With so many lawyers up for grabs, many of them eminently qualified, firms have enticing opportunities to bring aboard top talent, sometimes at bargain prices. But let the hirer beware. Lateral hiring isn't without risk, and more lateral hiring means more exposure to claims alleging malpractice and other failings.
The Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009 (FERA), enacted in May, was easy to miss. Yet this small piece of legislation makes a number of significant changes to the federal money laundering and criminal fraud statutes ' changes about which lawyers who represent clients accused of white-collar crimes will want to be aware.
In the current recession, partners whose practices depend on transactional areas of the law have experienced a significant decline in business. Some firms may have the resources and client work to carry them. Others may not. "Re-engineering" underutilized partners, although not the easiest solution, could be the least objectionable.
Whether or not a law firm offers its clients estate planning services, the input of a CPA is vital to ensure that a client receives the most comprehensive estate planning advice. Law firms without estate planning capabilities should work closely with accounting firms that do have estate planning expertise in order to realize an additional revenue stream from existing clients.
The cash-flow statement is the single most important tool for the success of any business. Most lawyers, and even many large law firms, begin to realize that they are in trouble only after the money ceases to come in the door. However, cash flow cessation is usually the last symptom of a downward spiral that started long before.
Who's doing what; who's going where.
Highlights of the latest intellectual property news from around the country.
A policyholder that is mindful of a few issues that commonly arise in seeking coverage for a government investigation is in a much better position to obtain prompt payment of defense costs. This article addresses four common obstacles to obtaining prompt payment of defense costs.
The most controversial and far-reaching remedy for spoliation has been its recognition as an independent tort claim for either intentional or negligent destruction of evidence.
The restitution defense to insurance coverage proceeds from a simple and logical premise. If I steal money from you and am forced to return it, there is no loss for my insurer to reimburse because I never had a right to the money in the first place. Life is rarely so simple, however, and insurers have asserted the restitution defense — with varying degrees of success — in a broad range of situations, some having little connection to the original premise.
