Features
In the Courts
An in-depth look at recent national rulings.
How Much Knowledge Makes a Crime?
When Congress passes a new statute in a prosecution-friendly atmosphere, it should be wary of the potential for overly aggressive prosecutors to misuse it. Here's why.
Reducing Criminal Liability with Chinese Imports
The China import safety crisis creates a perfect storm for driving importers and retailers out of business when faced with monumental product liabilities, both criminal and civil. Corporate counsel, therefore, must learn how to minimize or even eliminate their clients' increased criminal and civil exposure.
Features
Attorney-Client Privilege in Congressional Investigations
For a litigator accustomed to practicing in court, representing a client in a Congressional investigation presents unique challenges, as the rules, procedures, processes, and customs differ vastly. One area of stark difference is the status and treatment of attorney-client privilege.
Media & Communications Corner: The $700 Billion Bailout and How Some Law Firms Missed an Opportunity
Editor's Note: I am pleased to announce that Nick Gaffney of Infinite Public Relations has joined our Board of Editors. We welcome Infinite PR as the regular authors of the Media & Communications Corner. The company provides strategic media relations and communication services for leading professional services firms. Infinite's extensive, award-winning experience counseling the legal and accounting industries on proactive strategic media relations campaigns and crisis communication matters makes them a positive addition to our newsletter.…
Law Firm Leadership: An Economic Stimulus Plan for Law Firms
Wall Street and Main Street are not the only places that need a paddle to the chest. While many firms look to cut costs to stop the bleeding, this alone is not a prescription for a return to health. Here's what to do.
Revisiting MLF 2008: What You Missed!
At the beginning of a new year, we always look back on the year that was. The Year in Review, beginning herein, will present a pared-down reprint of one article from each of the last 12 issues of MLF (six articles this month and six next month).
Features
The Disappearance of Qs: A Knockout Punch to Securitizations?
Proposed changes to accounting rules for securitization vehicles will further challenge this already fragile market, threatening its role as a significant source of liquidity.
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MOST POPULAR STORIES
- Risks of “Baseball Arbitration” in Resolving Real Estate Disputes“Baseball arbitration” refers to the process used in Major League Baseball in which if an eligible player's representative and the club ownership cannot reach a compensation agreement through negotiation, each party enters a final submission and during a formal hearing each side — player and management — presents its case and then the designated panel of arbitrators chooses one of the salary bids with no other result being allowed. This method has become increasingly popular even beyond the sport of baseball.Read More ›
- Private Equity Valuation: A Significant DecisionInsiders (and others) in the private equity business are accustomed to seeing a good deal of discussion ' academic and trade ' on the question of the appropriate methods of valuing private equity positions and securities which are otherwise illiquid. An interesting recent decision in the Southern District has been brought to our attention. The case is <i>In Re Allied Capital Corp.</i>, CCH Fed. SEC L. Rep. 92411 (US DC, S.D.N.Y., Apr. 25, 2003). Judge Lynch's decision is well written, the Judge reviewing a motion to dismiss by a business development company, Allied Capital, against a strike suit claiming that Allied's method of valuing its portfolio failed adequately to account for i) conditions at the companies themselves and ii) market conditions. The complaint appears to be, as is often the case, slap dash, content to point out that Allied revalued some of its positions, marking them down for a variety of reasons, and the stock price went down - all this, in the view of plaintiff's counsel, amounting to violations of Rule 10b-5.Read More ›
- The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year LaterThe 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.Read More ›
- Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the RoughThere 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.Read More ›
- Protecting Innovation in the Cyber World from Patent TrollsWith trillions of dollars to keep watch over, the last thing we need is the distraction of costly litigation brought on by patent assertion entities (PAEs or "patent trolls"), companies that don't make any products but instead seek royalties by asserting their patents against those who do make products.Read More ›