Lawyer 2 Lawyer - Law News And Legal Topics

2008 brought a lot of legal stories into the headlines, from the dismal economy affecting law firms to the always controversial Supreme Court rulings. Join Law.com bloggers and co-hosts, J. Craig Williams and Robert Ambrogi, along with the editors from two of the most prominent legal publications, Edward Adams, editor and publisher of the ABA Journal and Steven Fromm, Editor-in-Chief of the National Law Journal, to discuss the top legal stories of 2008, standout lawyers from the year gone by and look ahead to what may be on the horizon for 2009.

What a year it has been! From the economic crisis, to the auto industry bailout, foreclosures, the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the election of Barack Obama and many important court decisions. Join Law.com bloggers and co-hosts, J. Craig Williams and Robert Ambrogi, as they welcome returning guest and prediction guru, Stephen L. Kaplan, partner in the Orange County California office of Hicks, Mims, Kaplan and Burns to discuss his 2009 Predictions and you'll find out his track record!

For about 50 years the ‘billable hour’ has been a dominant feature of the legal profession. Coined by some as the “cockroach of the legal world,” many argue that it’s all about the ‘quality’ of time spent on a client, not ‘quantity’. Join Law.com bloggers and co-hosts, J. Craig Williams and Robert Ambrogi, as they welcome Attorney Stewart Weltman from the Weltman Law Firm to discuss the status of the ‘billable hour’. They talk about the shift in legal billing practices and reaction from the legal community.

You may have heard about the Gardasil vaccine for teenage girls, but you may not have heard about the serious side effects, allegedly affecting some young women. Merck, the company that manufactures the vaccine, the CDC and the FDA all say Gardasil is safe, effective, and important. Join Law.com bloggers and co-hosts, J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi, who will discuss this controversy and the litigation swirling around Gardasil with experts, Attorney Tom Girardi, nationally known plaintiff lawyer from the California firm, Girardi & Keese and Erin Brockovich, (yes the real Erin Brockovich from the movie by the same name), President of Brockovich Research & Consulting. They will take a look at the side effects in some cases, Gardasil litigation and focus in on the efforts to educate young women about this controversial vaccine.

People are making a difference in the legal community. The American Bar Association Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession recently announced their selection of judges, lawyers, a legislator and a law professor to receive the 2009 Spirit of Excellence Awards, honoring efforts to promote a more diverse legal profession. Law.com bloggers and co-hosts, J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi welcome Attorney Fred Alvarez, chair of the ABA Commission on Opportunities for Racial and Ethnic Minorities in the Profession and award recipients Attorney Richard A. Soden, of counsel to the Boston office of the national law firm of Goodwin Procter LLP and Justice Dan Sosa Jr., retired Justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court, to talk about diversity in the legal profession. They will discuss the progress over the years, how they have overcome barriers and made opportunities available to others and how they encourage young people to pursue law as a career.

The failing economy is having an impact on law firms and not just in the U.S. Firms are cutting staff, scrapping bonuses and some law firms are even collapsing. Across the pond in the UK, law firms are facing similar troubles. Law.com bloggers and co-hosts, J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi, welcome Ronnie Fox, Principal of the UK law firm Fox and Jonathan Fagan, Solicitor and Managing Director of Ten Percent Legal Recruitment, also in the UK, to talk about how the present economic crisis is affecting not only law firms here, but firms in the UK. They will discuss the obstacles that UK law firms face and what needs to be done to get through these hard times.

It was only six years ago that Sarbanes-Oxley was passed by Congress with the intent on restoring public confidence after corporate scandals affected companies like Enron. However in light of recent bailout requests from AIG, Citigroup and now GM, the focus is once again on more stringent corporate governance. Join Law.com bloggers and co-hosts, J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi with special guests Mary Mack, Corporate Technology Counsel at Fios, Inc and Professor Nancy Rapoport, Gordon & Silver, Ltd. Professor at the William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Together they look at this important new phase of corporate governance.

Bailout or bankruptcy for the U.S. automakers to the tune of 25-Billion? Law. com blogger and co-host Bob Ambrogi welcomes experts, Professor Eugene F. Fama, the Robert R. McCormick Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business, Attorney Andrew Z. Schwartz,head of the Bankruptcy and Restructuring Group, at Foley Hoag LLP and Attorney Lisa C. Wood, Partner and Co-Chair of Securities and Corporate Disputes Practice,at Foley Hoag LLP, to discuss the economic and legal options and consequences.

It takes a special kind of lawyer to be a public defender today. Case overload is just one issue causing seven Public Defender's offices across the country to refuse to take on new cases or sue to limit their workload. Law.com bloggers J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi welcome Bennett H. Brummer, Public Defender in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida in Miami-Dade County and David Carroll, Director of Research for the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) to take a look at the state of the public defender system. They will discuss the common issues that public defenders are struggling with, the effect on defendants and what is being done to faciliate the process and put the quality back into public representation.

This week, the highly publicized case of Wyeth V. Levine came before the Supreme Court. The case involves Diana Levine, who lost her arm to gangrene due to an IV push with the drug, Phenergen. Law.com bloggers and co-hosts, J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi, welcome Attorney Michael A. Ferrara, Jr. from the Ferrara Law firm and Attorney James Beck from the firm Dechert LLP and blogger for Drug and Device Law Blog, to discuss this big case. They will will look at Wyeth v. Levine, discuss the power of the FDA, federal pre-emption and what the upcoming ruling means for the future of Pharmaceutical companies and the FDA.

Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook-social networking has hit the mainstream. How about in the legal community? Some firms look at social networking as a great PR tool for business, where others fear it. Law.com bloggers and co-hosts, J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi welcome experts, Brian Carter, keynote speaker and Director of Search Engine Marketing (PPC), SEO, and Social Media at Fuel Interactive and Heather M. Milligan, Director of Marketing at Barger & Wolen LLP. They will explore Twitter, discuss why some lawyers are skeptical of Web 2.0. and take a look at how networking sites can be a marketing and business tool.

Voter fraud, faulty equipment, voter purges, 3rd party registration problems-These are just some of the issues plaguing elections past and present. Law.com blogger and host, J. Craig Williams welcome experts, Attorney Brenda Wright, Legal Director of Demos, and Attorney Edward Still a Birmingham lawyer who specializes in voting law and founder of the blog, Votelaw.com. They will discuss legal issues surrounding voter’s rights, voter fraud, election litigation and what can and can't be done to recruit voters.

Every lawyer knows the costs of discovery can escalate. Last month on September 19, 2008, President Bush signed Senate Bill 2450 into law, which establishes Federal Rule of Evidence 502 and is effective immediately. This law creates a new rule of evidence limiting certain attorney-client privilege and work product waivers. Law.com bloggers and co-hosts, J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi, welcome Attorney Robert D. Owen, a partner in Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P., to take a look at New Federal Rule of Evidence 502 and see how this new rule will affect litigation and litigation costs as well as clients.

Will the U.S. Supreme Court dismiss a class action suit brought by smokers in Maine, who say they were misled into believing that "low tar" and "light" cigarettes are a healthier alternative to regular cigarettes? Arguments heard before the high court this week, pit tobacco giant, Phillip Morris against smokers. Law.com blogger and co-host, Bob Ambrogi welcomes Dr. Jeffrey Wigand, a nationally known whistleblower involving tobacco company, Brown & Williamson. Wigand's courageous story ultimately led to a landmark case against big tobacco, changes in cigarette advertising and was the basis for the movie, The Insider. He is now founder of SMOKE-FREE KIDS, Inc. Tony Mauro, Supreme Court correspondent for Legal Times and Law.com, also joins us to discuss this important case with insights from inside the courtroom.

A special edition of Lawyer2Lawyer, marking our 3rd anniversary and our 150th show! We have covered a lot of legal stories over the course of three years and Law.com bloggers and co-hosts, J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi will talk to returning guests and play clips from some stand out shows with guests who have inspired, educated and even made us laugh. Bob & Craig welcome back Professor Eugene Volokh, professor at the UCLA School of Law and blogger for the Volokh Conspiracy and Attorney/musician Larry Savell of Chadbourne & Parke to discuss his new album, "The Lawtunes: Live At Blackacre" and introduce a new theme song made especially for Lawyer2Lawyer! And extra thanks to YOU, our audience, for making Lawyer2Lawyer one of the top legal podcasts in the legal community!

When Hurricane Ike hit the Texas coast, many were left to deal with the devastation of the storm which toppled businesses, firms and homes. Join Law.com bloggers and co-hosts, J. Craig Williams & Bob Ambrogi as they speak to Bill Livesay, Executive Director from Andrews Kurth LLP and Miriam Rozen, staff reporter from Texas Lawyer, to get their personal accounts of Hurricane Ike. On Lawyer2Lawyer, you'll hear how it has affected law firms and look at what firms are doing to assist their employees, their clients and those in need. * If you would like to help those affected by Hurricane Ike, you can donate here at the Gulf Coast Ike Relief Fund.

The largest bankruptcy case in U.S. history is playing out before us with the fall of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., creating chaos in the financial community. Join co-hosts and Law.com bloggers, J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi, as they talk to the top legal experts, Attorney John D. Penn, Partner at the firm, Haynes and Boone, LLP and Attorney Victor Bass, Partner at the firm, Burns & Levinson LLP, about how lawyers will unravel the company’s assets, what will happen to stockholders and customers along with the impact of all that on the economy. Hear their take on the legal options and strategies being used in this unprecedented case.

Attorneys have fallen prey to a new email scam circulating that specifically targets law firms. Join Law.com blogger and co-host, J. Craig Williams as he dissects this check scam sweeping law firms. Craig welcomes Attorney Gregory Bartko, an Atlanta securities and corporate attorney and Attorney John P. Donohue, Senior Counsel from Thorp Reed & Armstrong in Philadelphia to talk about the details of the scam, how they were targeted, how one lawyer was victimized and one narrowly escaped - this is a story you can't afford to miss!

Last week, the FBI arrested blogger, Kevin Cogill of Culver City, California, on suspicion of violating a federal copyright law for posting nine tracks from the unreleased and much anticipated Guns n’ Roses album "Chinese Democracy" on his blog. Join Law.com bloggers and co-hosts, J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi, as they discuss this hot legal topic with Attorney Lisa Borodkin, an entertainment attorney in private practice in Los Angeles and Attorney Philip Daniels an associate in the Entertainment, Media and Communications Practice Group at Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP. Hear about the legal issues in this case, the new federal copyright law and what the future looks like for Cogill.

It all started when three MIT students put together a presentation for their Network Security Class at MIT about their findings regarding the security vulnerabilities of Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA) Charlie Card and Charlie Ticket. The MBTA sued the students and MIT in United States District Court in Massachusetts. Join Law.com bloggers and co-hosts, J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi as they discuss this case with Tuna Chaterjee, a fellow at the Berkman Center and a Staff Attorney with the Citizen Media Law Project and Attorney Marc Randazza, First Amendment attorney with the law firm of Weston, Garrou, Walters & Mooney. They we will take a look at the legal issues involved in MBTA vs. Anderson, the rights of these students, the lawsuit filed, First Amendment issues, security issues and what the future holds for these students.