Safeguarding Confidential Employee Records
April 28, 2006
The electronic age has increased numerous workplace efficiencies, the most significant of which are obtaining, storing, using and transferring data. Yet these benefits to data management have not come without burdens. Because information has become increasingly easy to obtain and transfer, employers must take precautionary measures to ensure that confidential data is adequately protected. This applies not just to proprietary business information, but also to confidential employee data. This article provides an overview of statutory, constitutional and common law concerns with respect to obtaining and maintaining confidential employee information, and penalties that employers may face for failing to protect the security of confidential employee records.
PM Forum North America, New York Chapter: The New and Improved Version!
April 27, 2006
Back in 2004, I wrote an article announcing that the PM Forum was arriving here in the U.S. and that the New York Chapter was being launched. That was then and this is now. The new and improved version is having its inaugural soiree in New York City on May 4th from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Club Metropolitan.
Is the White-Collar Defense Attorney Headed for Extinction?
April 27, 2006
In the 3 years since Former Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson's expansion of the Principles of Federal Prosecution of Business Organizations (the 'Thompson Memorandum' or 'Memorandum'), the number of front-page corporate prosecutions and record fines have continued to grow. Prior <i>Business Crimes Bulletin</i> articles have discussed the impact of the Memorandum on the role of defense counsel, including the effects of waiver of corporate attorney-client privilege. However, the privilege is not all that is disappearing.
The Value of Partnership
April 26, 2006
When someone becomes an equity partner in a law firm, he or she becomes an owner of an institution that has a substantial value ' certainly greater value than is demonstrated on a cash basis balance sheet. Yet the majority of U.S. law firms admit partners with little or no requirement that they make a purchase of the firm's capital assets.
Transition Planning and Flexibitlity for Senior Partners
April 26, 2006
Many of the stories about senior partners pressured to retire so the next generation can take over are not pretty. They contradict long-held notions of what a partnership should be and neglect the long-time partners' non-financial needs.For younger generations in the workplace to get what they want from a transitioning agreement, there must be something in it for the more senior people too.
<b>Technology Uses & Costs</b>: Improved Cost Recovery for Imaging
April 26, 2006
Chapman and Cutler LLP is a Chicago-based law firm focused on innovative and practical legal solutions for complex financial transactions. In addition to traditional financing, the firm, with its pool of 180 attorneys located in three offices, is widely recognized for its experience in specialized areas of finance. Keeping up with the pace of change in the financial arena, as well as the rapidly evolving needs of Chapman and Cutler's clients, has consistently challenged our IT group to provide the Chapman user community with the most up-to-date and efficient technology solutions. This was our objective last summer when we set out to replace and upgrade our firm's cost recovery systems.
Morgan Hops Over China's Hurdles
April 05, 2006
When Morgan, Lewis & Bockius announced that it had landed the right team of lawyers to open an office in Beijing and the permission of Chinese authorities to do it, it was a double coup. <br>While obtaining a license to practice in China isn't the mystery it used to be for U.S. firms, it's still an arduous process. Firms can wait as long as a year to get an answer from local officials and the Chinese Ministry of Justice, as Morgan, Lewis did. And that's after completing the lengthy application that must be notarized, approved by U.S. agencies and then translated into Mandarin.
Translating Professional Development Into Business
March 30, 2006
How do you get the highest and best use out of your firm's professional development investment, over and above the clear benefit to your own lawyers and staff? Odds are there is a huge amount of intellectual property already in existence as a result of your firm's internal programs. Consider turning what is a valuable cost center into an invaluable business development resource.
<b>Media & Communications Corner</b>Securing Media Coverage in Key Publications
March 30, 2006
Over the next few months in our monthly column on media relations, Jaffe Associates' media relations team will take a closer look at several of the top publications for legal coverage. We will interview the editors and reporters who cover the news and bring you their perspective on what is important to them and the direction in which they think legal reporting is heading.<br>Our first article in the series looks at the Wall Street Journal Law Page. In January of this year, the WSJ greatly expanded its online coverage of legal issues with a new page dedicated to law-related content and launched a legal industry blog, the only one of its kind by a major daily. We sat down with <b>Ashby Jones</b>, the editor of the page, and <b>Peter Lattman</b>, a WSJ Online legal reporter and the primary writer for the blog, to learn more about the page and its content.
<b>Professional Development University: </b>Concepts Of Justice In Literature
March 30, 2006
'Equal justice under law' ' these words, written in stone on the face of the Supreme Court building in Washington, DC, express the goal of our judicial system. But what exactly is justice, and when was the last time you and your partners and associates thought about justice as it relates to your practice?
