Legal Research

Selections From National Law Journal Daily Headlines April 3, 2009

By David Badertscher, PLL

Source: NLJ.com, April 3, 2009.

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FROM THE UPCOMING ISSUE  |  In lean times, firms measure savings by the square foot
"The idea of one-size-fits-all attorney offices might prompt gasps of horror from law firm partners with spacious corner offices, but real estate experts say the slumping economy is prompting firms to look closely at how they use their space and how they can be more efficient and save money. Adopting one universal office size for both associates and partners ? which cuts down on total square footage needed ? is just one of many ideas law firms are exploring in order to reduce real estate expenses."

FROM THE UPCOMING ISSUE  |  Blago hit by indictment ? but his defense team is still in flux
"Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's criminal defense team is still in flux even as a whopping 75-page federal indictment landed on him this week. The ex-governor, who was socked with political corruption charges in December, hasn't been able to solidify his criminal defense team mainly because it has been unclear how he will pay his lawyers if the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago freezes his campaign funds, which otherwise could be used to pay his attorney fees."

WEB-ONLY  |  New Century trustee files suit against KPMG, alleges $1B in damages
"The trustee of the failed New Century Financial Corp. has filed two lawsuits alleging at least $1 billion in damages against KPMG LLP and KPMG International for failing to perform duties as outside auditors to the company. According to the suit, KPMG LLP failed to serve as a watchdog to aggressive accounting methods that forced New Century to restate its financial reports. By then, outstanding repurchase requests had reached $8 billion, and the stock price of New Century, which had run out of financing options, plummeted 90%".

WEB-ONLY  |  N.Y. AG Andrew Cuomo swings through Chicago, drops in on some law firms
"New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo swung through Chicago this week for a visit with his counterpart, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, but that's not all that was on the agenda. A stop at Holland & Knight was a fundraiser for his re-election campaign to which attorneys from other firms were also invited. "

WEB-ONLY  |  M&A worldwide plummets, but some U.S. firms see value of their deals jump in early 2009
"While mergers and acquisitions worldwide continue to plummet, several U.S. law firms saw the value of their deals jump significantly during the first quarter 2009, according to a recent report. Among the top legal performers in the value of its announced deals is Skadden, which jumped to No. 1 in the first quarter 2009 with 28 planned deals so far this year totaling $169 billion. "

WEB-ONLY  |  Colorado senators announce advisory panel to recommend applicants for judicial vacancies
"Colorado Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet, both Democrats, have announced the formation of a bipartisan advisory panel that will recommend applicants for the two vacancies now in the state's U.S. district court. "

WEB-ONLY  |  Bryan Cave goes to court to battle immigration 'notario fraud'
"Bryan Cave is combating individuals who fraudulently represent themselves as immigration attorneys or consultants qualified to help clients with immigration-related legal tangles by filing federal and state cases to stop them and asking the American Bar Association and the Federal Trade Commission for help. "
 

Full post as published by New York Supreme Court Criminal Term Library on April 03, 2009 (boomark / email).