Posts on ‘July 6th, 2009’

Linklaters and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer dominated European M&A activity during the first half of 2009. Research from Mergermarket shows that Freshfields has moved to the top of the European rankings by value, working on 63 deals worth 94.29 billion euros ($132.25 billion). Linklaters sits in second place by value in Europe, working on 72 deals worth 81.66 billion euros ($114.54 billion). The tallies mean the firms switch places in the European rankings by volume, with Linklaters in first place.

In a what may be a first-of-its-kind swearing-in ceremony for a lawyer, a soldier in Iraq became an attorney last week via a live video conference, taking his oath before a Michigan judge who was over 6,300 miles away. The long-distance ceremony for Army Major Miles Gengler was a promise made good by an associate dean at Thomas M. Cooley Law School, John Nussbaumer. “I promised Miles that if he passed the bar exam, I would find a way to get him sworn in even though he would still be in Iraq,” said Nussbaumer.

Jason Murtagh says that the most nerve-wracking moment during his work on Haywood v. Drown was when the U.S. Supreme Court granted writ of certiorari in June 2008. That’s because he was the one set to argue the case. But it turned out well for the 34-year-old attorney and his client in the prisoner rights case — the Court ruled in their favor in May. Murtagh took the pro bono case while an associate at Dechert, but he’s moved on to 40-attorney Rubin Fortunato to pursue a greater amount of casework.

The court-appointed trustee responsible for liquidating Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities has announced that $231 million in Securities Investor Protection Corp. funds has been set aside to satisfy 543 claims by victims of Bernard Madoff’s massive Ponzi scheme. The figure reflects “major progress” since May 14, when $61.4 million in SIPC funds had been committed to 125 Madoff claimants, SIPC said in a statement.

The 2nd Circuit has rejected a challenge from out-of-state wine retailers to New York state’s prohibition on direct sales and delivery of wine to New Yorkers. Deciding a closely watched case that drew three intervenors and a number of amici, the federal appeals court said New York’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Law does not violate the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution because it does not favor in-state sellers at the expense of out-of-state sellers.

Florida-based Ruden McClosky has laid off eight attorneys as part of a cost-reduction effort that includes 18 percent pay cuts for most of its lawyers, according to sources. The laid-off attorneys worked in the firm’s litigation, corporate and land-use practice areas. The latest layoffs follow three rounds of dismissals conducted since late last year. An attorney at the firm who asked not to be named said morale has declined because of the cuts in jobs and pay and that many of the firm’s lawyers are seeking other jobs.

The judicial misconduct complaint against 9th Circuit Chief Judge Alex Kozinski over sexually explicit material on his family Web site has been resolved with a public admonishment but no discipline imposed on the judge. An 11-judge council from the 3rd Circuit issued a unanimous opinion that said Kozinski had cured the problem himself by removing and destroying the explicit material. The opinion also revealed new details about the incident, including the identity of the disgruntled litigant who tipped off the press.