Legal Research

If you are already an online subscriber to the LAW.COM service you should be able to click on any of the links below, sign in, and access the full text of all articles listed. A subscription to LAW.COM is needed for online access to this service.

Eric Holder Confirmed as Attorney General

Legal Times

By a wide margin, the Senate on Monday night confirmed Eric Holder Jr. as the 82nd attorney general of the United States. Holder is the first African-American to serve as the nation's chief law enforcer. The 75-21 vote is a clear signal of congressional goodwill toward Holder, which he'll need as the Justice Department confronts detention and interrogation policy, the closure of Guantanamo Bay prison and a range of litigation that will test the boundaries of executive power in the Obama administration.

Continued Decline in Law Firm Profits Seen for '09

The National Law Journal

It's the roughest market the legal industry has seen in at least 17 years, and there's no quick fix ahead. That point is one of many sobering predictions in a client advisory by Hildebrandt International and Citi Private Bank. The advisory concludes that profits-per-partner in 2008 generally spanned from flat to a 10 percent decrease compared with the prior year -- and that profits are apt to fall further in 2009, with average profits-per-partner declining by 5 percent to 15 percent, and perhaps more at some firms.

Dreier Pleads Not Guilty, Judge Will Rule by Friday on Bail

New York Law Journal

Jailed attorney Marc S. Dreier renewed his efforts Monday to be released on bail. Indicted last week by a federal grand jury on charges that he bilked hedge funds and other investors of more than $400 million, Dreier pleaded not guilty at his arraignment before New York federal Judge Jed S. Rakoff, who promised to rule no later than Friday on whether to release Dreier on bail. The judge ordered both sides to submit briefs on what lengths private armed guards could go to if Dreier attempted to flee his apartment.

Ringling Bros. Elephant Trial Promises to Be a Circus

Legal Times

After more than eight years of litigation, lawyers for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will appear in federal court this week to square off against a handful of animal welfare organizations that have filed suit against the circus alleging that it routinely violates federal law by abusing its elephants. The case is a major test for the reach of the Endangered Species Act, which for the first time is being used by private citizens to try to influence the care of animals already in captivity.

Durie and Lemley Lead Group From Keker & Van Nest

The Recorder

Keker & Van Nest is the gold standard for litigation boutiques. But on Monday, the firm lost a little bit of its luster as Daralyn Durie and Ragesh Tangri set out with Stanford patent law professor Mark Lemley and Keker partners Clement Roberts and Ryan Kent to form their own firm. In 2006, Durie won a huge patent infringement trial for Comcast, saving them from Caritas Technologies' $2.2 billion demand. Word of the new firm traveled fast, with a recruiter calling the move "a big deal."

Former Judge Disbarred for Conviction of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

New Jersey Law Journal

The New Jersey Supreme Court has ordered the disbarment of former Superior Court Judge Stephen Thompson based on his conviction of exploitation of a minor. The court adopted a disciplinary board's recommendation that disbarment was the only appropriate sanction for Thompson's conduct, which included downloading child pornography in his chambers and going to Russia for sex with an underage boy. At his criminal trial, Thompson's main defense was that traumatic injuries suffered during combat caused his pedophiliac tendencies.

Astrologer Loses Court Fight But Isn't Penalized

Daily Business Review

Flamboyant astrologer Walter Mercado's stars were aligned when a federal jury found that he broke a contract with his former management companies but did not owe a penny of the millions of dollars sought for lost profits and damages. Mercado's attorney, Carlos A. Velasquez, said he never had a jury find a client broke contractual obligations but owed nothing. A fixture on Univision's "Primer Impacto," Mercado is known as much for his ostentatious, Liberace-like style as his reading of the stars.

Fla. Bar Joins Fight Against State's Ban on Adoptions by Gays

Daily Business Review

The Florida Bar is coming out in a big way -- for gay adoption. The Bar's board of governors voted unanimously to file an amicus brief supporting a Miami-Dade judge's ruling that declared unconstitutional a state ban on gay adoptions. About five years ago, the Bar's family section requested permission to approach the state Legislature in opposition to the ban, but the Bar's board of governors denied permission. "This is different ... Now we have a judicial decision that we're trying to defend," said one section member.

Lehman Judge Charged With Slapping Wife

The Associated Press

The federal judge overseeing the bankruptcy of Wall Street investment bank Lehman Brothers has been arrested on charges of slapping his wife. Judge James Peck was arraigned Sunday in Manhattan Criminal Court and released without bail. Chief Judge Stuart M. Bernstein had no comment on whether Peck's own legal difficulties would affect the Lehman case or any others, according to Bernstein's law clerk.

Profits Rise at Weil Gotshal as Equity Partner Ranks Contract

The American Lawyer

Gross revenue at Weil, Gotshal & Manges rose slightly in 2008, with the firm managing modest growth in a punishing year. The firm brought in $1.23 billion, up 4.75 percent from 2007. Revenue per lawyer was down 2 percent, however, to just over $1 million. Recession or no, Weil's partners are far from suffering. Profits per equity partner were up 7.5 percent to $2.3 million. The firm made headlines in 2008 with Harvey Miller's prominent role in Lehman Brothers' $639 billion bankruptcy.

Juvenile Cases May Get New Look Following Kickback Charges Against Former Judges

The Legal Intelligencer

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court appears ready to reconsider a request to review hundreds of Luzerne County juvenile court cases in the wake of charges that two former judges accepted kickbacks from the owners of a private juvenile detention center. Last month, the court denied a petition by the Juvenile Law Center to look at more than 250 cases in which juvenile offenders were allegedly adjudicated and sent to detention centers without lawyers. On Monday, the justices vacated their denial of that petition.

LegalTech New York 2009 Blogs On

Law.com

The first day of LegalTech New York is typically the most hectic, as vendors and visitors scramble. But what happens when a major conference falls in the middle of the biggest wave of lawyer layoffs in recent history? Still pretty crowded, say the twitterati. Read early coverage from bloggers.

Visit Legal Technology

GCs Warned to Prep Litigation War Chests

Legal Times

Some 200 GCs and human resource directors gathered in Washington, D.C., last week for a horror story. The tale -- told by lawyers from Epstein Becker & Green -- concerned employees, federal regulation and an expected wave of big-ticket litigation over issues like benefits, equal pay and layoffs. For employment lawyers, it's certainly a happy day. But that doesn't appear to give their in-house brethren much consolation. Several say they're bulking up legal budgets for what's coming down the pipeline.

Visit In-House Counsel

Self-Marketing Is Key to Being a Top Lawyer

The National Law Journal

Young attorneys beginning their careers may find that navigating the profession is far more complex than the bar itself. A multitude of smart folks pass the bar, only to find themselves stuck behind prefabricated desks, wondering why opportunities fail to abound. Attorney Shai Littlejohn writes that career success requires being three parts lawyer and one part marketing agent. If you are frustrated about the trajectory of your career, consider whether you have been cultivating or neglecting "brand you."

Visit the Career Center

Suit Over Firm's Collapse Tests Limits of Poaching Lawyers

New Jersey Law Journal

Nine years after a 14-lawyer exodus led to the death of a prominent New Jersey bankruptcy firm, the partners left behind are nearing a climax of their efforts to exact revenge on the firm that wooed the defectors. A state judge has scheduled an April trial in a suit charging that Lowenstein Sandler violated fair business practice rules and thieved financial secrets, knowing its actions would kill off small firm Ravin, Sarasohn, Cook, Baumgarten, Fisch & Rosen. Millions of dollars in damages are at stake.

Visit Small Firm Business

Law.com®

120 Broadway, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10271-1101 (877) 256-CIRC

Customer Service Phone: (877) 256-CIRC