Listening In: The Use of Audio Recordings In Family Proceedings
Recordings of these husband/paramour and mother/child conversations are inadmissible in court because they are the fruit of what, under New York law, is criminal eavesdropping ' none of the parties to the conversations have consented to the recording. However, sound recordings of relevant events are admissible in evidence as long as a proper foundation is laid.
An Exception That Could Swallow the Rule of Qualified Immunity
Traditional attorney immunity to suits by non-clients is under a new line of attack that threatens to vitiate the general rule. The threat is exemplified by a recent insurance-related decision of the Arizona Court of Appeals, <i>Chalpin v. Snyder</i>, wherein the court largely ignored the customary exceptions and permitted non-clients to pursue causes of action against attorneys for aiding and abetting breaches of fiduciary duty by their client.
IP News
Highlights of the latest intellectual property news from around the country.
Litigation
Recent rulings of interest to you and your practice.
Not Much Ado About Having Nothing
During the existing economic downturn, there has been much litigation seeking downward modification of support orders in New York. This two-part article discusses the trend in New York and other states to deny downward modifications.
A Negative Light
The Florida Supreme Court recently ruled that false light invasion of privacy is not a valid cause of action in Florida, opting instead for a new claim titled "defamation by implication."
Protecting Your Client's Maintenance Rights
In high net worth divorce cases, the amount of maintenance to be paid to the non-wage earner spouse is often a critical issue for determination. In those situations, a family law practitioner should seriously consider using a lifestyle expert to assist the court in establishing lifestyle and reasonable living expenses.
Responding to Client Calls for Value
Over the past year, market dynamics have aligned, creating an opportunity to transform services provided by law firms in order to better meet or exceed client demands.
Billing and Collections
Opportunities exist in the back office for law firms to reduce administrative expenses, improve cash management, and increase staff performance to optimize and deliver exceptional customer service. Trends suggest that by focusing on the billing and collections function, a firm may find success in achieving these objectives.
What's Your Practice Worth?
Law firms, because of caseload analysis and the project-oriented nature of their work, are notoriously hard to value, even more so than accounting firms and other professional service industries where there is an established schedule of work for at least a 12-month period.
