Happy Friday! Get your legal news headlines from Thomson Reuters News & Insight:
New York judge with cancer makes case for marijuana
Gustin Reichbach has become an unlikely voice in support of legalizing the use of medical marijuana with the admission that he smokes pot to ease the side-effects of his treatments.
MF Global clients bash fat fees, seek quick wind-down
A customer group plans to ask that the brokerage’s bankruptcy case be streamlined so that estate trustee Louis Freeh and his team receive less and customers receive more.
Mississippi high court declines to rehear pardon case
The state Supreme Court rejected a motion to reconsider its approval of 10 pardons issued in January by then Governor Haley Barbour.
Alabama lawmakers added a year to Jeffco bankruptcy, lawyer says
The state’s House of Representatives skipped a vote on a bill that would have restored an occupational tax worth $60 million annually to debt-ridden Jefferson County.
Appeals court revives POM lawsuit versus Coca-Cola
POM initially sued Coca-Cola, saying that it misled consumers to believe that their drink consists primarily of pomegranate and blueberry juices. The 9th Circuit returned it to a lower court.
‘Neither admit nor deny’ unlikely to be changed by Congress
Officials from four agencies told lawmakers that requiring admissions of misconduct would hurt regulators’ ability to bring cases and would soak up limited resources.
For more legal news, check out Thomson Reuters News & Insight.
Posted by Morgan Smith in:
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Corporate CFOs have increasingly become concerned about controlling costs – including costs in the legal department, which can capture a non-trivial portion of an organization’s budget. This can create challenges for legal departments that are seeking to improve their technology systems and efficiency.
Catherine Dunn of Corporate Counsel recently spoke with Rob Thomas, vice president, Market Development for Thomson Reuters, about general counsel and the CFO working together to improve efficiency, as well as track and reduce legal spending.
Their conversation, stemming from a white paper authored by Thomas and available for download at Serengeti Law, focused on the challenges GCs can face when trying to justify improving their technology to track and analyze legal spend, as well as the benefits to the company when these services are implemented.
Serengeti Law recently unveiled a redesigned website that allows easier access for customers to learn about its offerings, request demonstrations and work with Serengeti Professional Services.
Serengeti Law is part of Thomson Reuters and provider of Serengeti TrackerTM, the legal profession’s most widely used and highest rated e-billing and matter management platform.
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One of the most important tasks when launching a brand, be it an entire company or a product line within, is to make sure that someone else hasn’t beat you to the punch on one of the most basic elements – the name.
That’s where Thomson CompuMark comes in. You’ve always been able to count on us to provide screening services to make sure your trademark isn’t already registered by someone else, but soon we’ll be expanding this and providing you with the most global coverage, period.
Over the past few months and over the coming few months, Thomson CompuMark is performing the Herculean task of more than tripling the number of our trademark screening registers. This summer, the number of registers covered by Thomson CompuMark will reach an impressive 186, making it the largest collection of trademark screening information available anywhere.
The upcoming expanded coverage will include markets unavailable from any other online source. We’re starting that process now with 40 new databases released this week, including strategically important countries like Taiwan, Kosovo and Malaysia.
So, with Thomson CompuMark, you get your brand off to the right start by screening the world with a single search, thanks to SAEGIS® on SERION®.
Find out more about this expansion of coverage, and stay tuned for more SAEGIS databases coming in the weeks ahead.
Posted by Erin Capellman in:
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Recently, the Girl Scouts of U.S.A. celebrated their 100th anniversary. This organization was designed to help girls reach their full potential. At the event, Sharon Sayles Belton, Vice President of Community Relations and Government Affairs for Thomson Reuters, former mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and former Girl Scout was honored with the Trailblazer award.
Sharon is the first African American and the first female mayor of Minneapolis and a strong advocate for race equality; community development; public policy and women’s, family and children’s issues. Sharon received the Trailblazer award for demonstrating to girls how one person can make a big impact on their community.
Posted by Morgan Smith in:
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It’s Friday and we’ve got your legal news headlines from Thomson Reuters News & Insight:
Fat guarantees helped weaken Dewey & LeBoeuf
As the firm bleeds partners and clients on an almost-hourly basis, compensation guarantees — pay promises issued regardless of performance — are being blamed for the firm’s unraveling.
BP wins delay of Gulf spill trial until January 2013
The decision is a setback for the federal government, which will have to wait until after the November elections for the high-profile case to begin.
N.Y. bar exam results good news for 44 percent
Some 4,011 prospective lawyers sat for the two-day exam and of those, 1,749 passed, according to the New York State Board of Law Examiners. Here’s a full list of those who passed.
No rubber stamp for Lehman executives’ settlement
With a nod to country singer Kenny Rogers, a federal judge has refused allow insurers for Lehman Brothers to pay $90 mln to settle a fraud lawsuit brought by investors.
Google, authors go head to head over digital books
In a long-running legal dispute over its plans to create a digital library, Google argued that associations of authors and photographers should not be allowed to sue the company as a group.
Key Dewey & LeBoeuf partner defects to rival
The departure of vice-chairman and M&A lawyer Morton Pierce to White & Case is a major blow for the firm, which has lost nearly a third of its partners since January.
Auditor watchdog in China talks: spokeswoman
The PCAOB and SEC have been stepping up efforts to come to an agreement after a rash of accounting scandals at China-based companies that list shares in the United States.
For more legal news, check out Thomson Reuters News & Insight.
Posted by Morgan Smith in:
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Walk into any Thomson Reuters office, world-wide, and you will see concerted efforts and initiatives to thoughtfully incorporate environmental sustainability in the way we operate and conduct our business. Last week, employees from the Thomson Reuters Global Resources office in Baar, Switzerland, spent a day creating a new habitat for wildlife in their community by planting more than 1200 native trees and shrubs.
The project echoes Thomson Reuters commitment to corporate sustainability, and was initiated by longtime employee, Tim Nixon, director of Legal Content in Switzerland. Part of Tim’s role at Thomson Reuters is to help make transparent corporate sustainability efforts to determine what that data says about a business and how the information can be useful to investors. Prior to moving to Switzerland, Tim led the Green Team at the company’s Eagan, Minn., campus and was responsible for a number of initiatives to strengthen biodiversity there, including re-introducing native prairie to a large parcel on the campus and installing bluebird, wood duck and chimney swift houses.
To learn more about the project in Baar, click on the video clip below:
Posted by Laura Folland in:
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It’s Friday and we’ve got your legal news headlines from Thomson Reuters News & Insight:
U.S. adds muscle to fraud investigations
An Obama administration task force probing misconduct that fueled the financial crisis is increasing its ranks, adding five financial analysts and 10 new federal prosecutors.
ACLU sues over Border Patrol stops in U.S. Pacific Northwest
The ACLU says the U.S. Border Patrol is unjustifiably stopping people based on their skin color in Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula, just across the water from Canada.
As Supreme Court mulls healthcare, rumors fly
This week the nation’s top court wrapped up the last oral arguments of its current term. Now comes the nationwide angst of waiting – as long as two months – for decisions.
AMR labor needs shifted after bankruptcy: exec
AMR Corp’s labor relations chief said that the company tried to “limp along” by negotiating burdensome short-term labor deals before deciding to file for Chapter 11 protection.
Smartphone trial features dueling ex-Sun execs
A pair of former CEOs for what was once a Silicon Valley darling told two different versions of how they viewed their company’s legal rights in the trial between Oracle and Google.
Former chief administrative judge to be deposed in ‘Law & Order’ lawsuit
Ann Pfau will be ordered to answer questions from lawyer Ravi Batra, who has pursued defamation claims against NBC over an episode he says featured an unflattering doppelganger.
Interview: SEC Enforcement Division Director Robert Khuzami
Being violation-free alone does not guarantee that a public company will not face the wrath of the SEC, its enforcer told Thomson Reuters.
For more legal news, check out Thomson Reuters News & Insight.
Posted by Morgan Smith in:
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Thomson Reuters has announced the introduction of a new professional skills training program for lawyers in India. The Legal Advancement Program, the first of its kind in India, is specifically designed to prepare newly qualified lawyers for Day One of their professional career.
With approximately 60,000 students graduating in law every year in India, it’s increasingly difficult to stand out in front of prospective employers. This new program is designed to help kick start a new recruit’s legal career and enable them to quickly add value to a firm.
The Legal Advancement Program offers a flexible, self-paced online training experience that provides the core practical skills needed on a daily basis for a professional career in law. The program bridges the gap between law school and law firm, enabling candidates to put their theory of law into practice by using real-life legal situations, combined with innovative web-based training techniques.
“In India, as with many countries around the world, law graduates although academically sound, do not have access to the tools to develop the professional skills required in law practice,” said Arvind Pachhapur, country manager, Thomson Reuters Legal business, India. “The introduction of the Legal Advancement Program is designed to meet this need and ultimately, to help the legal system to perform better.”
The Society of Indian Law Firms’ president, Lalit Bhasin, said: “Law firms in India have done well in the past, which is evident from the growth achieved in the last two decades. One of the constraints in rapid growth however, has been the availability of trained manpower, and the need for fresh law graduates in India to have practical skills before they can be productive. We welcome the launch of the Legal Advancement Program, which helps to support the trained manpower needs of India’s law firms.”
The program culminates in a rigorous examination, after which successful students receive a Program Completion Certificate. Those students scoring 90 percent or higher will receive a Distinction on the Completion Certificate, together with assistance in securing a legal internship.
To learn more about the program and eligibility, please visit: http://legalcareertraining.com/
Posted by Paul Sandell in:
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Happy Friday! Start weekend off right with your legal news headlines from Thomson Reuters News & Insight:
Dewey & LeBoeuf retains bankruptcy counsel, role unclear
The 950-lawyer firm, one of the biggest in the United States, has lost some 70 partners since the start of the year as it negotiates with creditors.
Oracle probes Google engineer about key email
Timothy Lindholm denied that he referred to Oracle or any other company when he wrote a now-infamous email that Google should take a license to use the Java programming language.
New prosecutor seeks to stop Chevron, Transocean Brazil ops
Celso de Albuquerque Silva calls the companies’ activities “dangerous to the environment and society,” a sign that he may be just as tough on them as his predecessor.
SEC probes insider trading at Apollo Group
The for-profit education provider said the regulator contacted them seeking information about stock sales and a regulatory filing disclosing the company’s second-quarter outlook.
For more legal news, check out Thomson Reuters News & Insight.
Posted by Morgan Smith in:
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FindLaw.com has retained its position as the top destination for consumers looking for legal information or an attorney via the web, according to recent data from comScore, a leader in measuring the digital world, which found that nearly 40 percent more people used FindLaw.com than its closest competitor when searching for legal information or a lawyer in 2011.
View the rest of the release here.
Posted by Megan Gustafson in:
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The U.S. Constitution is one of the most powerful and impactful documents in existence. It literally touches every American’s life, and has since its creation in 1787. Recently, I had the opportunity to view the document first-hand as part of a new exhibit, “We the People: The First Official Printing of the U.S. Constitution,” sponsored [...]
Earlier this week, we released our 2011 Annual Report in an interactive format available online at thomsonreuters.com. Along with information on the company’s financial performance as well as business unit overviews, this year’s annual report contains a variety of dynamic content including interviews with our new business leaders as well as stories of how we [...]
We’ve got a great episode for you this month, kicking off with our “Chaos in the Courts” segment that, believe it or not, is yet another story about the Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas. Since our March podcast, another person has fallen victim to the establishment’s trademark bypass burger.
Then in our “On the Blawgs” [...]
