Criminal Allegations Threaten Merger
January 01, 2017
Abbott Laboratories' $5.8 billion proposed purchase of Alere, a Massachusetts medical testing company, is in trouble now that multiple criminal allegations have been leveled against Alere.
Mastering the Art of Self-Promotion
January 01, 2017
Self-promotion makes many people uncomfortable and unsure. However, to really maximize your hard work as a lawyer, you need to let the world know about your successes — and nobody can do it all for you.
Arbitration Denied In Bankruptcy Priority Fight
January 01, 2017
"[T]he bankruptcy court did not abuse its discretion in denying [the debtor's former employees'] motion to compel arbitration" when the dispute turned on the relative priority of their claims, held the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Oct. 6, 2016 in <i>In re Lehman Bros. Holdings.</i>
Elite Law Firms Increasingly Suing Clients to Collect Fees
January 01, 2017
In an era when demand for legal services is softening, the country's largest firms are increasingly going to court and arbitration against their former clients to collect fees in what consultants say is the "new normal."
In the Courts
January 01, 2017
A jury in the Southern District of Texas awarded over $92 million in damages to the United States in a case against mortgage lenders who fraudulently granted and underwrote loans insured by the Federal Housing Authority and then reaped massive payouts when those loans went into default.
What Lawyers Can Learn from Uber, Redux
January 01, 2017
Lawyers need to know what the client wants and how to get them there before the process starts. Just like a driver who doesn't know exactly where he's taking his riders, a lawyer who isn't totally sure what a client wants — let alone how to get them there efficiently and effectively — is likely to end up with a client who is disgruntled.
Liability Exposure When Experts Flub
January 01, 2017
In civil litigation, when retained or testifying experts err materially, causing a case or settlement loss, do they get some kind of immunity so that access to experts is not "chilled" by allowing experts to be sued frequently? The answer to this question is not so easy.<p><b><i>Part One of a Two-Part Article</b></i>
'Potential Client' Conflict Issues
January 01, 2017
Continuing the discussion of matrimonial client "conflict checks" — the exercise attorneys must go through with each new potential client, to make sure that the representation will not conflict with work the attorney is doing or has done for a current or former client. <p><b><i>Part Two of a Three-Part Article</b></i>
Equipment Financing Is on the Rise
January 01, 2017
According to the recently released U.S. Equipment Finance Market Study 2016-2017, conducted for the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association, 78% of respondents used at least one form of financing when acquiring equipment in FY 2015. This is up from 72% of respondents from the previous Foundation market study released in 2012, and represents an increase in the overall propensity to finance.
