers in 11 offices across Canada.

According to a senior partner at Balfour Moss, the Saskatchewan firm was hoping to connect with a national group. Brian Scherman, Q.C., senior partner at Balfour Moss stated that they took their time to consider potential partners.He also added that Miller Thomson appealed to them because of their open, amicable, straightforward approach to practicing law and they also shared similar values, including a client-first approach.

The development of law firms in Canada has taken off in recent years with numerous firms at the moment claiming to be nationwide in scope.

Sen. George LeMieux to Get Back to the Law Firm Gunster

2010-12-28T23:20:00.000-08:00

U.S. Senator George LeMieux will return to his legal line after his short term in Washington ends next week.LeMieux will go back to work for his old legal firm,West Palm Beach's Gunster.

LeMieux became an unplanned U.S. senator when Gov. Charlie Crist selected him to replace U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez when Martinez retired before his term of 2 years ago. Crist chose his close friend LeMieux as a placeholder,intending to run for the seat himself.

LeMieux, 41, has worked intermittently for Gunster since graduating from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., in 1994. He will work in the 160-member firm's Fort Lauderdale office in LeMieux's hometown.

The law firm Gunster, celebrating its 85th anniversary in Palm Beach County, is one of the state's oldest legal firms.

Linklaters Regarded As UK.’s Most Diverse Legal Firm

2010-12-21T22:52:00.000-08:00

Linklaters has been ranked as the U.K.'s most diverse law firm in 2010 by the Black Solicitors Network (BSN) Diversity League Table, which ranks firms based on data from 48 law firms.

The ranking combines law firm demographics across 4 varied strands of diversity -disability, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation, with policy as well as practice information from the firms.

Baker & McKenzie was named as the second most diverse law firm overall, with Norton Rose, Trowers & Hamlins and Irwin Mitchell making up the rest of the top five.

Linklaters managing partner Simon Davies stated that building a diverse culture was a main concern for the firm. He also added that they aim to have a functioning environment in which individual differences are esteemed and appreciated and colleagues support and encourage one another to excel. The BSN encourages the legal community to contribute to best practice and the Diversity League Table offers a supportive opportunity to gauge their progress.

Sarah Gregory, a partner and chair of the Diversity Committee at Bakers in London, stated that they worked hard to ensure that their culture is a diverse and comprehensive one and is therefore pleased to have achieved their best-ever ranking in the BSN diversity league table 2010.

Thompson Hine LLP Among Top 2 Firms in United States for Clientele Service

2010-12-11T01:54:00.000-08:00

Thompson Hine LLP has been named as one of the top 2 law firms in the country for customer service and the only firm ranked in the top tier for “Provides Value for the Dollar,” according to the 2011 BTI Client Service A-Team: Survey of Law Firm Client Service Performance, issued this week by The BTI Consulting Group, Inc. The independent report evaluates law firm performance based solely on customers feedback from general counsel and C-level executives across the country. The firm has offices spread across in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, New York as well as Washington, D.C.

Thompson Hine was named among the top-tier "Best of the Best" performers in eight categories that drive advanced client relationships:
Focus on Customers, Understands the Client’s Business, Provides Value for the Dollar, Regional Reputation,
Spontaneous Communication, Keeps Customers Informed, Meets Scope and Budget, Foreknowledge of the Client’s Needs

The firm also obtained high scores in the 9 added categories used by customers to rank the firms. The report focuses that customers value Thompson Hine’s dedication to superior client service through the firm’s outstanding communications and fine client service.Thompson Hine drives itself to the top of The BTI Client Service 30 by proving an extraordinary understanding of clients needs.

BTI surveyed almost 300 corporate counsel and C-level executives at Fortune 1000 and big companies across the United States. Respondents rated law firms on precise activities they use to decide on and appraise outside counsel. Thompson Hine has been ranked among the firms on The BTI Client Service A-Team for the past 9 successive years.

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton (CGSH) to Launch a Hong Kong Law Practice

2010-12-03T22:57:00.000-08:00

Cleary Gottlieb Steen and Hamilton on Thursday announced plans to commence a Hong Kong law practice with a partner recruited from U.K. firm Norton Rose.

Freeman Chan, an skilled capital markets lawyer, is currently head of the China corporate finance practice at the U.K. firm.He has acted as issuer's counsel in a number of recent Hong Kong initial public offerings.

Cleary managing partner Mark Walker stated that they were excited that Freeman, an acknowledged market leader, will join them to lead their Hong Kong law practice.He also said that adding Hong Kong law capability to their existing, successful Asia practice is a natural and important extension of their firm’s global business model, which combines well-built local law and international law practices across the globe.

CGSH is the newest U.S. firm to take the plunge into a Hong Kong law practice, having formerly practiced only U.S. law in Asia. Davis Polk & Wardwell, Milbank, Tweed, Hadley and McCloy, and Shearman & Sterling also have introduced Hong Kong practices in the last few months.

London law Firm Hammonds in Tie-up With US Law Firm Squire, Sanders & Dempsey

2010-11-13T02:37:00.000-08:00

The US law firm Squire, Sanders and Dempsey, is to join together with Hammonds, a London law firm, in the most recent transatlantic tie-up. The tie-ups are being driven by demand among clients for global corporate lawyers.

This present deal constructs a law firm that will rank among the top 25 global legal practices,based on statistics of lawyers, and will encompass 37 offices in 17 countries. Presently, Hammonds is ranked as one of the UK’s top 25 law firms and Squire Sanders is in among the US top 50.

Approximately just about 90 per cent of the firms' partnerships voted for the tie-up, which takes effect in January.

James Maiwurm, chair of Squire Sanders, will become the international chief executive of the combined firm,with Peter Crossley, managing partner of Hammonds, taking over as managing partner for Europe.

The united firm will have much broader geographic coverage at a time when corporate clients are demanding that law firms have the proficiency to tackle complex cross-border deals or litigation disputes spanning numerous countries.

Mr Maiwurm stated that the two firms had complementary geographic footprints with Squire Sanders having a strong base in the US and Latin America and Hammonds robustly represented in Europe and the UK.He also added that both firms had been quick off the mark to expand globally and the combined firm would have a strong focus on areas such as litigation, worldwide arbitration, deals as well as corporate finance.

Robert F. Ritter Named As 2011 Lawyer Of The Year By Best Lawyers

2010-10-26T05:34:00.000-07:00

Robert F. Ritter, chairman of the St. Louis personal injury as well as commercial litigation law firm Gray,Ritter & Graham, P.C, has been named "St. Louis Mass Tort Litigator of the Year" for 2011 by Best Lawyers, the oldest and most esteemed peer-review publication in the legal profession.

Best Lawyers designates "Lawyers of the Year" in sophisticated legal specialties in huge legal communities.Only one lawyer in each specialty in each community is honored by Best Lawyers as the "Lawyer of the Year."

Best Lawyers compiles its lists of exceptional attorneys by conducting peer-review surveys in which thousands of top lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers.Ritter and other lawyers being honored as "Lawyers of the Year" have received predominantly high ratings in these surveys by earning a great level of respect among their peers for their talents, professionalism as well as integrity.

Ritter is listed in Best Lawyers in America 2011 in 7 practice categories, making him one of only 59 attorneys in the country listed in 7 or more categories. The categories he is listed in includes the Mass Tort Litigation category as well as Bet-the Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation,Legal Malpractice Law, Medical Malpractice Law, Personal Injury Litigation, and Product Liability Litigation.

Gray, Ritter and Graham is a St. Louis plaintiff law firm that practices chiefly in matters concerning catastrophic injury and death, multifaceted commercial and consumer litigation, product liability, medical negligence, railroad as well as river worker injuries.

Law Firm In Des Moines To Host International Meeting

2010-10-19T23:57:00.000-07:00

McKee Voorhees and Sease, an intellectual property law firm in Des Moines, is hosting the 2010 fall meeting of Legus, a global network of law firms.

Members from all over North and South America, Europe and Africa will gather in Des Moines for educational and networking purposes.

Lawyers will partake in sessions focused on improving client service, developing and implementing strong business practices, and implementing efficient management strategies.

Lawyers will also share information regarding the present legal environment.The educational programs will be held at the Temple for Performing Arts,Des Moines on Nov. 4-5.

The American Bar Association‘s Rule of Law Initiative Celebrates Twenty Year Anniversary

2010-10-08T04:31:00.000-07:00

The American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) is marking two decades of work advancing improvements to laws and legal systems in emerging nations around the world. Among its many efforts, ABA ROLI works in opposition to systemic rape in Congo, trains judges to handle election disputes in Kyrgyzstan and boosts public attorney efficiency in the Philippines.

ABA ROLI is a non-profit program grounded in the belief that rule of law encouragement is the most efficient long-term antidote to the most urgent problems facing the world today, including poverty, conflict, endemic corruption and disregard for human rights.

As part of its 20-year anniversary celebration, ABA ROLI has compiled an online historic display of threats to the rule of law across the globe and ROLI projects that successfully respond to those threats. The initiative is active in more than 70 countries in all areas of the world.

ROLI is also hosting a commemorative fundraising gala on Oct. 14th at 7:30 p.m. to be held at the Mayflower Hotel (1127 Connecticut Ave.) that recognizes greatly flourishing programs and outlines the future of rule of law efforts. Former Chief Justice of South Africa Arthur Chaskalson and Former Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor will be honored with the 2010 Rule of Law Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award, correspondingly.

Lex Mundi Awarded the Law Firm Network of the Year

2010-10-01T02:55:00.000-07:00

Lex Mundi obtained the Law Firm Network of the Year Award at the 2010 The Lawyer European Awards. A new category launched this year, the Law Firm Network Award recognizes the significant work of law firm networks and celebrates the value that networks offer their members in the vast European market.

Carl Anduri, President of Lex Mundi stated that the firm is privileged to be the first-time recipient of The Lawyer Law Firm Network of the Year Award. He also added that it is a tribute to the quality of the member firms of Lex Mundi in Europe as well as across the globe.

The Lawyer European Awards is a yearly event that recognizes the achievements of law firms based on the Continent.The awards ceremony was conducted in Berlin on September 23, 2010.

Lex Mundi is the world's chief association of independent law firms. The organization has more than 160 member firms across the globe, consisting of around 21,000 lawyers. Membership in Lex Mundi provides member firms with a trusted network of law firms that contribute similar values and a related focus on quality through which they can access worldwide legal resources that facilitate them to serve their clients efficiently as well as to improve continuously all aspects of their firms.Member law firms are situated in North America, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, the Middle East and Africa.

Wong Cabello Ranked as a Best IP Firm On A National Scale

2010-09-20T00:09:00.000-07:00

Wong Cabello, a leading Intellectual Property law firm, is one of the top Intellectual Property law practices in the country according to the U.S. News – Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" lists released lately.

The 21 attorney firm with offices in Houston and Austin, Texas was named as one of 11 "Tier 1" Intellectual Property Law Firms in the Houston Metropolitan area and was named as a "Tier 2" Intellectual Property Law Firm nationally. Russell Wong, the managing partner of Wong Cabello stated that they were pleased to be recognized at such a high level. He also added that they work hard to offer quality service to their clients and it is brilliant to be recognized as one of the best in their field.

The law firm rankings were obtained from over 3 million surveys and evaluations submitted by clients and lawyers across the country. Steven Naifeh, President of Best Lawyers stated that U.S. News is the world’s leading publisher of institutional rankings based on both objective data as well as peer evaluations.

Lathrop & Gage Announces Merger With Denver Firm

2010-09-07T05:26:00.000-07:00

Lathrop and Gage, the oldest law firm west of the Mississippi River, has decided to merge with Denver firm Kamlet Reichert.The merger will facilitate Lathrop, a 267-lawyer firm based in Kansas City to expand its employee strength to almost 300 lawyers. The joint firm will retain the Lathrop name.

The the merger with Lathrop will move Kamlet Reichert beyond its current Colorado borders.Cofounding partner Jay Kamlet stated that the merger really brings in areas that they weren't able to do before,oil and gas as well as intellectual property. He also added that numerous other suitors had approached Kamlet Reichert regarding a merger since the firm was established in 2000.

Lathrop CEO Joel Voran stated that its thrilling to add the sophisticated business and real estate expertise that Kamlet Reichert attorneys provide, not only in Denver, but for their clients nationwide . He also added that this inclusion of talent in Colorado makes their business law team one of the most energetic west of the Mississippi.

Legal Firms To Be Honored For Their Pro Bono Works

2010-08-26T05:44:00.000-07:00

Borden Ladner Gervais LLP with offices in Calgary will be honored at the 2010 Canadian Pro Bono Awards on Sept. 16 in Calgary for its pro bono work.

The award will be granted at the third national Pro Bono Conference, at the Fairmont Palliser. The awards night focuses the pro bono efforts, or legal work undertaken without charge, of companies and individuals trying to improve access to justice in Canada.

Two other Alberta entries who will be honoured at the awards ceremony include Dawson Stevens Duckett and Shaigec of Edmonton.On the other hand Judge John T. Henderson, also of Edmonton, will obtain the Pro Bono Distinguished Service Award.

The 2010 nominees and recipients have established dedication to the development and delivery of pro bono legal services and have contributed major work towards mounting innovative approaches to delivering volunteer legal services. They have in addition demonstrated leadership in improving access to justice.

Thomas M. Cooley Law School Soughts the Help of Residents in Launching a Legal Services Clinic

2010-08-14T00:41:00.000-07:00

The Thomas M. Cooley Law School Ann Arbor campus is planning to open a new legal services clinic the forthcoming year.

And the school hopes to get feedback before it begins this launch. According to a Thomas M. Cooley Law School news release, residents are encouraged to voice their opinions, and a focus group of "legal community leaders" also was of late held.

Spokesman Nick Wasmiller stated that the school's aim is to assist the community with whatever legal needs they have that are not being done and to assist students gain real-world experience.

Joan Vestrand, associate dean for the Ann Arbor campus, stated that students who have earned at least 40 credits will be eligible to work in the clinic. She anticipates it will be very accepted among students, especially if they know they will be serving in the community.She also added that she is unable to imagine moving forward without learning from the community how she can help.

The clinic is anticipated to open in September 2011.

American Bar Association(ABA) to form Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights

2010-08-06T22:05:00.000-07:00

In an unparalleled move to address the legal issues of Hispanics in the United States, the American Bar Association(ABA) under the new leadership of Stephen N. Zack, a Cuban-American lawyer from Miami will announce on Monday the formation of the Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights. Zack stated that the ABA is yet to find out the facts and it needs to be seen if the system is functioning or not functioning to ensure that Hispanics are completely integrated and treated equally within the justice system.He would officially announce the consequences once he becomes ABA’s first American President at the group’s annual convention in San Francisco.

The ABA commission which is to be headed by Miami lawyer Cesar L. Alvarez, also a Cuban-American, will conduct public hearings in chief U.S. cities with Hispanic populations to study whether the legal system is addressing the needs of the country's leading and fastest developing minority.

Several Hispanics in a cross-section of fields will be named in the coming weeks to the new commission, Zack and Alvarez said.

Once the public hearings are held and the legal issues studied, the conclusion would be gathered into a report similar in scope to the one issued previously this year by ABA's Commission on Immigration. That report, circulating in Washington D.C., proposed a revamp of the deportation system under the Justice Department.

The New Health Reform Law to Benefit Millions of Women

2010-07-30T23:20:00.000-07:00

The fresh health reform law, the Affordable Care Act, will benefit for nearly 30 million women, a number that comprises around 15 million women who are uninsured, based on a new report issued by the Commonwealth Fund, a private health research firm in New York City.

Karen Davis, the Commonwealth Fund president stated that while women as a group are just as likely as men to be uninsured, they are more prone to have medical debt, bill problems, as well as have trouble getting insurance. This report comes as a great relief to all women who will now onwards be more likely to acquire the care they need with a reduced risk of incurring the exorbitant medical bills that have affected so many Americans.

Report author Sarah Collins,a vice president for affordable health insurance at the Commonwealth Fund stated that 17 million working-age women were uninsured in 2008, and 14.5 million women had such towering out-of-pocket costs that they were in actual fact under insured.She also added that considering the high unemployment rate, this number has probably increased.

The Affordable Care Act will have an enormous impact on women who are uninsured and large effects on women who are presently under insured.

Nationality and Citizenship-Is it the same?

2010-07-23T00:23:00.000-07:00

In International Law, 2 concepts that are used interchangeably are nationality and citizenship.

Nationality is a bond that unites a person to a given state, which constitutes his membership in the particular state, that gives him a claim to the protection of that state and which subjects him to the obligation created by the laws of that state .

Citizenship is defined as membership in a political community, one that is personal and more or less lasting, not temporary. By this definition, it can be deemed that a national is one who belongs to a particular political entity and which membership has a characteristic of permanence. Citizenship denotes possession within that particular political community of full civil and political rights subject to particular disqualifications such as minority. Reciprocally, it imposes the duty of allegiance to the political community. A citizen, consequently, is one who owes allegiance to, and is entitled to the protection of the State.

In international law, the term nationality is typically used in place of citizenship, which is understood in municipal law as being possessed of the complete rights and privileges of membership in a political community.

Halliwells Executive Chairman Takes Charge of New Role at Heatons

2010-07-12T22:21:00.000-07:00

Halliwells executive chairman Ian Austin is about to join the Manchester law firm Heatons as the new head of commercial litigation.Austin, who will take up his new role at Heatons this week, has held a variety of senior roles at Halliwells, including managing partner and lawsuit head.

He was chosen to be the executive chairman last September after the firm overtook its senior management structure, a move Austin said was encouraged by the need for additional resources to manage a firm the size of Halliwells.

Commenting on his choice to join Heatons, Austin said that having presently returned to a full-time fee earning role,he is looking forward to strengthening Heatons' commercial litigation practice.He has also added that it is a new challenge which he is waiting to start.

Heatons managing partner Matt Fleetwood stated that this is a noteworthy appointment for the firm.Ian is a supreme litigator with a strong client following and enormous experience. He is ideally placed to head the commercial litigation team and to assist with the planned development of the firm.

Couples who Abuse Their Spouses Could be Jailed Under New French Law

2010-07-01T00:30:00.000-07:00

The French Parliament gave ultimate and undisputed approval on Tuesday to a law that makes "psychological violence" a criminal and an illegal offense as part of a law intended to assist victims of physical violence and abuse, particularly at home.

Nadine Morano, the secretary of state for the family, informed the National Assembly that they have introduced a significant measure here, which recognizes psychological violence, as it isn’t just blows, but also words. She said that witnesses could be summoned on to give evidence in such cases and doctors' certificates charting a patient's decline into nervous depression as a consequence of such insults could be used as proof.She added that the judge could also take into consideration letters, SMSs or recurring messages, as one knows that psychological violence is made up of insults.

Ms. Morano said the chief abuse help line for French women got 90,000 calls a year, with 84 percent relating to psychological violence.

On the other hand,the law is thought to be too indistinct by some judges and the police, and whether they decide to investigate and take legal action against such offenses will define the success of the new legislation.

The legislation, introduced by Danielle Bousquet, a Socialist, and Guy Geoffroy, a member of the ruling center-right Union for a Popular Movement, rapidly found bipartisan support and support from the government. In November, Prime Minister François Fillon called the draft law "a national cause" and stated it would enable the authorities to deal with "the most dangerous situations, which don’t leave a mark to the naked eye but can damage the victim’s inner self."

Those found guilty face up 3 years in jail and a fine of 75,000 euros, or about $90,000. The law is intended to apply to both sexes, but the drafters were mainly concerned about the abuse of women.The two legislators said that a woman dies every 2.2 days in France due domestic violence, which clearly depicts that around 10 percent of women aged 18 to 60 were affected.Ms. Bousquet said that in couples, 90 percent of the sufferers were women.

The law defines mental violence as “repeated acts that could be constituted by words,” including insults or repeated text messages that “degrade one’s quality of life and cause a change to one’s mental or physical state.”

Burton Awards Announces Citigroup to Receive Inaugural "Public Interest Award in Law"

2010-06-16T02:31:00.000-07:00

The Burton Awards for Legal Achievement, held in alliance with the Library of Congress, announced that Citigroup Inc. has been chosen to obtain the first-ever "Public Interest Award in Law" for exceptional contributions or impact on the public interest. The Burton Awards program is a nonprofit educational effort which honors great achievements in the legal profession. The award will be delivered by Jane Sullivan Roberts, Managing Director, Major, Lindsey & Africa, who oversaw the selection procedure, at the Burton Awards' eleventh anniversary program held at the Library of Congress on June 14, 2010.

Citigroup Inc. was elected for the undertakings of the company's CitiLegal Pro Bono Initiative, a formal program through which Citi lawyers offer pro bono legal services to persons in need and the nonprofit organizations that serve them. The program began in 2006, when Citi lawyers traveled to the Gulf Coast to provide advice on FEMA(Federal Emergency Management Issues) and advocate on behalf of small business owners after Hurricane Katrina. Ever since then, Citigroup has participated in an extensive range of pro bono projects to help out individuals, families and nonprofit organizations. Other activities include offering advice and other legal assistance to low-income parents in family court, dispossessed families applying for government benefits, small entrepreneurs commencing new business ventures, and nonprofit organizations hoping to address business governance, employment, intellectual property as well as other issues.

Michael Helfer,General Counsel of Citigroup stated that there were extremely pleased that the Burton Awards chose to distinguish Citi for its pro bono efforts.At Citi, they believe that offering pro bono service is essential to being a lawyer. He also added that more than a symbol of what Citi has accomplished, this award is a challenge to persist to find better and additional pioneering ways to offer pro bono legal service.

New Immigration Law Introduced in Arizona

2010-06-09T05:36:00.000-07:00

A law targeted to control illegal immigration is to take effect in the southwestern state of Arizona later the next month and it is creating controversy across the United States.Current public opinion polls indicate that a major portion of Americans, including those in Arizona, support this fresh law, that requires non-citizens to carry documents to prove that they are in the United States legally.It also enforces Arizona police to question people if there is reason to believe they are not in the country legally.In Tucson, Arizona both sides in the debate suggest it is up to Washington to settle the immigration issue.

The fresh immigration law has created protests throughout the United States and it is dividing the people of Tucson.The city is just around 100 kilometers from the U.S. border with Mexico.Also authorities say that at least around 40 percent of U.S. border crossing arrests exist in the Tucson region. More than 240,000 illegal migrants were taken in custody in there last year.

South of Tucson,on the border, people complain of human and drug smuggling, of nuisances like trash left by those who cross the border illegally, and of violence.One of the residents stated that lack of action by the U.S. government prompted the state measure.

Sonnenschein and London Based Law Firm to Merge

2010-05-31T05:04:00.000-07:00

Sonnenschein Nath and Rosenthal, LLP and London-based Denton Wilde Sapte,LLP have decided to become one, pending a partnership vote June 9.

Chicago-based Sonnenschein is one of the biggest law firms in St. Louis with more than 45 of its 670 total lawyers being based in St. Louis.According to a Sonnenschein spokesman, the merger won’t affect the firm’s functioning in St. Louis.

Following the partnership vote, the joint firm will be rebranded SNR Denton, beginning Sept. 30. SNR Denton will have around 1,400 attorneys functioning in 33 offices in 18 countries. Its two major offices will be London as well as New York.

Sonnenschein Chairman Elliott Portnoy will be the co-CEO of the combined firm along with Denton’s Chief Executive Howard Morris.Denton focuses in monetary legal advising and represents banks, funds and financial institutions, together with clients in energy and transportation, real estate, technology, media as well as telecommunications.

Sonnenschein focuses in capital markets, energy, public policy and government policies , property and hospitality,as well as political intelligence.

Bestattorneysonline.Com Releases The Finest Personal Injury Firms In United States

2010-05-13T02:02:00.000-07:00

The best accident law firms have been rated by bestattorneysonline.com, the autonomous authority on the best law firms, for April 2010. David Hollingsworth was chosen as one of the best accident law firms in the United States based upon an widespread evaluation done by an experienced research team.The firm was chosen from among thousands of applicants in quest of being ranked.

For nearly a decade, David Hollingsworth has been an Ottawa personal injury lawyer working with Goldberg Stroud LLP, an Ottawa law firm of 50 years, on behalf of clients who have undergone a personal injury or loved ones of those who have suffered a wrongful death due to motor vehicle accidents and additional forms of negligence since 1999. He has effectively represented clients at several levels of court, tribunals and hearings. Specifically, he represents those who have suffered injuries due to a car accident; a motorcycle accident, a bicycle accident, a boating accident, a recreational vehicle accident or as pedestrians. His proficiency and excellent case history has earned him the ranking as of the best personal injury firms.

Baker & Mackenzie turns out to be the largest law firm in US

2010-04-30T02:54:00.000-07:00

Baker and McKenzie has turned out to be America’s biggest law firm by revenue overtaking Skadden according to figures available lately.The Chicago based firm overtook its Wall Street rival for the first time in 16 years despite a 3.5 per cent fall in turnover. Revenue was $2.11 billion compared to $2.1 billion at Skadden, according to The American Lawyer’s closely monitored yearly ranking of the largest US law firms.

Skadden,which was co-founded by Joseph Flom,one of the pioneers of modern takeover plans,built its standing by advising on many of the leading acquisitions in latest decades. However, the bend in deals due to the recession led to a 4.5 per cent fall in fees last year, the magazine said.John Conroy, chairman of Baker and McKenzie, said that his firm’s performance was hopeful given the extent of the depression and was boosted by a pickup in reshuffling work and rigid investigations. He said that Baker and McKenzie also benefited from not being as rigorous in the US and Europe as its biggest global rivals.

Overall,revenues for the top 100 American firms declined by 3.4 per cent to $64.8 billion, the magazine said.However, partners jointly enjoyed a trivial increase in profits due to aggressive cost-cutting by many firms.

Aric Press, editor of The American Lawyer, stated that the American legal market is facing another rough year.Thanks to forceful cost-cutting and a decrease in equity partners, the top 100 managed to eke out a trivial growth in partner profits, he said.

Law Firm Lieberman & Blecher with the introduction of New Web Site updates Environmental Law Matters

2010-04-16T06:44:00.000-07:00

Lieberman and Blecher, New Jersey environmental law firm has launched a new Web site, offering business owners and government officials in the state with access to free online updates concerning timely environmental law as well as land use matters.

The fresh site launched by Lieberman and Blecher, a Princeton represents individuals, corporations, small businesses and public entities in a collection of ecological, land use, real estate and civil proceedings matters.

Stuart Lieberman, one of the founding members of Lieberman and Blecher and former Deputy Attorney General for the State of New Jersey stated that the new site features immense opportunities for fascinated professionals to subscribe to the free e-newsletter, which consists of efficient news and information on New Jersey environmental law topics and some useful content on the topic of the services provided by the firm.

The fresh site also contains a page devoted to law firm news. The firm lately announced that Lieberman has been chosen for the New Jersey Super Lawyers 2010, an honor that is reserved for just 5 percent of the lawyers in the state.

Importance of Client Interviews by Legal firms

2010-04-01T00:30:00.000-07:00

Social media has obtained a lot of interest lately in legal firm marketing circles.However buried beneath all the publicity is one everlasting truth:Selling legal services however still requires a mutual dialogue. While LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook can assist to widen the conversation (and help build your reputation), if you are not communicating directly to your clients and referral sources, then you are losing important opportunities to build your relationships. Direct client communication is essential to the practice of law. If you are morally obligated to carry out your client's wishes, then somebody has to supervise the client relationship and ensure that everyone on the legal team fulfills those objectives.

Inspite of these ,there needs to be several questions that needs to be tackled such as:

•How can you confirm if the client is genuinely happy?
•How do you understand if the client is likely to use your services the next time he has a need?
•Are you sure if the client will refer other potential clients?

Good service providers recognize the importance of feedback from clients. Many lawyers dont seem to give much importance to that factor. Failing to methodically obtain feedback from your best clients can be an awful business decision. Here we discuss 2 crucial factors regarding client feedback.

• Problems can be uncovered and opportunities identified through client interviews:

Client interviews can divulge personality conflicts or service troubles that need to be sorted , while there is still time to fix these problems. Interviews can reveal future needs that the client may have that the firm might be able to serve.This can be an opportunity to convey to the client regarding the other capabilities of your firm. Infact just asking your clients if they can be interviewed is a tremendous way to display that you are truly concerned about their needs. Other than making the client feel special, a good quality interview offers the client a chance to reflect on the services that they procure.

Thus,client interviews is an immense way to build the bond as the best way to build a relationship is listening.

• Utilize an esteemed partner or a trusted consultant with strong interpersonal skills:

Client interviews need to be done by someone other than the relationship partner.You are seeking frank answers that will offer insight into how to fortify the connection.If there are problems occurring beneath the surface of the relationship, they are less probable to appear if the relationship partner does the questioning. The interviewer should be a person in solid leadership or an outside vendor. What is most important is that the person has the capacity to rapidly put the client at ease and help them to open up.The interviewer should be expert in inquiring beneath the surface of the answers and should have some understanding of the client's industry, the type of the work that is being performed for the client as well as the capabilities of the law firm.

Its highly important to choose the apt person for taking client interviews.

Group of Indian Lawyers Seek to Forbid Activities of Foreign Law Firms

2010-03-25T06:02:00.000-07:00

Several lawyers in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu is seeking out government action against 31 foreign law organizations and a legal process outsourcing (LPO) company for practicing law illegally out of five star hotels as well as business centers.

A petition for a writ persuading the government to act against overseas lawyers was filed in the Chennai High Court by a lawyer on behalf of a group called the Association of Indian Lawyers. Inspite of the fact that global law firms are previously banned from having offices in India which is a restriction strengthened by a Bombay High Court decision in December,a member of the group behind the writ has informed that other means by which foreign firms operate in India need also be targeted.

One of the association members stated that the issue is no longer regarding the entry of foreign law firms,but it is also regarding the manner in which these foreign law firms continue to do business in India inspite of a ban on them. These firms have already entered India in a roundabout way and are operating out of five star hotels and business centers.

According to the writ,the association is mostly targeting corporate practice, which is less clearly proscribed than litigation. Though the focus point of foreign firms is mainly on cross-border transactions, the group seems to take the position that any task by foreign firms actually taking place in India should be prohibited. The writ also targets foreign lawyers taking part in conferences and seminars in India.The writ alleges that additonally, the advocates from various overseas law firms are frequently visiting India and conducting seminars in several parts of the country. The advocates enter India through visitor's visa but the real intention of their visit is to ultimately market and earn money out of clients from India by means of seminars.

The writ also targets how some firms have opened offices in neighboring countries. The reference is likely to Singapore, which has become the chosen base for Indian practices of global law firms.Foreign lawyers should only be permitted to work in India, the writ argues, if there are options for Indian lawyers to practice in the U.S. or U.K.

A copy of the writ is also available here

Team splits from Hogan & Hartson in Berlin to form new firm

2010-03-23T05:43:00.000-07:00

Hogan and Hartson's Berlin office is to divide into two, with 18 partners moving away to set up their own organization rather than join the combined Hogan Lovells.The fresh firm, Raue, will formally launch on May 1,which is the same day that the Hogan Lovells merger is set to go live.

The firm, that will be managed by energy and regulatory partner Christian Von Hammerstein, will consist of the 18 partners as well as 22 other lawyers. It will offer legal advice in the energy, real estate, media and telecommunications, life sciences health care,art ,entertainment sectors, with the lawyers offering tax, business, authoritarian, employment, real estate, intellectual property as well as lawsuit advice.

Von Hammerstein stated that for the past weeks and months the clear message was obtained from the market that the customers would like to work in close partnership with an alert, mediocre firm.Though it was not an effortless decision, ultimately the major factor was to keep together the excellent team and to continue in flourishing collaboration with each other as well as the clients in an autonomous, entrepreneurial group.

The divide will create the Hogan Lovells with more than 350 lawyers practising in five cities in Germany - Berlin, Duesseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich. Christoph Wagner will be the workplace managing partner of the Berlin office, following Gernod Meinel, who has decided to join the fresh firm rather than take up a position on the board of Hogan Lovells.Wagner stated that as a strong Berlin office with a important transaction-focused media and telecoms, real estate and rivalry practice, it is highly hopeful to contribute to place Hogan Lovells as a chief German law firm and as top ten law firm worldwide.

Anessa Owen Kramer of Brooks Kushman P.C - Honored as a 2010 'Leader in the Law’

2010-03-19T04:54:00.000-07:00

Anessa Owen Kramer, a shareholder at Brooks Kushman P.C, a major intellectual property (IP) and commercial law firm is honored as a 2010 "Leader in the Law" by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. Kramer is one of the 7 women who is named to this year's list along with other honorees.

Mark A. Cantor, president of Brooks Kushman P.C said that everyone is proud of Kramers recognition as a Leader in the Law. Her skill to lead and develop the trademark department has been significant to the overall expansion of Brooks Kushman P.C , and all are pleased to see her recognized externally for these efforts.

At Brooks Kushman, Kramer manages the 27-member trademark practice group, an area that generates roughly $4 million yearly and assists to direct the firm's marketing activities. Kramer manages the global trademark portfolio for several famous brands.Additionally, Brooks Kushman works to develop Brooks Kushman's reputation in trademark expertise on a national and worldwide level and leads latest business pitches to main companies. One of her greatest legal accomplishments at Brooks Kushman was helping to convince Ford Motor Co. to combine and contract out U.S. and global trademark legal work with the law firm, saving Ford millions of dollars and tripling Brooks Kushman's profits.

According to Michigan Lawyers Weekly, "Leaders in the Law" are individuals who: are smart, wise, well-informed and flourishing; illustrate the noble tradition of the legal profession; win cases and solve problems with the paramount integrity; motivate and guide others with their skills and character; are role models and mentors; and are zealous and belligerent on behalf of clients and the community.

Top Hawaii Corporate Law Firms

2010-03-12T01:25:00.000-08:00

Bestattorneysonline.com,The independent organization on the best law firms has disclosed the rankings assigned to the best Hawaii Corporate law firms for Mar 2010. Corporate law focuses on the laws and regulations relating to chief corporations and the parameters of their business functions as well as processes.

The conclusion was obtained by means of a skilled research team who evaluated nearly thousands of applicants. They reviewed the company’s awareness and experience in the field of business law in Hawaii.

Following is the list of top Hawaii corporate attorneys for March 2010 :

1. Suemori and Associates, A Limited Liability Law Company
2. Winer Meheula and Devens, LLP
3. Gelber, Gelber, and Ingersoll, A Law Corporation
4. Poelman and Langa
5. Harlan Y. Kimra Attorney At Law, A Law Corporation
6. Char Hamilton Campbell and Yoshida, Attorneys at Law, A Law Corporation
7. Colin K. Kurata Counselor at Law
8. Char Sakamoto Issii Lum and Ching
9. Oliver, Lau, Lawhn, Ogawa and Nakamura,Attorneys At Law, A Law Corporation
10. Reuben S. F. Wong

Hassans international law firm Ranked No 1

2010-03-01T04:38:00.000-08:00

Hassans international law firm is once more ranked No 1 in the independent directory, Chambers Global 2010. Its individual position further strengthens the firms' reputation, proficiency and excellence of service to clients.

Javier Chincotta, Managing Partner at Hassans conveys that it gives a definite contentment to be ranked in this way, being aware that the basis of position is based on client interviews. Additonally he said that Hassans continuously attempts to achieve excellence in client service and this credit confirms that belief.In addition to their No.1 Ranking, Senior Partner, James Levy QC received a 'Star Individual' ranking (the only Gibraltar lawyer to do so). This ranking is set aside for lawyers with exceptional recommendations in their field.

Chambers and Partners choose firms for rankings based on a 3 step process; submissions given by legal practices, client interviews in the course of research, as well as their own database resources.Chambers and Partners conveyed that with a wealth of resources and depth of expertise spanning so many diverse areas, it is predictable that Hassans' lawyers draw much comparison with London's leading legal achievers.

Chambers also added that James Levy QC has proved to be an instrumental figure in developing the jurisdiction, and has strong associations with the local as well as international legal community. This terrifically charismatic lawyer's widespread practice includes global joint venture work, private client work and property transactions.

Internet Marketing Highly Valuable for Legal Websites

2010-02-15T23:27:00.000-08:00

For the past year, there has been a stable evolution in Internet marketing for lawyers and everyone else. Towards the end of 2009, Google announced the beginning of real-time search. This is a great advantage to law firm marketers as news articles, blogs and web pages has a good chance of coming into sight on the actual results pages for your prospects searches. Google has also included data from publicly available Facebook pages and Twitter as part of the search result. Real time searching is inevitable at this stage and with the addition of the two top social media sites, it appears that Google is creating the pace for internet users.

The latest progress together with the superior frequency of Universal search results (that includes video, images and books), makes it more essential for law firm web marketers to build content that is more convincing and exceptional than the conventional web content of a couple of years ago . As today, legal firm websites are in a very competitive situation, and offer themselves well to breaking news, organization updates, and fresh in case law, legal marketers would be well served to utilize the following tactics:

*Create a Legal Firm Blog - Post the latest topics that are of interest to both clients and referring attorneys. Include keyword rich content and syndicate your blogs widely across the Internet.

*Create a Facebook Page with Appealing Content - Add images, videos and enable fans to fix appointments for free case evaluations by way of your page.

*Take Advantage of the Search Engine Giant Google - Use Google local so that you become visible on the local map for geo targeted key words that is applicable for your practice.

*Publish optimized Press Releases – Create highly professional Press Releases and publish to appropriate PR sites.

Several legal marketers are shifting towards the real time search bandwagon together with the rest of the Internet marketing universe. The initiation of this search capability provides a constructive way of being listed in the first few pages of search results when a client begins their investigation based on their need for legal assistance. On the contrary, staying on the top requires a steady ongoing basis,which requires tremendous effort.

Legal Recruiters Recognize Improvement in Law Firm Job Market

2010-02-11T02:18:00.000-08:00

Legal recruiters have observed a significant upturn in the law firm jobs market in the past three months, and are anticipating a still more buoyant year ahead.The optimistic forecasts came as a fresh survey predicting a 7% rise in graduate vacancies in the legal sector this year.

Colin Loth, manager of the legal teams at recruitment firm Badenoch & Clark, said he had witnessed a 50% raise in the number of new vacancies for lawyers compared to three months ago. He said that week after week they are seeing improvements. He also added that US and City firms were beginning to recruit again in their conventional areas of corporate, commercial, finance, dispute resolution and lawsuit. He noted that the number of property jobs was also mounting.

Loth put the timing of the improvement down to a general raise in confidence among law firms after a year of doubt and procrastination. But he said transformed activity could also be attributable to some firms cutting back a lot and then being stretched by their present workloads. Many firms don’t want to be seen to be hiring too soon after they’ve let people go. So those firms which made redundancies at the start of last year are beginning to gear up again after a year has passed.

Overall, Loth said the prediction for 2010 is better than last year, but the continuous growth in the jobs market will rely on the economy.Mike Walker, group manager at recruitment firm Taylor Root, said he had seen a 40% improvement since September 2009, but the market is still to some extent tough.Walker said that there has at all times been partner recruitment where people had business to take with them, but associate roles in corporate,finance and litigation are presently coming back into the market and firms are starting to plan ahead.

In the meantime, the latest survey by the Association of Graduate Recruiters predicted a 7.4% increase in legal sector jobs in 2010.

Allen & Overy to launch Australian office after recruiting 15 lawyers from Clayton Utz

2010-02-07T23:16:00.000-08:00

Global Law firm Allen & Overy is on the verge of establishing an Australian office after recruiting around 15 top lawyers from the popular Australian firm Clayton Utz. The decision taken by one of the world's biggest law firms "Allen & Overy" is expected to be made public late tonight Australian time.

Industry sources conveyed that the new Australian office is anticipated to focus on corporate work and is a symbol of confidence in the growth prospects of the Australian economy. Allen & Overy by now has 31 offices across the globe and is anticipated to use its new Australian practice to provide additional legal resources for the firm’s practice in China.

The establishment of the Australian office is anticipated to be welcomed by corporate Australia as it will augment competition for high-end commercial legal advice, which is presently dominated by a minute group of large Australian firms.

Digital fingerprinting may be illegal in Canada

2009-10-09T05:41:00.000-07:00

The Marketing Research and Intelligence Association (MRIA) has given a a warning to its members that digital fingerprinting may be illegal in Canada as it "might collect additional information than is required to recognize fake and duplicate respondents in online research".
A legal opinion organized by technology and privacy lawyer Brian Bowman, a partner at law firm Pitblado, has adviced that digital fingerprinting may not meet the ‘reasonableness test’ with regard to Canadian privacy laws.

The MRIA said it was "extremely likely" that data obtained by digital fingerprinting technology would include personal information, as stated by the country’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). Privacy laws in Canada put an obligation on organizations to "exhaust" other less privacy-invasive alternatives previous to gathering personal information (as defined by PIPEDA), which means that digital fingerprinting technology would not pass a 'reasonableness test'.

The legal opinion however stated that "this is a particularly stringent requirement. The use of the word "exhaust" means that all other less privacy-invasive alternatives should be attempted in vain before digital fingerprinting is utilized to recognize and remove reproduction and/or fake participants. We are therefore of the opinion that members who fail to meet this customary may be established to be non-compliant with PIPEDA on this basis."

The MRIA has advised research agencies who use digital fingerprinting technology, which can normally collect around 100 data elements from a respondent’s computer to remove duplicate respondents, that they must create a specific approval document rather than just amend their privacy policies.

MRIA president David Stark warned that Bowman's legal opinions could have extensive implications. He stated "Canada has a wide-ranging privacy law that is largely similar to data protection laws that is found in Europe, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Hence , the privacy issues and probable liabilities associated with digital fingerprinting in Canada could be appropriate to these and other jurisdictions"

Several women quitting the legal profession in British Columbia

2009-09-20T22:18:00.000-07:00

High number of women have quit the legal profession in recent years in British Columbia inspite of the fact that more women than men enter the legal profession here. During the last year, there were nearly 260 new female lawyers in the province, when compared to 231 male lawyers , based on the 2008 annual report of the Law Society of B.C. But women represent only 34 per cent of all lawyers in British Columbia and 29 per cent of lawyers in full-time private practice, displaying a mass departure of women from law careers.The law society reported new female lawyers from 2003 to 2008 and found that one-third dropped out of the occupation in this period. On the other hand ,when compared to men,just 20 per cent of men dropped out of private practice in the same period.

The soaring drop-out rate has impelled the law society to take measures to try to preserve female lawyers. Kathryn Berge, a Victoria lawyer who chairs a Law Society committee created to address the issue, said women lawyers are leaving this profession for various reasons, including family responsibilities. Berge also added that several men and women have considerable family responsibilities.Normally what women are looking for is the same as men i.e outstanding work and opportunities for development.

An up-to-date report by the committee addressing the problem suggested the following top practices
1.Raising awareness of and correcting unintentional and concealed biases
2.Ensuring bias-free evaluations
3.Providing fair access to assignments
4.Promoting significant mentoring
5.Encouraging workplace flexibility that includes part-time schedules in order to balance life/work responsibilities
6.Offering business development opportunities for women and
7.Encouraging the growth of professional networks for women.

Berge stated that retaining female lawyers makes financial sense for both large and mediocre firms.

Australian Law firms – Target of email scams

2009-09-09T03:48:00.000-07:00

Australian law firms are the newest victims of a Nigerian bank-style trick that swept through North America last year, targeting millions set aside in lawyers' trust accounts.The Law Society of NSW has cautioned firms after numerous firms reported counterfeit approaches from Asian companies looking for their services in debt collection matters.

The fake clients ask the firm to write a demanding letter to gather a debt from a company in Australia. After this,the 'debtor' sends a cheque for hundreds of thousands of dollars to the firm, and the 'client' asks for an electronic refund minus the firm's fee ahead of the forged cheque has completed processing.

The scam companies claim to be in Japan, mainland China or Hong Kong, as they were when they cheated several Canadian and US lawyers a year ago.In most of the cases the company names are real but the information is false, allowing the scammers to exploit the reputations of well-known businesses. In certain versions of the scam, even fake employ secretaries are employed to reply bogus phone numbers on bank cheques and certify that they are 'genuine'.

The Law Society's Trust Department issued in a statement that several firms across Australia are the victims of such fake emails.

More lawyers turn towards social networking

2009-08-26T04:24:00.000-07:00

Lawyers, often uninterested to the group mentality, are starting to grip social networking and are noticing some returns. Progressive legal practitioners declare they are using social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn in three main ways: to market themselves, to enhance communication with clients and further in order to boost an understanding of their clients' business relationships.

Law firm public relations consultant Elizabeth Lampert stated that most of these sites are household names whether or not you tweet, have a profile or have constructed a strong strength of "friends." Utilizing — or not utilizing— these technologies can speak a lot about the business person.

Since lawyers are trained to steer clear of risk from the beginning, attorneys and law firms are sluggish to get used to change.As a result, most lawyers are enjoying this change.
This is what some of the lawyers had to say with regard to their experience in social networking sites:

"I have clients and potential clients that don't send me mails any more; they only send me express messages using Twitter."

"I utilize these tools and services in order to comprehend the business that most of my clients are touching and are in."

"It's an incredible method to keep up with clients on an individual level — to know what's happening with their lives."

Laws with reference to real estate disclosure

2009-08-13T06:02:00.000-07:00

Real estate disclosure laws legally compel the seller to divulge any grave defects to potential buyers of a property. These laws were fashioned to guard the buyer from defects that they may not become aware of until they have previously closed the deal on the property and have taken ownership. Inspite of this , real estate disclosure laws may be hard to enforce as what constitutes severe defects may be open to at least some explanation.Due to this, these laws are under steady change and many states still don't have winning disclosure laws.

States which do not possess mandatory real estate disclosure laws usually have only a voluntary disclosure from seller to buyer, so ensure to exercise extra watchfulness when buying property in one of these states. You can even check with your real estate agent to discover the laws that affect your state.Local laws having to do with real estate disclosure may also be valid and it’s a good idea to converse these issues with a lawyer and/or real estate professional.

A compulsory written disclosure questionnaire from the seller to the buyer about the accurate condition of the home is compulsory in some states, though the laws that cover any violations vary widely. Couple of real estate disclosure laws includes recovery of legal fees if the buyer has to take legal action against the seller due to any discrepancies between the questionnaire and the genuine condition of the property. Home inspection is a good preventive measure to buying imperfect or faulty real estate, yet the home inspector should be licensed and hired by the buyer.A seller might have signed papers stating that the property is free from severe defects, yet these papers could be from an unlicensed contractor rather than a licensed inspector.

Judge puts forth proposals to rescue newspapers

2009-07-27T02:49:00.000-07:00

In the current situation as several businesses are running out of business at a fast pace,one of the main reasons is blamed on blogs as well as websites which link to the content on newspaper sites.Several proposals have been formulated,in the U.S. and abroad, to modify the existing law which causes several damages to the newspaper.

Its ironic that one of the proposals to modify the law to benefit newspapers comes from a judge who blogs regularly.Judge Richard Posner of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit also works as a professor at the University of Chicago Law School and is a bright and creative scholar.Usually when he speaks, people listen well.Lately,when Judge Posner blogged regarding this issue,people listened and commented in huge numbers.

The judge recommended that the solution to the problem may be to transform copyright law to disallow linking to or paraphrasing paper content.Intensifying copyright law to prevent online access to copyrighted materials without the permission of copyright holder, or to prevent linking to or paraphrasing copyrighted materials without the approval of copyright holder, might be obligatory in order to avoid further damage to newspapers.

However many have commented in the blog that the Judge’s suggestion is extremely strange and impractical.

New bill passed in Canada concerning Tobacco farmers

2009-07-16T01:21:00.000-07:00

A new law has been passed in Canada concerning tobacco growers.The House of Commons passed a bill regarding the US grown burley tobacco which would eliminate the Canadian market for United States. Burley tobacco is a variety usually blended with additional types of tobacco and mixed with chemical flavors to make its weird taste more smooth.

The Canadian bill's followers revealed that C-32 would avoid the manufacturing of candyor fruit-flavored mini-cigars or cigarillos that are focused at children.In 2007, nearly 25 percent of Canada’s 15 to 17-year-olds smoked one of these cigarillos, said Colin Carrie, parliamentary secretary for Canada's minister of health.Colin Carrie expressed in a statement before passing the Bill on June 17th that altering the Tobacco Act could prevent more youth people from experimenting with an addictive substance.

But the new law which could be disastrous for US tobacco farmers expecially for those farmers in Kentucky,eastern Tennessee where Burley Tobacco is grown extensively.

Kevin Leonard,one of the farmers in Washington County firm has this to say "Ive had to tackle several problems during my 40 years of growing tobacco.Problems of weather,which is usually of extremes.Now there has been the regulation of tobacco by the Food and drug Administration.Lately the new bill passed in Canada has caused bigger problems for my farm."

Stricter Cybercrime Laws in Canada

2009-07-07T04:16:00.000-07:00

A new law, called "Technical Assistance for Law Enforcement in the 21st century," was enforced in June in Canada which utilizes the help of internet service providers in fighting cybercrime. The new law would require Internet service providers to add interception features in their networks. The Canadian government enforced this legislation which allows police to intercept data sent over the Internet and access web subscriber information in order to scrap cybercrimes.

Though the internet has greatly improved the lifestyle of the Canadian people and has even become an integral part of their lives, it has also led to the increase in crimes like distributing pornography and online banking fraud.

Justice Minister Rob Nicholson mentioned during a press conference that it is necessary to be equipped with adequate tools in order to catch the people who are involved in cyber crimes. However,the authorities would still have to attain a warrant to capture communication or to access subscriber details.The bill ensures that agencies will be able to supervise text, voice and video messages while investigating a suspect.When a police agency today requests information from an ISP, they get a diverse response each time. Some will turn over the information, others need a court-issued warrant, and there are some ISPs who are simply incapable to monitor subscribers.The government in Canada is trying its best to sort out all these issues.

Though Police groups highly praised the bill, privacy advocates have accused it

New Seat Belt Law imposed in Florida

2009-07-01T03:48:00.000-07:00

Several states in USA have been witnessing major accidents,one of the major causes being that the victims were not wearing seat belts at the time of the incident.

Seat belts usually guard you from being thrown from a vehicle. If you are thrown from a vehicle your risk of death is much larger .By guarding you in your seat, a seat belt safe guards you from being thrown into others in the car as well as parts of your car.Additionally,seat belts ensures that the driver is in their seat so they can control the car.

In the previous situations in Florida,seat belt ticket could be given by officers only if the driver was caught for any other office.But from now onwards,seat belt law enforces that the driver who is not wearing a seat belt will be charged for a primary offense.This new law will prevent several injuries as well as fatalities.

FHP(Florida Highway Patrol) held that all front seat passengers must wear a seat belt, and any passengers younger than 18 must wear them,irrespective of where they are seated.Children belonging to 3 years and younger should be in a federally approved child restraint device, while children in the age group of 4 and 5 must be in a seatbelt, detached carrier or built-in childseat

The Occupational Safety and Health Act

2009-06-23T02:53:00.000-07:00

The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) is one of the acts of the Environmental Law. It is one of the important law which lays emphasis for the employees of any organization. To be more precise, the law ensures that the employers provide the employees good working environment which is devoid of mechanical dangers,poisonous chemicals,high degrees of heat , cold or excessive noise levels.Thus this act enforces the wellbeing, fitness and the welfare of the employees.

The act was enforced in the US in the year 1970.Each country has its own form of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.In Canada, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), a group of the Government of Canada, was created in 1978 by an Act of Parliament.The act was based on the belief that all Canadians had a basic right to a healthy as well as safe working conditions.The UK safety and health regulations come under Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.In Malaysia, Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) is incharge of safety and health conditions.

Bankruptcy Law

2009-06-17T04:11:00.000-07:00

Bankruptcy is the scenario wherein any person realises that his business is in a position that he is in unable to repay back any of his debts.In other words,Bankruptcy is a legally declared state of an individual where he is unable to pay his creditors.Bankruptcy law provides a solution which enables a debtor in order to resolve his debts by dividing all his assests among the creditors.The person opts to meet a lawyer to decide whether he needs to pay the debt within a particular date.On the other hand he could meet with a lawyer so that he could discharge most of his debts.

In the present days,the period of recession has created a great demand for bankruptcy lawyers.Doe to this ,most of the law firms are ensuring that their bankruptcy as well as restructuring practises are made much stronger.

History of Development of Copyright Law

2009-06-09T03:40:00.000-07:00

Historically before the existence of copyright laws, any documents and literary works could be copied without even obtaining the consent of the author. In many cases,ironically large profits were obtained when reprints were made.In many cases, these profits crossed the prices of the original copy itself.

Eventually by 1886,copyright laws evolved internationally and re-established again in 1952.In the present day,there are clear cut guidelines with regards to copyright laws. Most professionals who are involved in producing original works consider copyright as an important step in protecting their originality.

Before the existence of copyright laws,most of the people who were involved in the printing field found a dire need to preserve their original works.Due to this,legislation was passed in the 18^th century in England ,which provided the facility to retain one’s works.In addition copyright laws enforced that permission needs to be taken in order to copy anyone’s works.

Thus the term "copyright" is associated with the individual rights of the works created by journalists, website designers, photographers,hi-technology etc.

Layoffs in Law firms increased drastically

2009-05-29T04:40:00.000-07:00

A shocking figure indicates that more than 10,000 people were laid off from law firms in the year 2009 alone.Though the pace of lay offs in law firms is still slow, the number of people being laid off have increased hugely.In addition to this,it needs to be noticed that law firms have cut down the pay scales for their lawyers.Both the factors is attributed due to the global recession which has hit several companies.

The only relief seems to be the slow pace in which the layoffs have taken place.What needs to be observed that it took just till April to reach the 10000 figure which is more than the number of total people who were laid off in the year 2008.

The several companies which had laid off their employees include:

DLA Piper laid off 124 in UK Offices

Hunton & Williams laid off 23 Lawyers as well as 64 Staffers

Fish & Richardson managed to lay off 120 lawyers

Thompson & Knight cuts around 17 associates as well as 25 support staff lately.

Milbank laid off 89 of their employees which included 49 lawyers and 40 staff

Eckert Seamans plans to cut 119 of their temporary lawyers

Business courses for law firms

2009-05-25T03:58:00.000-07:00

Lately, business courses are being offered at several large firms with the goal of strengthening management skills.This step has been taken due to the extensive declining profits occurring in law firms for more than a year.Consequently there exists a symbiotic relationship between the law firms and the business schools.A number of law firms are enrolling their lawyers in business schools for improving their management skills.In return the business schools co-operate by creating apt new programs for lawyers.

Harvard University has initiated a education program at Harvard University that guides lawyer managers to lead law firms. The Boston University offers a mini MBA program for members of the members of the Washington D.C.based Association of Corporate Counsel.There are other universities also following this pattern. Georgetown University McDonough School of Business will start a business program soon for a huge global firm. George Washington University in association with the Hildebrandt Institute runs a degree program in law firm management.

Scores of law firms have now understood the importance of training their lawyers in management skills.

National Environmental Policy Act

2009-05-22T05:29:00.000-07:00

The National Environmental Policy Act(NEPA) is one of the most important environmental laws.The NEPA was assigned into Law in 1970 by the US President Richard Nixon. This act is different from the other acts in that is entirely procedural and doesn’t include specific regulations. This act provides a process by which actions proposed by the government which usually leaves a negative impact on the environment,needs to be reviewed.NEPA came into existence following extensive protests against the federal government's demolition of neighborhoods and the natural environment while building Interstate highways between the 1950s and 1960

NEPA stresses that all federal agencies need to consider the environmental impacts of any major action like constructing a dam or even making changes to a fishery management plan.Before any major action is initiated by the federal government, the federal agency taking that action needs to write an Environmental Assessment (EA) to resolve and clarify if there will be any negative impacts to the environment.

In case any negative impact is found,the agency needs to draft a Environment Impact Statement (EIS) in order to specify the exact reason for action, review alternative methods for action as well as allow for the public to comment.Once the EIS is released for the public comment, several individuals,including groups will study alternatives and the impacts,if any to the environment .In case the agency fails to agree with the NEPA rules,then there are huge chances of lawsuits being filed against them by environmental groups.

Law as a career - some myths

2009-05-18T05:37:00.000-07:00

Well though here,we concentrate on just the myths which indirectly highlights the cons of this career, it is just with the intention of eliminating certain myths for those willing to pursue a career as a lawyer.On a positive note, this profession is a highly respectable one and specially apt for those with abundant talents and willing to bring about justice in the society through their profession:

One of the best methods to be successful in any career is to have an understanding of the pros and cons of any career. The career of law is such that most people who enter this career have developed several myths in this field.The following are a few of them:

The career is the one of the best methods to obtain financial success:
Most of the large law firms require lawyers to work around 50 to 60 hours a week.
Eventually when one divides the monthly salary into the number of hours worked, the salary received does not seem so satisfactory. Highly paid jobs are obtained while working on large law firms but unfortunately these law firms represent a very small percentage. Most of the lawyers are employed in extremely low paying firms and the government.

A person with excellent arguing skills can make a good lawyer:
This is a popular myth occurring in the minds of most people. Though good arguing skills could help to some extent, the most essential aspects for being a good lawyer is to possess the skills to convince the judge, jury and the audiences through collection of well researched facts. Oral advocacy and writing skills are the major skills required for pursuing the career.

A lawyer's profession is extremely challenging:
Unlike what most people usually believe, a lawyer’s profession could be entirely dreary and repetitive. Specially in large firms, new lawyers are expected to perform tasks such as document review including routine research.

The Clean Air and Clean Water act

2009-05-12T03:54:00.000-07:00

The Clean Air Act is the law formulated in order to ensure that all people have air that is safe to breathe. Public health safety is the primary goal, though the law also protects the environment from harm that is caused by air pollution. This law assists in reducing smog as well as air pollution in general.The effort of the government in order to ensure a clean environment has also led to improved health conditions of people,indirectly leading to longer life spans.

The Clean Water Act was is the law formulated in order to eliminate water pollution.This act is also popularly known as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and was formulated in the year 1972.The main purpose of this act was to ensure that no pollutants were being discharged into the rivers,thus providing a secure environment for fishing as well as swimming.There were some sections of the law which was devoted to the wetlands,as they act as filtrations and help in straining any detrimental pollutants from water.

Environmental Law

2009-05-07T01:38:00.000-07:00

Environmental Law which was passed in 1970 aka as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is the law consisting of statutes,regulations,policies,treaties,common law which ensures the protection of the natural environment ,that is affected by any of human activities.In other words,these laws were formulated to eliminate the danger of caused to the environment from public or private activities.

The NEPA Act is accountable for providing the alertness and the channels to eliminate danger to the environment ,as well as establishing goals and laws that will reduce the risk factor of environmental harm.There are several federal environmental statutes which constitute the environmental law. These include:

• The Clean Air Act
• The Clean Water Act
• The National Environmental Policy Act
• The Occupational Safety and Health Act
• The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
• The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act
• Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-know Act
• The Pollution Prevention Act
• The Toxic Substances Control Act

Some environmental catastrophes such as the nuclear reactor in Ukraine's Chernobyl in 1986, Three mile Island in Pennsylvania has caused some awareness regarding the protection of the environment for the entire world.

Importance of Business Lawyers

2009-04-30T04:08:00.000-07:00

Hiring a business attorney is extremely important while deciding to start a business.There are different types of business such as Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, Corporation , Limited Liability Company(LLC) ,Limited Liability partnership (LLP).The legal advise of an attorney is necessary to decide which kind of business structure to decide upon.

Business Attorneys or Lawyers will guide you regarding the procedures involved in starting the business entity and ensuring that all the legal requirements such as licenses are obtained.In this way,they will help you operate the business without troubles or worries. Business attorneys can guide you correctly in almost every aspect of the business which is extremely important for the favorable outcome of a business.In certain cases,the role of a business attorney is highly crucial.If an injury has occured to a customer in the facility of your office,then a business lawyer is definitely required.In situations where a business is being inquired for a fraud also,an attorney can play a vital role.

Cyber law

2009-04-23T05:01:00.000-07:00

Cyber Law is a generic term that is related to the legal aspects of the Internet. In other words this law refers to the legal issues within the emerging areas of cyberspace.The enormous growth of Electronic Commerce has led the need for effective mechanisms.Cyber law is extremely important as it touches almost all aspects of transactions and activities on and dealing with the Internet, the World Wide Web and Cyberspace.

When the Internet was developed, the founders of Internet hardly had any clue that Internet could transform itself into an all penetrating revolution which could be misused for criminal activities and which required laws and regulations. Today, there are many disturbing incidents happening in cyberspace.Due to the anonymous nature of the Web, it is possible to get involved into a variety of criminal activities.Specially today, people have been misusing the Internet to involve themselves in criminal activities in cyberspace.Hence the dire need for Cyberlaws have been involved.In today's highly digitalized and fast-paced world, almost every person is affected by cyber law.

Cyber Laws come into the picture in the cases of cyber crimes such as online banking frauds,credit card fraud, theft of source code, phishing, hacking,attacks of virus etc.

Intellectual Property

2009-04-20T04:59:00.000-07:00

Intellectual property Law (IP) is a legal definition of inventions, innovative ideas and other commercial products created out of an individual’s thought processes. In some aspects,IP is similar to real estate.IP is usually protected by patents,trademarks and copyrights,in the same way as real estate title and bills of sale establish ownership of concrete items.

One aspect which we need to consider is that not every new idea or innovation which appears in a person’s mind is considered as Intellectual Property.The IP law is usually utilized to prevent stealing of any innovations or ideas or to some copyright issues.Many people throughout the History of the world might have visualized long distance communicaton.But eventually it was Alexander Graham established the ownership of the telephone through IP law.

It is not necessary that Intellectual Property belongs to the original inventor.In cases where the Individual scientists working for pharmaceutical companies invent a drug for cancer or other diseases, the actual intellectual property rights will be held by the company as a whole.

Immigration Laws

2009-04-16T04:51:00.000-07:00

Immigration laws are the rules which deal with the immigration practices of a country.For a person to migrate to another country,he or she needs to do so in accordance with the immigration practices of a country.The main aim of these laws is to ensure that migration is done efficiently.Some countries usually maintain strict laws which enforces the right of entry and internal rights once established: such as the duration of stay, the freedom,the to participate in government etc.

The immigration laws differ for each country, as each country has a different perspective on immigration.Generally the department of immigration regulates the immigration law.These laws are formulated by the legal experts in the country pertaining to the economic and social conditions.The legislative body of the country generally enforces the immigrations laws.

For a lay person, the procedures of the law are usually complex.One best option for a person who is planning to migrate would be to seek some expert advice.Assistance can be obtained either through Government Counsels or online clarifications. Official websites for immigration will be the ideal choice to collect information about immigration law.

If you need to contact an Immigration Consultant,visit
http://www.bensoncolaw.ca/immigrationconsulting.php

Brief History About Employment Law

2009-04-13T03:38:00.000-07:00

Nearly less than a century ago, there was hardly any protection for employees.Employees were treated miserably by the employers. Often employees were paid extremely low wages and they were made to work for extremely long hours. Mostly the working conditions were filthy and they were not paid compensation during accidents at job. The workers were denied of any kind of health insurance. Often children were subjected to employment abuse.

Once the period of Industrial Revolution entered America and Europe, several people left the rural areas and entered the cities in search of jobs in factories.As a result, the number of employees began to increase in all the factories.Eventually the government was left with no other option, but to step in and form the Modern Employment law to protect the rights of the employees.

Employment law is an important effort taken by the Government in order to protect our rights as human beings. Employment law ensures that employees work in a safe environment, are not overworked and are paid proper wages. In addition this law also ensures that no discrimination takes place in the work place in terms of caste, creed, religion, gender etc.

Employment Law

2009-04-08T02:13:00.000-07:00

Employment law, also known as Labor Law,provides protection for employees against any kind of ill treatment from their employers. Employement Law focusses on the relationship that exists between trade unions, employers and employees.

The first components of Employment Law consisted of the following:

Establish proper and decent wages.
Provide a fair number of working hours per day.
To ensure that children are being treated fairly at work.
Ensuring cleanliness at workplace.
Steps to provide safety measures to prevent accidents.

Though the above were the major areas of Employment Law, they have undergone drastic changes over the years. This Law focuses on the rights of the employees too. Factors such as providing health insurance is also an ingredient of Labor law.A very important aspect of Labor Law ensures that there is no discrimination against employees on the basis of race, gender, caste etc.

There are 2 broad categories of labour law:

Collective Labour law which deals with the relationship that exists between employee, employer as well as the union.
Individual Labour law dealing with the employees rights at work

Business Law

2009-04-01T03:07:00.000-07:00

Business law involves rules as well as regulations which are related to commercial transactions as well as provide a legal framework within which business transactions may be managed. The term Commercial Law is also associated with Business Law in some cases.

Business law is very diverse and includes areas such as business formation and organization, business negotiations and planning, banking and finance law, sale of business, business litigation etc. Some of the subsets of business laws include Corporate Law, Commercial Real Estate, Trusts and Enforcing Foreign Judgments. This Law deals with providing financial information related to a particular organization to managers to assist them to manage their business.

Business law form an important part of everyday lives through every contractual dealing undertaken. A contract, is generally in the form of a commercial bargain involving some kind of exchange of goods or services for a price, is a legally binding agreement which is made by two or more persons and is enforceable by the courts. The contract can be either written or oral. For the contract to be binding, these need to exist-an offer and unqualified acceptance ,the intention to create legal intentions, consideration which is valuable as well as genuine consent. The terms need to be legal as well as of performance.

Lemon Law

2009-03-24T04:49:00.000-07:00

It is quite surprising that the term 'Lemon' is applicable to Law and above all even more astonishing that there is a term 'Lemon Law' which is applicable to vehicle especially cars.A brief history about this term..mostly during the 1800, 'Lemon' was the word used by people to refer to people who were very unfriendly. Eventually the word was used as a slang to refer to something as "worthless" in American English. During the course of time, 'Lemon' was the term used to consider anything that was defective, especially a car.

Assume you have bought a car,which gives you trouble as soon as you have purchased it.To qualify under state "lemon laws", the defect must be ample and must occur within a certain mileage period, usually 12,000 miles or a duration of one year.In this case,the purchase gets 2 options,of either obtaining a refund or getting a replacement vehicle for the car.But in some cases,the matter needs to be taken to the court.

If we consider America, Lemon Laws vary from state to state, so precise information on the range and rules of Lemon Laws in a particular state need to be collected from an attorney practicing in that state.

Strict Liability Tort

2009-03-19T02:38:00.000-07:00

Strict liability law applies to any manufacturers who manufacture and sell their products which eventually harm the consumers who utilize the product as per directed. In other words, strict liability torts are applicable to the product liability law, which is a section of personal injury law. The factors of a strict liability tort are similar to that of a negligent tort (injury, duty) except that in the case of strict liability, the victim doesn't need to prove their negligence.

Consider the example of a tire on a driver's car which bursts due to some defect and the driver is injured. The tire manufacture needs to be blamed and has to compensate for the damage done for the victim. This is applicable even in the case when the manufacturer is unaware of the defect. As strict liability is applicable even if negligence, fault or intent is not involved. Strict liability is common in circumstances that are usually dangerous, such as demolition projects, cases where animals are involved (dog bites), or using perilous materials. The most common strict liability cases are applicable to defectively manufactured products or drugs.

Negligent Tort

2009-03-16T03:09:00.000-07:00

The other type of tort is negligent tort, which is a common type of tort,which is not done intentionally. Negligent torts occur due to negligent behavior by a person, and the injury might be caused to due to lack of performance of duty with diligence. Some examples of tort laws include damaging the glasses of a vehicle such a car or bike while playing cricket.A driver causing a bike accident by failing to obey the traffic laws may be considered negligent due to careless driving .He is responsible for the damages caused to the other person. Even some unethical medical practices can be categorized as negligent torts.

In order to prevail in a negligence action, the affected or injured party needs to prove that the other party who had a duty of being careful, did not be careful and that the failure to maintain such reasonable care resulted in injuries to the aggrieved party.To sum up, negligence can be said as injury caused due to one‘s failure to perform their duties with exceptional care.

Intentional Tort

2009-03-10T05:04:00.000-07:00

Intentional tort occurs due to an intentional act done by a person in order to harm another individual. In the case of intentional tort, though the tortfeasor(the person who caused the harm) might not have had the intention to harm the other person, he or she might be fully aware of the consequences of the particular act.

Examples of intentional torts include assault, battery, false imprisonment etc of which assault is the most common. Assault refers to an attempt to create a sense of fear in another person. In the case of assault, physical contact is not involved.For example, if a person just threatens to hit another person with a chair, it would come under assault. Eventually when the person actually hits the person with the chair it would come under battery.

Tort Law

2009-03-03T04:34:00.000-08:00

Usually individuals or groups file personal injury laws if they have been injured as a consequence of another person’s negligence. These laws are classified under the category of civil law and are also addressed as torts. Those areas which cover the aspects of laws and law suits are known as Tort Law. Thus most of the law suits which are filed for personal injury is categorized as Tort Law.

The main goal of Tort Law is to obtain the money lost during damages. These damages might be indirectly for the cases of lost income, to compensate for pain as well as suffering and in some cases for the reimbursement of medical expenses that the victim suffered due to their injury. In rare cases, the victim might even seek for imprisonment for the person who caused the damage.

There are three broad categories of Tort law: Intentional, Negligent and Strict liability torts. The main task of a personal injury attorney is to determine in which of these categories the injury falls.

Lawyers from several countries unite in order to handle the Madoff Case

2009-02-23T04:36:00.000-08:00

The lawyers of 3 british companies Edwin Coe,Bristows and Speechly Bircham had joined up and attended the initial meeting of the Madoff Case which was held in Madrid.In addition to these British companies,there were lawyers from nearly 21 countries to attend this meeting on Feb 16.These lawyers indeed represent investors,several banks as well as public organizations.

The 3 firms by joining a world alliance in order to represent the claimants who have lost in the $50 billion fraud case of Bernard Madoff(in picture),who is an American Broker.Many investors have been terribly hit..…. they range from people who have invested a small amount to a huge amount. This has been the first time that lawyers from different countries have united in order to find a solution for a global problem.

This alliance has been coordinated by the Spanish law firm Cremades Calvo-Sotelo, in order to represent the three million people who might have lost their money in the fraud.

Is there hope for disabled Law graduates?

2009-02-20T00:33:00.000-08:00

Graduates who are disabled still do not get a fair deal from law firms.In a research conducted recently, it was revealed that of the 50 companies,only 18 percent of the firms had opportunities for law students with disabilities to undergo training.

Robert Byk, graduate recruitment partner at Slaughter and May however claimed that this is a developing area and this can be improved over time. Also the research has revealed that disabled trainees,presently just account for 0.35 per cent of the firms intake. Andrew Shutter,a graduate recruitment partner at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton had mentioned that in no way should physical disability affect the applicants who are applying.

But here was the first Law Firm Mayer Brown which tied up with EmployAbility,in July 2008 and provided the first summer vacation for law students and graduates.This 4 week summer program helps in getting recruited in leading law firms.

Types of Laws

2009-02-16T22:40:00.000-08:00

Here we discuss few types of Laws:

Contract law emphasizes on items and services which we buy and sell.

Criminal Law is utilized in order to ensure that people do not break the laws and punish people who break the laws.

Tort Law makes sure that people get the necessary compensation if any damage is done to them or to the properties owned by them.

Trust law also known as Business Law specifies the rules for money that is used in pension funds.Additionally,this law involves administrative and property law.

Administrative Law is utlised when people are willing to challenge any decision which is taken by the government.

Property law is concerned with the rules when buying or selling homes and lands.

Bar Association

2009-02-10T20:48:00.000-08:00

It is an organization consisting of lawyers formed in order to promote professional competence,maintain and enforce standards of ethics as well as to imbibe a spirit of service in the minds of the members of this association.

Bar associations attain their goals by providing consistent training through seminars and publications.In order to ensure that the lawyers are up-to-date with the latest information related to law,these seminars are usually based on recent developments. In additon,members of the bar are encouraged to provide (pro bono) free legal advice to those who are unable to afford the fees.

There are 2 types of bar associations.The official Integrated Bar associations as well as theunofficial voluntary organizations.The Integrated bar associations are also known as the mandatory or unified bar associations.The Integrated bar is qualified by the particular state's highest court to establish rules for admission and conduct. The Voluntary bar associations, choose their own social and educational purposes but do not follow a particular pattern for the practise of law.The American Bar Association is an example of a national voluntary bar association,consisting of largest memberships.Another voluntary association is the Federal Bar Association.Student bar associations exist for the benefit of the law students.

Terms related to Law-lawyers,attorneys,barrister,solicitor

2009-02-08T23:39:00.000-08:00

Most of us have used the terms Lawyers and Attorneys interchangeably.But the definition of these terms varies in countries.

In the US,there is no difference between lawyers and attorneys.Since they follow a united legal profession,there is no difference between people who try cases in court and those who don't.But in other countries there is a clear distinction between these 2 terms.

In other countries like Canada,England and Australia ,the terms solicitors and barristers are used commonly.A lawyer in Canada is known as a solicitor or barrister ....they are either a civil law notary in quebec or one who is invited to the bar.In Australia,these are people who are employed in this profession if they are educated as a lawyer or undertaken employment.In England there is a huge variation for addressing these people.When we use the term lawyers in England,we generally mean barristers,licensed conveyances,legal executives etc.

Lady Justice

2009-02-04T20:16:00.000-08:00

Lady justice is a personification of the moral values which are followed in the legal system.Lady justice depicted as a goddess(the Roman goddess of justice -lustitia) is equipped with a sword in the right hand,measuring balances in the left hand as well as being blindfolded.The sword is a symbol of the power of justice and law.The scales represent the strength of the cases or the opposition,while the blindfolding represents impartiality of law.This personified picture is seen in several courtrooms and courthouses.

Introduction to Law

2009-02-03T00:52:00.000-08:00

Law is a set of rules which is enforced through institutions to maintain order as well as protect members of a society.Law dates back to 1760 BC,where an ancient Babylonian King had written the code of Hammurai.

Most of us may not be consciously aware of the fact that almost everything we do in our daily trivial activities are governed by Law.Some of the examples include:Purchasing a new house,preparing a will,Getting married,Starting a new Business.The list could just go on.Laws thus play a central role in social, political and economic life. On a broader prospective each country has their own set of laws to be followed by their society.