Fox Rothschild today announced that it has merged with law firm Young, Moriwaki & Greenfader (YMG). According to the Philadelphia-based law firm, which has three offices in New Jersey with a total of 141 attorneys, the merger with New York-based YMG will help expand its presence in Manhattan and better serve a growing international client base. The deal follows Fox Rothschild's September 2006 merger with Roseland-based law firm Grotta, Glassman & Hoffman. YMG specializes in estate planning and corporate and nonprofit organizations.

http://www.foxrothschild.com

A lawyer who avoided paying income taxes for almost 25 years will spend 45 days in jail and pay $1.5 million after pleading guilty to failing to file tax returns, prosecutors said Monday.

Francis K. Decker Jr., who specialized in defending tobacco companies, pleaded guilty Friday, admitting he failed to file personal state and city tax returns since 1998 on $4.5 million in gross income, prosecutors said.

Because Decker, 70, was a partner at a Manhattan law firm, no taxes were withheld from his pay, and he made no quarterly estimated income tax payments as required by law, prosecutors said. However, they said, he signed statements telling the firm he had filed returns and paid his taxes.

Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said Decker, who has homes in Brooklyn and Quogue worth $2 million each, was caught when state officials did a routine review of license databases and found he was a licensed lawyer in New York but was not paying taxes.

A condition of Decker's plea deal is that he must settle with federal tax officials, if necessary, said Assistant District Attorney Daniel Castleman.

Morgenthau said Decker had not filed tax returns since 1982. He said it was ironic that a person who paid no income taxes for decades could avoid detection more easily than someone who occasionally paid but sometimes cheated.

The statute of limitations did not cover income tax offenses before 1999, but Decker agreed to pay going back to 1982.

Besides spending 45 days in jail, Decker will pay a $10,000 fine on each of two counts of failure to file, prosecutors said. He also must pay $779,757 in state and city personal income taxes, interest and penalties for 1999 through 2005 and $720,000 to settle any tax liability for 1982 though 1998. He will be sentenced Feb. 1.

Decker's lawyer, Jonathan Davidoff, said his client "has accepted responsibility for his actions and is very sorry for his past behavior."

"By accepting responsibility," Davidoff said, "Mr. Decker has not only agreed to pay New York state back for past taxes but also is paying society back by pleading guilty and serving the sentence recommended by the district attorney's office."

Illegal immigrants in the US who have been arrested and released within US borders appear to exhibit a markedly high rate of reincarceration, according to a report released by the US Department of Justice on Monday.

The report...judgmentally selected a sample of 100 criminal histories, which we reviewed for evidence of arrests of criminal aliens subsequent to June 30, 2003. The criminal histories for 73 of the 100 individuals documented at least one arrest after that date. Those 73 individuals accounted for a total of 429 arrests, with 878 charges and 241 convictions. These figures represent an average of nearly six arrests per individual. The charges for the 73 individuals ranged from traffic violations and trespassing to more serious crimes, such as burglary or assault....If this data is indicative of the full population of 262,105 criminal histories, the rate at which released criminal aliens are rearrested is extremely high.

The report also found that "most incarcerated aliens are being released into the U.S. at the conclusion of their respective sentences because of a lack of resources to identify, detain, and remove these aliens."

Littler Mendelson, P.C., the nation's largest employment and labor law firm, today announced a merger with Cleveland-based Duvin, Cahn & Hutton, the largest standalone labor and employment focused firm. The firms are joining forces to meet the Ohio business community's significant growth and ensuing legal counsel needs.

Littler Mendelson (Littler) and Duvin, Cahn & Hutton (Duvin) share similar roots, beginning as traditional labor relations firms; the combination of the two labor and employment powerhouses is expected to have a positive impact with the employers they advise across a variety of industries and state borders.

The addition of Duvin's 46 attorneys specializing in a variety of employment law practice areas grows Littler to more than 590 attorneys and 39 offices across the country. This union continues Littler's explosive growth and further solidifies its leadership position as the largest law firm in the United States exclusively devoted to representing management in employment, employee benefits, and labor law matters. While Littler has had a strong Midwest presence - with offices in Chicago, Columbus, Minneapolis and Indianapolis - the addition of operations in Cleveland will enable the firm to better serve existing clients. Likewise, Duvin expects this merger to enhance significantly its ability to deliver exceptional service to all clients.

"We are pleased to welcome Duvin, Cahn & Hutton's deeply experienced and well-respected attorneys as they share our dedication to the exclusive practice of labor and employment law," said Marko Mrkonich, president of Littler Mendelson. "The addition of the Duvin group will augment our expertise and the firm's depth, while providing Duvin's existing clientele of major U.S. corporations and other employers with expanded access to counsel across the nation. In particular, the new group will bring Littler considerable employment litigation experience, as well as attorney proficiency across the entire spectrum of workplace issues."

Robert Duvin, founder of Duvin, Cahn & Hutton, his staff and Littler's attorneys and professionals will reside in Duvin's current Cleveland office.

Duvin added, "The attorneys at Duvin, Cahn & Hutton have long served clients and corporations beyond the Cleveland and Ohio markets. However, the opportunity to join with a national firm of Littler's caliber was very appealing. The union is an ideal move for both parties, and we're excited to begin the New Year together as the national leader in our field."

About Duvin, Cahn & Hutton

Duvin, Cahn & Hutton, a 47 member law firm located in Cleveland, Ohio, is widely recognized as one of the nation's preeminent labor and employment law firms. The Firm represents employers around the country as well as many of Northeast Ohio's public entities in all areas of labor relations and employment law, and in complex litigation.

About Littler Mendelson

With nearly 550 attorneys and 38 offices in major metropolitan areas nationwide, Littler Mendelson is the largest law firm in the United States devoted exclusively to representing management in employment, employee benefits and labor law matters. The firm's client base ranges from Fortune 500 companies to small-business owners. Established in 1942, the firm has litigated, mediated and negotiated some of the most influential cases and labor contracts in the nation's history. For more information, visit www.littler.com.

This is an update concerning the Halliburton Securities Litigation. Truth in Corporate Justice LLC (“TCJ”) is Special Counsel to the AMS Fund, Inc. on Securities Matters. It speaks only on behalf of itself or for its client, the Lead Plaintiff, when authorized.

Oakland, CA (PRWeb) January 4, 2007 -- Truth in Corporate Justice LLC (“TCJ”) (www.worldwidetree.org) issues this press release to advise shareholders and the concerned public that the Archdiocese of Milwaukee Supporting Fund, Inc. (“AMS Fund”), Lead Plaintiff in the Halliburton Securities Litigation matter, is seeking to substitute lead counsel. This case is entitled: Archdiocese of Milwaukee Supporting Fund, Inc., et al. v. Halliburton Company, et al. (Master Docket No. 3:02-CV-1152-M), a consolidated class action pending in the Northern District of Texas before U.S. District Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn.

On December 27, 2006, AMS Fund filed its Reply Brief on its Motion to Substitute Counsel. The brief cites numerous reasons for AMS Fund’s request to remove the firms of Scott + Scott and Lerach, Coughlin, Stoia, Geller, Rudman & Robbins as lead counsel in this matter. Truth in Corporate Justice LLC’s founder, Neil Rothstein (a former Scott + Scott partner), Special Counsel to the AMS Fund, stated that this is an unfortunate but necessary change that was unexpected at the time Mr. Lerach’s firm first intervened in this case.

Some of the most important reasons for the change in counsel request, as stated in the Reply Brief filed on December 27, 2006, are the failure of lead counsel to keep AMS Fund fully informed about the status of the case in violation of Pre-trial Order Number Two. Next, according to the Reply Brief, there exists a potentially negative impact on the litigation as a result of the proliferation of media attention surrounding William S. Lerach, which could possibly shift the focus from the merits of the case and turn it into a convoluted battle between Lerach and the government. The conflict: an attorney under federal investigation is representing a lead plaintiff who has brought a lawsuit against a sitting vice president’s former company where he was Chief Executive Officer. The Vice President is not a defendant in this action. The Reply Brief also states that the Department of Justice’s ongoing criminal investigation of Lerach and his former firm, Milberg, Weiss, Bershad, Hynes & Lerach, which has led to the indictment of two of Lerach’s former partners and his predecessor firm, has brought to light facts not disclosed to the Court or Lead Plaintiff.

The AMS Fund is requesting the court to substitute the firm of Boies, Schiller & Flexner as lead counsel. The Court has not yet ruled on the motion. Neil Rothstein, founder of TCJ, says that it is unfortunate that another change in counsel is necessary at this time; however, the amount of information that the current lead counsel hid from the Lead Plaintiff clearly does not comport with what is in the best interest of the client or the class. “While the Lead Plaintiff sought to have this transition occur with the dignities of those involved remaining intact, the realities amount to far more than the loss of dignity,” stated Rothstein. “This is not about guilt or innocence; it is about the appearance of impropriety, conflicts of interest, and ethical behavior.”

To read more about this situation, please visit www.halliburtonsecuritieslitigation.com

 
Philip J. Berg, Esq. Seeking the “Truth of 9/11” 
Calls on World Community
To Arrest and Try Bush & Cheney for
Global Crimes of 9/11

Philip J. Berg, Esquire, [Berg is a former Deputy Attorney General of Pennsylvania; former candidate for Governor and U.S. Senate; an attorney with offices in Montgomery County, PA and an active practice in Philadelphia, PA, who prior hereto has filed a RICO lawsuit against Bush and others for the events of 9/11 and plans to re-file shortly] announced today that he was issuing a call for world leaders to arrest and try Bush and Cheney for the global crimes of 9/11/01.

Philip J. Berg, Esquire stated in a letter to the nations throughout the world:

“It is time for the nations of the world to come forth and take the leadership because of the failure of the United States Government and the States where crimes were committed on 09/11/01, where no thorough investigation and indictments occurred, to investigate, arrest and prosecute the people responsible for the murders on 9/11/01, specifically including George W. Bush and Richard Cheney. “

Berg continued there is overwhelming evidence that:

“Bush and his cronies made 9/11 happen or let it happen.  And, if they let it happen, then they made it happen.  Either way, they are responsible; and more important, they have completely and unequivocally covered-it-up!”

Berg’s letter went on to say:

“The trial and execution of Saddam Hussein marks the "end of a difficult year for the Iraqi people and for our troops" according to President Bush.

Now, it is time for world leaders to take the lesson learned from Iraq and issue a warrant for the arrest of George W. Bush and Richard Cheney; arrest them; take them to a neutral country; try them for the murder of over 2,800 people from more than 80 countries on 9/11/01 and, when found guilty, sentence them appropriately.  Jurisdiction would be proper in any of the more than 80 countries whose citizens were murdered on 9/11.

Despite a near-complete corporate media embargo on the wealth of evidence indicating that the 9/11 attacks were caused or knowingly permitted to happen by top figures in the Administration and the military, 84 % of the U.S. public, according to an October 2006 CBS/NY Times poll, is unconvinced by the "Official Story," and agrees that the President and others caused or allowed the attacks to happen.

That an event such as 9/11 was desired by powerful Administration figures, including Cheney and Jeb Bush, the President's brother, is a matter of record, as the Project for the New American Century's [PNAC] blueprint for worldwide U.S. dominance entitled "Rebuilding America's Defenses," stated that the program they advocated could win popular support only with the help of a "catastrophic and catalyzing event, like a new Pearl Harbor" which ( we are supposed to believe to be coincidence ) came to pass just 8 months after many of the co-signers of the PNAC document assumed high positions in the new Bush Administration in January 2001.

As President John F. Kennedy stated, "Things do not just happen; they are made to happen."  There has never been an investigation of 9/11 that had not concluded, before it even began, that the Official Story convicting Osama bin Laden and absolving the Administration and the military of complicity of anything worse than "intelligence failures," which thereby made the outcome a foregone conclusion.

It is time that the men who had the motive, means and the opportunity to commit the terrible crimes of 9/11, and who have profited by it politically as well as financially, be exposed for their role and held to account.

The world has suffered since the horrific acts of Bush and his cronies on 9/11, that being the events of 9/11 and the aftermath, the illegal act of war against Afghanistan and Iraq that has caused the death and injury of hundreds of thousands, including thousands of U.S. troops; the destruction of property and the enormous costs involved.

Saddam was tried, found guilty and sentenced to death after being convicted of murder in the killings of 148 Shiite Muslims from an Iraqi town where assassins tried to kill him in 1982.  This number of killings that Saddam Hussein was found guilty of is far less than Bush and his cronies caused to die on 9/11.

The 148 Iraqi deaths for which Saddam was tried pales in number to the 750,000 dead at the hands of George W. Bush as a result of this illegal invasion of that country which includes babies, sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, elderly grandmothers and grandfathers, killed without remorse by George W. Bush and his war profiteering supporters.

Bush continues the war in Iraq to keep the world’s attention there and not on the atrocities caused by him on 9/11, including the possibility of Bush sending up to 40,000 more troops to Iraq, even though a majority of the American people are against this increase.

The world must act now because our own government has failed us.  We cannot relent until real justice is reached.  Only by exposing the truth of 9/11 and revealing how it was used as the “trigger event” to justify the neocon’s imperial policy can we put these events in proper prospective.”