27 July 2010 | Legal Industry News

ABA Group: US News Law School Rankings ‘Not Entirely Benign,’ But We’re Stuck with Them

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
Source: ABA Journal Top Stories In a report (PDF) circulated to members of the ABA Council of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, a special committee describes the controversial U.S. News & World Report annual law school rankings as "not entirely benign," pointing to a number of negative effects. However, "we believe that, for better or worse, U.S. News rankings will continue for the foreseeable future to dominate public perceptions of how law schools compare, and that there is relatively little that leaders in legal education can do to change that in the short term," concludes the report by the section's Special Committee on… Read the rest of the...

Utah High Court Nixes Convictions of Polygamist Group Leader

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

Source: WSJ.com: Law Blog - WSJ.com Citing improper jury instructions, the Utah Supreme Court threw out two felony accomplice rape convictions in the high-profile case of controversial religious leader Warren Jeffs.

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Mel Gibson: I’m the Victim of an Extortion Plot re Ex’s Abuse Allegations

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
Source: ABA Journal Top Stories Accused of abusing his ex-girlfriend, both physically and verbally, actor Mel Gibson is hitting back hard. Although he has refused to discuss Oksana Grigorieva's abuse allegations—some of which are backed by audio recordings—with Los Angeles Sheriff's investigators, citing his Fifth Amendment rights, he has talked with the department about another issue, according to the L.A. Now blog of the Los Angeles Times and the New York Daily News. That is Gibson's allegation that he is the victim of an extortion attempt by Grigorieva, based on her threats to make evidence of his alleged abusive behavior public, the newspapers say, relying… Read the rest of the...

Shanghai As Global Financial Center, Or Just Another Seoul/Tokyo?

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
Source: China Law Blog

Excellent and thought-provoking article at Knowledge@Wharton, entitled, "Turning Shanghai into a Global Financial Hub: So Much to Do, So Little Time." The article focuses on Shanghai's very public plans to become an International Financial Center by 2020 and debates whether that is going to happen:

While Shanghai might be big, can it be international? A new Goldman Sachs report titled, “Shanghai in 2020: Asia’s Financial Centre,” argues that although the city will gain in importance, it is more likely to “become a large domestic market rather than a broader regional market.”

But that's not what city officials have in mind. They don't want Shanghai to be like Tokyo or Seoul, both of which are impressive and vibrant cities at the hearts of their respective nations but aren't -- as Shanghai wants to be -- at the absolute center of the global economy, whether in capital markets, trade or commerce.

For that to happen, Shanghai needs two things from the central government: The full convertibility of the RMB and the relaxation of controls allowing the free flow of currencies in and out of the country.

Go here for more. What do you think?

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That Illegal Immigrant Ban in Nebraska? Oh, Nevermind.

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

Source: WSJ.com: Law Blog - WSJ.com The little town of Fremont, Neb., stirred up quite a bit of dust in June when its 25,000 person town voted in favor of banning illegal immigrants from renting property or getting a job. It followed on the heels of a similar move in Arizona. Now, the City Council, which had rejected the ban two years ago, is saying it might suspend the ban. The reason? Money.

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Fight On! War Between USC Coach and Volunteer State Spills Into Court

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

Source: WSJ.com: Law Blog - WSJ.com The NFL team from Tennessee -- the Titans -- have sued USC and football coach Lane Kiffin, claiming that Kiffin "maliciously" interfered with the contract of one of the Titans' coaches, Kennedy Pola, who recently joined Kiffin's staff at USC.

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Chinese Branding. From Moribund To ….?

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
Source: China Law Blog

As just about everyone knows by now, Chinese companies are generally not terribly good at marketing and sales, particularly in the United States. For every Haier or Lenovo, there have to be at least ten thousand Chinese companies with good products with no really differentiation from their competitors. How many of you living outside China can in two minutes or less name even five Chinese companies.

Those of us who do work for Chinese companies are constantly bemoaning the difficulty in getting Chinese companies to listen to us as to what it takes to do business in the United States. We see our Chinese clients failing to fulfill their promise in the United States and it greatly frustrates us. For some common reasons for these failures, check out this post, "Ten Reasons Chinese Companies Fail In The United States."

So when I read today's Wall Street Journal article, "Chinese Firm Meets Global Branding," I was beaming for two reasons. First, with a bit of "hey I know those guys" pride, and second, with a bit of relief that there may in fact be some light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

The article is...

Hammond Criminal Law Attorney – Randy A. Godshalk

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
Source: Profiles In Law Hammond Attorney, Randy A. Godshalk Member at law firm in Hammond, Indiana, Godshalk Law Office Born: Elkhart, Indiana, May 2, 1965 Areas of Practice: General Practice Law Criminal Defense Murder Robbery Rape Theft Drug Crimes Drug Dealing DWI Traffic Violations Family Law Divorce Visitation Adoption Child Support Personal Injury Automobile Accidents and Injuries Truck Accidents [...] Read the rest of the...

Hendersonville Law Firm – Frank B. Jackson

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
Source: Profiles In Law At the Hendersonville law firm of Frank B. Jackson and Associates, our goal is to provide the highest quality legal services to you and your business in a timely fashion Frank B. Jackson welcomes the opportunity to talk with you to discuss how F.B. Jackson and Associates Law Firm, PLLC in Henderson, NC may be [...] Read the rest of the...

Divorce Attorneys in Pasadena – Donald P. Schweitzer

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
Source: Profiles In Law Divorce in the United States is a matter of state law. Federal legislation also affects the rights and responsibilities of divorcing spouses. The Pasadena divorce attorneys at the Law Offices of Donald P. Schweitzer keep abreast of changing law and varying attitudes of the courts. Admitted 1993, California Law School Southwestern Law School, J.D. College [...] Read the rest of the...

Divorce Lawyer to Testify Against Ex-Client in High-Profile Rick Pitino Extortion Trial

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
Source: ABA Journal Top Stories A little over a year ago, matrimonial attorney Dana Kolter wrote a letter for his client Karen Sypher. In it, he asked for $10 million from University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino, threatening to make public, in Karen Sypher's divorce case from Pitino's equipment manager, Tim Sypher, an allegation that Pitino had raped her years earlier. Now Kolter is planning to testify against his onetime client in a high-profile criminal case in which she is accused of attempting to extort money from Pitino by falsely claiming to have been raped, reports the Louisville Courier-Journal. As the trial began today,… Read the rest of the...

Divorce Lawyer to Testify Against Ex-Client in High-Profile Rick Pitino Extortion Trial

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
Source: ABA Journal Top Stories A little over a year ago, matrimonial attorney Dana Kolter wrote a letter for his client Karen Sypher. In it, he asked for $10 million from University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino, threatening to make public, in Karen Sypher's divorce case from Pitino's equipment manager, Tim Sypher, an allegation that Pitino had raped her years earlier. Now Kolter is planning to testify against his onetime client in a high-profile criminal case in which she is accused of attempting to extort money from Pitino by falsely claiming to have been raped, reports the Louisville Courier-Journal. As the trial began today,… Read the rest of the...