Where they came from: Hamburg's Ellis Island On July 4, when fireworks light up the sky over New York Harbor and Ellis Island, similar festivities will be taking place in Germany at Hamburg Harbour to celebrate the opening of its own Ellis Island, a new museum known as BallinStadt, or to be precise, Port of Dreams - BallinStadt Emigrant World Hamburg. Actually, it's a mirror image of Ellis Island, telling the story... (250 views)
Ropes & Gray Confirms Performance Evaluations as the Reason for Job Cuts According to a recent statement from Ropes & Gray, a leading global law firm, any job cuts result from performance evaluations. This statement was issued in response to speculation on social media platforms such as Reddit and Fishbowl regarding potential associate layoffs at the firm. Ropes & Gray stated that their quarterly performance management process is a regular part... (248 views)
How to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with Traditional Irish Customs On March 17, the whole world is Irish - or so it seems, when parades, fireworks and other celebrations abound all over North America and Europe, in Asia and even in Russia. But it is Dublin that throws the world's biggest St. Patrick's Day party, a weeklong celebration featuring carnival-style parades, concerts, visual arts and dance events, outdoor theater, exhibitions,... (247 views)
Pontiac's G6 convertible has a lot going for it, but there are compromises I left my house and headed for work in a Pontiac G6 GT convertible - top down, blue sky, ball cap, sunglasses, 75 degrees and rising. (246 views)
Billing While Traveling It's long been a question: if you aren't working on a case, yet are traveling for that case, can you bill your travel time for that case? (246 views)
U.S. District Judge Edward R. Korman Rules on Emergency Contraceptives for Women of All Ages Personal Life (245 views)
Viper still has venom I folded back the top of a Venom Red 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 convertible, settled behind the wheel and headed for the highway. Six hundred horsepower is a terrible thing to waste. (244 views)
Deans Clash on Rankings Boycott In the law school world, the US News and World Report law school rankings carry big, big weight. Being in the top tier of those rankings is something all schools pride themselves on, and those who aren't in that top tier try to conceal that fact. Rankings are important, as students from the (241 views)
San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Beth Labson Freeman Nominated to Federal Bench Beth Labson Freeman graduated with a B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1976 and she earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1979. She began her legal career at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver and Jacobson from 1979 to 1981. Freeman then worked at Lasky, Haas, Cohler and Munter from 1981 to 1983. She served as Deputy County Counsel at the San Mateo... (241 views)
Infiniti retools G35, takes aim at BMW fans The 2007 G35 is essentially all new - but familiar. An overnight success when it debuted in 2002, the sport sedan was attractive to younger buyers, was inspiring to drive and had style that appealed to men and women. (241 views)
The Dreaded Bar Exam – A “Rite of Passage” into the Profession This week anxious law school graduates will take the bar examination with the hopes of becoming licensed attorneys and finally being able to reap the fruits of their labor. Although the test makes many law students feel like they are David battling Goliath, the bar exam is a “rite of passage” that all attorneys have had to overcome in order to practice law. According... (239 views)
Texas Judge Resigns Over Texting Prosecutors, Now Running for District Attorney Elizabeth Coker had to resign from her seat as a judge in Polk County this October following the launch of an investigation into text messages she sent during trials to prosecutors. Her resignation became effective on December 6. And without losing a stride, she began her campaign on December 8 to run for the office of the District Attorney, Polk County, Texas. (239 views)
Honda captures chopper vibe in smooth-riding Spirit With its low-slung saddle, forward foot controls and street-rod-style handlebars, the 2008 Honda Shadow Spirit C2 gives motorcycling newcomers a chopper feel without the chopper price. Or the chopper discomforts. (239 views)
Beyond Tahiti, French Polynesia awaits The islands and atolls of French Polynesia, appearing like sparkling green gumdrops in the untrammeled southeastern Pacific Ocean, are a step into the past and a look at an ageless island life where existence is unhurried. The tropical, unspoiled setting of Polynesian village life and sheer island splendor are remote and serene beyond all expectations. (237 views)
Lawyer’s Contingency Fee Denied by Appeals Court on $1 Million Settlement The circumstances of the case Gyabaah v. Rivlab Transportation Corp, Appellate Division, First Department, No. 7654, would be of interest to attorneys working on contingency fees. In the instant case, even after initiating and reaching a $1 mln settlement on favor of his client, Attorney Arnosky was denied his contingency fee by the appeals court. The circumstances of the... (237 views)
Higher-Caliber style: Dodge delivers with nifty features With all the bottled water that is consumed around the world, a bottle cooler built into a glove box seems an obvious idea that should have been done years ago. (236 views)
Former Boston Attorney Sentenced for Mortgage Fraud Charles R. Sammon, formerly an attorney practicing in Boston, was sentenced to 33 month in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $9,77,042 in restitution to those defrauded. Sammon had pleaded guilty in November before U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns to 13 counts of wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering in connection with a mortgage fraud... (236 views)
Kirkland & Ellis Sets New Industry Standard with Unprecedented Billing Rates Kirkland & Ellis, a global leader in bankruptcy law, has announced a substantial hike in its top hourly billing rates, reaching an unparalleled $2,465. This revelation emerged through court filings associated with prominent bankruptcy cases involving significant clients such as Rite Aid, WeWork, and Yellow Corp. (236 views)
Convicted Bogus Attorney Sentenced Extra Two Years After completing a seven year sentence for working as an attorney under false pretences, United States District Judge David O. Carter has sentenced a Newport Beach man to an additional two year prison sentence for committing the same crime and violating the terms of his release. According to officials, the additional two year sentence is the maximum allowed under the law. (235 views)
D.C. Lawyers Up For Disbarment Kevin Zeese, an attorney that works with organizations such as StopTheChamber.com, has filed complaints against John Woods, Richard Wyatt Jr., and Robert Quackenboss, members of the law firm Hunton & Williams. (233 views)
Tips on taking a teen to Europe Taking a toddler to Europe can add extra stress on top of unfamiliar money, new languages and exotic foods - what with strollers, car seats, diapers and sleep schedules to juggle. (232 views)
Wisconsin Lawyer Scheduled to Go to Prison Next Month, Still Has Law License The snail’s pace at which the disciplinary processes of lawyers move in Wisconsin once again came to light this week when the media reported that an attorney Richard Kranitz, who is scheduled to go to prison from next month, and has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison this month, still has his lawyer’s license. (232 views)
Philadelphia Lawyer Facing Jail Sentence for Theft In yet another case involving the misappropriation of client's funds, Philadelphia attorney, Ralph Mirarchi, 69, received a 4 1/4 to 8 1/2 years prison sentence for stealing almost $1 million from two of his clients from investments he was handling on their behalf. However, Mirarchi's wife reneged on the deal arranged with the assistant district attorney to help reimburse... (231 views)
Time Change for Inmates Awaiting Execution The days of execution by moonlight seem to be behind us and many states are eliminating midnight executions altogether. Instead many states are opting to perform the task at a more reasonable hour. Some critics will argue in favor of midnight executions because it is believed that inmates on death row are less likely to protest or show signs of violent behavior during the... (230 views)
Fabulous first nights When it comes to New Year's Eve, Boston throws one heck of a party. It's called First Night and it's alcohol-free and family friendly - a community celebration of the arts that marks the passage from the old year to the new with art, ritual and festivity. (228 views)
Audi makes waves with new coupe Early next month Audi returns to the luxury coupe market with the S5, a four-seat lightning bolt of all-wheel-drive V-8 power. (226 views)
Pennsylvania Court to Determine Breadth of Attorney-Client Privilege Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. is currently the defendant in a case before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court whose outcome could have a significant impact on the interpretation and application of attorney-client privilege. The insurance company has argued that the privilege should not only extend to what a client tells his or her attorney, but to what the attorney tells the... (226 views)
When Zealous Advocacy Goes Too Far It's important to be zealously engaged on behalf of your client. But there are lines that no attorney should ever cross. Sometimes the ethical decisions are hard, such as the story a while back about the two attorneys who had a confession from a client about a murder the client had committed while another guy was in jail for the crime. Attorney-client privilege caused... (226 views)
California Court Decides Child Custody Between Same-Sex Parents Last month, in a case titled K.M. v. E.G., the California Supreme Court ruled 4-2 that in cases where same-sex domestic partners had children and separated, the parent who did not have custody of the children is entitled to visitation rights and would have to pay child support. (224 views)
Violation of security laws now needs to be reported to the General Counsel - SOX The fate of 2002's Sarbanes-Oxley Act is uncertain. In addition to the recent corporate scandals that have undermined SOX's effectiveness, the Act has been under legal fire. (224 views)