<b><I>Voice of the Client</I></b>: Why Put Clients on Mute?
According to the author: "Having conducted hundreds of in-person client feedback interviews, I can say without reservation that clients would welcome — and prefer — a call or meeting focused on what the firm is doing well, what it could be doing better, and how the firm can provide more value."
Alternative Legal Services Providers: Changing Buyer Perceptions
A common perception of today's legal services industry is that buyers of legal services have many more choices because legal services are disaggregating and unbundling. No longer are law firms the only option for clients with legal work; they now have a wider menu of providers from which to choose.
Drug & Device News
A settlement was reached Feb. 10 between McNeil Consumer Healthcare (a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson) and more than 200 plaintiffs who claim liver damage from taking Tylenol.
Case Notes
On April 6, Florida's Supreme Court announced that a lawsuit against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. may go forward, rejecting the cigarette manufacturer's argument that federal preemption foreclosed the right of an injured smoker and his representatives to bring state-law tort claims against it for marketing cigarettes.
Railcar Leasing on the Rise
According to a recent analyst report from global market research company, Technavio, the railcar leasing market in North America, is predicted to grow steadily at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of above 9% by 2021. The report, titled Railcar Leasing Market In North America 2017-2021, finds that one of the primary drivers for this market is the rise in the demand for tank cars due to growing crude oil production.
What Lawyers Can Learn from Poker Players
Litigation is often compared to chess. The image is evoked of a lawyer strategically developing evidence and making arguments the same way a chess player moves and sacrifices pieces on a chessboard, to defeat an opponent. But ask any trial lawyer, and he or she will tell you that litigation is nothing like chess. The better analogy and, more importantly, the better place to turn for useful practice pointers, is poker. Here's why.
Hiding Assets in California
Often, asset protection advice is bereft of any discussion of California exemption statutes — which often provide the most efficient and safest asset protection. But to properly protect an asset in California, it's generally best to understand and maximize exemptions.
The Dire Financial Consequences of Misclassifying Your Employees
<b><I>Looking at a Case in Florida</I></b><p>In February of this year, a Florida appeals court upheld a decision by Gov. Rick Scott's administration that Uber drivers are independent contractors and not employees. In terms of the law, the decision was hardly revolutionary. It did, however, highlight the importance of properly classifying workers. Indeed, failure to properly classify workers can have staggering financial consequences for a business that operates on a model that relies heavily on a large number of independent contractors.
Second Circuit Upholds Ban on Private Investment in Law Firms
A federal appeals court in March rejected an attempt to loosen restrictions on private investment in the legal industry. The decision, which affirms a 2015 district court ruling, is a blow to Los Angeles-based personal injury firm Jacoby & Meyers, which has fought a nearly six-year legal battle against the prohibition on non-lawyers investing in law firms and sharing in legal fees.
