Today's Legal News
posted by Law.comRisky business
The financial services industry and more than a dozen top law firms that represent the industry are expressing concern that reaction to JPMorgan's recent $2 billion loss could sour months of expensive lobbying work on Capitol Hill and before key regulatory agencies. Nowhere is this tension more apparent than in the push and pull over the pending multiagency Volcker Rule, which proponents say could rein in the activity that led to the company's massive trading loss.
Did End of Missouri Malpractice Case Feed Dewey's Money Woes?
The abrupt dismissal of a $3 billion malpractice case came amid concerns about Dewey's finances and a stream of partner departures, but it's hard to know whether resolving it added to the fiscal woes that overtook Dewey. That's because the settlement's terms, and details about how much the firm agreed to pay out, are shrouded in secrecy.Also see: Dewey: Profiles in Something
New Law Takes Canadian Spam Off the Marketing Menu
If you think your company doesn't send spam, you may want to double-check. A Canadian anti-spam law with global reach is poised to cast a wide net for offending communications. Given the hefty fines and class action potential, the new law is sure to prompt tough conversations between in-house counsel and company marketing departments.
As Facebook Goes Public, Privacy Lawyers Chase Its Billions
Facebook may rake in more than $18 billion in its initial public offering. And plaintiffs lawyers are already vying for a big chunk of the proceeds: Plaintiffs in a proposed privacy class action have filed an amended complaint demanding $15 billion in damages and injunctive relief.
Justice's Disclosure Highlights Medical Marijuana Debate
New York lawmakers battling to legalize the medicinal use of cannabis are lauding an op-ed column by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Gustin Reichbach in which he admitted smoking marijuana to cope with the effects of cancer. But Reichbach's civil disobedience could be construed as disrespect for the law he is pledged to support.
Pacenti's rant: Law firm layoffs
It's not easy being a lawyer these days. And even harder being part of the law firm's support staff as law firms are cutting back on those positions. John Pacenti asks "Is this more about management or greed?"
Recorder Roundtable: Outstanding Trial Work
Four judges talk about the do's and don'ts of trial practice as observed from the bench.
Fair use limits set in Ga. State digital copying decision
An Atlanta federal judge has set the standard for when schools can give their students access to excerpts of copyrighted works without paying licensing fees -- although her approach may be revisited in a potential appeal by publishers who had challenged practices at Georgia State University.
Judge Allows EEOC Disability Discrimination Suit to Move Forward
A federal judge in Illinois has handed the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission a much-needed win, ruling that a disability discrimination suit may go forward even though the agency did not individually investigate and attempt to settle every class member's claim before filing suit.
Justices Suspend Orie Melvin in Wake of Charges
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin was suspended by her fellow justices Friday immediately after being charged with nine criminal counts, including some felony counts, alleging she used legislative and judicial staff to perform campaign work. The charges represent the largest crisis for the state court since a 1994 impeachment.
Yankees Score Multi-Million-Dollar Home Run in Federal Circuit
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed on Friday a $159.6 million damages award to nuclear utilities Yankee Atomic Electric Co., Maine Yankee Atomic Power Co. and Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Co. in the long-running spent nuclear fuel battle with the federal government.
Second Circuit Rebuffs Madoff Feeder Fund Investor Trying to Sue PWC
An investor who lost $60 million in the Madoff feeder fund Greenwich Sentry continues to be thwarted in his effort to sue the fund's auditor, PricewaterhouseCoopers. On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed a ruling that G. Philip Stephenson couldn't pursue his malpractice and fraud claims.
Federal Circuit Will Hear Judges' Back-Pay Challenge
A group of federal judges who charge that Congress violated the Constitution by withholding pay increases will get a hearing before the full Federal Circuit. The six judges seek to overturn a 2001 decision that future judicial salary adjustments by the Ethics Reform Act of 1989 are not "compensation" protected from diminishment.
Jurors banned from blogging about criminal cases
The Florida Supreme Court has issued an opinion that states that trial judges must tell jurors not to use electronic devices or computers to talk about cases, "including tweeting, texting, blogging, emailing, posting information on a website or chat room, or any other means at all."
Odd Bedfellows Get Together Behind Prison Phone Rate Reform
Civil rights and conservative groups have banded together to form an unlikely coalition to ask the FCC to end "exorbitant" fees that many prisons charge inmates to make phone calls. A 15-minute collect call from prison typically costs $10 to $17 -- rates that garnered $152 million in revenue for prisons in 2011.
D.C. Circuit Upholds Key Section of Voting Rights Act
A divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Friday upheld the constitutionality of the heart of the Voting Rights Act in a decision that sets the stage for an eventual U.S. Supreme Court battle. The case has been closely watched by states, civil rights groups and others.
Criminalizing Wrongdoing: When Judges Disagree
Examining a recent Ninth Circuit ruling in a case involving a former executive search firm employee prosecuted under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, attorney Joel Cohen weighs in on the perils of broad-brush criminal statutes and the challenges for judges tasked with interpreting the statutes.
