Over the last few weeks, we have seen a lot of ink relating to a certain merger that didn't happen. Everyone is speculating on why it didn't happen and what the fallout will be for both firms. Some have opined both in print and on blogs that the firm who has lost the most in terms of talent will be weakened and without a clear vision to move forward. From where I am sitting, I can attest to the fact that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for that firm. I know this because I experienced first hand how a firm can recover from 'the worst of times'
Has the importance of billing time all but eclipsed the potential gain of going out to lunch with a prospective client? As profits per partner keep skyrocketing, the case needs to be made for the old-fashioned business lunch. Clever 'rainmakers' have a keen eye for business development. They have realized that this forum presents a brilliant opportunity for networking and smoking out new opportunities. New clients aren't lining up outside your office so get smart and get out of that chair!
After obtaining court victories in several states against bans on video games deemed violent or sexually explicit, the video-game industry is running up the score by collecting $1.5 million in attorney fees.
Last month's installment discussed current Canadian law with respect to vicarious liability. Part Two of this series addresses how to register a security interest in motor vehicles, appropriate titling law, and the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act.
TV reality shows, such as 'Miami Ink' and 'The Real World,' can present a unique problem for attorneys representing the casts. Unlike traditional entertainment clients, the cameras invade personal lives. When the cameras follow reality stars onto their real-life jobs, it can interfere with their ability to make a living. And because actors' union rules don't apply to reality-show participants, their attorneys must negotiate a balance of on- and off-camera time for their clients.
'Disconnect Between In-House and Outside Counsel is a continuation of the discussion of client expectations and the disconnect that often occurs. And although the outside attorneys should be pursuing how inside-counsel actually think, inside counsel should make an effort to impart this information without waiting to be asked.
Do divorce lawyers have an obligation to disclose client confidences when it is in the best interests of the client's child to do so? The short answer of the rules of professional responsibility is 'no' because a 'yes' answer is deemed to be fundamentally inconsistent with the premises of the adversary system in which the divorce lawyer functions. The longer answer is that the rules encourage ' but do not require ' a divorce lawyer to counsel the client to authorize the disclosure because it is in the best interests of both parent and child.
Womble Carlyle's technology training and online learning programs were in need of an upgrade. Unprecedented firm growth, heightened emphasis on developing lawyers' core technology competencies, and a need to streamline and automate existing e-learning processes led the firm to initiate a fundamental shift.
Online ticket reseller StubHub faces lawsuits over allegedly unrefunded event tickets in California, after a federal judicial panel ordered that similar cases from jurisdictions in multiple states be coordinated.
