Posts under ‘Legal Jobs’

A panel discussion by outsourcing experts and in-house counsel on Wednesday highlighted the in-house reluctance to pay for work by first- and even second-year associates, even as in-house lawyers on the panel acknowledged that the trend could harm their hiring pools in the future.

The recent decision Schachter v. Citigroup is the first California Supreme Court case to address the question of post-employment sales commissions. The court’s guidance is necessary because existing case law and interpretations from the California Department of Labor Standards Enforcement have not provided a clear, consistent or well-founded framework, says attorney Richard H. Frank. The ruling provides guidance for companies on crafting enforceable employment contracts and commission plans to address this issue.

Dallas police say a former city attorney accused of shooting a father and son inside their financial business Monday died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Wednesday. Police say Robert Mustard turned the gun on himself after shooting Richard Smith and Christopher Smith, both of whom are in stable condition. Authorities believe that Mustard, who worked for the city of Dallas in the 1980s, was upset about some financial dealings.

The New Jersey Supreme Court appears ready to adopt a rule barring plaintiffs from using records secretly taken from employer files to bolster their discrimination cases. At oral arguments, the justices kept plaintiffs attorney Neil Mullin on the ropes, asking him how the court can approve of an employee resorting to self-help to gain a litigation advantage. Mullin asked the court to reinstate a $10.6 million jury verdict for a Curtiss-Wright executive fired for copying corporate documents and giving them to Mullin.

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that New York City had presented “compelling evidence” that it owned the right to the name Tavern on the Green. The decision comes more than two months after the famous Central Park eatery closed Dec. 31 and caps a bitter battle between the city and descendants of restaurateur Warner LeRoy, who licensed the right to run Tavern on the Green in the 1970s. Tavern on the Green opened in 1934, when Parks Commissioner Robert Moses transformed the Victorian Gothic structure from a sheepfold.

Former Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler partner Steve Lippman has agreed to sit for a deposition without invoking his Fifth Amendment rights when questioned about money received from his former boss, convicted fraudster Scott Rothstein. Bankruptcy trustee Herbert Stettin contends Lippman was overpaid by $3.1 million and seeks repayment. Stettin alleges a number of bonuses and payments were made as “part of a scheme to funnel cash out of RRA to use for political contributions.”

Senior Obama administration officials on Wednesday defended the proposed
$1.4 billion settlement to resolve a long-running Indian trust dispute,
telling skeptical members of a House committee that the resolution,
which requires congressional authorization, is fair and appropriate.
Members of the House committee questioned whether the dollar amount of
the suit is sufficient to settle the claims. The members also are trying
to wrap their heads around the proposed range of attorney fees — $50
million to $100 million.

The D.C. Board on Professional Responsibility has recommended to the
D.C. Court of Appeals that former White House aide Claude Allen, who
pleaded guilty in 2006 to one misdemeanor count of theft of property
under $500, be suspended from the practice of law for one year. Allen
contended that his conduct was a result of severe stress stemming from
his time as an assistant to President George W. Bush for domestic policy
issues during and after Hurricane Katrina.

After practicing law in New Jersey for 57 years, Martin Burger learned something new: You can be reprimanded by the state Supreme Court for paying paralegals a percentage of fees on cases they bring in. He also learned the punishment could have been worse. In an order made public on March 5, the justices adopted the Disciplinary Review Board’s finding that Burger capitalized on paralegal Lita Biederman’s contacts in the Filipino community to generate immigration cases.

Finding there was no more than speculative injury, a federal judge has dismissed a class action suit against Aetna filed in the wake of news that the insurer’s computer database may have been hacked and that personal data of up to 450,000 job applicants were potentially at risk. The judge added his voice to a growing chorus of judges who have held that such a claim of “increased risk of identity theft” is not enough to confer standing to sue. He noted that the courts are divided on whether plaintiffs in such cases have standing.