Legal Research

Selections from National Law Journal Daily Headlines May 21, 2008

By David Badertscher, PLL

Source: NLJ.com, May 21, 2008.

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FROM THE UPCOMING ISSUE  |  South Florida law firms hit by real estate slump, shed workers
"In another sign of the hard times facing the legal industry, particularly in real-estate heavy South Florida, two local law firms ? Holland & Knight and Shutts & Bowen ? have laid off non-lawyer staffers. On a day that could be dubbed Black Friday in legal circles, Tampa-based Holland & Knight, one of Florida's largest firms with 1,150 lawyers, laid off 70 staffers Friday, including legal secretaries, IT and accounting staff. No lawyers were laid off. Shutts & Bowen, a 200-lawyer firm based in Miami, laid off nine entry-level file clerks and paralegal clerks the same day. No lawyers or legal secretaries were affected."

FROM THE UPCOMING ISSUE  |  Art for litigation's sake
"The art of making an art deal used to involve a handshake, but these days it increasingly involves litigation. With art pieces becoming increasingly expensive, deals crossing more borders and a growing number of people acquiring art, lawyers said they are seeing more lawsuits. Scott Hodes, a partner in the Chicago office of Bryan Cave, said he is assembling a team of two dozen lawyers in order to create a group specializing in art-related matters. The lawyers will have expertise in areas such as taxes, estate planning, contracts, insurance and intellectual property."

WEB-ONLY  |  An all-points-bulletin: Be on the lookout for aging, cranky judges
"Chief Judge Frank Easterbrook, who presides over the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, asked lawyers and judges to be on the look-out for aging, cranky, deteriorating judges who might need a call from the top judicial officer in the circuit. "When a judge slows down, or becomes cranky, or shows signs of losing a step mentally, I need to know," he said in his annual state of the circuit report."

WEB-ONLY  |  Senate confirms Agee for the 4th Circuit
"The U.S. Senate voted 96-0 to confirm Justice Steven Agee of the Virginia Supreme Court to serve on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Agee, 55, won confirmation as the bipartisan candidate backed by both Virginia senators, Republican John Warner and Democrat Jim Webb. Both had Agee on a list of five candidates submitted to the President, who withdrew earlier nominee, Richmond, Va. lawyer Duncan Getchell, a more controversial choice."

Full post as published by New York Supreme Court Criminal Term Library on May 21, 2008 (boomark / email).