Federal Judiciary

Current issue of State Bar Litigation Section "The Advocate": Criminal Law Issues for Civil Litigation

By Michael Smith

 I just finished reading the current issue  of the Litigation Section?s outstanding quarterly ?report? The Advocate and wanted to mention some of the articles that might be of interest to readers.

As Editor in Chief Lonny Hoffman notes in his editor?s comments, the idea behind this issue was to give civil practitioners some general guidance on criminal law issues that could potentially touch the practices of civil litigators.  ?Like all of our issues," he writes, "this symposium on criminal law issues for civil litigators can sit on your shelf to be called upon whenever the need arises.?

The issue opens with an article by Northern District of Texas US Attorney Richard Roper and former Eastern District U.S. Attorney Matt Orwig on Successfully Navigating Parallel Criminal and Civil Proceedings.  There are also useful articles, Criminal Law for Civil Litigators by John Kinchen, The Preservation of the Age Old Attorney Client Privilege by Paul S. Atkins, Fifth Amendment Issues in Civil Litigation by Perih Alkas, and Criminal Ramifications of Sarbanes Oxley  by Chuck Meadows. 
Other articles include Civil Litigators Beware:  Assisting Corporate Clients to Avoid Potential Criminal Liability Exposure in the Workplace by Victor Wright, Corporate Crimes by Robert J. Susman and Gregory S. Saikin, The Unethical and the Criminal by William J. Chriss, and a timely article, Your Signature on Pleadings Landing You Under Indictment?-Don?t Let it Happen to You by Lori Ordiway and Cory Carlyle.  That article comments on the lessons to be learned from the Vasilas case, which was recently heard by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.

Finally, under the category of ?Additional Contributions? there are articles from My Side of the Bench by Houston Judge Randy Wilson entitled ?Close the Gates? dealing with impeachment,  the usual evidence and procedure updates by Luke Soules and Robinson C. Ramsey, and an excellent article How to Save Our Courts by Justice Sandra Day O?Connor.

I commend The Advocate to any Texas civil practitioner.  The Litigation Section?s website is at www.litigationsection.com and while the current issue of The Advocate is available only to Litigation Section members, past issues  are available online on the section?s website.

Full post as published by Eastern District of Texas Federal Court Practice on August 07, 2008 (boomark / email).