Monday, September 08, 2008 |
Judges face hard choices to meet budget 
by Alyson M. Palmer, Staff Reporter
A falloff in state revenues means that judges whose pay raises were vetoed by the governor in May have had to face more bad news: the prospect of laying off staff.The state Court of Appeals has notified .... |
Dropping the billable-hour requirement, a year later
by Other, Peter Page and Meredith Hobbs
One year after labor law firm Ford & Harrison dropped its billable-hour requirement, the program is immensely popular with associates and partners who find that young attorneys are becoming more productive.... |
Paxil suit over teen's suicide goes forward
by Shannon P. Duffy, Legal Intelligencer
The family of a teenager who committed suicide in 2002 after taking the antidepressant drug Paxil is not barred from suing the manufacturer, because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had not yet taken .... |
Justices deny SG's request for face time
by Legal Times
When the solicitor general asks the U.S. Supreme Court for permission to participate in an oral argument as a friend of the court, the court almost always says yes. But not last week. In one of a series .... |
Daewoo shows how subprime woes overcome drilling orders
by Kyunghee Park, Bloomberg News
Park Chang Suk isn't waiting to learn what Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. will be worth when the South Korean government sells the maker of oil tankers, submarines and ferries this fall. Pa.... |
Business Matters
Home loan troubles break records again
by Associated Press writer
A record 9 percent of American homeowners with a mortgage were either behind on their payments or in foreclosure at the end of June, as damage from the housing crisis continues to mount, the Mortgage Banke.... |
Analyst: Home Depot, Lowe's may improve in '09
by Associated Press writer
An analyst Friday said economic forces weighing on home improvement chains The Home Depot Inc. and Lowe's Cos. Inc. are nearing the end of their “trough-like levels,” and the early stages of improvement co.... |
In Recess
Bigger and better?
by Jason H. Harper, Bloomberg News
Up, up, up we go, our bodies tossed side to side. This is a real-world roller-coaster ride, a road with more twists than Coney Island's Cyclone. Happily my car is up to the task. And unlike the carnival .... |
The Snark
Fall-recruiting-inspired stupid questions
by The Snark, Special to the Daily Report
Even though the leaves have not yet begun to turn red and gold, even though temperatures still hover near the 90s, fall recruiting season is here again—already. And during fall recruiting season, a young.... |
Viewpoint
Jolie's house opens a window on Gustav
by Michael Lewis, Bloomberg News
I'm in New Orleans now, and have been since Hurricane Gustav crossed over Cuba and was flattered by the mayor as the mother of all storms. My hometown just missed being destroyed all over again by a hurr.... |
Friday, September 05, 2008 |
Lawyers' charges trouble defense bar
by Greg Land, Staff Reporter
Some members of the state's criminal defense bar are worried that the recent indictments of two lawyers by a Douglas County grand jury for stealing funds from the estate of a murder victim may send a chill.... |
Sheriff's trial to begin in Alapaha Circuit scandal
by Janet L. Conley, Associate Editor
Clinch County Sheriff Winston C. Peterson will be the next to go on trial in a series of nearly a dozen cases involving alleged court corruption in the Alapaha Judicial Circuit, a five-county region near t.... |
In Montreal, variety's the spice of life
by Eleanor Ringel Cater, Film Critic
I hate to dwell on this, but Montreal has a heck of a film festival and is a heck of a city.That's why looking forward at the new crop of fall movies makes me look back with a sigh. Last week, I was watc.... |
A lawyer's fight for reform in Iraq
by The American Lawyer, Ben Hallman
Nothing signals the impermanence of the American occupation of Iraq quite so much as the humble trailer. Hauled in by the thousands after the 2003 invasion, trailers serve as living quarters, office space .... |
Will Socrates finally be exonerated?
by Legal Times
Talk about moot. On Sept. 16, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Jr. and four other judges will hear the appeal of a verdict that was first rendered, oh, about 2,400 years ago—at the trial of Socrates. T.... |
Business Matters
Saudis lure Stanford, GE to university built on oil boom
by Glen Carey and Matthew Brown, Bloomberg News
When Saeed al-Malowi talks with his mechanical engineering students at Taibah University in Saudi Arabia, he says the conversation often turns to pursuing advanced degrees abroad and the dim prospects of f.... |
Jobless claims jump
by Associated Press writer
The number of newly laid off workers seeking unemployment benefits jumped unexpectedly last week, the government said Thursday, reversing three weeks of declines.The Labor Department reported that new ap.... |
AirTran reports uptick in August traffic
by Associated Press writer
AirTran Airways, a unit of AirTran Holdings Inc., saw traffic and capacity grow in August compared to the same month a year ago.The Orlando, Fla.-based carrier said Thursday that revenue passenger miles .... |
Viewpoint
Five places to look for next investment bubble
by Matthew Lynn, Bloomberg News
Dot-coms? Done that. Property? Oil? Corn? Been there, got the T-shirt and nursed the losses, as well. One thing we know for sure about today's global economy is that there is always an investment bubble .... |
Thursday, September 04, 2008 |
Panel backs inmate in alleged prison retaliation
by R. Robin McDonald, Staff Reporter
A Georgia prison inmate's complaint of mistreatment at the hands of a guard and warden has prompted the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to establish a test for whether an inmate has suffered retaliation.... |
Deal Watch: Longtime counsel guides buyout
by Andy Peters, Staff Reporter
Bolstered by the strength of the Japanese yen compared to the U.S. dollar, Shionogi & Co. this week secured a deal to acquire Sciele Pharma Inc. of Atlanta.Sciele tapped its longtime outside counsel in A.... |
Experts say Palin's disclosures highlight how time is needed to vet candidates
by The American Lawyer, Brian Baxter
The revelations that Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's 17-year-old daughter is pregnant and that Palin's husband, Todd, was once arrested for drunk driving, are raising questions about how.... |
Biden has rocky relationship with some judges
by Legal Times
If Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., is elected vice president in November, chances are he won't ask Justice Clarence Thomas to swear him in—or Samuel Alito Jr., either. And Robert Bork's invitation to the inaugural.... |
Companies keep watch, covertly
by Tresa Baldas, National Law Journal
A blend of advanced technology, increased litigation and rising fears about trade secrets theft and financial fraud is driving law firms and corporate counsel to the doors of former FBI agents and ex-prose.... |
SEC dealt setbacks in recent actions
by Pamela MacLean, National Law Journal
The Securities and Exchange Commission has recently run into tough headwinds in a spate of hard-fought enforcement actions around the country that have been dismissed outright by federal judges or at least.... |
Business Matters
Insurers estimate Gustav claims as high as $10 billion
by MARK WILLIAMS, Associated Press writer
Residential and commercial insurance claims could total $4 billion to $10 billion. More than a million customers, including some refineries, lack electricity. And retailers are gearing up for a burst of sa.... |
In Recess
Playing in the 'fourth quarter'
by James Pressley, Bloomberg News
T. Boone Pickens has been many things in his 80 years: oil man, corporate raider, shareholder activist and hedge-fund manager. One thing he's not is a quitter. ''The more people count me out, the more I .... |
Law Inc.
Follow the Golden Rule
by Lee Ann Bellon, Special to the Daily Report
It is not enough to build relationships in the business world; they must be nurtured and encouraged to develop. Michael J. Athans is a successful insurance coverage litigator with Fields, Howell, Athans & .... |
Viewpoint
Auction-rate mess reminds buyers to still beware
by John F. Wasik, Bloomberg News
Some investments need a plain-language warning sticker that you find on a stepladder or a crib. Caution was lacking for auction-rate securities, complex vehicles that were sold by brokers to institutions.... |
Wednesday, September 03, 2008 |
In The Trenches: Firm dissolves after lawyers leave for Fisher
by Meredith Hobbs, Staff Reporter
Decatur employment firm Thompson, Rollins & Schwartz has disbanded after four of its six lawyers decided to join Fisher & Phillips. The two firms have always maintained a close relationship, so when Fish.... |
Lawyers reflect on car dealers' fall
by Andy Peters, Staff Reporter
The former Lou Sobh Ford dealership sits in prime real estate on Scott Boulevard in Decatur. Lou Sobh once moved hundreds of Explorers and F-150s from the location, but now the building's roof is collapsin.... |
Palin is no stranger to legal conflict
by The American Lawyer
The nomination of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to the Republican ticket raised eyebrows Friday as a Washington insider picked the ultimate legal outsider.Palin has made friends and enemies in the legal commun.... |
Satirist throws the book at the high court
by Tony Mauro, Legal Times
The awfulness of Supreme Court confirmation hearings is difficult to put into words. The bloviating, the posturing, the gotcha questions aimed at tricking the nominee into revealing his or her views abou.... |
What's your juror taking?
by Julie Kay, National Law Journal
As the percentage of Americans taking various medications skyrockets, some jury consultants and lawyers have begun asking potential jurors what kinds of medications they are taking.They're concerned abou.... |
C-SPAN crosses signals with FCC
by Mike Scarcella, Legal Times
Long an observer of political affairs, C-SPAN is now stepping out from behind the cameras and challenging government regulation.The chronicler of congressional action wants the U.S. Court of Appeals for .... |
Manufacturing shrinks in August, inflation slows
by Associated Press writer
U.S. manufacturing activity slipped in August and construction spending dropped to the lowest level in seven years in July as consumer spending and housing show no signs of reviving.The Institute for Sup.... |
Business Matters
China's spending may thwart Olympic Curse, buoy Asia
by Kevin Hamlin, Bloomberg News
China's leaders are planning tax cuts and a public-works spending spree to make sure their economy's growth isn't doused along with the Olympic flame. Ten of 11 Summer Olympics host nations analyzed by M.... |
GC South
ACC celebrates two wins on privilege
by Katheryn Hayes Tucker, Staff Reporter
The Association of Corporate Counsel celebrated two important developments last week in the protection of attorney-client privilege and other rights of defendants in government investigations.On Thursday.... |
Association of Corporate Counsel GC clicks with in-house work
by Katheryn Hayes Tucker, Staff Reporter
Truth be told, Susan J. Hackett—general counsel of the Association of Corporate Counsel in Washington—became an in-house lawyer because she wasn't happy in the firm where she went to work right out of law .... |
Corporate counsel panel to discuss unions, employment law
by Katheryn Hayes Tucker, Staff Reporter
Legislation pending in Congress could provide a dramatic boost for labor unions, according to Dion Y. Kohler, a Jackson Lewis partner who, along with a panel of his colleagues, plans to discuss the so-call.... |
Viewpoint
'Horse and buggy' antitrust decrees seldom die
by Cindy Skrzycki, Bloomberg News
It's been almost a half-century since Department of Justice antitrust regulators and True Temper Corp., one of the world's largest makers of golf club shafts, settled a case in which the company agreed not.... |
Tuesday, September 02, 2008 |
Chief justice to judge moot court contest
by National Law Journal
They haven't yet graduated from law school, and already four young Floridians will be arguing before Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. The argument won't take place in Washington but in Gainesville, Fla..... |
At Issue: Employee Free Choice Act isn't free
by D. Gerald Coker, Special to the Daily Report
In a desperate attempt to reverse the precipitous decline in union membership over the last 30 years, recent initiatives by organized labor reflect a determined assault on workplace democracy designed to u.... |
Court dismisses cases against ex-KPMG employees
by Anthony Lin, New York Law Journal
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the dismissal of criminal tax-shelter fraud charges against 13 former employees of accounting firm KPMG on the ground that prosecutors interfered with their.... |
Candidates try to drum up support
by Alyson M. Palmer, Staff Reporter
From presidential races on down, the power of endorsements is fleeting. Howard Dean landed Al Gore for the 2004 Democratic primaries but fell early in the primaries. Here in Georgia, even though Gov. Son.... |
Business Matters
European Union opens an investigation into three-airline alliance
by Associated Press writer
The European Commission has opened an antitrust probe into a revenue-sharing deal between British Airways, American Airlines and Spain's Iberia SA, a spokesman said Friday.EU spokesman Jonathan Todd said.... |
It will take a Herculean effort to fix economy
by John M. Berry, Bloomberg News
The year-old crisis triggered by the subprime mortgage debacle has uncovered so many weaknesses in the U.S. financial system that it's going to be like cleaning the Augean stables to fix them. Using both.... |
Oracle's Ellison earns scrutiny with 38 percent pay raise
by Rochelle Garner, Bloomberg News
Oracle Corp. founder Larry Ellison, the fourth-richest man in America, is drawing criticism from some shareholders for a $72 million pay package that's 12 times bigger than the median pay of CEOs in the te.... |
In Recess
Women lawyers tee it up
by John Carroll, Special to the Daily Report
When lawyers Emily S. Bair and Lynn S. Walker met at a luncheon earlier this year, they discovered that they had two things in common: They worked in the same building in Sandy Springs. And they both playe.... |
