Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%
Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.
Courtroom Technology: The Courthouse Spec's May Be Just A Click Away
In the past several years, new technology, including video evidence presentation systems, video conferencing and electronic transcription systems, have been installed in federal and state courts across the nation. Courtrooms today vary a great deal not only in size and layout, but especially with regard to the types of technology made available. All of these factors significantly affect the presentation strategy a lawyer will use during a trial. When brainstorming presentation strategy, courtroom presenters consider the most subtle factors including, the amount of ambient light, the distance and line of sight between counsel and trier of fact and the location of monitors and screens. Most lawyers agree that it is a great advantage to argue a case in a familiar setting; something as trivial as showing a witness where he or she will sit in the courtroom prior to trial can be important.
That said, it is common for a firm to send a scout to check out a courtroom to determine relevant courtroom information ' a practice which tends to be time consuming and costly. The Courtroom Information Project, a Web-based system providing courtroom information to anyone with access to the Internet, accumulates and provides technological and other helpful information, which will ideally reduce unnecessary scouting expenditures and further enable swift and fair court proceedings. As courtrooms continue to follow the trend of going 'high tech,' it is important for litigators to know what resources are available. This information is not only beneficial to the lawyer trying a case, but to all parties involved.
The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later
The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.
The DOJ's New Parameters for Evaluating Corporate Compliance Programs
The parameters set forth in the DOJ's memorandum have implications not only for the government's evaluation of compliance programs in the context of criminal charging decisions, but also for how defense counsel structure their conference-room advocacy seeking declinations or lesser sanctions in both criminal and civil investigations.
Use of Deferred Prosecution Agreements In White Collar Investigations
This article discusses the practical and policy reasons for the use of DPAs and NPAs in white-collar criminal investigations, and considers the NDAA's new reporting provision and its relationship with other efforts to enhance transparency in DOJ decision-making.
Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough
There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.
A Lawyer's System for Active Reading
Active reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.