Legal Book » country

India’s Supreme Court Rules Vodafone Not Liable for $4.4 Billion Tax Bill

Master — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 09:40:31 +0000

British telecom giant Vodafone is not liable for up to $4.4 billion in back taxes and penalties, India’s top court said Friday, in a ruling that removes significant uncertainty for foreign companies investing in the country. At least eight other companies — including GE and AT&T — are fighting tax cases in India that could be affected by the Vodafone precedent.Visit International News

Baker Botts Files FOIA Suit Against SEC over Yukos Docs

admin — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:24:05 +0000

Baker Botts has sued the SEC, claiming that the agency illegally withheld documents that the firm first requested nearly a year ago related to their representation of Russia in the country’s sprawling litigation over the renationalized Yukos Oil Co.

Egyptian Court Bans Military ‘Virginity Tests’

admin — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:03:16 +0000

An Egyptian court on Tuesday ordered the country’s military rulers to stop the use of “virginity tests” on female detainees, in a rare condemnation by a civilian tribunal of a military practice that has caused an uproar among activists and rights groups.Visit International News

S.F.’s Fight With Cellphone Industry Tests Compelled Speech

admin — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 09:02:00 +0000

The wireless industry is trying to block San Francisco’s novel cellphone “right to know” law on the grounds that requiring cellphone retailers to post information on potential health hazards forces speech. The suit is part of a wave of litigation playing out in federal courts around the country in which corporations are using the compelled-speech doctrine to fight back as cities turn to health and safety disclosure laws, rather than piecemeal enforcement actions.

Federal Appeals Court Scrutinizes Health Care Law

admin — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 01:25:11 +0000

A top U.S. Justice Department lawyer today defended the Obama administration’s health care law, telling a panel of the D.C.

Defending Class Actions in Canada, 3rd Edition

Master — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 20:35:47 +0000

Defending Class Actions in Canada is aimed at businesses that may become defendants in class action suits in Canada and the lawyers who defend them. Companies doing business in this country now have an intense interest in the proliferation of class actions and the risks posed by that development to their operations

Lawyers Accused of Scam in Bank Suits

Master — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 20:06:10 +0000

California prosecutors filed a major lawsuit against several lawyers and call center operators for allegedly running a nationwide scam to dupe desperate homeowners into paying thousands of dollars to join dubious lawsuits against some of the country’s largest banks.

Bankruptcy Filings Rose in 2010, but at a Slower Clip

admin — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 21:23:29 +0000

A report by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts shows that new filings in U.S. bankruptcy courts rose by 8 percent from 2009 to 2010, but that number pales in comparison to the more than 30 percent increases seen across the country annually since 2006.

U.S. Attorney in New Jersey Joins Other Offices in Seeking Volunteers

admin — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 06:32:35 +0000

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey has posted job openings for unpaid “Special Assistant U.S.

Legal Industry Shrinking as Lawyer Numbers Grow

Master — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 05:57:35 +0000

The legal sector shed 2,600 jobs in June, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s especially grim news given the results of the ABA’s latest Lawyer Population Survey, which shows the number of lawyers across the country continues to expand.

McCarter & English Plan ‘Grosses Up’ Workers Insuring Same-Sex Partners

admin — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 07:24:57 +0000

Joining a growing number of firms and companies around the country, McCarter & English has adopted a plan to offset unequal tax treatment faced by employees who cover same-sex partners in their health insurance plans, raising the gross pay of those affected with a new “gross up” policy.Visit lawjobs.com News & Views

Law Firms Back to Business in Post-Quake Japan

admin — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 03:55:32 +0000

A few months after the devastating earthquake and tsunami that rocked Japan, life in international law firms’ Tokyo offices has more or less returned to normal. Expatriates who had fled the country en masse in March are now mostly back at work. Subways and trains are running normally again

Suits expected for immigration law

admin — Wed, 18 May 2011 04:22:17 +0000

Georgia immigration lawyers are preparing to file a constitutional challenge in federal court before key parts of a new law — including a requirement that employers check whether their workers are in the country legally — go into effect.

A wave of dismissals in wake of Federal Circuit ruling governing patent marking cases

admin — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 06:40:03 +0000

The high pleading standard recently set by the Federal Circuit for whistleblower cases against companies that falsely label products as patented has so far weeded out at least 18 cases from dockets across the country.

Fla. Bills Push for Licensing, Definition of Paralegals

admin — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 03:08:12 +0000

Companion bills in the state Legislature would pave the way to make Florida the first state in the country to require licenses for paralegals as well as a continuing education scheme. But not everyone is a fan of the idea, with some lawyers questioning why paralegal regulation is necessary.Visit lawjobs.com News & Views

Leaked Government Documents Reveal Weakening of U.K. Bribery Act

admin — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 07:06:27 +0000

Leaked government documents suggest that the U.K. Ministry of Justice has taken measures to radically weaken the jurisdictional reach of the country’s new bribery act, which could in turn reduce the work generated by the proposed law for U.S. white-collar lawyers when it takes effect.

Did the DOJ Pad the Stats on Financial Fraud Crackdown?

admin — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 06:31:04 +0000

U.S. Attorney offices across the country have been touting results of the DOJ’s “Operation Broken Trust.” But they rely on cases filed well before the operation was launched.

ABA Seeks Obama’s Help in Fight for Reciprocity With India

Master — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 07:05:29 +0000

American Bar Association President Steve Zack sent a letter last week to the White House urging President Barack Obama to press the Indian government to drop its ban on foreign lawyers maintaining offices or practicing law in India. Additionally, a pending suit by an Indian attorney seeks to limit the ability of non-Indian attorneys to travel to the country and advise clients regarding the law in their home countries. Zack wrote that further limitations would undermine the goal of increasing trade between the two countries.

Some Disabled Lawyers Find Going Solo Works Best

admin — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 04:38:44 +0000

George Walls Jr., who is paralyzed from the shoulders down, has worked for another lawyer, and as an in-house lawyer, but found that going solo is the best fit for him — and he’s not alone.

Lawyer’s Suit Against Jamaican Prime Minister Raises More Questions About Manatt

Master — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 05:03:48 +0000

The controversy over who hired Manatt, Phelps & Phillips for a controversial Jamaican lobbying assignment keeps getting murkier. The saga continued last week, as a prominent backer of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party, Kingston lawyer Harold Brady, sued the country’s prime minister for libel. Brady has been a central character in Jamaican politics in recent months because of his purported role in retaining Manatt to lobby U.S.

Lawyers on Both Sides of the Pond Gear Up for New U.K. Bribery Law

admin — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 04:27:40 +0000

White-collar criminal lawyers on both sides of the Atlantic are bracing themselves for the new U.K. Bribery Act, which could generate significant legal work when it becomes law next year. The first change to U.K.

Prop 8 Proponents Attack Walker’s Ruling in 9th Circuit Brief

admin — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 03:59:30 +0000

Proposition 8 supporters kicked off their appellate fight to preserve California’s gay-marriage ban Friday night with a 31,000-word opening brief. As expected, proponents made their case for standing and leveled wide-ranging arguments for upholding the ban, taking particular aim at Chief Judge Vaughn Walker’s finding that Prop 8 failed to meet rational basis review. The brief further argues that the ruling flies in the face of uniform judgment of state and federal appellate courts across the country.

New ‘U.S. News’ Law Firm Rankings: News You Can’t Use?

admin — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 03:24:10 +0000

Courtesy of U.S. News & World Report’s upcoming rankings for the country’s best law firms, large firms stand on the threshold of even more metrics. Steven Harper, an adjunct professor at Northwestern University, discusses whether the new rankings will be useful to firms and students.

Bianca Jagger Ordered to Pay Back Rent, Attorney Fees

Master — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 05:53:00 +0000

A referee has ordered the ex-wife of Rolling Stones icon Mick Jagger to pay more than $700,000 in back rent and attorney fees to her former landlords after she lost a bitter five-year battle to keep her $4,600-a-month, rent-stabilized Park Avenue apartment. The ruling followed a 2008 decision by the New York Court of Appeals holding that Bianca Jagger and other foreign nationals in the country on tourist visas were not eligible for rent-stabilized units.

The Cautionary Tale of an E-Mail Scammer

Master — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 06:11:29 +0000

Someone faraway — maybe Nigeria — claims you’ve inherited millions of dollars. To get it, all you need to do is send a few thousand dollars so the e-mail writer can get the money out of the country