Posts on ‘December 23rd, 2008’

The Supreme Court of Canada on Dec. 19 released the reasons behind its June decision to allow a $42 billion acquisition of Montreal-based BCE Inc., Canada’s biggest telecommunications company. While the deal — the world’s biggest leveraged buyout at the time — has since collapsed, the court decision is still considered precedent regarding the duties of boards of directors. talks with Blake, Cassels & Graydon partner Michael Gans about the impact of the court?s decision.

Obama/Biden vs. McCain/Palin. Campaign over. Outcome decided. Now it’s time for the after-action reports, political and otherwise. So, are there any work matters lessons to be learned? As one of the candidates might say, “You betcha.” Attorney Michael Maslanka offers six lessons, including how the Sarah Palin-blaming illuminates the fundamental attribution bias and why it’s best to use your own story and not hijack the other side’s.

After a turbulent year, Dechert will hand out associate bonuses at market rate. The firm may also hand out merit bonuses and will “progress salaries for associates consistent with past practice,” according to a memo from firm Chairman Barton Winokur. The news comes at the end of a roller-coaster ride for Dechert, which began 2008 by opening a Hong Kong office but by December was announcing layoffs.

One of the prosecutors in the criminal case against commodities trader Marc Rich says Eric Holder Jr. shouldn’t be disqualified from the attorney general job because of his involvement in Rich’s pardon. In a letter released Monday by the Senate Judiciary Committee, James Comey says that, while Holder’s role was “a huge misjudgment,” Holder’s actions in that case may make him “a better steward” of the DOJ “because he has learned a hard lesson about protecting the integrity of that great institution.”

A federal judge on Monday dismissed a money laundering conspiracy charge against a prominent attorney accused of illegal dealings with a Colombian drug lord. The issue was whether $5.2 million transferred from Colombia to attorney Ben Kuehne’s accounts were exempt from criminal prosecution because they were essentially legal fees. Kuehne still faces other charges, including obstruction of justice and wire fraud, but the conspiracy count was considered the heart of the case.

Nora Anderson should be allowed to become Manhattan surrogate on Jan. 1, even as the Manhattan DA prosecutes her on felony charges of concealing improper political contributions during her campaign for the bench, her attorney has told New York state’s high court. If the court decides to suspend Anderson, the attorney is urging that it do so with pay because Anderson is supporting an ill mother and brother, and the surrogate-elect will be prohibited from practicing law when her term begins on Jan. 1.