The Speech or Debate Clause
A recent indictment of a former Member of Congress has rekindled the legal debate over the scope and effect of the Speech or Debate clause and perhaps presages a return to the Supreme Court for a ruling to settle the conflict among the circuit courts about interpretation of the Clause.
New Use of Wiretaps in Insider Trading Cases
On Oct. 16, 2009, federal agents arrested Raj Rajaratnam, the founder of hedge fund Galleon Group, in an alleged insider trading scheme that involved well known public companies and thus far 20 defendants, including lawyers, stock traders, management consultants, and executives inside the issuers themselves. Wiretapping was part of the case.
Who's Allegedly 'Cooking the Books' and Where?
In a poll conducted during an April 23, 2009 Deloitte online seminar entitled "Managing Fraud Risk: Insights and Practical Strategies," 72% of the 2,123 respondents indicated a belief that the number of accounting frauds uncovered would increase over the next two years.
Restructuring in Canada
This article is an attempt to familiarize American readers with some of the nuances and new amendments you may encounter if you are involved in a Canadian insolvency situation.
Post-Bankruptcy Legal Fees
Lenders, financial advisers, accountants, indenture trustees and other professionals who bargain for reimbursement of their legal fees should be reassured by <i>Ogle v. Fid. & Deposit Co. of Md.</i> Here's why.
Leadership Isn't Management
Most marketing professionals and other non-attorney management realize that developing one's leadership skills is critical to success in a law firm. There is lots of guidance available ' in books, articles, blogs, conferences and more. Fortunately, much of it is specific to the business models of the service industry.
'VAT Package' Will Impact Law Firms
As of Jan. 1, 2010, law firms with offices in the EU that make taxable supplies of legal services to business customers in other EU countries have new monthly value-added tax reporting obligations. Failure to comply with these monthly reporting obligations can result in severe penalties.
Managing Partner Performance
Now that 2009 has come to an end, law firms are breathing a sigh of relief and looking forward with hopes of a better year to come. As with any year-end, it is also time to dole out partner compensation, and many firms are hoping they were able to stem the lack of demand for legal services with cost-cutting measures to keep their profits per partner above an acceptable threshold. One interesting observation is that although many firms evaluated their employees and their performance relative to saving the bottom line, an in-depth view of partner performance was by and large ignored.
Planning for a Successful 2010
As a participant in a law firm, you should be thinking about what you can do to contribute to the success of the firm on a frequent basis. Whether you are the managing partner, a practice group leader or an associate, your daily, weekly and monthly activities should contribute not only to your personal goals, but to the firm's goals as well. In addition, your goals should include those related to current clients, potential clients, marketing and firm administration. The following are some important goal-setting techniques and some examples you should keep in mind throughout the year, not only to make sure you are growing personally, but also to make sure you have contributed to the overall growth of the firm in a meaningful way.
Credit (Bid) Where Credit's Due
This two-part article focuses on two issues that are the subject of recent court decisions. Herein: a majority group of secured lenders under a credit facility "dragging along" the minority group into a credit bid under ' 363(k).
