Legal Research

If you are already an online subscriber to the LAW.COM service you should be able to click on any of the links below, sign in, and access the full text of all articles listed. A subscription to LAW.COM is needed for online access to this service.

Final Arguments of Supreme Court Term Filled With Big Cases

Legal Times

The U.S. Supreme Court is beginning its final argument cycle of the current term -- an intense two-week period loaded with complex cases that could define the Roberts Court anew, on issues ranging from search and seizure to Iraqi immunity, affirmative action and voting rights. Parties include a swashbuckling CBS newsman, a middle school student who was strip-searched on suspicion of possessing ibuprofen and a group of firefighters who claim they were victims of reverse race discrimination.

Tormented by Cyberstalker, Ropes Partner Drafts New Legislation on Online Libel

The American Lawyer

Ropes & Gray partner Joan Lukey is a renowned First Amendment lawyer, but now finds herself in the position of trying to silence a cyberstalker who began targeting her after she obtained a court order against him on behalf of star client and noted crime novelist Patricia Cornwell. Following threats on Lukey's life and others at her firm, the litigator is drafting federal legislation to go after those who make libelous statements on the Internet.

Google Books Rival Objects to Settlement

The Recorder

San Francisco's Internet Archive wants to intervene in the $125 million settlement with authors and publishers that gives Google the rights to scan and sell books on the Internet. In a Friday letter to the New York judge handling the case, the digital library claims that if the settlement is approved, it would give Google a monopoly on "orphan works" -- out-of-print books whose copyright owner isn't known. Outcry over the fate of orphan works has been growing as the deadline for objections to the settlement approaches.

Womble Carlyle Cuts Salaries, Loses Seven Lawyers to Arent Fox

Legal Times

Last week was a rough one for Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice. On Friday, Arent Fox announced that it had swiped a seven-lawyer telecommunications group from the firm. Earlier in the week, Womble Carlyle slashed salaries for underperforming lawyers by 10 percent, a firm spokesman confirmed. In a memo leaked to the blog Above the Law, the firm blamed the cuts on a changing legal world in which clients choose law firms primarily based on the bottom line.

Attorney Loses Law License Over Unpaid Student Loans

The National Law Journal

A Texas appeals court has revoked the license of a Houston attorney for failing to repay his student loans and other debts. The Austin court found that, because solo Frank P. Santulli III did not adhere to a previous order to pay his debts, he lacked the trustworthiness necessary to represent clients. Santulli said the decision set a bad precedent for the board of law examiners' "unfettered power" over practicing attorneys and that he plans to file for a rehearing. He said his loan debt was about $67,000.

Formation of Task Force Urged for Investigation of Drywall From China

Daily Business Review

In the wake of homeowner lawsuits filed around the United States, a longtime consumer advocate and a Florida state senator have teamed up to urge Gov. Charlie Crist to form a task force to deal with Chinese-made drywall. A group of consumers, builders, scientists and state officials has assembled to determine the impact of the sulfur-emitting drywall, which has been blamed on health problems and has allegedly corroded electrical wiring, jewelry and silverware.

D.C. Circuit Rules for IRS in Dispute with Mayer Brown

Legal Times

Mayer Brown is not entitled to certain Internal Revenue Service documents under the Freedom of Information Act because disclosing the information could allow tax cheats to one-up investigators, the D.C. Circuit ruled Friday. "Though the information here does not necessarily provide a blueprint for tax shelter schemes, it could encourage decisions to violate the law or evade punishment," Judge Janice Rogers Brown wrote for the panel.

Wolf Block Chairman Joins Cozen O'Connor

The Legal Intelligencer

With some big names still remaining behind in the wake of Wolf Block's dissolution, some in the legal world have been wondering where they might be headed. One of those questions was answered last week with word that the firm's chairman, Mark Alderman, would join Cozen O'Connor's government relations practice. Another 65 Wolf Block attorneys have also announced they would join Cozen O'Connor.

Doctor Liable for Sleeping With Patient, but Fault Shared

New York Law Journal

A New York judge has upheld a $416,500 jury award in a malpractice action against a doctor accused of sleeping with a patient he treated for depression. However, the judge declined to strike the jury's 25 percent apportionment of responsibility to the plaintiff under the doctrine of comparative negligence. Plaintiff Kristin Kahkonen Dupree, a former model, visited family medicine practitioner James E. Giugliano for anxiety and depression after her infant daughter was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

O'Melveny Chairman Still a Fan of Sarah Palin

Legal Times

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin can still count O'Melveny & Myers Chairman A.B. Culvahouse Jr. as one of her defenders in the Lower 48. Culvahouse, who was the leader of the team that vetted Palin before Republican presidential candidate John McCain chose her as his running mate, spoke about Palin on Friday at the Republican National Lawyers Association's policy conference. Culvahouse said Palin would "have been a great vice president." He offered some insight into the vetting process as well.

Rachlin Accountant Quits After Federal Judge Raises Conflict of Interest

Daily Business Review

A leader of Rachlin's advisory services division resigned from the Miami-based accounting firm after a federal judge questioned whether she put her employer's financial interest ahead of her position as a court-appointed receiver for a health care company crippled by fraud. The resignation was disclosed in a filing responding to criticisms by Judge B. Avant Edenfield over Rachlin's bills for tax services in the criminal forfeiture case. Despite resigning, Marta Alfonso is asking that she be allowed to stay on as receiver.

Georgia Death Row Inmate Loses 11th Circuit Appeal

Fulton County Daily Report

A federal appeals court ruled 2-1 Thursday against death row inmate Troy Anthony Davis, whose claims of innocence have delayed his execution for the killing of a police officer in 1989. Seven of the nine trial witnesses for the prosecution have recanted their testimony, according to Davis' lawyers, who also cite affidavits from other witnesses saying another prosecution witness has confessed to the crime. "Our hope is that the Supreme Court is at the end of the day the failsafe," said one of Davis' advocates.

Dive Into Deep Web Research

The Legal Intelligencer

Have you heard of the Deep Web? It's the content that is housed in online databases -- such as Westlaw and Lexis -- that search engines like Google and Yahoo cannot access. Paralegal Kim Walker dives into less known Deep Web databases to help you get the most out of online research.

Visit Legal Technology

How Recovery Legislation Amends Executive Pay Limits

New York Law Journal

The recovery legislation enacted in February amends the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, which contains restrictions on executive compensation applicable to institutions receiving financial assistance under the Troubled Assets Relief Program. Attorney Joseph E. Bachelder III analyzes the changes, which expand the number of executives covered, impose stricter limitations on compensation payments, prohibit severance payments to certain executives and add new corporate governance standards.

Visit In-House Counsel

Sidley Advises AIG on $1.9 Billion Sale of Auto Insurance Unit

The American Lawyer

The bailout of AIG has meant a lot of work for Sullivan & Cromwell and Debevoise & Plimpton. And now, AIG has retained a third firm, Sidley Austin, for the $1.9 billion sale of its auto insurance unit to Zurich Financial Services, which, upon the acquisition, will reportedly become the third-largest auto insurer in the United States. The deal is part of AIG's ongoing effort to begin repaying the government after receiving about $180 billion in bailout loans.

Visit In-House Counsel

Performance Reviews Get More Stringent During Recession

The Legal Intelligencer

Amid the constant reports of law firm layoffs, there are whispers about the cuts that don't get attributed to the economy. Performance reviews are nothing new for firms, but the way they are being applied has created a subset to the throngs of laid-off attorneys, adding a layer of lawyers whose perceived performance flaws were overlooked in more prosperous years but who no longer make the cut under more stringently applied expectations. For partners, some firms are using performance to justify pay reductions.

Visit the Career Center

Law.com®

120 Broadway, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10271-1101 (877) 256-CIRC

Customer Service Phone: (877) 256-CIRC