Switzerland's data protection commissioner on Friday announced that he was taking Google to court in a dispute over privacy concerns on the US Internet giant's "Street View" facility.

Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner, Hanspeter Thuer, said in a statement that he was taking the case to the Federal Administrative Tribunal after Google had refused to apply the majority of measures he had recommended.

The Street View facility allows users to take a ground level panoramic view of some locations on Google Maps, based on still photographs taken by specially-equipped vehicles.

The Swiss data protection commissioner had repeatedly complained since the service was introduced in Switzerland this year that many images of faces and vehicle number plates were still easily identifiable and insufficiently blurred.

Thuer said on Friday that this was especially the case where the people concerned were shown around "sensitive locations, for example outside hospitals, prisons or schools."

He also raised concerns about the height of the car-top cameras Google uses to film locations, saying they afford a view over fences, hedges and walls "with the result that people see more on Street View than can been seen by a normal passer-by in the street."

A federal appeals court in New York says the CIA did not violate Valerie Plame's free speech rights.

The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a 2007 lower court decision in its ruling Thursday. The decision barred Plame from revealing the length of her tenure with the CIA in a memoir.

The appeals court agreed that the agency made a good argument to keep the information secret.

Plame's identity was revealed in a syndicated newspaper column in 2003 after her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, began criticizing the war in Iraq.

She and her publisher sued the CIA in 2007. They claimed they had a First Amendment right to publish her dates of employment.

The state Supreme Court has ruled that public officials and public employees can keep their personal e-mails private.

The court ruled 4-1 Thursday that none of the 13 e-mails between former Supreme Court Chief Justice Elliott "Spike" Maynard and Massey Energy Chief Executive Don Blankenship are public records. The Associated Press had sued to gain access to the correspondence last year, when Massey had several cases pending before the high court.

Kanawha County Circuit Court Judge Duke Bloom ruled that five of the e-mails were public, but that eight were not. Bloom reasoned that the five e-mails were public records because they touched on Maynard's ultimately unsuccessful campaign in the Democratic primary, in which he ran against two of the justices now sitting on the court. The five e-mails were released after that ruling.

But the Supreme Court ruled that Bloom was wrong to release those e-mails, and sent the case back to his court. Justice Margaret Workman was the lone dissenter.

South Jersey Magazine announced their South Jersey’s Awesome Attorneys of the Year Awards in their November issue and three from Long, Marmero & Associated were recognized. Founding partners Doug Long and Al Marmero were tabbed as top land use attorneys and Kevin Bright was identified for his work in the practice area of municipal court law.

Long was one of a handful of attorneys chosen for the pictorial centerpiece of the article. “It is always exciting to be recognized by your clients and peers for expertise in your profession,” said Long, “We have worked hard to build a responsive firm in a tough economic climate and it is gratifying when people appreciate your efforts to serve them.”

Long Marmero & Associates was founded in 2003, specializing in the areas of Land Use, Municipal Law and Government Relations. They maintain offices in Woodbury, Medford and Egg Harbor City.

Quality Criminal Defense Law and Family Law Representation

The Law Office of Max J Mizejewski was founded to provide clients with quality representation in criminal defense and family law matters.

Max Mizejewski (pronounced majeski) received his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley in 1993. In 1997, Max graduated from Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College and went on to work in the public sector before entering private practice. As Manager of the Oregon Department of Transportation Environmental Unit, Max gained valuable experience negotiating, problem solving and working through confrontational issues with emotionally charged individuals. Max brings this experience to his private practice which focuses on criminal defense and family law.

Max believes in taking the time to understand each clients unique situation and specific needs. Max represents clients in criminal prosecutions, administrative hearings, dissolution of marriage, custody matters and appeals. Max's tenacious attitude and strategic mindset make him the right advocate to have on your side.


Education

J.D., Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College, Portland, OR
International Law Program, Udayana University, Bali, Indonesia
B.A., University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA

Law Office of Max J Mizejewski
800 Willamette St, Suite 700
Eugene, OR 97401
Tel: 541.505.9872
Fax: 541.653.8224

http://www.mjmlawoffice.com/

"Legal services employment in Boston, which never fully recovered from the previous recession, is now shedding jobs at a rate not seen since the recession of the early nineties," and one result is that some local law firms are unloading no-longer-needed office space, Jones Lang LaSalle said in a new report.

A real estate money management and services firm with a big presence in Greater Boston, Jones Lang LaSalle said, "The downturn has caused Boston law firms to shed surplus office space and renew their focus on utilizing remaining space more efficiently."

Declines in mergers and acquisitions and in legal financial business have led to a drop in law firm revenue, and law firms are now looking at "their real estate for possible opportunities to decrease overall operating costs," the report said.

The press release included a statement from Tom Doughty, the international director of Jones Lang LaSalle law firm group.

"There is a 'Perfect Storm' of circumstances that law firms need to understand and take into consideration as they contemplate their real estate plans for the future," Doughty said. "Space options abound � from new buildings to existing built-out space - while competition for premium space is decreasing and rental rates are declining. As a result, law firms that are able to take advantage of the current market will have an opportunity to solidify long-term occupancy at significantly decreased costs."

The Colorado parents who reported their 6-year-old son floated away aboard a helium balloon will plead guilty to some charges and serve probation so that the family can stay together, the attorney for the boy's father said Thursday.

Richard Heene will plead guilty in the alleged Oct. 15 hoax to attempting to influence a public servant, a felony, his attorney David Lane said. Mayumi Heene — a Japanese citizen who could have been deported if convicted of more serious charges — will plead guilty to false reporting to authorities, a misdemeanor, he said.

Prosecutors haven't announced whether they've filed charges in the case and didn't immediately return a call Thursday seeking comment on the plea agreement.

The saga gripped a global audience, first with fear for the safety of 6-year-old Falcon Heene and then with anger at his parents when authorities accused them of perpetrating a hoax.

After the boy was found safe at home, sheriff's officials contacted social workers to make sure the children were in a healthy environment.

Lane didn't address whether the pleas would include monitoring of the couple. Mayumi Heene's attorney, Lee Christian, did not return a call, and the Heenes didn't answer when an Associated Press reporter knocked on their door Thursday morning.

As part of the plea deal, Lane said prosecutors have agreed to let both parents serve probation sentences. The most serious of the charges recommended by Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden would have carried a maximum sentence of six years in prison.