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Connectu v. Facebook (and vice versa)

The Facebook, Inc. v. Connectu, LLC et al Filed: March 9, 2007 California Northern District Court
Connectu, Inc. v. Facebook, Inc. et al Filed: March 28, 2007 Massachusetts District Court
ConnectU is suing Facebook in Massachusetts for copyright infringement, breach of actual or implied contract, misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment, unfair business practices, intentional interference with prospective business advantage, breach of duty of good faith and fair dealing, fraud and breach of confidence. Facebook is suing ConnectU in California for business torts and unfair business practices. Read More
Case Name Case Filed Last Update
PA Advisors, LLC v. Google Inc. et al November 2, 2007 February 9, 2010
Plaintiff PA Advisors, LLC allege that Defendants infringed no U.S. Patent No. 6,199,067 entitled "System and Method for Generating Personalized User Profiles and for Utilizing the Generated User Profiles to Perform Adaptive Internet Searches."
Vanginderen v. Cornell University October 29, 2007 February 8, 2010
Libel claim - claims university's digitization of campus newspaper constituted "re-publication" thus reviving claim that would ordinarily be extinguished over twenty years ago. Disclosure of private facts claim.
Elan Microelectronics Corporation v. Apple, Inc. April 7, 2009 February 8, 2010
Association For Molecular Pathology et al v. United States Patent and Trademark Office et al May 12, 2009 February 8, 2010
Redbox Automated Retail LLC v. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC August 11, 2009 February 8, 2010
St Clair Intellectual Property Consultants Inc. v. Apple Inc. October 26, 2009 February 8, 2010
Oracle Corporation et al v. SAP AG et al March 22, 2007 February 5, 2010
Oracle has sued SAP for stealing its intellectual property. Among the claims made against SAP are violations of the Federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and California Computer Data Access and Fraud Act, unfair competition, intentional and negligent interference with prospective economic advantage and civil conspiracy.
The Author's Guild et al v. Google Inc. September 20, 2005 February 5, 2010
Plaintiffs The Author's Guide. Herbert Mitgang, Betty Miles and Daniel Hoffman sued Google Inc. for reproducing a digital copy of plaintiffs' works without the copyright holders' permission and in violation of the authors' rights under the copyright laws.
IN RE: GUANTANAMO BAY DETAINEE LITIGATION July 2, 2008 February 5, 2010
Coordinates and manages all cases involving Guantanamo Bay detainees that have been filed or may be filed in the future.
Show More Featured Cases »
Case Name Case Filed Last Update
Leader Technologies, Inc., v. Facebook, Inc. February 4, 2010 February 4, 2010
Major League Baseball Properties Inc. v. The Upper Deck Company, LLC February 1, 2010 February 1, 2010
Silverstri et al v. Facebook, Inc. January 29, 2010 January 29, 2010
Markowitz et al v. Facebook, Inc. January 29, 2010 January 29, 2010
Case Name Case Filed Last Update
The Author's Guild et al v. Google Inc. September 20, 2005 February 5, 2010
Plaintiffs The Author's Guide. Herbert Mitgang, Betty Miles and Daniel Hoffman sued Google Inc. for reproducing a digital copy of plaintiffs' works without the copyright holders' permission and in violation of the authors' rights under the copyright laws.
Marvel Worldwide, Inc. et al v. Kirby et al January 8, 2010 February 5, 2010
Perfect 10 Inc v. Google Inc et al November 19, 2004 February 4, 2010
Plaintiff Perfect 10 sued defendant Google Inc. for displaying thumbnails of photographs copyrighted by the plaintiff. Consolidated with Perfect 10 Inc. v. Amazon.com Inc. et al. Additional Resources Ninth Circuit Opinion in Perfect 10 v. Google and Amazon.
Louis Vuitton Malletier, S.A. v. Akanoc Solutions, Inc. et al August 1, 2007 February 1, 2010
Domino Recording Company, Inc. et al v. Interscope Geffen A & M Records et al October 2, 2009 February 1, 2010
Case Name Case Filed Last Update
Rosetta Stone LTD v. Google Inc. July 10, 2009 February 4, 2010
Weather Underground, Incorporated v. Navigation Catalyst Systems, Incorporated et al February 27, 2009 January 28, 2010
Plaintiff The Weather Underground, Inc. alleges Defendants Navigation Catalyst Systems Inc., Basic Fusion Inc., Connexus Corporation, and Firstlook Inc. used an automated process to register and use domain names that are confusingly similar to famous or distinctive trademarks owned by the Plaintiff.
Mikhlyn et al v. Bove et al August 18, 2008 January 22, 2010
Case Name Case Filed Last Update
PA Advisors, LLC v. Google Inc. et al November 2, 2007 February 9, 2010
Plaintiff PA Advisors, LLC allege that Defendants infringed no U.S. Patent No. 6,199,067 entitled "System and Method for Generating Personalized User Profiles and for Utilizing the Generated User Profiles to Perform Adaptive Internet Searches."
The Author's Guild et al v. Google Inc. September 20, 2005 February 5, 2010
Plaintiffs The Author's Guide. Herbert Mitgang, Betty Miles and Daniel Hoffman sued Google Inc. for reproducing a digital copy of plaintiffs' works without the copyright holders' permission and in violation of the authors' rights under the copyright laws.
Beneficial Innovations, Inc. v. Careerbuilder, LLC et al June 1, 2009 February 5, 2010
Aloft Media, LLC v. Oracle Corporation et al July 14, 2009 February 5, 2010
Perfect 10 Inc v. Google Inc et al November 19, 2004 February 4, 2010
Plaintiff Perfect 10 sued defendant Google Inc. for displaying thumbnails of photographs copyrighted by the plaintiff. Consolidated with Perfect 10 Inc. v. Amazon.com Inc. et al. Additional Resources Ninth Circuit Opinion in Perfect 10 v. Google and Amazon.
Bedrock Computer Technologies, LLC v. Softlayer Technologies, Inc. et al June 16, 2009 February 4, 2010
Rosetta Stone LTD v. Google Inc. July 10, 2009 February 4, 2010
Show More Featured Google Cases »

ABA Journal Daily News

Reagan Era Influenced Supreme Court Vote in Citizens United Campaign-Finance Case February 9, 2010
A landmark campaign-finance decision by the U.S. Supreme Court last month striking corporate spending limits as a restriction of companies' free speech reflects the influence of the Reagan era, writes David Savage in a Los Angeles Times analysis of the decision. All five of the justices who voted to strike a portion of the McCain-Feingold Act were either appointed by President Ronald Reagan or worked as lawyers in his administration, the article notes. "This is a different brand of ... more
Ex-Edwards Aide Turns Over Claimed Sex Tape, as Lawyers Argue On in Privacy Case February 9, 2010
Following legal wrangling over whether Andrew Young would be accompanied by a security officer, the onetime aide to ex-presidential candidate John Edwards has retrieved his original copy of a purported sex tape of Edwards and his former mistress from a bank safe deposit box and turned it over to a North Carolina court. After Young did so, the North Carolina Court of Appeals suspended an order by the trial court judge that a security officer had to accompany Young, reports the Charlotte Observer ... more
Admin Law Judge: HUD Interfered with My Cases After My Disability Claim February 9, 2010
It began with an administrative law judge's request for a disabled parking space near the building where he works for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C. But now Judge Alexander Fernandez is claiming that HUD not only refused to provide him with an appropriate parking space but retaliated against him after he made an administrative complaint about the alleged disability discrimination by interfering with his docket at the Office of Hearings and Appeals ... more
Legal Battle Over Space Rock: If Lessee Owns It, Is He Liable to Landlord for Damage? February 9, 2010
A legal battle over a large rock is making international headlines. It all began with a seeming explosion in the Northern Virginia office of Dr. Frank Ciampi. In fact, a tennis-ball-size stone had come hurtling through the roof and hit the spot where he likely would have been sitting if a patient had not canceled his appointment, the London Times recounts. When Ciampi and his medical partner learned that the rock was a valuable meteorite from beyond the earth's atmosphere, they decided to give ... more
RICO Case Against Ex-Prosecutor Criminalizes $3M Glock Legal Fee Dispute, His Side Says February 9, 2010
Accused of racketeering and theft in connection with his work as outside legal counsel for Glock Inc., a former federal prosecutor and onetime candidate for Georgia attorney general did nothing wrong, his team says. James "Jim" Harper III, 55, was indicted in Cobb County last month along with two associates, a businessman and sole practitioner Jeffrey Pombert, 42. But the entire case is nothing more than a fee dispute sparked by the Austrian gunmaker's apparent unhappiness with their work on a ... more
Ex-Client Loses TRO Bid to Ban Cravath in $5.1B Deal, But Could Win Next Round Next Week February 9, 2010
Caught in the crossfire between current and former clients, Cravath Swaine & Moore can continue representing Air Products & Chemicals Inc.—at least until next week—in a $5.1 billion takeover bid for Airgas Inc., a Pennsylvania judge ruled today. While Judge Albert Sheppard Jr. rejected a request by Airgas for a temporary restraining order against the renowned New York law firm, he scheduled a hearing next week in the Philadelphia case to hear a motion to disqualify Cravath ... more
Appeals Court Tosses $2.1M Verdict in Judicial Appointment Dispute February 9, 2010
A Missouri appeals court on Tuesday overturned a $2.1 million verdict that jurors had awarded a Northland lawyer who claimed she was unfairly bypassed for a judicial appointment. Lawyer Melissa Howard won the award in 2008 after a trial in which she argued the Kansas City Council acted improperly when it declined to select from a pool of finalists for a 2006 judicial vacancy and opted instead to seek a minority candidate for the job, the Kansas City Star reports. But the Western District Court ... more
Shareholder Suit: Hef Nixed Playboy Deals to Keep Busty Blonds, Other Lifestyle Perks February 9, 2010
Still enjoying his famous lifestyle in his early 80s, Hugh Hefner recently nixed two possible deals to purchase the Playboy magazine empire he founded because they would have interfered with his enjoyment of busty blonds and continuing life in the limelight, a shareholder suit alleges. Filed yesterday in Los Angeles Superior Court by David Brown, it seeks unspecified damages on behalf of a class of shareholders against Hefner, who remains the majority shareholder of Playboy Enterprises Inc ... more
Colo. Governor Wants State Supreme Court to Address Campaign Finance Law February 9, 2010
Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter announced plans to take a dispute over campaign finance laws directly to the state supreme court today. Ritter's chief legal counsel, Trey Rogers, told the Associated Press that the governor is asking the court to determine if state campaign finance laws are unconstitutional in light of the recent 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Citizens United. The high court's January ruling strikes down restrictions that had barred corporations from spending money from their ... more
Woman Charged with Felony, Used Fake Craigslist Job Ad to Harass Ex-Boss, Cops Say February 9, 2010
Seeking to harass a former boss, a 33-year-old Houston woman allegedly posted a fake job ad on Craigslist, sending a flood of calls to his office from would-be applicants. But Amanda Anderson created an even bigger problem for herself, according to Friendswood police. She has now been charged with a third-degree felony by the Galveston County District Attorney under a new state law that criminalizes such Internet harassment, reports Ultimate Clear Lake in a blog post reprinted in the Houston ... more
Lawyers to Volunteer as Judges to Chip Away at County?s 500-Case Backlog February 9, 2010
The superior court docket in Yakima County, Wash., is under a crushing backlog, with more than 500 civil cases awaiting trial while judges make criminal cases a priority. So judicial administration authorities there have come up with a way to chip away at the mountain of cases by bringing in volunteer lawyers who will help the county resolve the litigation. The idea for the part-time, pro bono judge program originated, in part, with Yakima lawyer Richard Bartheld, who grew tired of trial delays ... more
Lawmakers to Push for DNA Testing in Rape Cases That Aren?t Prosecuted February 9, 2010
When an individual says he or she has been sexually assaulted, it's routine today for a hospital nurse to open a rape kit and collect the suspect's semen and other fluids from the victim's body for DNA testing. But in Illinois (and, reportedly, other states as well) thousands of these completed rape kits have never been processed, as authorities struggle to deal with a deluge of DNA tests concerning not only sexual assaults but other serious crimes. Commonly, rape kits have been put in storage ... more
First Jurors, Now Defendants Tweet Mid-Trial February 9, 2010
There are dozens of reports of jurors tweeting while court is in session and during deliberations. So much so that even the Judicial Conference has taken notice and OK'd model rules to address juror tweets, texts and social media use. But what about defendants? Should they tweet during their own trials? Separate stories in the Detroit News and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review identify defendants who opted to tweet mid-trial. In Pittsburgh, during a public corruption trial, defendant Stephen Keefer ... more
First Thing Lawyer Tells New Clients: Shut Down Facebook Account February 9, 2010
People may believe there's a degree of anonymity on the Internet. But police know better, and they are increasingly using social media tools to collect evidence of criminal activity and head off wrongdoing. "Technology has revolutionized law enforcement in many ways," Jack Rinchich, president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police, tells USA Today. "Sometimes people are pretty liberal about what they put on (social networking sites)." So liberal in fact that Nashville, Tenn., criminal ... more
ABA Slashes Dues for Solos by Half February 9, 2010
The ABA’s policy-making House of Delegates has cut dues solo practitioners will pay on bills that begin being sent in May by almost 50 percent. The ABA also cut dues paid by government lawyers, judges and legal services attorneys by 25 percent. "We have talked a lot about solos," said Patricia Refo, chair of the ABA’s Standing Committee on Membership. “It’s time to do something about it.” Fewer than seven percent of solos belong to the ABA, yet more than 30 percent ... more
DA Launches Probe into Mayor?s Liberal Use of Mute Button During Meetings February 9, 2010
The Los Angeles County district attorney's Public Integrity Division is looking into complaints that the mayor of Carson is using a mute button to silence those he doesn't agree with during city council meetings. Mayor Jim Dear ostensibly uses the mute button to police the allotted time each speaker has to address the council. But critics tell the Los Angeles Times that Dear hits mute when he doesn't like what speakers are saying. There is no allegation of criminal wrongdoing. So if the district ... more
Beth Shulman, Advocate for Low-Wage Workers, Has Died February 9, 2010
Lawyer, author and union leader Beth Shulman, who long fought for improving the conditions of low-wage workers, died Feb. 5 of complications from brain cancer at Georgetown University Medical Center. She was 60. In 2003, Shulman, a former vice president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, authored The Betrayal of Work: How Low-Wage Jobs Fail 30 Million Americans. In the book, she argued that society pays no attention to the people upon whom it depends every day, the Washington Post ... more
ACC Allows Law Firms to View Client Ratings in ?Value Index? February 9, 2010
Law firms that have been evaluated by in-house counsel participating in the Association of Corporate Counsel's "Value Index" can now see their ratings. When the ACC launched its rating system in October, only ACC members could view the ratings. ACC general counsel Susan Hackett sent a letter to law firms last week to announce the change, reports Corporate Counsel. In the letter (PDF), Hackett explains that firms will be able to see their own ratings and overall averages, but won't be able to see ... more
Court Upholds $355K Verdict for Pastor Maligned By Church Leaders February 9, 2010
In a novel church employment case, an Oregon appeals court has ruled that a church can't use the First Amendment as a defense in a defamation case if church officials used the pulpit to accuse its former pastor of being a thief. The ruling reinstates a $355,000 jury verdict awarded to Tim Turba, who was fired as interim pastor of the Vernonia Foursquare Church in 2004. Church officials had accused Turba, who was never charged with a crime, of "misappropriation of church funds," the Oregonian ... more
Judge Plans to Trim $300M Verdict for Ex-Smoker, Says Tobacco Lawyers? Strategy Backfired February 9, 2010
Calling a record $300 million jury verdict against tobacco giant Philip Morris excessive, a Florida judge has indicated he'll reduce the amount. Broward County Circuit Judge Jeffrey Streitfeld gave no indication, however, when he'd make the adjustment, the Daily Business Review reports. The verdict, reached in November, was the largest ever for an individual against a tobacco company. Jurors awarded Cindy Naugle, who quit smoking in 1993, $56.5 million in compensatory damages and $244 million in ... more
Rothstein?s Partner Sued by Bankruptcy Lawyers for $1.2M February 9, 2010
Fort Lauderdale, Fla., lawyer Russell Adler, a name partner in convicted lawyer Scott Rothstein's firm, was slapped with a $1.2 million suit filed by bankruptcy attorneys who claim the money is part of Rothstein's massive investment scam. The complaint alleges that Adler and his wife used $475,000 of the money in question to buy a Manhattan co-op apartment in August, just two months before the Ponzi scheme was revealed and the law firm collapsed, the Miami Herald reports. Among the allegations ... more
$150M SEC Pact with B of A Still Low, Judge Says. Will Case Go to Trial? February 9, 2010
A federal judge left open the possibility that he could, for a second time, reject a settlement between the Securities and Exchange Commission and Bank of America over the bank’s controversial takeover of Merrill Lynch. Such a rejection by U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff, this time of a proposed $150 million accord, could send the case to trial. The settlement would resolve two SEC actions that accuse the bank of failing to disclose to shareholders that it had authorized Merrill to pay ... more
Feds May More Closely Scrutinize Attorney-Client Accounts to Close Money-Laundering Loopholes February 9, 2010
A federal report detailing how African politicians and their families used lawyers and others to evade U.S. money laundering laws has federal authorities poised to more closely scrutinize attorney-client bank accounts. The 325-page report by the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations revealed that Chicago-based Sidley Austin transferred about $21 million for a government official in Equatorial Guinea who long had been suspected of misappropriating the country's oil and timber ... more
Criminal Probe Launched in Deadly Explosion at Conn. Power Plant February 8, 2010
A criminal investigation has been opened into a gas explosion that killed five and injured a dozen workers at a power plant in Connecticut on Sunday, reports the Associated Press. "If everything went right, we wouldn't all be here right now," said Middletown Mayor Sebastian Guiliano, apparently at a press conference late this afternoon. "There's a point where negligence raises to the level of criminal conduct, and that's what we're investigating." A hearing over the accident at the Kleen Energy ... more
Judicial Conf. Group OKs Model Rules Barring Juror Talk, Texts & Tweets February 8, 2010
Updating traditional rules banning jurors from talking about a case outside of deliberations before it is resolved, a committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States has added provisions addressing e-mail, cell phones, social media sites, text messages and Internet research. In addition to reporting on this development, the Blog of Legal Times provides the text of the new model rules offered by the Committee on Court Administration and Case Management. “The committee believes ... more

Law.com

Rakoff Still Has Questions About SEC Pact With BofA February 9, 2010
New York federal Judge Jed S. Rakoff grilled attorneys for the SEC on Monday about a proposed $150 million settlement that would bring an end to two actions against the Bank of America Corp. stemming from its $50 billion takeover of Merrill Lynch in 2008. The actions accuse the bank of failing to disclose to shareholders that it had authorized Merrill to pay up to $5.8 billion in bonuses in 2008 and of keeping shareholders in the dark about "extraordinary" losses Merrill sustained two months ... more
Lawyers for Jackson's Doctor Accustomed to High-Profile Cases February 9, 2010
A formidable team of lawyers has lined up to defend Dr. Conrad Murray, who was charged Monday with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson. Murray's lead lawyer is Ed Chernoff, a partner at criminal defense firm Stradley Chernoff, who is handling the case with firm partners Matthew Alford and William Stradley. Also on the defense team: California lawyers Michael Flanagan and Joseph Low. Murray faces up to four years in prison if convicted ... more
Smoker's $300 Million Award to Be Overturned February 9, 2010
The largest individual award to a former Florida smoker against the tobacco industry will not stand, a Broward Circuit judge ruled Friday. Calling the $300 million jury verdict "shocking," Judge Jeffrey Streitfeld said he would determine a lower award later against Philip Morris USA. The jury's decision to award $56.5 million in compensatory damages and $244 million in punitive damages stemmed from anger, said Streitfeld, who faulted tobacco company attorneys for putting on a "blame the smoker" ... more
Electronic Privacy and the Supreme Court February 9, 2010
Electronic privacy in the workplace is a tangled subject, with only a few sure footholds for employers. Attorneys are hoping a Supreme Court ruling will provide unifying guidance on employer monitoring of employee text messages in a case currently under consideration by the justices ... more
Faegre & Benson Partner Dies in Air Crash February 9, 2010
Robert Matthews, a commercial litigation partner in Faegre & Benson's Boulder office, died Saturday when a small plane he was piloting collided in midair with another plane some 8,000 feet over the Colorado city, according to the Daily Camera of Boulder. The crash killed the 58-year-old Matthews, his 56-year-old brother Mark and the pilot of the other plane, which CNN reports was a single-seat Piper Pawnee towing a glider ... more
Chicago Market for Laterals Picking Up February 9, 2010
More Chicago partners are jumping to new law firms or seriously contemplating a move after a year in which demand for profitable partners outstripped the number willing to leave stable positions, the city's recruiters and law firm managers said. Lawyers are more willing to take the risk as they see an uptick in client demand in the corporate, litigation and transactional areas. "2010 will not be a dead year," says Chicago-based legal recruiter Amy McCormack ... more
Judge Divides Up the Money in Sears' Record-Setting ADA Settlement February 9, 2010
A federal judge in Chicago late last week gave final approval to the allocation of $6.2 million among 235 former Sears, Roebuck & Co. employees in the largest settlement ever reached by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in an Americans with Disabilities Act class action. The former workers, who said the company fired them after they went on disability leave, will receive between $2,500 and $122,500 each, depending on their individual circumstances ... more
Cravath Caught in Crossfire of $5.1 Billion Takeover Bid February 9, 2010
Industrial gas producer Airgas filed suit against Cravath, Swaine & Moore on Friday over the firm's role as legal adviser to rival Air Products on that company's $5.1 billion bid for Airgas. Air Products announced on Friday its unsolicited offer for Airgas, which for months has resisted its larger rival, including rejecting an offer whereby Air Products would assume $1.9 billion in Airgas debt. Airgas has retained takeover defense experts from Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to deflate the Air ... more
Former Glock Lawyer Faces Charges of Theft, Racketeering February 9, 2010
The three-decade legal career of a former federal prosecutor, Marine Corps Reserve investigator and one-time candidate for Georgia attorney general has turned into a nightmare. James R. Harper III stands accused of racketeering and theft from his former client, international gun maker Glock Inc. A grand jury has charged Harper and two others with conspiring to take $3 million of the company's money while they worked on an investigation of other executives accused of stealing from Glock ... more
Association of Corporate Counsel Relents on Law Firms' Access to Client Reviews February 9, 2010
After the Association of Corporate Counsel launched a rating system that included members-only access to performance evaluations of law firms, some critics cried foul. Now, law firms that have been critiqued by in-house counsel can also see their ratings online. Since the ACC began its "value index" in October, in-house lawyers from dozens of countries have submitted more than 1,800 evaluations of some 600 law firms ... more
High-Stakes Mortgage Fraud Trial Gets Under Way in San Francisco February 9, 2010
At the heart of a mortgage fraud trial that opened Monday in San Francisco are millions of dollars in loans that never should have been made, the lawyer for a family estate told the jury in opening statements. U.S. Bank sued on behalf of a mortgage pool to try to recover $1 million from the estate following its sale of a property. The estate, in turn, has countersued the mortgage pool and others, claiming it shouldn't have to pay because the loan was allegedly given under fraudulent ... more
Calif. Appeals Court Dings Judge Over Contempt Case February 9, 2010
A California appeals court came down on a Superior Court judge in a strongly worded opinion, criticizing the way the trial court handled the contempt case of an elderly, cash-strapped attorney who failed to pay $10,000 in discovery sanctions and was ordered to serve five days in jail on three occasions. The appeals court wrote that judges need to know the due process rights associated with different types of contempt, and that the court's actions "did not measure up to that law, not by a long ... more
King & Spalding Lands 3 Litigation Partners From Orrick February 9, 2010
Three litigation partners have signed on to join King & Spalding's Washington, D.C., and New York offices. The team, which is joining the firm from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, includes Diana Weiss, James Capra Jr. and James Cusick. Weiss will be based in Washington, and Capra and Cusick will work from King & Spalding's New York office. Weiss said the opportunity to work alongside former Solicitor General Paul Clement, who leads King & Spalding's appellate practice, was a plus for the group ... more
Winston & Strawn Continues Expansion of N.Y. Office February 9, 2010
Winston & Strawn has expanded its restructuring practice by hiring a three-lawyer team from Dewey & LeBoeuf: partners Lawrence A. Larose, who acted as lead counsel for MBIA Insurance in its restructuring effort last year, and Samuel S. Kohn, who was counsel at Dewey. Associate Sarah Trum also made the move. In addition, Winston has hired a former M&A partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher as senior counsel. The hires come as Winston & Strawn looks to grow its New York office to 300 attorneys from ... more
Top Firm Leaders Discuss How to Win the Battle for Lateral Partners February 9, 2010
Who's getting hired? What practice areas are showing particular strength? Are law firms picking up partners who've been laid off? These were just some of the issues on the agenda during a roundtable discussion involving the chairs of three top firms -- J. Warren Gorrell of Hogan & Hartson, R. Bruce McLean of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and Thomas Milch of Arnold & Porter -- and prominent legal recruiter Lynn Mestel, who noted that the lateral partner market "is the most robust it's been in 22 ... more
Linklaters, Allen & Overy Handle $450 Million Settlement in Bribery Probe February 9, 2010
Federal prosecutors have been stepping up their Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement efforts in recent months, and on Friday they landed a big catch they'd been targeting for some time. BAE Systems, the largest military contractor in Europe, has agreed to pay nearly $450 million as part of a global settlement with the U.S. Justice Department and the U.K.'s Serious Fraud Office that will resolve longstanding allegations of foreign corruption ... more
Copyright 2009. Incisive Media US Properties, LLC. All rights reserved.

LegalTimes.com - Legal News Online from the Nation's Capital

All Eyes On Kennedy During Firefighters Argument February 9, 2010
When the city of New Haven, Conn., in 2003 tossed out a promotion test for firefighters after learning that no African-Americans had passed, was it striking a blow for or against civil rights? The Supreme Court heard vigorous debate on that question Tuesday in the case of Ricci v. DeStefano, with Justice Anthony Kennedy likely holding the key vote in deciding the answer ... more
Drugs in Schools Take Centerstage in Arguments Over Strip-Search February 9, 2010
The Supreme Court struggled Tuesday to find the right balance between student privacy and public school safety in the case of an Arizona middle-school girl who was strip-searched on suspicion of having an ibuprofen pill ... more
Government Jobs Elusive for Laid-Off Lawyers February 9, 2010
Legal career counselors and agency officials say there's been a surge in lawyer applicants for government jobs, thanks to the crashing private sector economy, and the swelling talent pool is making the cumbersome process even tougher ... more
D.C. Appeals Judge Ruiz Pushed for Circuit Slot February 9, 2010
There are two vacant slots on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, but as far as many Washington lawyers are concerned one is already spoken for. Lawyers at several D.C. firms, along with the Hispanic Bar Association of D.C., have launched an aggressive campaign to get D.C. Court of Appeals Judge Vanessa Ruiz onto the circuit ... more
Final Arguments of Term Filled With Big Cases February 9, 2010
An intense two-week period begins April 20 for the Supreme Court, for the Solicitor General's Office, and especially for Austin, Texas, lawyer Gregory Coleman.Coleman, a former Texas solicitor general and Clarence Thomas clerk who is building a significant Supreme Court practice from Austin, will appear for the conservative side in the highest-profile cases of the next two weeks, on affirmative action and voting rights ... more
Inadmissible: Inadmissible: Culvahouse Speaks on Palin Vetting, plus more... February 9, 2010
Points of View: Free Speech Does a Body Good February 9, 2010
A 1st Circuit decision threatens to choke off the free flow of drug data. The court wrongly upheld a state law banning certain commercial uses of prescription histories of individual doctors. The Supreme Court should step in ... more
Points of View: Still Trapped On Torture February 9, 2010
Eric Holder Jr. is clearly not eager to prosecute CIA agents for recent misdeeds. But as attorney general he has a responsibility to honor U.S. treaty obligations. He needs to convene a grand jury to look at torture ... more
Points of View: Shiver Me Lawyers February 9, 2010
Before anyone turns Somali pirates into criminal defendants, we need to remember how the United States has historically dealt with piracy. It wasn't with an abundance of complicated legal proceedings ... more
Special Report: Stay Alert on Road to Lower Patent Costs February 9, 2010
The rewards of the Patent Prosecution Highway program will go to those who manage the risks wisely. Watch out for issues of inequitable conduct ... more
Special Report: See the First Flights of the Bilski Test February 9, 2010
The Patent Office's appeals board is weighing in with its early views on the Federal Circuit's new machine-or-transformation test ... more
Copyright 2009. Incisive Media US Properties, LLC. All rights reserved.

Jurist Legal News & Research

Former Intel executive pleads guilty to insider trading in Galleon probe February 9, 2010
[JURIST] Former Intel Capital [corporate website] executive Rajiv Goel pleaded guilty [press release, PDF] to insider trading charges on Monday in connection with the probe surrounding Galleon Group [partnership website] hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam [Financial Times profile; JURIST news archive] and former hedge fund consultant Danielle Chiesi. The US Attorney's Office for the Southern ... more
ICC considering investigation into recent Nigeria violence February 9, 2010
[JURIST] The International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] will consider a petition from the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) [advocacy website] calling for an investigation into recent violence in Jos, Nigeria, according to a response letter [text, PDF] sent to SERAP Monday. SERAP lawyer Femi Falana welcomed [press release, DOC] the ICC's response, saying:This is ... more
Philippines prosecutors charge 197 for November massacre February 9, 2010
[JURIST] The Philippine Department of Justice (PDOJ) [official website] on Tuesday charged 197 people with murder [press release] in connection with the November massacre in the semi-autonomous Maguindanao province that left 57 dead. Among those charged is Andal Ampatuan Sr., a former political ally to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo [official website; BBC profile], head of a Muslim clan, and ... more
Sri Lanka president dissolves parliament, calls for early elections February 9, 2010
[JURIST] Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa [official website, in Sinhala] dissolved Parliament [official website] on Tuesday and called for early parliamentary elections. The country's parliamentary elections could now be conducted [BBC report] as early as April 8, with the new parliament convening as early as April 22. It is believed that Rajapaksa is trying to harness momentum from the ... more
Bahrain using torture to extract confessions: HRW February 9, 2010
[JURIST] The government of Bahrain has reverted to using torture [press release] to gain confessions from detainees after a decade of reform banning such practices, according to a report [text] released Monday by Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website]. HRW conducted interviews with 20 former detainees who claimed that they had suffered torture and ill-treatment as early as 2007. The ... more
Germany court rules welfare law unconstitutional February 9, 2010
[JURIST] Germany?s Federal Constitutional Court [official website, in German] ruled [judgment, in German] Tuesday that the country's five-year-old social welfare benefit law is unconstitutional. The benefit, known as Hartz IV, merges unemployment and social assistance programs and is only granted where individuals do not have sufficient means, income, or property of their own. Under the current ... more
African Union calls for hybrid court to try Darfur genocide cases February 9, 2010
[JURIST] The African Union (AU) [official website] on Monday called for a hybrid court of Sudanese and foreign judges to hear trials of individuals accused of war crimes in Darfur [JURIST news archive]. The AU Implementation Panel, led by former South African president Thabo Mbeki [ANC profile], renewed its request for the combined court a week after the International Criminal Court (ICC) [ ... more
Chinese-American sentenced to 15 years following espionage conviction February 9, 2010
[JURIST] Former Boeing [corporate website] engineer Dongfan "Greg" Chung was sentenced Monday to 15 years in prison, following his July 2009 conviction [JURIST report] under the 1996 Economic Espionage Act [DOJ backgrounder]. Chung, a native of China, was convicted by the US District Court for the Central District of California [official website] in a non-jury trial of stealing corporate trade ... more
China earthquake activist sentenced to 5 years in prison for subversion February 9, 2010
[JURIST] A Chinese court on Tuesday sentenced human rights activist Tan Zuoren to five years in prison on subversion charges. Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] says that Zuoren sought to release an independent report [AI report] documenting the lethal consequences of substandard construction in the Sichuan province's 2008 earthquake [BBC backgrounder], which left some 90,000 dead ... more
EU, US condemn Iran human rights violations February 9, 2010
[JURIST] The European Union (EU) and the US government on Monday issued a joint statement [text, PDF] condemning Iranian human rights violations since the disputed June presidential election [JURIST news archive]. According to the statement, the Iranian government must respect international human rights principles, especially during the coming anniversary of the founding of the 1979 Islamic ... more
Former UK foreign minister denies ignoring legal advice against Iraq invasion February 9, 2010
[JURIST] Former UK Foreign Ministry secretary Jack Straw [parliamentary profile] testified [transcript, PDF; video] to the Iraq Inquiry [official website] on Monday that he did not ignore legal advice that the 2003 Iraq invasion lacked basis in international law. During Straw's second appearance before the public inquiry, he explained that he noted but did not accept the advice of former chief ... more
Sri Lanka military police arrest defeated opposition candidate February 8, 2010
[JURIST] Sri Lankan military police on Monday arrested defeated opposition presidential candidate and former general Sarath Fonseka [BBC profile]. The Sri Lankan Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) announced [press release] that Fonseka was arrested "in connection with certain fraudulent acts and other military offences." Fonseka, who orchestrated the successful military campaign against ... more
Iran opposition leader sentenced to six years in prison for post-election protests February 8, 2010
[JURIST] Former Iranian deputy foreign minister Mohsen Aminzadeh has been sentenced [ISNA report, in Persian] to six years in prison for his participation in protesting last year's contested Iranian presidential election [JURIST news archive], state-run Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) [media website, in Persian] reported Monday. Aminzadeh was a leading member of the Islamic Iran Participation ... more
ICC drops charges against Sudan rebel leader February 8, 2010
[JURIST] The International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] on Monday declined to confirm charges [judgment, PDF; press release] against Darfur rebel chief Bahr Idriss Abu Garda [case materials; JURIST news archive]. The ruling came after a preliminary hearing [JURIST report] in October to address war crimes charges that arose out of Abu Garda's alleged involvement in the September 2007 ... more
Iraq PM: election ban dispute to be resolved this week February 8, 2010
[JURIST] Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki [official website, in Arabic] said Monday that a dispute over banned candidates will be resolved by Friday when campaigning is scheduled to begin for the upcoming elections [JURIST news archive]. He assured [AFP report] Iraqis that the appeals panel will be able to rule on candidates' eligibility within the week. Al-Maliki's endorsement of the court ... more
UK judge criticizes banning of Sikh ceremonial dagger in public places February 8, 2010
[JURIST] Sir Mota Singh QC, Britain?s first Asian judge, said in an interview with BBC's Asian Network Monday that Sikhs [JURIST news archive] should be permitted to wear their ceremonial daggers [BBC report] to school and other public places. Sikhism requires that Sikh males wear the ceremonial dagger, known as a kirpan [Sikh Coalition backgrounder], at all times, but they are forbidden to use ... more
Obama still considering NYC trial for 9/11 suspects February 8, 2010
[JURIST] US President Barack Obama said Sunday in an interview [video] with CBS News that he hasn't ruled out a civilian trial in New York City for accused 9/11 co-conspirator Khalid Sheikh Mohammed [JURIST news archive]. However, Obama stressed that he was considering the logistical and security issues that have been presented in making the decision. The Obama administration has faced growing ... more
Malaysia opposition leader seeking removal of high court judge in sodomy trial February 8, 2010
[JURIST] The sodomy trial of Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim [official profile; JURIST news archive] was temporarily suspended Monday as defense lawyers sought the removal of high court Judge Mohamad Zabidin Diah for his failure to control prejudicial media coverage. The defense filed an objection asking Mohamad Zabidin to admonish Utusan Malaysia [media website, in Malay], a ... more
Iran officials arrest 7 alleged US operatives ahead of scheduled protests February 7, 2010
[JURIST] Iranian authorities have arrested seven for allegedly planning to provoke rioting on February 11, the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution [BBC backgrounder], including several in the employ of the US Central Intelligence Agency [official website], according to a statement released Sunday by the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security [GlobalSecurity backgrounder]. The seven ... more
Iraq appeals panel reverses ruling on banned candidates February 7, 2010
[JURIST] The Iraqi appeals panel that had ruled last week that 500 mostly Sunni politicians accused of ties to Saddam Hussein's Baath Party [BBC backgrounder] could stand in the coming elections reversed its decision Sunday. In its ruling [Reuters report], which was handed down as hundreds protested in Baghdad, the court stated that it was mistaken in thinking it had to rule on all 500 candidates ... more
Israel probe of Gaza fighting not impartial: HRW February 7, 2010
[JURIST] Israel has not shown that it will conduct a thorough and impartial investigation of alleged war crimes during the January 2009 Gaza conflict [JURIST news archive], Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] said [press release] Sunday. HRW said that it met with lawyers from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) [official website], but it did not receive information concerning how Israel was ... more
Pakistan to revise blasphemy laws: report February 7, 2010
[JURIST] Pakistan will begin to revise its blasphemy laws [AFP report] later this year, a government official told the Agence France-Presse Sunday. Pakistan's Federal Minister for Minority Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti [official profile] said he has been speaking to various political parties in Pakistan and that his government is committed to doing away with laws that are discriminatory to minorities ... more
Obama administration argues Uighur Guantanamo detainee appeal now moot February 7, 2010
[JURIST] The US Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website] on Friday urged [brief, PDF] the US Supreme Court [official website; JURIST news archive] to dismiss as moot an appeal filed by Chinese Muslim Uighurs detained at Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archives]. The court granted certiorari [JURIST report] in the case, known as Kiyemba I [docket], in October to determine whether it is within ... more
Iraq leaders pressure high court to rule on suspected Baath party candidates ban February 7, 2010
[JURIST] Iraqi leaders on Saturday urged the country's Supreme Court to rule on the recent electoral appeals panel decision allowing about 500 candidates who had been banned for alleged ties to the outlawed Baath party [BBC backgrounder] to run in the March 7 parliamentary elections. The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) [official website] has turned to the Iraq Supreme Court ... more
Lebanon tribunal head says Hariri probe on track February 6, 2010
[JURIST] The head of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) [official website; JURIST news archive] Friday reassured [press release] the Lebanese public that the investigation is on track. When asked about the progress of the investigation into the death of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri [JURIST news archive], the head of the STL underlined the fact that the Tribunal already has in ... more
 
 

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