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Where does your company find its staff of general counsels? Law school? Maybe not, as many companies recruit their classes of general counsels from law firms. Some companies, however, are now making a shift towards recruiting associates directly from law school. These companies are frustrated with paying high rates for inexperienced associates, according to The Wall Street Journal. Why do that when you can train your new staff of general counsels yourself?...

A federal district court judge has been booted off the case of Robinson v. Jackson State University as a result of some questionable judgments. The jury returned a verdict in favor of the terminated university employee, however, the verdict was left to languish in a post-judgment limbo due to judicial inaction. Then when the plaintiff’s attorney attempted to spur some action from the court by requesting a judicial transfer, a year after the jury rendered its verdict, Southern District of Mississippi Judge Henry Wingate ruled that the defendants post-judgment motion for a judgment notwithstanding the verdict (as a matter of law) was granted....

US v. Jadlowe, 08-2449, concerned a challenge to a conviction of defendant for drug conspiracy crimes. In affirming, the court held that, although the district court erred in instructing the jurors that they could discuss the case among themselves during the trial, before formal deliberations commenced, a showing of prejudice is necessary to justify a new trial based on premature jury discussions and, before the issue of prejudice can be addressed, the defendant must show that such discussions in fact occurred....

In a bid to preserve its Lipitor market share in coming months, Pfizer has offered an unprecedented deal to the nation’s largest prescription benefit managers. They can purchase Lipitor at below cost for the next 6 months. The catch? Companies that accept the deal cannot fill prescriptions for generic Lipitor. Instead, scripts must be filled with the brand name drug. Curious about the deal’s finer details, the New York Times reports that Senators Max Baucus, Charles Grassley and Herb Kohl have now requested information from Pfizer and the pharmacy benefit management companies involved....

For truck drivers, falling asleep at the wheel is a bad thing. Sleeping in between stops is a good thing. It’s more or less the same for all workers. It’s better to get good sleep than to push through on an empty tank. So how to make sure employees get the rest to do their best? It starts with setting nature’s clock. Nature’s Clock Christine Hansen, an international sleep consultant, says people should start their workday only after a good night’s rest....

Is there a better fit for Cloud Practice Management platforms than a law practice in the cloud? That’s what a virtual law office (VLO) is – a law office run entirely online, and cloud practice management software gives you the flexibility needed to run your practice online from anywhere you choose. There are other benefits too: The redundant backups of your data on your practice management platform’s servers are also a significant benefit....

Back in October, the Virginia Supreme Court held oral arguments in a case about the limits of anonymous speech. Hadeed Carpet Cleaning wanted to sue the authors of several anonymous Yelp reviews, claiming that had never even been to the business. The state appellate could said Yelp had to turn over the identities of the reviewers, but last week, the Virginia Supreme Court said no dice to the disclosure – though not for the fun reasons....

The Florida Firearm Owners Privacy Act, odiously nicknamed ‘Docs v. Glocks,’ is being debated in federal court that has physicians on one side and gun rights activists on the other. It’s been five years since the Florida law passed, and all eyes are on the Federal Court in Atlanta. Most people see this as a doctors versus gun owners issue, but many lawyers see it as a First Amendment versus Second Amendment issue....

Yesterday, we talked about the WordPress unsecured cookies bug that makes it possible for fellow unencrypted Wi-Fi users to copy your cookie and hijack your site. But WordPress isn’t the only site that transmits information through insecure channels – unless you see the “https://” in the URL (or a padlock icon), you’re potentially broadcasting your data to your nosy neighbors. How do you secure your data? After all, at some point, you’ll probably want to stop at a Starbucks, or use your local courthouse’s free Wi-Fi....

No one likes to go up against “Rambo lawyers” – those who take zealous advocacy to the extreme and try to win at all costs. (Though to be clear, we’re not talking about the real-life Army vet John Rambo, a lawyer in Joliet, Ill., who has rightfully claimed the website RamboLawyer.com.) Still, some aggressive lawyers refuse to repent for Rambo-style guerrilla attacks and are always out for first blood. How can an honorable attorney fight back, without going Rambo herself?...

When advising a corporate client, lawyers may be tempted to limit their inquiry into the legality of a particular business practice or matter. Instead, they should also consider the ethical implications of their advice. There are codified ethics guidelines, laws and regulations, all of which attempt to establish minimal levels of good behavior. But there are also individual ethics, a personal commitment to what is right, not just what is legally required....

Alternative fee arrangements have been growing in popularity, especially among GCs of Fortune 1000 companies. With company budgets getting smaller, it’s imperative that in-house counsel find more cost-effective ways to work with outside counsel on complex matters and litigation. Shy about approaching outside counsel about alternative fee arrangements? Don’t be. Chances are, you are not the first to raise the issue with her, and you won’t be the last. If you are unsure about how to broach the subject, here are some of the most popular types of alternative fee arrangements....

Julio Hernandez and two co-workers filed wage claims against their employer, but the company said they had to go through arbitration. The arbitration fees exceeded the demand, however, so the employer went back and asked a federal court to reopen the cases. That didn’t go so well for the company either. In Hernandez v. Acosta, an appeals court said it “certainly looks like forum shopping.” That slap back came after the company had incurred $100,000 in arbitration fees and costs....

Last weekend, a festival promoter in Maryland (almost) pulled off the greatest festival concept ever: all-you-can-eat bacon, plus craft beer, and bands. Kenneth MacFawn, the event promoter promised two tons of bacon, but somehow, after attendees waited over an hour in line to get in, the bacon was gone. Apparently, the cooks couldn’t cook fast enough. “It was logistically all set up so there was no way you could run out of bacon,” he told the Frederick News-Post....

If Cher could turn back time — if she could find a way — she’d take back those words that hurt you, and you’d stay. If Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals litigant Juan Garcia could turn back time, he’d take back a guilty plea to cocaine delivery in an Iowa court. So yeah, Cher and Juan Garcia run in different circles. Garcia is a Mexican national. He was deported to Mexico in 2009 after his permanent resident status was revoked based on the cocaine conviction....

Summer is upon us and many firms have begun the hiring and on-boarding of hoards of relieved student interns. The word “intern” is not a universal one. More hoity-toity firms use the term “summer associate,” though this could be regarded as an ethical no-no. Call them whatever you want, a lot of these interns will spend their summers at the firm and leave – never to be seen again. And this could be as much a mark of the culture of firm life as it is the quality of the students....

In US v. Bergbauer, No. 08-2054, the Fourth Circuit faced a challenge to a district court’s grant of summary judgment to the government establishing defendants’ federal tax liability in concluding that the sale of defendant’s interest in a subsidiary of Ernst & Young LLC was a fully taxable event in the year 2000. In affirming the district court’s decision, the court held that as reflected in the record, the district court did not err in finding that both prongs of the “economic reality” test have been satisfied, where there was an intent to recognize the value of all the stock at issue as taxable income in 2000 and the parties bargained at arms-length for and received, real economic benefit from treating all the stock at issue as received for income tax purposes in 2000....

While the U.S. may not be respecting the privacy interests of the German Republic (or of its Chancellor Angela Merkel), its courts are upholding treaties dating back to the 1950s surrounding the issue of post-WWI Agra Bonds. Last week, the First Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a $7 billion claim against German banks. To bolster the country’s agricultural infrastructure, in 1928, Germany issued “German Provincial & Communal Bank Consolidated Agricultural Loan US$1000 Secured Sinking Fund Gold Bonds Series A 6-1/2% Dated June 1928 – Due June 1, 1958” (“Agra Bonds”)....

On Monday, we posted about how women attorneys could help other women in the legal industry. Today, we look at the same issue through the lens of in-house counsel. As only one department among many, in-house attorneys are in the unique position to help women advance their careers, whether in, or out, of the legal department. Here are some steps you can take right now: If there’s one thing we took away from Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In,” it’s the influence a mentor can have in shaping a person’s career....

In these wild times of the current executive administration of the country making a massive push for federal deregulation, compliance industry insiders might be a bit nervous. Even popular media isn’t holding back making compliance officers seem to be the worst of the worst and smuggest of the smug, and deserving of having their Porsches intentionally demolished by spiteful Wall Street traders. Sure, there will always be compliance jobs, but with less regulation, comes less work for the compliance crews, which for in-house lawyers and those aspiring to go in house, is not good news....