Posts on ‘January 15th, 2009’

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan on Wednesday ordered AG Michael Mukasey to prepare by noon Friday a declaration addressing questions on how the government handled a whistleblower complaint filed in the Ted Stevens case. “This is the most important thing on his desk right now,” Sullivan said. “I want the declaration of the attorney general before he leaves office.” The whistleblower complaint, filed by an FBI special agent, alleges the prosecution team intentionally withheld evidence from Stevens’ lawyers.

President-elect Barack Obama, who just selected Hilda Solis, a strong union supporter, as his Secretary of Labor, will have the opportunity to dramatically reshape the National Labor Relations Board by appointing pro-union board members. Attorney Paul Galligan discusses the top 10 pro-employer board decisions under President George W. Bush that are now in jeopardy, understanding that it may take some time before the issues in question are presented to the Obama board as appeals.

What you should never include in your video: yourself! If you have a Web site that says you are a lawyer, people presume that you know what you’re talking about, says trial lawyer and video marketing guru Gerry Oginski. If you give potential clients a reason to doubt you, they will.

If you pay attention, the New Year’s resolutions of your Big Law co-workers should reveal themselves. The Snark informs us that because Big Firm lawyers are just not that creative, there are four basic ones to watch for. And once you know what they are, you may be able to help those around you achieve their goals — while protecting yourself. For example, do not burst into the office of a partner who is trying to break a caffeine addiction while holding your own fresh cup of brew. You could lose an arm.

Managing partners reported record low confidence in the economy’s overall health and business conditions for the legal profession in a survey released Wednesday by Citi Private Bank. According to 2008 fourth-quarter findings, partners’ confidence in the economy plunged to a record low of 38 on an index that ranges from zero to 200, when just last year confidence was at 69. Despite dismal projections in general, managing partners were more optimistic about their own firms’ financial prospects.

Deciding an appeal brought by prosecutors after Magistrate Judge Ronald Ellis on Monday refused to revoke bail, federal Judge Lawrence McKenna ruled Wednesday that Bernard Madoff will remain out of jail until he is either convicted or pleads guilty in an alleged $50 billion fraud. The only additional requirement imposed by McKenna was to expand the personal property inventory ordered by Ellis to include personal property at the Madoffs’ homes on Long Island, in Florida and in France.

Managing partners reported record low confidence in the economy’s overall health and business conditions for the legal profession in a survey released Wednesday by Citi Private Bank. According to 2008 fourth-quarter findings, partners’ confidence in the economy plunged to a record low of 38 on an index that ranges from zero to 200, when just last year confidence was at 69. Despite dismal projections in general, managing partners were more optimistic about their own firms’ financial prospects.

Big tech companies haven’t stopped patenting their inventions, but more than ever they’re also buying others’ patents as a weapon in intellectual property litigation. In-house counsel know that the best defense against a high-stakes IP suit can be the ability to threaten the other side with suits based on your own portfolio. But with more patents on the market than ever, companies are on a shopping spree that a recessionary economy is only likely to fuel.