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Judicial Attention to the Powers of Emergency Arbitrators
December 2, 2013
Is emergency arbitral relief granted by an emergency arbitrator inherently provisional, and therefore not final, and therefore beyond the powers of the emergency arbitrator insofar as the relief ordered would require a party to do something with irreversible consequences, and, finally, not capable of judicial recognition as an Award because of its necessarily provisional nature, being subject to modification by the regular arbitral tribunal in due course? This week’s answers are no, no, no, and no. (Yahoo!,...
December 2, 2013
Is emergency arbitral relief granted by an emergency arbitrator inherently provisional, and therefore not final, and therefore beyond the powers of the emergency arbitrator insofar as the relief ordered would require a party to do something with irreversible consequences, and, finally, not capable of judicial recognition as an Award because of its necessarily provisional nature, being subject to modification by the regular arbitral tribunal in due course? This week’s answers are no, no, no, and no. (Yahoo!,...
Is Limited-Scope Representation the Future for Firms?
December 1, 2013
In a concrete example of how Texas firms are heeding the concept of "customer is king," some lawyers are offering limited-scope representation—also known as unbundled legal services—to give clients pricing choices. "It's a legitimate option and maybe the future of where the legal profession is going," said Barbara Stroud, a lawyer at Stroud Mediation in Austin who offers limited-scope representation. "The industry has changed, with all the new technology and the way people communicate with...
December 1, 2013
In a concrete example of how Texas firms are heeding the concept of "customer is king," some lawyers are offering limited-scope representation—also known as unbundled legal services—to give clients pricing choices. "It's a legitimate option and maybe the future of where the legal profession is going," said Barbara Stroud, a lawyer at Stroud Mediation in Austin who offers limited-scope representation. "The industry has changed, with all the new technology and the way people communicate with...
2013 Law Department Metrics Benchmarking Survey
December 1, 2013
It's been a long, difficult few years for U.S. corporate legal departments. In the wake the financial crisis and the Great Recession, many general counsel had to make painful cuts to their ranks and tighten their purse strings. But that might just be over. In fact, the 2013 version of an annual survey from Corporate Counsel and affiliate ALM Legal Intelligence (ALI) indicates that many law departments have shifted gears successfully from recession mode to recovery mode, as certain benchmarks...
December 1, 2013
It's been a long, difficult few years for U.S. corporate legal departments. In the wake the financial crisis and the Great Recession, many general counsel had to make painful cuts to their ranks and tighten their purse strings. But that might just be over. In fact, the 2013 version of an annual survey from Corporate Counsel and affiliate ALM Legal Intelligence (ALI) indicates that many law departments have shifted gears successfully from recession mode to recovery mode, as certain benchmarks...
Mediating in Cases in Domestic Violence – Between a Rock and a Hard Place
December 1, 2013
In a one day survey of Domestic Violence Services provided in Ireland on this day last year (6 November 2012), the following statistics were recorded: 537 women and 311 children were accommodated and/or received support from a domestic violence service; 115 helpline calls were received from women; 117 women and 152 children were living in a refuge; 21 women could not be accommodated due to lack of space. (www.womensaid.ie). Separation and divorce can be the result of domestic violence, but also a trigger...
December 1, 2013
In a one day survey of Domestic Violence Services provided in Ireland on this day last year (6 November 2012), the following statistics were recorded: 537 women and 311 children were accommodated and/or received support from a domestic violence service; 115 helpline calls were received from women; 117 women and 152 children were living in a refuge; 21 women could not be accommodated due to lack of space. (www.womensaid.ie). Separation and divorce can be the result of domestic violence, but also a trigger...
Law.com Contributor Network to Use Forbes’ Software and Hosting
November 30, 2013
I recently blogged here about Law.com’s forthcoming launch of an extensive contributor network, with from 100 to 500 writers...
November 30, 2013
I recently blogged here about Law.com’s forthcoming launch of an extensive contributor network, with from 100 to 500 writers...
Are Landlines on Their Way Out?
November 30, 2013
In a recent podcast on NPR's All Tech Considered Martin Kaste muses over whether or not the landline has come to an end. The quality of the landline connection has apparently been declining for sometime now, according to people who live in further out areas, as well as experts interviewed by Kaste. The poor quality is due to both the expense at maintaining the traditional infrastructures, as well as new technology, which sees calls being rerouted through the Internet. The expenses of maintaining...
November 30, 2013
In a recent podcast on NPR's All Tech Considered Martin Kaste muses over whether or not the landline has come to an end. The quality of the landline connection has apparently been declining for sometime now, according to people who live in further out areas, as well as experts interviewed by Kaste. The poor quality is due to both the expense at maintaining the traditional infrastructures, as well as new technology, which sees calls being rerouted through the Internet. The expenses of maintaining...
MAPLA Conference: LSAC Applicant/Applications Data by Geographic Region
November 30, 2013
LSAC Applicant/Applications Data by Geographic Region --Fall 2012 to Fall 2013 -- As I mentioned in my last posting, Joan Van Tol, General Counsel for the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), gave a presentation at the conference of the Midwest Association of Pre-law Advisors (MAPLA) about trends in law school applications. I described the LSAC data on the historic cycles in applications here. I discussed the conference generally here. Today, I'll describe the LSAC data presented on two maps...
November 30, 2013
LSAC Applicant/Applications Data by Geographic Region --Fall 2012 to Fall 2013 -- As I mentioned in my last posting, Joan Van Tol, General Counsel for the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), gave a presentation at the conference of the Midwest Association of Pre-law Advisors (MAPLA) about trends in law school applications. I described the LSAC data on the historic cycles in applications here. I discussed the conference generally here. Today, I'll describe the LSAC data presented on two maps...
Dropbox Gets Down to Business: ‘The Internet Filing System’
November 30, 2013
Code-cranking visionary Drew Houston (pronounced like the Manhattan street, "how-stun," not like the Texas city) is attaching a rocket to the back of his San Francisco-based company Dropbox by launching a new product tailored for businesses to manage their professional and personnel information. Dropbox first grew popular among college students who used it to store documents and access updated versions via the cloud, anywhere and from any device. After building a base of 200 million accounts,...
November 30, 2013
Code-cranking visionary Drew Houston (pronounced like the Manhattan street, "how-stun," not like the Texas city) is attaching a rocket to the back of his San Francisco-based company Dropbox by launching a new product tailored for businesses to manage their professional and personnel information. Dropbox first grew popular among college students who used it to store documents and access updated versions via the cloud, anywhere and from any device. After building a base of 200 million accounts,...
California’s New ‘Digital Eraser’ Evaporates Embarrassment
November 30, 2013
On Sept. 23, California Governor Edmund "Jerry" Brown signed into law Senate Bill 568, “Privacy Rights for California Minors in a Digital World.” S.B. 568 includes a provision known as the “Delete Button” or “Eraser” law, which allows minors under 18 to request that companies delete specified information that the requestor had previously posted online. California State Senator Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, who sponsored the bill, said a motivating factor behind the law is that colleges...
November 30, 2013
On Sept. 23, California Governor Edmund "Jerry" Brown signed into law Senate Bill 568, “Privacy Rights for California Minors in a Digital World.” S.B. 568 includes a provision known as the “Delete Button” or “Eraser” law, which allows minors under 18 to request that companies delete specified information that the requestor had previously posted online. California State Senator Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, who sponsored the bill, said a motivating factor behind the law is that colleges...
Company Alleges Firm Breached a Fiduciary Duty by Keeping Settlement Proceeds
November 29, 2013
A Houston-area company filed a lawsuit on Nov. 15 against Houston's Steele Sturm, alleging it breached a fiduciary duty by keeping $39,447.53 in settlement money from a lawsuit and using it to pay fees and expenses in a separate lawsuit. Midtown Edge LP alleges in the petition that Steele Sturm should have held the settlement funds in trust, and only distribute to the plaintiff. "Simply put, Defendant stole Plaintiff's share of the settlement proceeds," Midtown Edge alleges in the petition. Midtown...
November 29, 2013
A Houston-area company filed a lawsuit on Nov. 15 against Houston's Steele Sturm, alleging it breached a fiduciary duty by keeping $39,447.53 in settlement money from a lawsuit and using it to pay fees and expenses in a separate lawsuit. Midtown Edge LP alleges in the petition that Steele Sturm should have held the settlement funds in trust, and only distribute to the plaintiff. "Simply put, Defendant stole Plaintiff's share of the settlement proceeds," Midtown Edge alleges in the petition. Midtown...
