Eight Ways to Bill For Litigation Support
September 28, 2006
Litigation support is an increasingly necessary service that helps attorneys and staff do all that they need to do with client data. Many billing options exist, but before we explore them, it might be helpful to identify the various things that commonly fall under the litigation support umbrella.
Closed vs. Open Compensation Systems
September 28, 2006
Our September edition included a report by legal journalist Leigh Jones on the appeal of 'closed' compensation decision-making systems that forego transparency in the interests of peace and efficiency. In the following roundtable discussion, seven present and former members of our Board of Editors comment on half a dozen aspects of this subject.
Protecting Trust Assets from a Divorcing Spouse
September 27, 2006
When spouses divorce, they may be surprised to discover that certain trust assets may not be protected from each others' reach. It is often difficult to find a bullet-proof trust, holding assets firmly and securely away from the divorcing spouse.
Option Backdating
September 27, 2006
This is not an easy time to be in the general counsel's office of a public company. The investigations into stock options backdating tend to reach into various parts of the organization, often simultaneously. Some practical rules of the road are in order, to allow the general counsel's office to spot and address the relevant issues in an appropriate, cost-effective manner.
Trenwick America
September 27, 2006
The September Issue of this newsletter discussed the Delaware Bankruptcy Court's recent decision, In re Scott Acquisition Corp., 2006 WL 1732277 (Bankr. D. Del. 2006), which ruled that directors and officers of insolvent subsidiary companies owe fiduciary duties to both its creditors and the subsidiary itself. Hot on the heels of that decision, the Delaware Chancery Court, Vice-Chancellor Leo E. Strine presiding, has again waded into the breach of fiduciary duty and zone of insolvency arena with its decision in <i>Trenwick America Litigation Trust v. Ernst & Young, L.L.P., et al.</i>
Internet Voting Waiting to Bloom
September 01, 2006
Two years ago, the Pentagon was poised to have 100,000 members of the military stationed overseas vote in federal elections over the Internet. The government canceled the plan, however, after it grew concerned it would not be possible to prevent hackers from affecting the results, that it could not examine the privately owned proprietary software that was to be used, and that there would not be a database of those who voted that it could check after the election. Nonetheless, online voting seems to be slowly gaining in popularity.
The Stock Option Grant Issue
August 31, 2006
Just as everyone involved with executive compensation matters was settling in to address the impact of the new accounting rules under FAS 123R, the requirements of the stock exchanges, the deferred compensation rules under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) section 409A, the new Securities Exchange Commission's (SEC) proxy rules and the proper balance between adequate executive compensation and good governance, a new jolt came into play in the executive compensation arena.
Law Firms Look At Closing Pay Systems
August 31, 2006
Unlike the vast majority of businesses in the United States, law firms generally operate under open systems that disclose the compensation of individual attorneys. The closed systems at Jones Day and Greenberg Traurig are major exceptions. But some observers say that law firms are moving toward closed systems as they function more like businesses and less like true partnerships.
