North America/US - Page 225
Regulator attacks Standard Chartered legal team
New York's top financial regulator has launched an assault on the legal department of Standard Chartered, claiming that the London-headquartered bank evaded regulations and hid $250 billion of transactions tied to Iran.
Judge hits firm in pocket over conflict of interest
A leading international law firm committed an 'egregious' ethical violation while acting for claimants in a $49 million action against a bar finals cramming organisation, according to a US court.
Samsung could face penalties over advocacy rights mix-up
South Korean technology giant Samsung has suffered an embarrassing blow in its high-profile patent showdown with Californian rival Apple, after one of its lawyers admitted she did not have the required advocacy rights paperwork for the court.
ABA green-lights client disclosure in merger talks
Ethical disclosure of client information in US partner lateral moves and law firm merger talks has been given a provisional green light by the American Bar Association.
Questions over judge's power to conduct blog 'witch hunt'
US District Judge William Alsup's eyebrow-raising decision ordering technology rivals Oracle and Google to reveal any financial relationships with bloggers and journalists is causing many lawyers in the field to question the bench's motives.
Pfizer coughs up $60m to settle foreign bribery claims
One of the US's largest pharmaceutical companies has agreed to a $60 million settlement over charges that it bribed doctors overseas.
Filings plummet but US firms reap big bankruptcy profits
US law firms continue to rack up significant fees in bankruptcy work despite a 14 per cent drop in business filings, recently published research has revealed.
Row over non-lawyer ownership of legal firms
The US's largest legal profession trade union is in disarray over the contentious issue of non-lawyer ownership of law firms, with its senior figures unable to agree a policy.
Google and Oracle ordered to reveal paid bloggers
A US District Court Judge has demanded that battling technology giants Google and Oracle give up the names of journalists and bloggers who were paid to comment on the recent Java patent lawsuit.
Yet more time for Dewey bankruptcy settlement
Former partners of now-defunct New York law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf have been handed an extra week to agree to a settlement that would absolve them of liability from the firm's estate.
US trade watchdog scoops two senior lawyers fom antitrust institute
Two leading American Antitrust Institute lawyers are bailing out from the non-profit organisation to join the Federal Trade Commission, the group announced at the end of last week.
Shield Act set to defend tech companies from 'patent trolls'
A bill introduced by two US congressmen could enable small technology companies and their legal departments to fight 'patent trolls' rather than being forced by high litigation costs to settle legal battles.
US regulator rejects foreign law schools
US legal education regulators have rejected proposals to accredit foreign law schools in a move that will stoke continued debate over protectionism in the American legal profession.
Law firms boosting client service with news tracker
Washington DC-based law firm Patton Boggs has joined several major US legal practices in turning to outside service providers tracking news and internet chatter to up their service game to clients.
Skills boost for US law school curricula
The curriculum in US law schools has changed dramatically since 2004, with skills instruction taking a much higher precedence, according to a recent survey.
Firm slapped over Ponzi scheme evidence
A federal judge has sanctioned Miami-based law firm Greenberg Traurig and client TD Bank after 'wilfully' mishandling evidence in a Ponzi scheme case earlier this year.
Litigation still driving US commercial law firm revenue
It was an 'isle of joy' to song-writing duo Rodgers and Hart -- and nearly 90 years after they penned that immortal ode to New York, Manhattan is still the most profitable, if not always joyful, place to be a lawyer in the US.
Duo took huge bonuses as Dewey collapsed
Bankrupt New York-based Dewey & LeBoeuf paid two key executives bonuses of more than a million dollars each on the eve of the global law firm's collapse, court papers filed in the US have revealed.
Minority lawyers grapple up partnership ladder
Ethnic minority lawyers are gradually advancing up the US law firm partnership ladder, a recent report has found, with some areas of the country far outstripping others in diversity progress.
US lawyer told to use arbitration in ex-firm compensation case
A California judge has ordered an ex-partner to resolve a compensation issue with his former practice through arbitration.