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Paul Hastings Deals With Aftermath of Murder-Suicide

Fulton County Daily Report

Two grief counselors were at Paul Hastings' Atlanta location Monday, as the firm responded to Friday's murder-suicide. "We've had a lot of traffic," said managing partner Philip J. Marzetti. "When I was up in the lobby at noon there were probably 10 people up there sitting and waiting to speak with the grief counselors." The firm has planned a memorial service for legal secretary Raven Buckley, who police say was killed by a man she had dated, a temporary agency employee in the firm's records center.

Suit Against Tyco Healthcare Alleges Tainted Heparin Caused Death

The Legal Intelligencer

A Philadelphia attorney filed a lawsuit Monday against Tyco Healthcare on behalf of the family of a Missouri man who died after allegedly suffering adverse reactions to tainted heparin that originated in China. According to attorney Jeffrey Killino, the FDA is investigating 81 other deaths that have been linked to tainted heparin. Killino said he believes this is the first suit filed in the matter. The wrongful-death action alleges claims of strict liability, negligence, breach of warranty and fraud.

Scalia Hits Media Circuit to Promote Book

Legal Times

Showing himself to be funny, combative, charming and surprisingly personal, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is thriving in the media limelight as he promotes his new book and holds forth on wide-ranging topics, including whether he'll wind up as John McCain's running mate. Sales of "Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges" have clearly benefited from the publicity; on Monday, the book's official publication date, it vaulted from the prior day's No. 522 to No. 6 on Amazon's best-seller list.

Vinson & Elkins Bolsters New York, Global Offices

The American Lawyer

Houston-based Vinson & Elkins announced Monday a realignment that will strengthen its presence in New York and abroad. Seven partners will relocate to New York to focus on capital markets and M&A while others will move to London, the Middle East and Asia. The firm also is bringing on a new hire in Hong Kong, former Linklaters partner Christopher Walker. Growth at Vinson & Elkins has only recently become feasible, as aftershocks from its ties to the Enron debacle subside.

Supreme Court Upholds Indiana Voter ID Law

Legal Times

The Supreme Court has upheld Indiana's controversial voter ID law, which critics say will discourage the poor, the elderly and minorities from casting ballots. The law requires voters to present current government-issued photo ID, and for those who cannot, it establishes a procedure for validating votes after election day. The Court found that the state's interest in protecting the integrity of the voting process outweighed the insufficiently proven burdens the law imposes on voters.

Wolf Block Adds Five-Attorney Delaware Firm

The Legal Intelligencer

Wolf Block is starting down the merger path with the acquisition of a small Delaware firm, Oberly Jennings & Rhodunda. Name partners Charles M. Oberly III and Kathleen M. Jennings will join as partners in the firm's business litigation practice and name partner William J. Rhodunda will join as a partner in Wolf Block's real estate and environmental land use practices. The addition brings a substantial white-collar and corporate investigations practice to Wolf Block's Wilmington office.

Morrison & Foerster Shutters Ailing Orange County Office

The Recorder

Morrison & Foerster has closed its beleaguered Orange County office after being dealt a final blow: the departure of its office leader and another partner to Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. Dean Zipser and Thomas Umberg will start at Manatt in early May. MoFo confirmed the closure in a press release, saying its scale of practice in that market no longer justified a full-service office. Its Orange County clients will be served from other markets, including Los Angeles and San Diego, the release said.

Facing Mandatory Retirement, Fox Rothschild's Chair Emeritus Heads for Conrad O'Brien

The Legal Intelligencer

After 26 years at Fox Rothschild, attorney Louis W. Fryman is leaving to join Conrad O'Brien Gellman & Rohn, a 35-lawyer litigation boutique, saying he decided to make the move because he was facing the prospect of mandatory retirement. When Fryman became managing partner of Fox Rothschild in 1985, the firm had 50 lawyers in one office. Fryman oversaw a period of significant growth, through mergers and acquisitions, and the firm now has 425 lawyers in 14 offices spread across seven states.

Capitalism in China Called a 'Work in Progress'

Fulton County Daily Report

China's increased openness to the global economy means more opportunities for U.S. companies, says Greenberg Traurig's new Shanghai-based partner, Peter Neumann, who spoke last week at a Georgia Tech conference on doing business in China. But he warned that it's important for companies to enter the Chinese market well-informed, because the rules continue to change rapidly. China is still "a work in progress," said Neumann, who has worked in China since 1993. The most common pitfall? Taking shortcuts.

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Selling Your Firm on Disaster Recovery

Law Technology News

A disaster recovery site is a necessity to keep going in worst-case scenarios, but its cost makes law firms wary to implement it. A critical step in the initial disaster planning process is to educate management on multipurpose, co-location sites and get true buy-in for your proposals.

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