Lawyer 2 Lawyer - Law News And Legal Topics

Effective October 26, 2009, amended New York Labor Law: Section 195 will require employers to provide written notification to their employees, at the time of hiring, of their rate of pay and obtain a written acknowledgment from each employee of the receipt of this written notice. Co-host, Attorney J. Craig Williams welcomes Attorney Charles H. Kaplan, Partner in the NY office of Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold LLP and Barbara S. Mehlsack, Esq., Partner in the New York firm of Gorlick Kravitz & Listhaus, P.C. to get two perspectives on amended New York Labor Law: Section 195, compliance and what this newly amended law means for New York employers as well as their employees.

Attention bloggers: The Federal Trade Commission approved new Web guidelines pertaining to "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." The FTC wants bloggers to disclose free products or payments they have received from companies for reviewing their products. Co-hosts and attorneys J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi welcome Attorney Eric P. Robinson, Staff Attorney at the Media Law Resource Center and Attorney Barry J. Reingold, partner in the Washington D.C. office of Perkins Coie, to clarify the FTC’s new guidelines, look at the ethics of blogging, blogger abuse and how these new guidelines will impact the blogosphere.

In a landmark decision in Connecticut v. American Electric Power Co. Inc., the 2nd U.S Circuit Court of Appeals sided with a group of eight states, the City of New York and various environmental groups, who had filed a public nuisance lawsuit against five of the nation’s biggest coal-burning utilities. Attorneys and co-hosts, J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi welcome Attorney Matthew F. Pawa from Law Offices of Matthew F. Pawa, P.C. and Attorney Thomas J. Heiden, partner in the Chicago office of Latham & Watkins, to dissect Connecticut v. AEP, get reaction from both sides of this landmark case and how this decision will impact power companies, as well as future environmental litigation.

The American Bar Association filed suit against the Federal Trade Commission after they applied the Red Flags Rule to lawyers, leaving the legal communirty reeling. Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome Attorney Andrew M. Smith, Partner at the Washington DC office of Morrison & Foerster and chair of the American Bar Association’s Red Flags Task Force and privacy expert, Attorney Mari J. Frank to spotlight the Red Flags Rule. They will take a look at the controversial Red Flags Rule, the suit filed by the ABA, and how this rule could ultimately affect the legal community.

When the issue of medical liability reform came up in President Obama’s speech on Health Care reform in front of Congress, it was met with boos from Democrats and a standing ovation from Republicans. Co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome medical malpractice reform expert, Professor Stephan Landsman the Robert A. Clifford Chair in Tort Law and Social Policy from DePaul University College of Law and Darren McKinney Director of Communications from the American Tort Reform Association to look at both sides of medical liability reform as the debate plays out for trial attorneys and the medical profession.

With a legal community today that is embracing technology and new media that we’re all too familiar with here at Legal Talk Network, our friends and colleagues in print media are turning to new media to expand and reach a growing audience. Co-Hosts J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi welcome the ABA Journal's editor, Edward A. Adams, and Rachael M. Zahorsky, legal affairs writer for the ABA Journal, to give you an inside look at the ABA Journal's latest venture, The Legal Rebels Project. They will explore the transition to new media, how lawyers and law firms are reinventing themselves in the current economy and take a look at life on the road on the Legal Rebels Tour ’09.

It's back to school and many law students face a new curriculum, the large workload and the hefty price of tuition. But University of California, Irvine School of Law stands out with a new agenda, creating a hands-on approach to law school, a concentration in public service and free tuition for their inaugural class through donations. Co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, Founding Dean and Distinguished Professor at UCI Law, to chat about his new venture, the new approach to law school, students and what lies ahead.

In part one of Credit Card Consumers & Arbitration, co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams discussed consumer rights and mandatory arbitration used when a dispute between the credit card holder and the credit card company arises. In part two, Bob & Craig welcome back Attorney Deepak Gupta, staff attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group and Attorney Alan Kaplinsky, senior partner at the firm, Ballard Spahr Andrews and Ingersoll, to discuss the Arbitration Fairness Act, what's next in arbitration and add their insight to the already lively discussion on this controversial topic.

Mandatory arbitration in credit card agreements are in the legal spotlight again after the Minnesota Attorney General recently sued the largest national arbitration firm, National Arbitration Forum. That resulted in a settlement shutting down part of NAF's business and has raised questions about the outcomes of arbitration versus action in civil court for consumers. Lawer2Lawyer co-hosts, Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams call on experts on both sides of this controversy, Attorney Deepak Gupta from Public Citizen Litigation Group, who focuses on consumer rights and Attorney Alan Kaplinsky, senior partner at Ballard Spahr Andrews and Ingersoll in Philadelphia, who pioneered the use of pre-dispute arbitration.

Why retire? So says Attorney Jack Borden, who is in his law office at 6:30 every morning, doing what he loves - practicing law. Recently, Borden celebrated his 101st birthday, being named 'America's Outstanding Oldest Worker for 2009,' by Experience Works. Now he is the special guest on this edition of Lawyer2Lawyer with co-hosts and attorneys, J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi , who discuss the gamut with Borden, senior partner at Borden & Westhoff, LLP. Hear his vivid stories from the past century about the legal profession, tips for young lawyers and his secret to longevity.

It can be said that patents are the key to sustaining innovative products and patent law is certainly an active area of legal practice in the U.S. But the U.S. Patent and Trademark office has been overwhelmed and undermanned. Could the Peer-to-Patent system be the answer? Co-Host Bob Ambrogi welcomes Professor Mark Webbink, Executive Director of the Center for Patent Innovations, a research and development arm of New York Law School's Institute for Information Law & Property and Attorney Stephanie Scruggs , an expert in patent litigation from the firm of Hanify & King, to take an in-depth look at the innovative Peer-to Patent system, that employs a crowdsourcing and open source model using experts in the patent process.

Recently the world of sports has been plagued by scandal - from a controversial polyurethane swimsuit used in swimming to steroids putting a cloud over major league baseball. Co-hosts and attorneys Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome Professor Matt Mitten, the Director of the National Sports Law Institute at Marquette University Law School and Attorney John P. Collins from the firm Collins & Collins, to take a look at the impact of these controversies and regulations in sports today.

The arrest of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts ignited a wide range of legal and social debate as well as a media firestorm worldwide. Attorneys Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome famed attorney, Jack Greenberg, the former director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund who, together with Thurgood Marshall, argued Brown v. Board of Education before the Supreme Court in 1954. Now the Alphonse Fletcher Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, Greenberg shares his perspective on racial profiling, civil rights and what we still need to learn about race relations.

Debate continues over Health Care reform. Co-hosts J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi welcome Dr. David Orentlicher, professor and co-director of the Center for Law and Health at Indiana University Schools of Law and Medicine and Attorney Joel L. Michaels, the partner-in-charge of the Health Law Department in McDermott Will & Emery LLP’s Washington, D.C. office, to discuss legal issues surrounding healthcare reform, its impact on businesses, hospitals, and individuals and the role of federal government in the marketplace of health care insurance.

Lawsuits are on the rise from Chinese drywall used to build homes especially in Southeastern states causing crippling effects on residents’ property, as well as their health. Co-host J. Craig Williams welcomes Attorney Scott G. Wolfe, Jr. a construction litigator at Wolfe Law Group and Attorney John F. Mullen, Sr. from the firm, Nelson Levine de Luca & Horst, to look at both sides of Chinese drywall litigation, the effects of Chinese drywall, the mounting lawsuits and what the future holds for the affected residents.

With the passing of Michael Jackson, his will is being dissected and many questions remain on the future of his estate. Host Bob Ambrogi welcomes Attorney Lawrence H. Heller, an international tax and estate planning attorney at the firm Bryan Cave LLP and Professor Tom Featherston, the Mills Cox Professor of Law at Baylor Law School to discuss the fate of Michael Jackson's estate. They will take a look at the handling of Jackson's estate, the role of the appointed executors and the importance of having a will.

Solo and small-firm practitioners have discovered that Craigslist has been a great source for generating business, but are challenged by a growing number of lawyer ads and individual state’s advertising rules. Host J. Craig Williams welcomes Attorney Susan Beecher, a solo practitioner out of Kent, Washington and Attorney William Hornsby, counsel in the American Bar Association's Division for Legal Services, to look at the upside and downside of advertising on Craigslist and the legal ethics issues surrounding advertising on these free online sites.

On May 31, 2009, Air France flight 447, out of Rio de Janerio bound for Paris, vanished into thin air. A frantic search for passengers and the black boxes, turned up with a number of bodies but no black boxes. Hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams invite Attorney Justin T. Green, partner with the firm Kreindler & Kreindler and Attorney John A. Greaves from the firm Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman, PC , to discuss the crash, the litigation and jurisdiction issues and the quest for compensation for the victims' families.

When an 88-year old white supremacist walked into the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC opening fire, reaction was swift to question if this tragedy could have been prevented. And with those questions comes the examination of First Amendment rights. Lawyer2Lawyer co-hosts J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi welcome Attorney Brian Cuban, a Dallas Attorney working for Mark Cuban Companies, Attorney Steve Freeman, Director of Legal Affairs for the Anti-Defamation League and renowned trial lawyer and First Amendment lawyer, Attorney Martin Garbus, to discuss First Amendment rights - the balance between protecting free speech for the many and restricting hate speech for the few.

Layoffs in the legal profession have been in the news lately, but downsizing from the top? More experienced attorneys, even senior partners in some larger law firms are not as secure in their jobs as they once were in what may be more signs of practicing law as a business. Law.com bloggers and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome Ed Poll, a recognized expert and author in law practice management and Stephen E. Seckler, president of Seckler Legal Consulting, to discuss the new benchmarks the legal profession is seeing in job performance and what the business of law may look like in the future.