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?
Transitioning & Flexibility: What's In It For Senior Partners?
March 30, 2006
Many of the stories about senior partners pressured to retire so the next generation can take over are not pretty. Ironically, they clearly contradict the long-held notion of what a partnership should be at a time when less formal 'partnerships' are a management buzzword for getting things done in business. ('We partner with '' [our clients, other organizations, etc.]) And long time partners' needs and futures beyond financial arrangements are neglected.<br>For the younger generations in the workplace to get what they want, there must be something in it for the more senior people too. Here are my thoughts and recommendations.
News Briefs
March 30, 2006
Highlights of the latest franchising news from around the country.
Law Firm Mergers: What's the End Game?
March 30, 2006
There have been over 170 law firm mergers in the U.S. in the last 3 years. Although the pace has slowed a little since a peak of 82 in 2002, there is no end in sight.
Domino's Prevails Against Franchisee in U.S. Supreme Court
March 30, 2006
The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of Domino's Pizza in a case brought under §1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 by the sole shareholder of a corporation who alleged that Domino's breach of several contracts with the corporation was based upon racial animus toward him. <i>Domino's Pizza, Inc. v. McDonald</i>, 126 S.Ct. 1246 (2006).
U.S. Supreme Court Settles Whether Illegality Claims Go to Arbitrator
March 30, 2006
Until the recent decision in <i>Buckeye Check Cashing, Inc. v. Cardegna</i>, 126 S.Ct. 1204 (Feb. 21, 2006), there was some uncertainty as to how claims of illegality would fare against attempts to enforce arbitration agreements. The decision did not turn on whether the contract was void or voidable, as did earlier lower court decisions, but simply on whether the illegality claim was directed to the underlying contract or the arbitration clause itself. Relying on <i>Prima Paint Corp. v. Flood & Conklin Mfg. Co.</i>, 388 U.S. 395 (1967), the Court treated the illegality claim in the same manner as a claim of fraud in the inducement and held that 'unless the challenge is to the arbitration clause itself, the issue of the contract's validity is considered by the arbitrator in the first instance.' 126 S.Ct. at 1206.
Music Industry Faces Tough Negotiations In Digital Music-Licensing Frontier
March 29, 2006
Howard Stern and Oprah Winfrey might have lent some serious star power to subscription-based satellite-radio networks XM and Sirius, but that doesn't mean the fledgling medium is ready for prime time. This year, XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. and Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. have to renegotiate their royalty agreements with record labels. Not only is the music industry intent on raising the licensing fees, it wants to stop the introduction of new satellite radio receivers that work more like an iPod than a radio.
