Posts on ‘February 3rd, 2009’

A controversial federal program intended to screen illegal aliens out of jobs, pushed during the waning days of the Bush Administration, has been put on hold until at least May 21 by President Barack Obama’s administration. Congress created E-Verify as a voluntary program in 1994, but in 2008, President Bush signed an executive order mandating that federal contractors submit the names of new hires and existing employees to the program.

After more than eight years of litigation, lawyers for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will appear in federal court this week to square off against a handful of animal welfare organizations that have filed suit against the circus alleging that it routinely violates federal law by abusing its elephants. The case is a major test for the reach of the Endangered Species Act, which for the first time is being used by private citizens to try to influence the care of animals already in captivity.

Some 200 GCs and human resource directors gathered in Washington, D.C., last week for a horror story. The tale — told by lawyers from Epstein Becker & Green — concerned employees, federal regulation and an expected wave of big-ticket litigation over issues like benefits, equal pay and layoffs. For employment lawyers, it’s certainly a happy day. But that doesn’t appear to give their in-house brethren much consolation. Several say they’re bulking up legal budgets for what’s coming down the pipeline.

The first day of LegalTech New York is typically the most hectic, as vendors and visitors scramble. But what happens when a major conference falls in the middle of the biggest wave of lawyer layoffs in recent history? Still pretty crowded, say the twitterati. Read early coverage from bloggers.

Nine years after a 14-lawyer exodus led to the death of a prominent New Jersey bankruptcy firm, the partners left behind are nearing a climax of their efforts to exact revenge on the firm that wooed the defectors. A state judge has scheduled an April trial in a suit charging that Lowenstein Sandler violated fair business practice rules and thieved financial secrets, knowing its actions would kill off small firm Ravin, Sarasohn, Cook, Baumgarten, Fisch & Rosen. Millions of dollars in damages are at stake.

Young attorneys beginning their careers may find that navigating the profession is far more complex than the bar itself. A multitude of smart folks pass the bar, only to find themselves stuck behind prefabricated desks, wondering why opportunities fail to abound. Attorney Shai Littlejohn writes that career success requires being three parts lawyer and one part marketing agent. If you are frustrated about the trajectory of your career, consider whether you have been cultivating or neglecting “brand you.”

Jailed attorney Marc S. Dreier renewed his efforts Monday to be released on bail. Indicted last week by a federal grand jury on charges that he bilked hedge funds and other investors of more than $400 million, Dreier pleaded not guilty at his arraignment before New York federal Judge Jed S. Rakoff, who promised to rule no later than Friday on whether to release Dreier on bail. The judge ordered both sides to submit briefs on what lengths private armed guards could go to if Dreier attempted to flee his apartment.

It’s the roughest market the legal industry has seen in at least 17 years, and there’s no quick fix ahead. That point is one of many sobering predictions in a client advisory by Hildebrandt International and Citi Private Bank. The advisory concludes that profits-per-partner in 2008 generally spanned from flat to a 10 percent decrease compared with the prior year — and that profits are apt to fall further in 2009, with average profits-per-partner declining by 5 percent to 15 percent, and perhaps more at some firms.

By a wide margin, the Senate on Monday night confirmed Eric Holder Jr. as the 82nd attorney general of the United States. Holder is the first African-American to serve as the nation’s chief law enforcer. The 75-21 vote is a clear signal of congressional goodwill toward Holder, which he’ll need as the Justice Department confronts detention and interrogation policy, the closure of Guantanamo Bay prison and a range of litigation that will test the boundaries of executive power in the Obama administration.

Attorneys specializing in executive compensation are hearing from banking and finance executives forced to sign waivers of any right to challenge reductions in pay or benefits required when banks accept federal bailout money. Robert Wild, a partner in the corporate practice in Katten Muchin Rosenman’s Chicago office, believes that some institutions are considering applying the restrictions more broadly than required. “The idea is spreading that this ought to be applied throughout the ranks,” he said.