Novel Internet Statute Strategies
July 30, 2008
The Internet presents special regulatory challenges. Any effective statute, for instance, must be prepared by an entity with the authority to draft, implement and, to some extent enforce, the statute. Efficacy, of course, hinges on jurisdiction, but the Internet knows no geography and, so, users leap boundaries with a finger poke or thumb flick. These challenges require novel statutory strategies to meet the Internet's current and future status as a channel and communications domain that requires regulation at various levels of operation and use, including e-commerce.
DIY-ing to e-Plan
July 30, 2008
Professional services requiring insight and judgment ' and application of sophisticated expertise on a case-by-case basis ' seemed immune to the e-commerce onslaught. After all, no one wants to trust the future welfare of one's family and affairs to a device that makes the phrase 'computer problem' a redundancy. And why would people who need to spend thousands of dollars on estate planning even think about trusting an online service just to save a few dollars ' even if only to pass on post-mortem thoughts from the grave?
White-Collar Crime: Another View
July 30, 2008
In a November 2007 article, we noted the government's aggressive enforcement and broad interpretation of federal money-laundering statutes, expressing concern that prosecutorial use of the statutes had been unfairly and improperly expanded. Elkan Abramowitz and Barry A. Bohrer, 'Federal Money-Laundering Statutes: Course Correction?' New York Law Journal (Nov. 6, 2007). In the same article, we expressed hope that the U.S. Supreme Court would take corrective action in cases then pending before it. …
Development
July 30, 2008
A look at recent rulings of importance.
Index
July 30, 2008
Everything contained in this issue, in an easy-to-read format.
HUD Proposes Changes to Home Mortgage Process
July 30, 2008
On March 14, 2008, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published its 'Proposed Rule to Simplify and Improve the Process of Obtaining Mortgages and Reduce Consumer Settlement Costs' (Docket No. FR-5180-P-01, 73 Fed. Reg. 14030). If this Rule takes effect, it would drastically change the way residential mortgage transactions are conducted.
The Case for Non-Discretionary Advancement Policies
July 30, 2008
Non-discretionary advancement policies provide officers and directors with the necessary resources to resist unjustified lawsuits. At the same time, they encourage highly qualified people to serve as officers and directors, 'secure in the knowledge that the corporation will absorb the costs of defending their honesty and integrity.'
Parallel Proceedings: The End of an Error?
July 30, 2008
Three years ago, two similarly minded district court decisions rocked federal regulatory agencies and the Department of Justice (DOJ) by rejecting longstanding assumptions about the proper conduct of simultaneous civil and criminal investigations, commonly known as 'parallel proceedings.' This article analyzes those decisions.
