LJN Newsletters

National cases of interest to you and your practice.

Since 9/11, the government has stepped up the enforcement of laws and regulations relating to the control of exports, especially so-called "dual-use" items that have both military and non-military applications. Department of Commerce policy "seeks to keep terrorists and other criminals from possessing sensitive technologies -- in essence, to prevent export violations before they occur," according to Julie L. Myers, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement.

Lawyers' billing invoices are not privileged attorney-client communications and must be produced when subpoenaed in a civil contempt hearing, the Pennsylvania Superior Court ruled in late September in a dispute over a guardian ad litem's fee request.

When I announced my intention to retire from a 25-plus year career as CFO at an AmLaw 200 law firm, the firm began a process to search for and select a replacement. Because I had been with the firm for such a long time, we took the opportunity to start more or less from square one in determining what the firm wanted in a CFO. I had evolved my position from that of Controller as the firm grew, and its management and its needs changed.

A&FP got lucky this summer when I sought an expert to advise our readers on law firm political contributions. Not only did Kurt Salisbury help me recruit his Arent Fox colleague Craig Engle, but he agreed to perform the interview on my behalf. Our readers thus gain not only the perspective of a major firm's PAC Director but also the perspective of the same firm's CFO.

The California State Bar is throwing open the door to out-of-state lawyers, but strict conditions and high costs have some worried about tripping over the welcome mat.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali approved nearly all of the final fee requests for law firms and other consultants working on the massive Pacific Gas & Electric Co. bankruptcy.
Montali's OK puts the final tally for more than 3 years' worth of work at about $450 million to $475 million, according to an accounting by the Office of the U.S. Trustee. Of the total, about $100 million goes to law firms representing the utility in different capacities.
That makes the case one of the most expensive bankruptcy matters ' if not the most expensive ' in the history of the Northern District of California.

Talk about technology becoming more accessible. The City of Philadelphia is considering turning its entire expanse of 135 square miles into the world's largest wireless Internet zone. For approximately $10 million, small transmitters would be placed around the city. Each transmitter, probably placed on the top of lampposts, would then be capable of communicating with a computer-networking card. It would be the City's goal to offer the service either for free, or at costs far lower than those charged by commercial providers.