Posts on ‘March 6th, 2009’

A Georgia measure that would place first-in-the-nation restrictions on the number of embryos that fertility doctors may implant likely won’t pass this year after it was shipped to a subcommittee on Thursday for more study. “The Ethical Treatment of Human Embryos Act” was inspired by so-called “octomom” Nadya Suleman, who gave birth to octuplets in Bellflower, Calif., in January, after having six other children. A similar bill is pending in Missouri.

The economic crisis presents an opportunity to overhaul the legal system, says Covington & Burling partner Philip Howard. And with bold policy goals emerging from the Obama administration and with Congress controlled by Democrats, such structural changes could be on the horizon. In his new book, “Life Without Lawyers,” Howard argues that a fear of litigation has stricken America’s health care and education systems. “It’s as if everyone has a little lawyer on their shoulder whispering in their ear all day long,” he says.

Tower Snow Jr., who made headlines during his turbulent tenure as chairman of now-defunct Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison, is joining Howard Rice as a partner and will resume his practice as a securities litigator. Snow says he had “contact with quite a few firms” before choosing Howard Rice, which stood out for its client list, the quality of its lawyers and its collaborative culture. With 105 lawyers, Howard Rice is a switch from Brobeck, which grew fast but imploded amid much rancor. Says Snow: “Small is really beautiful.”

The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard arguments in two criminal sentencing cases, the first involving a felony charge due to the defendant’s use of a cell phone in arranging a misdemeanor drug purchase. In the second, the justices considered an additional charge based on the accidental discharge of a gun by a defendant whom Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. repeatedly termed a “klutzy robber.”