Legal Research

Selections from National Law Journal Daily Headlines February 19, 2009

By David Badertscher, PLL

SourceNLJ.COM, February 19, 2009.

Subscription needed for online access:

http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/subscribe.jsp

FROM THE UPCOMING ISSUE  |  How do firms lay off lawyers? Very carefully.
"Laid-off workers in any industry are bound to be distressed, bitter and potentially litigious after a job loss. But law firms have a few added reasons to proceed with caution when they part ways with attorneys and legal staffers. For one thing, law firms generally have far less experience than their corporate counterparts when it comes to showing the door to a sizable group of people. At the same time, attorneys are more familiar with their rights than the average laid-off worker, and they have shown an increasing willingness during the past decade to sue their former firms."

FROM THE UPCOMING ISSUE  |  Law firms question cost of responding to corporate RFPs
"Law firms are increasingly questioning the practice of spending tens of thousands of dollars responding to corporate requests for proposals, or invitations to compete for legal work, given that companies reject most bids, according to legal consulting firm Altman Weil Inc. A typical RFP may cost a firm $35,000 to $65,000, or between 100 to 200 partner hours, while the success rate for answering RFPs is only 30%."

WEB-ONLY  |  Despite assurances from AG, key lawmaker moves to protect privilege and work-product doctrine
"Despite reassuring statements by Attorney General Eric Holder on the issue of attorney-client privilege waivers in corporate investigations, a key senator is moving forward with legislation to put protection for the privilege and the work-product doctrine into law and throughout government."

WEB-ONLY  |  In reversal, 1st Circuit orders business defamation case to trial ? involving statement not alleged to be false
"A 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel reversed an earlier appellate ruling and ordered office supply company Staples Inc. to stand trial for defamation for its mass e-mail detailing why it fired a particular employee. The plaintiff does not claim that the e-mail was false, but rather relies on a century-old state law that permits a cause of action for a defamatory true statement published with malicious intent. "

WEB-ONLY  |  National report finds forensic science labs underfunded, understaffed and without proper oversight
"Many forensic science labs are underfunded, understaffed and without effective oversight, and many lack strong standards for analyzing and reporting on evidence, according to a congressionally-mandated report from the National Research Council. Rigorous and mandatory certification programs for forensic scientists are currently lacking, the report said, as are strong standards and protocols for analyzing and reporting on evidence."

WEB-ONLY  |  Election law litigation has doubled since 2000 ? and more is being fought in federal courts
"The amount of election law litigation has more than doubled nationwide since the hotly contested 2000 presidential election, and more of that litigation is being fought in federal courts, according to a new study."

WEB-ONLY  |  Judge throws out shareholder suits against Merrill Lynch execs, strips shareholders of standing
"A federal judge in the Southern District of New York threw out two derivative shareholders lawsuits against Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. executives and directors and ruled that Bank of America Corp.'s acquisition of Merrill strips Merrill's shareholders of the standing to bring such suits."

Full post as published by New York Supreme Court Criminal Term Library on February 19, 2009 (boomark / email).