Legal Research

Selections from National Law Journal Daily Headlines February 4, 2009

By David Badertscher, PLL

Source: NLJ.com, February 4, 2009.

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FROM THE UPCOMING ISSUE  |  McDermott lays off 60 attorneys, 89 staff
"McDermott Will & Emery has laid off 60 lawyers and 89 staff employees, citing a slowdown in clients' business and a resulting impact on the firm. McDermott follows in the footsteps of other major law firms across the country, including Morrison & Foerster, Blank Rome and Mayer Brown, that have also cut their attorney workforces in recent months in the face of decreased client demand in certain areas, such as real estate and financial securities work".

FROM THE UPCOMING ISSUE  |  Insurance coverage eyed in Madoff claims
"A variety of people involved in the Bernard Madoff scandal, from investors who lost money in the scheme and the attorneys who represent them to those involved in funneling money into Madoff's bogus investment funds, are eager for an indication of what role insurance coverage is likely to play in the legal wrangling over financial losses tied to Madoff".

WEB-ONLY  |  Detroit's former mayor is out of jail, but not out of legal problems
"Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is a free man, but his legal wranglings are far from over. Kilpatrick has hired Willie Gary, a prominent, Florida trial attorney, to investigate the release of the text messages that cost him his job, law license and a $1 million fine"

WEB-ONLY  |  Hagens Berman files second class action alleging home appraisal rigging
"Plaintiffs' law firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro filed its second class action for alleged home appraisal rigging with a new federal suit against Wells Fargo & Co. and its appraisal subsidiary. The case is similar to a purported class action against Countrywide and its appraisal subsidiary LandSafe Inc. filed in federal court in Washington state on Jan. 12. "

WEB-ONLY  |  DOL crack-down on federal contractors to continue in '09
"Federal contractors can expect to face more scrutiny from the federal government this year ? and stiffer fines for discriminatory practices. So predict corporate defense counsel, responding to recent statistics that show that the Department of Labor won a record $67.5 million in settlements in 2008 for an unprecedented 24,500 workers who were discriminated against by federal contractors."

WEB-ONLY  |  16 years and lots of litigation later, DOJ puts auto fraud database online
"After 16 years and litigation by three consumer safety groups, the U.S. Department of Justice has made an online database available to states and consumers to discover automobile fraud and to provide new tools for law enforcement to investigate fraud, theft and other crimes involving vehicles. "

Full post as published by New York Supreme Court Criminal Term Library on February 04, 2009 (boomark / email).