Legal Research

Selections from National Law Journal Daily Headlines April 29, 2008

By David Badertscher, PLL

Source: NLJ.com, April 29, 2008.

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FROM THE UPCOMING ISSUE  |  Law firms, too, face credit woes
"Law firms needing extra capital from banks to weather the rough economy are finding that the times ? and the terms ? have changed. Many law firms are seeing a slowdown in work and a lengthening in their client payment cycle. At the same time, banks that provide lending to law firms to help cover their revenue gaps and fund bigger projects are implementing more onerous requirements for doling out credit."

FROM THE UPCOMING ISSUE  |  Chicago public defender faces dismissal
"Officials for Cook County, Ill., will soon decide whether to fire for the first time ever the county's public defender. The Cook County Board of Commissioners will consider a resolution calling for the ouster of Public Defender Edwin Burnette at a May 7 hearing after Democratic Board President Todd Stroger moved to dismiss Burnette earlier this year. Stroger charges Burnette with mismanagement, but Burnette says the move is payback for a lawsuit he brought against Stroger over staff cuts."

WEB-ONLY  |  AG appoints justice department veteran as U.S. Pardon Attorney
"Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey has appointed veteran Department of Justice attorney Ronald L. Rodgers to serve as the U.S. Pardon Attorney. Rodgers will oversee the Office of the Pardon Attorney, which is responsible for reviewing petitions for executive clemency and preparing recommendations for the president."

Media ask Illinois Supreme Court for access to R. Kelly trial
"Lawyers for news organizations covering the build-up to a trial of rhythm and blues star R. Kelly over pornography charges asked the Illinois Supreme Court on Monday to overturn decisions by a lower court that has blocked access to case information."

WEB-ONLY  |  Democratic presidential candidates in a dead-heat for law firm contributions
"Lawyers and law firms are now evenly split in their campaign contributions to Senator Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Senator Hillary Clinton, D-NY, with each presidential candidate receiving more than $15 million from the legal industry through the end of March, according to data released last week by the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington organization that tracks federal elections."

WEB-ONLY  |  Program allowing public review of patent applications on Net speeds the process
"The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office announced that a pilot program involving public review of patent applications over the Internet has helped it quickly reject claims that are obvious or not novel in more than a quarter of the pilot's patent applications."

WEB-ONLY  |  Canadian government blocks American bid to buy space and technology business
"The Canadian government recently blocked an American firm's offer to buy a Canadian space and technology business, prompting speculations in the Canadian legal community about whether the decision will indicate a tougher climate for foreign takeovers."

WEB-ONLY  |  Blind lawyer ruled competent to stand trial in fraud case
"A federal judge in Louisiana has ruled that Barry Scheur, a managed care executive who is an attorney and is blind, is competent to stand trial in the government's case that alleges fraud and conspiracy in the management of a now-defunct health insurer."

Full post as published by New York Supreme Court Criminal Term Library on April 29, 2008 (boomark / email).