Additional features include:

- Multiple ways to dig into the Court’s full calendar, including an interactive timeline, sortable lists and case name searches

- A color-coded index that organizes the cases by practice area, making it easier to search and sort

- Brief profiles of lead attorneys are included with each case summary, along with helpful background information on the lead attorney’s firm or agency

- An at-a-glance display of when cases are being argued and if they’ve been decided

- A “How They Decided” button that highlights how the justices voted

Mary K. Hanson from Sacramento, CA, who is a paralegal student at Heald College, received highest honors and the $3000 scholarship.  Her scholarship described her path to the paralegal program from the foreclosure of her house due to a mortgage scam and her determination to legally fight.

Austin Brian Preendergast from Middletown, RI, who is attending Roger Williams University, received the second place $2000 scholarship. His essay described his exit from the banking industry in the downturn, leading him to follow his dream of working in the legal profession and pursuing his paralegal education.

The applicants were judged by representatives of NFPA Advisory Board based on their academic records, extra-curricular activities and recommendations from professors and/or work supervisors, and their personal essay in which they revealed how their paralegal education will provide them with an advantage in securing employment in the legal profession.

Scott Freedman of Thomson Reuters (center) presented Mary and Austin with their scholarships.

Congratulations to Mary and Austin!

Having practiced in the areas of corporate and securities law since 1955, Hal’s titles included:  Securities Law Handbook, Emerging Trends in Securities Law, Securities and Federal Corporate Law 2d, International Capital Markets and Securities Regulation, Going Public Handbook, Sarbanes-Oxley Act in Perspective, and Securities and Federal Corporate Law Report.

Hal Bloomenthal

Hal’s accomplishments as an author span more than 40 years and include law review articles and treatises on securities law, administrative law, and natural resources law.  At a time well past when most people would have been happy to retire to a life of quiet enjoyment, Hal still possessed a strong desire to remain active in the field, continuing to learn and to share his knowledge and experience into his 90th year.  That desire, and the insightful analysis he brought to his writing, will continue on through the efforts of Sam Wolff, Hal’s co-author, friend, and colleague of over 20 years. Mr. Wolff will carry on Hal’s legacy in the Securities Law library titles.

Hal had a long, varied and distinguished career in law.  After graduating with a B.S. degree from Marshall University, Hal served in the U.S. Army Air Force in World War II.  Following his military service, Hal received a J.D. degree from Duke Law School and a J.S.D. degree from Yale Law School. He commenced his law career as an enforcement attorney in the Denver Regional Office of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Hal most recently served as counsel to the Denver firm of Holme Roberts & Owen, L.L.P. and as Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Denver College of Law. He also taught securities law as a member of the faculty at the Wyoming College of Law and Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College, and as a visiting professor at Duke Law School, Colorado University, the University of Arizona, and The Hastings College of the Law.

Hal will be remembered fondly by his family and countless students, colleagues, and friends.  Many lives touched, and a life well lived.

The series will confront the issues of preparedness, risk management, recovery, liability, insurance, claims and litigation. The official launch of the disaster series will be on September 6, 2011, commemorating the 10-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. In addition to several high-profile speakers, the disaster series will include a ten-part series of podcasts and four  conferences in Seattle; Charleston, S.C.; New Orleans; and Chicago, featuring legislative, judicial and business leaders to address disaster readiness and response.

In the pilot podcast, “Disaster Response Awareness: What the ABA is Doing,” you’ll hear from ABA President Steve Zack and TIPS Chair-Elect Randy J. Aliment. Listen in to learn from Steve why the ABA selected disaster preparedness as a main goal and which disasters can affect the organization. Randy will speak about his collaboration with Steve and the TIPS initiative. You can also learn more about an essay competition involving law schools and law students.

For more information or to register for the series, check out the ABA TIPS blog or the West LegalEdcenter website. And stay tuned to Legal Current for more coverage of this series including interviews with some of the key presenters.

Now anyone can take advantage of this free service by subscribing to the Tip of the Week at westlawnext.com/tipoftheweek. After signing up, subscribers will receive a weekly research tip that answers a common question, demonstrates how to use a specific feature, or provides updates on new enhancements. 

Past tips are also easily accessible by browsing the archive by topic or date.  For more information, check out the Tip of the Week website.

Topics covered will include how to monitor trademark infringement on social media sites, how to ensure that your company is complying with all of the latest trademark regulations on social media sites, and what to think about when setting internal and external social media policies. 

This roundtable can help trademark administrators understand the key issues to consider when protecting your brand in the social media space, whether your company is just trying to cover the basics or has already launched an extensive social media effort. 

The March 1 roundtable to be held at the offices of Thomson Reuters in Boston is one of 20 events being held across the country over the next several weeks. Register here for one near you.

How can you secure protection for your brand? What are the new generic top-level domains (gTLDs)  and possible domain name issues? What impact does the outcome of the December ICANN meeting in Colombia have on your brand? How will these developments affect your work with your clients’ brands moving forward?

We’ll address these questions and more in a webinar on Jan. 20. Learn from a leading panel of global trademark and brand protections experts how ICANN developments will affect the way you protect your brand. Our panel includes J. Scott Evans of Yahoo!, Tom Heremans of CMS DeBacker, Kristina Rosette of Covington & Burling LLP, and David Taylor of Hogan Lovells International. These experts will weigh in on the latest ICANN decisions and share their thoughts about threats and opportunities for trademark protection with new gTLDs and recent case law.

This webinar will focus on:

- Domain names today and in the past
- How to avoid brand infringement – cost effectively and wisely
- New gTLD’s: expected timing and economic consequences
- Latest ICANN decisions and key resolutions that have yet to be made
- Brand owner thoughts
- Pivotal case law and examples

You can register for one of the most compelling trademark webinars of the year via the Registration Site and learn firsthand from this impressive panel of industry experts. Read the press release to learn more.

Features of the app include:

- Interactive show schedule
- Exhibitor listings and product searches
- Interactive floor map
- Show alerts
- Social media interaction
- Local hotel and restaurant information

We caught up with West Legal Edcenter, host of the Marketing Partner Forum, to find out why they decided to create this new app for the conference. 

“We’re excited to bring this new technology to the attendees and exhibitors at this year’s Forum,” said Lee Ann Enquist, vice president, West Professional Development. “Mobile devices are reshaping the way the legal industry does business, and the Marketing Partner Forum app illustrates how we are embracing and expanding on-trend, business-grade smartphone applications.” 

The Forum, taking place Jan. 19-21 in Scottsdale, Arizona, is in its 18^th year and is the premier event for law firm marketing and managing partners, in-house counsel and senior-level law firm marketing and business development professionals. 

To learn more about the conference or the mobile app, check out the website.

West LegalEdcenter has launched Beyond the Bar, a new legal education effort to help new lawyers.

It’s a series of interactive workshops focused on the practical skills and knowledge needed when a lawyer is first starting out.

The live Beyond the Bar workshops will first be offered in New York, Washington, D.C. and Chicago. Associates and law firms may choose to purchase individual or multiple workshops that fit their learning needs. Continuing legal education (CLE) credit is available.

Topics include sessions on legal writing and techniques in persuasion, legal research, drafting contracts and negotiation to name a few.

New lawyers can use their new skills in their practice immediately and continue their professional development after the workshop through online courses and virtual collaboration with other new attorneys and the subject-matter experts who are presenting the workshops.

West LegalEdcenter produced this video to promote the program:

For more information, read the news release or visit the Beyond the Bar website and blog.