The Case for Mentorship
May 30, 2007
Career guidelines, career plans and mentors. These are familiar terms to most lawyers, especially law students and laterals looking for the right 'fit.' And many, if not most, large law firms highlight one or more of these career-planning tools on their Web sites and recruiting materials. But the 'inside' story of their effectiveness might not be as rosy. Several recent articles in legal journals and newspapers have bemoaned the state of mentoring programs at larger firms, saying that they are boilerplate, empty promises designed to recruit, and that they are usually unsuccessful due to lack of follow-up. Here's how our company overcame these problems.
In the Courts
May 30, 2007
Recent rulings of interest to you and your practice.
Can Money Laundering 'Travel with the Business'?
May 30, 2007
It can often be difficult for a white-collar attorney, who may have at least a passing familiarity with money laundering, to explain to a corporate attorney colleague how federal money laundering laws can impact deals on which the corporate attorney is advising clients. This article provides an example that may help you explain to your corporate law colleagues the impact that the federal money laundering laws could have on their work.
Whither the Guidelines?
May 30, 2007
You might be forgiven for concluding that the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines were largely a thing of the past following the Supreme Court's decision two years ago in United States v. Booker, 543 U.S. 220 (2005). The Court held that the Guidelines were purely advisory ' not mandatory ' and just one among many factors to be consulted in meting out a sentence under 18 U.S.C. ' 3553(a). Other factors specified in ' 3553(a) include such…
The Globalization of Investigations
May 30, 2007
Over the past several years, the Department of Justice ('DOJ') has expanded its tools and efforts to gather evidence from abroad and reciprocate by helping foreign prosecutors gather evidence in the United States. For a client whose primary presence is in this country, cross-border cooperation among law enforcement organizations raises distinct and difficult issues. An effective defense requires knowledge of treaties and criminal law in two or more jurisdictions, and collaboration among defense counsel in different countries.
Computer Forensics Docket Sheet
May 30, 2007
Court Issues Spoliation Sanctions for 'Crashed' Hard Drive<br>Court Issues Adverse Jury Instruction Where Plaintiff Disposed of Evidence
Courts Grapple with Computer Searches
May 30, 2007
With a growing number of criminal cases depending on forensic searches of computers, the direction courts ultimately take is likely to affect a wide array of cases, ranging from hacking and piracy to murder investigations.
The FRCP Alarm Clock Has Rung; Now What?
May 30, 2007
The magical e-discovery alarm clock known as Dec. 1, 2006, meant to wake people in the legal and business worlds up has rung ' and it's time to stop hitting the snooze button and address e-discovery readiness. Indeed, the much-discussed amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are in place and, much as on the morning after the supposedly cataclysmic Y2K bug not so long ago, many people are wondering whether all the anxiety leading up to the Dec. 1 e-discovery wake-up call was justified.
