03/08/07
Restriction on ads for New York law firms
Yet another headache for attorneys in the big New York corporate law firms! The New York State rules placed restrictions on advertising for lawyers. The rule change, effective February 1, was brought about by New York's appellate division's committee of seven judges who wrote the ethical rules governing the state's lawyers.
The move stemmed from disapproval regarding the lack of taste in billboard advertisements by a few big law firms. Seven judges were involved in the task to restrict such advertising. The new rules define advertising as "any public or private communication made on behalf of a lawyer or law firm about that law firm's services, the primary purpose of which is for the retention of the lawyer and the law firm."
Many firms already adopted the new rules in their emails as part service and part marketing. In the subject line, all the email messages must state that it is "attorney advertising," a designation that takes up a large part of the real estate on the subject line and one that can be trapped in the policed traffic of online mail, states nytimes.com. Though marketers are grumbling on the restrictions and citizens' groups have filed lawsuit seeking to block enforcement of the rules, most New York law firms have decided to add an advertising disclaimers to every page on its websites.
Johnnie Cochran's law firm sued for discrimination
Johnnie Cochran's law firm is being sued by a firm attorney for racial discrimination. The allegations brought about by Shawn Chapman Holley claim that she was demoted and then fired because she belonged to the African American minority community. Law firm Johnnie Cochran is highly regarded for its successful defense of O-J Simpson from murder charges.
In her lawsuit, Holley claims that after Cochran died, who was also from the same community, the firm's management composed of white men who discriminated attorneys and clients on basis of race. Holley was appointed as a liaison between the civil and criminal sides of the firm in 2005. She had worked with Cochran for 17 years.
Defending the firm's reputation as a most "racially diverse in the state", a firm partner Randy H. McMurray refuted the allegations as baseless and untrue. McMurray added that he and another partner in the Los Angeles office also belonged to the same community.
FUN NEWS
The Case of the Wisconsin Werewolf
A woman who pitied him took Robert Marsh, 39, in, fresh out of prison and homeless. Marsh lost no time in trying to impress upon her that he was a shape-changing werewolf and involved in witchery. The woman rang up the police on Thursday around 3 a.m. to complain of Marsh breaking down her door and grabbing her. Two male residents managed to restrain Marsh from carrying out his intentions. When the police arrived, Marsh tried to scare them away by sticking to his werewolf story. The police found a small amount of marijuana on him... funny, you think he'd be doing a lot more than pot...
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