Collection: High-Income, Good Faith, and the Dismissal of Non-Consumer Bankruptcy Cases under Chapter 7
After the enactment of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, some confusion has arisen as to whether Congress' failure to specifically incorporate the Means Test into §707(a) prohibits courts from considering a debtor's income, ability to pay, and lavish lifestyle in non-consumer bankruptcy cases under the 'bad faith' standard or otherwise.
Venture Debt Update: Will the Recent Rise in Venture Lending Turn to Bust?
Although venture debt financing is in the midst of a strong rebound, there are signs that the recovery might not last. Some of the conditions that caused a swift decline in venture lending earlier in the decade have resurfaced, threatening the growth of this form of financing.
Movers & Shakers
News about lawyers and law firms in the product liability field.
Features
Case Notes
Highlights of the latest product liability cases from around the country.
'Mass Actions': Eleventh Circuit Attempts to Find a Method to the Madness
Although the Eleventh Circuit in <i>Lowery v. Alabama Power Co.</i>, attempted to grapple with some of the thorny issues presented by CAFA's 'mass action' provisions (and removal generally), many questions remain unanswered.
Features
Extra-Judicial Opinions: The Argument Against a Fifth Daubert Factor
Although the Ninth Circuit did not rule that extra-judicial circumstances should be added to the four Supreme Court Daubert 'factors,' there is, nevertheless, superficial support by some courts in dicta that <i>Daubert II</i> held that an extra-judicial opinion is more reliable than one born out of the litigation. A closer look at this idea will reveal it is not one that should be adopted as a factor.
Features
Consumer Fraud Actions: The Applicability of the Learned Intermediary Doctrine
There is much uncertainty surrounding if and how well-established defenses to traditional product liability claims will translate in non-personal injury consumer fraud actions. At the forefront of this uncertainty is the applicability of the learned intermediary doctrine in consumer fraud actions involving pharmaceuticals or medical devices.
Practice Tip: Rule 34's Direct Access Provision
Rule 34 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure permits a party to 'inspect, copy, test, or sample any designated documents or electronically stored information.' However, what exactly does that mean for corporate litigants? Can a plaintiff demand to show up at a client's offices and expect a seat in front of a keyboard? Will a client be forced to hire a third party to copy its hard drives — online shopping Web history and all — and hand them over to the opponent?
Nanotechnology: Law and Business at One-Billionth of a Meter
Nanotechnology represents a vast frontier for science, business, and law. Already governments and corporations are sinking an estimated $10 billion annually into nanotechnology R&D, and economic forecasters are predicting that nanotechnology will account for some 15% of all global manufacturing output by 2014 ' commerce valued at some $2.6 trillion. The plaintiff's bar, mass torts, and class actions cannot be too far behind such words.
Features
The Leasing Hotline
Highlights of the latest commercial leasing cases from around the country.
Need Help?
- Prefer an IP authenticated environment? Request a transition or call 800-756-8993.
- Need other assistance? email Customer Service or call 1-877-256-2472.
MOST POPULAR STORIES
- Law Firms are Reducing Redundant Real Estate by Bringing Support Services Back to the OfficeA trend analysis of the benefits and challenges of bringing back administrative, word processing and billing services to law offices.Read More ›
- Disconnect Between In-House and Outside Counsel'Disconnect Between In-House and Outside Counsel is a continuation of the discussion of client expectations and the disconnect that often occurs. And although the outside attorneys should be pursuing how inside-counsel actually think, inside counsel should make an effort to impart this information without waiting to be asked.Read More ›
- Divorce Lawyers' Obligation to ChildrenDo divorce lawyers have an obligation to disclose client confidences when it is in the best interests of the client's child to do so? The short answer of the rules of professional responsibility is 'no' because a 'yes' answer is deemed to be fundamentally inconsistent with the premises of the adversary system in which the divorce lawyer functions. The longer answer is that the rules encourage ' but do not require ' a divorce lawyer to counsel the client to authorize the disclosure because it is in the best interests of both parent and child.Read More ›
- Upping the Legal Training AnteWomble Carlyle's technology training and online learning programs were in need of an upgrade. Unprecedented firm growth, heightened emphasis on developing lawyers' core technology competencies, and a need to streamline and automate existing e-learning processes led the firm to initiate a fundamental shift.Read More ›