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Selections from National Law Journal Daily Headlines January 5, 2009

By David Badertscher, PLL

Source: NLJ.com, January 5, 2009.

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2008 NLJ PRO BONO AWARDS
"Each year, The National Law Journal recognizes the firms that have done the most to uphold the legal profession's responsibility to ensure that people's legal rights aren't contingent on their ability to pay. It is a subjective process, and we unfortunately lack the space to recognize all of the firms we admire. This year, we honor firms engaged in struggles that took on particular resonance in 2008: voting rights, same-sex marriage, refuge for Iraqis who endangered their lives by working with U.S. forces, and reparations for the remaining victims of the Nazis' 'ghetto work' program."

Cost-saving option for firms: reduced hours
"Would nervous associates jump at the opportunity to work reduced hours at reduced pay if it meant their law firms would forgo layoffs? Officials with the Project for Attorney Retention (PAR) and several legal consultants think so. They are recommending that law firms take a serious look at implementing reduced-hours programs as a way to manage through the flagging economy while protecting their reputations in legal circles."

LAW FIRMS  |  Attorneys may be delaying retirement
"Steven Deruyter has recovered from the shock that he's nearing retirement age. But what continues to stun him is the condition of his retirement fund, which has lost about 40% of its value in recent months. With the recent plunge in the values of 401(k) plans and other nest-egg assets, DeRuyter and attorneys like him are seeing their dreams of a worry-free retirement vanish."

JUDICIARY  |  Courthouse security still lacking
"The shocking 2005 murders of a Chicago federal judge's husband and mother, and the courthouse shooting of a Georgia state judge and his court reporter, galvanized not only the federal judiciary, but also state court judges across the country, to begin re-examining security in courthouses and the personal protection of judges. Today, despite some rapid improvements, serious holes remain in some areas, and the economic downturn may slow planned improvements, according to information from several state courts."

FLORIDA  |  Defrauded borrowers are crime victims
"For the first time, a federal appeals court has applied a broad definition of "crime victim" to financial fraud in the case of 112 borrowers in a Florida mortgage loan scam, entitling far more people to seek restitution for economic crimes. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals precedent, holding that borrowers are protected victims under the Crime Victims Rights Act, is significant, coming at a time when financial crimes dominate the front pages."

FIRST AMENDMENT  |  Blogger anonymity issue flares up in Maryland
"To unmask, or not to unmask. That's the issue before Maryland's high court as it considers anonymity on the Internet, a subject with which numerous courts have grappled as trash talk, criticism and negative comments flood chatrooms, blogs and message boards. Judges are trying to balance the First Amendment rights of online users to post comments freely without fear of repercussions, against the rights of defamed or injured parties to confront their assailants and remedy their injuries."

SELECTED COLUMNS:

LABOR LAW  |  Legislation Under Obama
"The recent election of Barack Obama may lead to the most significant labor law reform since the administration of Franklin Roosevelt. The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), the Re-empowerment of Skilled Professional Employees and Construction Trade Workers Act (RESPECT Act), the Patriot Employer Act, blacklisting for federal contractors and repeal of the 'right-to-work' proviso of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) are legislative reforms being considered."

ADVOCACY  |  Lincoln the Advocate
"Feb. 12 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. Beneath the mythological hero we have come to admire was an extraordinary human being: a political genius, a literary master and one of those rare leaders who combine political acumen with moral vision in the midst of crisis. In this column, I will focus on one of Lincoln's many outstanding advocacy skills: his ability to focus like a laser beam on the precise issue at hand."

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Full post as published by New York Supreme Court Criminal Term Library on January 05, 2009 (boomark / email).