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David Boies Urges ABA Members
Law Firm Press |
2010/08/06 08:53
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pDavid Boies challenged America’s lawyers to “bring the rule of law to its full fruition here in this country … to fulfill the goals and lofty rhetoric of our founding fathers,” as the keynote speaker at the Opening Assembly of the 2010 ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco. /ppThe rule of law was the assembly theme, as ABA members gathered in the Herbst Theater of the War Memorial Veterans Building, site of the signing of the charter of the United Nations in 1945. nbsp; /ppPresident Carolyn B. Lamm pointed to ABA efforts from activities of the Section of International Law to such projects as the Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative, the Rule of Law Initiative and the World Justice Project as advancing United Nations goals to spread democracy based on law around the world. /ppBoies, co-counsel with Ted Olson in winning a federal district court ruling Wednesday that overturned California’s Proposition 8, cited “numerous challenges to the rule of law in our own country,” in applying that theme at home. /ppWhen our nation was born, it consisted of “wes” and “theys,” Boies said, with the “wes” being white male property owners and the “theys” comprising everyone else.nbsp; As the national history unfolded, the circle of “wes” expanded to encompass more and more segments of society. nbsp; /pp“We have an opportunity to expand the circle of ‘wes’ until there are no more ‘theys,’” said Boies, urging lawyers to work toward ensuring that “liberty and equality and protection of individual rights is something that every citizen equally enjoys.”/ppTo achieve that goal, Boies identified four challenges confronting his audience./ppFirst, he suggested the rule of law works best when adversaries have equivalent resources, whether those resources are plentiful or sparse. nbsp; But the “time when our system tends to break down is when one party has tremendous resources and the other party does not.”nbsp; Those are the times that “threatened to undermine the protections of the rule of law… [and lawyers] need to find ways to reduce the imbalance,” he said.nbsp; He urged reducing procedural advantages that favor the “better resourced party,” and urged lawyers to not “use discovery as a war of attrition,” for example.nbsp;
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Second, he called for “better tools to help juries” decide important but complex cases, such as allowing jurors to ask questions and take notes on testimony. /ppHis third challenge was to “improve judges and the judicial machinery,” citing a “crisis in terms of financing the justice system in the United States.”nbsp; First year associates in his law firm are paid higher salaries than federal district court judges, and state court judges earn even less, he said.nbsp; “If we can’t afford to spend a fraction of what we are spending to expand that system to Iraq, something is wrong with our sense of priorities,” he maintained. nbsp; /ppAll lawyers must stand up for the independence of judges, resisting threats to their safety when they make unpopular decisions, said Boies, noting that there already have been threats to harm the judge whonbsp; ruled in the Proposition 8 litigation. /ppBoies’ cited predictably equal application of the law without regard to the identity of the parties as the final challenge to the rule of law, saying that when rights depend on who is asserting them, “the rule of law is undermined.”/p |
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ABA TO HOST CYBER SECURITY DISCUSSION
Law Firm Press |
2010/08/03 08:53
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| span style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10ptComputers and networks have brought an entire world into our homes and law offices. As it turns out, the world is full of thieves, spies and hostile armies.span style=mso-spacerun: yesnbsp; /spanWhat are the risks of cyber “insecurity,” and what can we do about them?strong style=mso-bidi-font-weight: normal o:p/o:p/strong/spanp style=margin: 0in 0in 0pt class=MsoNormalstrong style=mso-bidi-font-weight: normalspan style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pto:p /o:p/span/strong/pp style=margin: 0in 0in 0pt class=MsoNormalspan style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10ptAnswers to this question and more will be provided during an upcoming program sponsored by the American Bar Association.span style=mso-spacerun: yesnbsp; /spanThe program will be held as part of the association’s Annual Meeting, which begins Thursday. o:p/o:p/span/pp style=margin: 0in 0in 0pt class=MsoNormalstrongspan style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pto:p /o:p/span/strong/pp style=margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: none; mso-list-ins: genuser 20100802T1254 class=MsoNormalstrongspan style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pto:p /o:p/span/strong/pp style=margin: 0in 0in 0pt class=MsoNormalspan style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: boldWho: span style=mso-tab-count: 1 nbsp; nbsp; nbsp;nbsp; /spanstrongStewart A. Baker/strongo:p/o:p/span/pp style=margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: none; mso-list-ins: genuser 20100802T1252 class=MsoNormalspan style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: boldspan style=mso-tab-count: 1 nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;/spanFormer assistant secretary for Policy, Department of Homeland Securityo:p/o:p/span/pp style=margin: 0in 0in 0pt class=MsoNormalspan style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: boldo:p /o:p/span/pp style=margin: 0in 0in 0pt class=MsoNormalspan style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: boldWhat: span style=mso-tab-count: 1 nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; /spanstrong“Cyber Security, Law and Liability — Thieves, Spies and Hostile Armies”o:p/o:p/strong/span/pp style=margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: none; mso-list-ins: genuser 20100802T1252 class=MsoNormalstrongspan style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10ptspan style=mso-tab-count: 1 nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; /span/span/strongspan style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: boldSponsored by the st1:city w:st=onst1:place w:st=onABA/st1:place/st1:city Standing Committee on Law amp; National Security o:p/o:p/span/pp style=margin: 0in 0in 0pt class=MsoNormalspan style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: boldo:p /o:p/span/pp style=margin: 0in 0in 0pt class=MsoNormalspan style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: boldWhen: span style=mso-tab-count: 1 nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; /spanFriday, 3:45 p.m. — 5:15 p.m.o:p/o:p/span/pp style=margin: 0in 0in 0pt class=MsoNormalspan style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: boldo:p /o:p/span/pp style=margin: 0in 0in 0pt class=MsoNormalspan style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: boldWhere: nbsp; nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;Moscone West Convention Centero:p/o:p/span/pp style=text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt class=MsoNormalspan style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold nbsp; nbsp;nbsp; Room 2022, Second Flooro:p/o:p/span/pp style=text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt class=MsoNormalspan style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold nbsp; nbsp; nbsp;747 Howard St.o:p/o:p/span/pp style=text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt class=MsoNormalst1:city w:st=onst1:place w:st=onspan style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold nbsp; nbsp; nbsp;San Francisco/span/st1:place/st1:cityspan style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: boldo:p/o:p/span/pp style=margin: 0in 0in 0pt class=MsoNormalspan style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: boldo:p /o:p/span/pp style=margin: 0in 0in 0pt class=MsoNormalspan style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10ptJoining strong style=mso-bidi-font-weight: normalBaker /strongin the discussion will bestrong style=mso-bidi-font-weight: normal Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker/strong, dean and professor of law, University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, and former general counsel, CIA; strong style=mso-bidi-font-weight: normalRobert Knake/strong, International Affairs Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, and co-author of Cyber War; ando:p/o:p/span/pp style=margin: 0in 0in 0pt class=MsoNormalstrong style=mso-bidi-font-weight: normalspan style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10ptHarvey Rishikof/span/strongspan style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt, professor of law and national security studies at the st1:place w:st=onst1:placename w:st=onNational/st1:placename st1:placename w:st=onWar/st1:placename st1:placetype w:st=onCollege/st1:placetype/st1:place, and former legal counsel to the deputy director of the FBI.o:p/o:p/span/pp style=margin: 0in 0in 0pt class=MsoNormalspan style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10ptspan style=mso-spacerun: yes /spano:p/o:p/span/pp style=margin: 0in 0in 0pt class=MsoNormalspan style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10ptWhat will happen if the government makes it easier for federal agencies to demand that companies release personal electronic communications of persons who are part of a terrorism investigation?span style=mso-spacerun: yesnbsp; /spanstrong style=mso-bidi-font-weight: normalBaker/strong answered that question in a href=http://ABA.pr-optout.com/Url.aspx?515903x5321288x2157326The Washington Post/a (7/29).span style=mso-spacerun: yesnbsp; /spano:p/o:p/span/pp style=margin: 0in 0in 0pt class=MsoNormalspan style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pto:p /o:p/span/pp style=margin: 0in 0in 0ptspan style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10ptWith span style=mso-bidi-font-weight: boldnearly/span 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world.nbsp; As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.o:p/o:p/span/pp style=margin: 0in 0in 0pt class=MsoNormalspan style=font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pto:p /o:p/span/p |
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Ryan Maniskas, LLP Announces Investigation
Law Firm Press |
2010/07/29 09:13
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| pRyan amp; Maniskas, LLP is investigating potential claims against the board of directors of Health Grades, Inc.concerning possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law related to the Company's entry into an agreement to be acquired by Vestar Capital Partners V, L.P. in a transaction valued at approximately $294 million. /ppOur investigation concerns possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law related to approval of the transaction by Company's board of directors; in particular, whether the Company undertook a fair process to obtain fair consideration for all shareholders of Health Grades. For more information regarding our investigation, please contact Ryan amp; Maniskas, LLP (Richard A. Maniskas, Esquire) toll-free at (877) 316-3218 or by email at a href=mailto:rmaniskas@rmclasslaw.comrmaniskas@rmclasslaw.com/a or visit: a href=http://www.rmclasslaw.com/cases/hgrdwww.rmclasslaw.com/cases/hgrd/a. /ppUnder the proposed agreement, Health Grades shareholders will receive $8.20 in cash for each Health Grades share of common stock they own. /ppIf you own shares of Health Grades and would like to learn more about these claims or if you wish to discuss these matters and have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights, contact Richard A. Maniskas, Esquire toll-free at (877) 316-3218 or to sign up online, visit: a href=http://www.rmclasslaw.com/cases/hgrdwww.rmclasslaw.com/cases/hgrd/a. You may also email Mr. Maniskas at a href=mailto:rmaniskas@rmclasslaw.comrmaniskas@rmclasslaw.com/a. For more information about class action cases in general, please visit our website: a href=http://www.rmclasslaw.comwww.rmclasslaw.com/a. /p |
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Robbins Umeda LLP Announces Investigation of XenoPort, Inc.
Law Firm Press |
2010/07/29 09:12
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| pRobbins Umeda LLP has commenced an investigation into possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of the law by certain officers and directors at XenoPort, Inc. XenoPort is a biopharmaceutical company that focuses on developing internally discovered product candidates that utilize the body's natural nutrient transport mechanisms to enhance the therapeutic benefits of drugs. The Company was founded in 1999 and is based in Santa Clara, California. /ppRobbins Umeda LLP's investigation concerns whether the Company's directors and officers caused the Company to make materially false and misleading representations regarding XenoPort's Phase 3 clinical program for an extended-release tablet and development stage drug called Horizant, also known as XP13512 (512). Specifically, Robbins Umeda LLP is investigating whether the Company's fiduciaries caused XenoPort to mislead investors about 512, a potential treatment for moderate-to-severe primary Restless Legs Syndrome, including misleading the public about 512's safety. /ppOn February 17, 2010, the Company publicly disclosed that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had declined to approve 512, with concerns about laboratory results showing pancreatic cell tumors in rats as a result of the use of the drug. Upon this news, XenoPort's stock fell $12.93 per share to close at $6.67 per share on February 18, 2010 -- a one-day decline of 66%. /ppIf you are a shareholder of XenoPort, plan to continue to hold your shares, and would like more information about your rights as a shareholder, please contact attorney Gregory E. Del Gaizo at 800-350-6003 or by e-mail at a href=mailto:info@robbinsumeda.cominfo@robbinsumeda.com/a. /p |
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