The Securities Law Firm of Klayman & Toskes ("K&T"), www.nasd-law.com, announced today that it filed a securities arbitration claim against Securities America on behalf of a 69 year old retiree from Arizona, seeking to recover $230,000 which was invested in Medical Capital Notes.

In August of this year, Montana's Commissioner of Securities filed a Notice of Proposed Agency Disciplinary Action against Securities America relating to its sales of Medical Capital Notes. According to the Notice, Securities America "withheld material information regarding heightened risks" from its registered representatives and their clients concerning Medical Capital Notes. Montana's Commissioner of Securities also alleged that Securities America "concealed these risks" from its brokers and their clients. Additionally, in 2009, Massachusetts' Securities Division filed a Complaint against Securities America relating to its sales of Medical Capital Notes. Massachusetts alleged that Securities America ignored their own due diligence analysts and sold Medical Capital Notes to unsophisticated investors without telling them about the risks involved.

While a class action lawsuit regarding Medical Capital Notes has been filed, K&T reminds investors of the benefits of filing an individual securities arbitration claim, as opposed to participating in a class action lawsuit. By participating in a class action lawsuit, an investor may only recover a nominal amount. However, if one has experienced significant losses in Medical Capital Notes, it may be more beneficial for them to file an individual securities arbitration claim. In 2003, K&T conducted a detailed study of securities arbitration versus class action. The study concluded that investors who file a securities arbitration claim traditionally obtain an overall higher rate of recovery as opposed to participating in a class action lawsuit. To view the full results of the comparison, please visit our web-site: http://www.nasd-law.com/documents/classvr.pdf

Investors who purchased Medical Capital securities from a full-service brokerage firm and sustained significant losses can contact K&T to explore their legal rights and options. The attorneys at K&T are dedicated to pursuing claims on behalf of investors who have suffered investment losses. K&T, an experienced, qualified and nationally recognized securities litigation law firm, practices exclusively in the field of securities arbitration and litigation. It continues its representation of investors throughout the world in securities arbitration and litigation matters against major Wall Street brokerage firms.

If you have information relating to this announcement or have investment losses of $100,000 or more in Medical Capital Notes, please contact Steven D. Toskes, Esquire or Jahan K. Manasseh, Esquire of Klayman & Toskes, P.A., at 888-997-9956 or visit us on the web at http://www.nasd-law.com.

For the second year in row, Tully Rinckey PLLC has been named one of the fastest-growing companies by Inc. Magazine.  The publication ranked the law firm 949 out of 5,000 on its annual list of fastest-growing private companies in America.  Last year, Tully Rinckey PLLC was ranked 1,598th.

The ranking is another indication of the firm’s ongoing growth and expansion in today’s challenging climate.  Over the past year, Tully Rinckey PLLC has nearly doubled in size at both of its Albany and Washington, D.C. offices, adding nearly 10,000 square feet of office space and more than 30 new jobs.  The company anticipates future growth with plans to open several additional offices along the eastern seaboard over the next 12 to 18 months.

“The firm’s ability to not only survive, but thrive, in these challenging times is a testament to the superior legal services provided by our attorneys,” says Tully Rinckey founding partner, Mathew B. Tully.  “We have always prided ourselves in offering personal, professional and affordable legal representation.”

The annual “Inc. 5000” list is an extension of the publication’s list of the top 500 fastest-growing companies in the country.  The list is ranked according to percentage revenue growth over a four-year period.  To qualify, companies must be able to show four calendar years of sales.  All companies included on the list are U.S.-based, privately held, and independent of any subsidiary of a parent company. 

For more information please contact Ali Skinner at (518) 218-7100 or at askinner@tullylegal.com.

Five attorneys at Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, L.C., in St. Louis have been selected for the 2011 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®, a publication that lists attorneys rated as “the best” by more than 15,000 of their peers in legal practice nationwide. 

The attorneys, all partners at the firm, chosen among The Best Lawyers in America are Sanford S. Neuman, Thomas H. Mug, Glenn E. Davis, Kenneth Solomon, and Nichole Y. Wren.

Mr. Neuman is recognized in the Tax Law and Trusts & Estates categories. He is a founding partner of Gallop, Johnson & Neuman and has been ranked among The Best Lawyers in America since 1995. 

Mr. Mug is recognized in the Tax Law and Trust & Estates categories. This is the third time that Mr. Mug has been chosen among The Best Lawyers in America.

Mr. Davis is recognized in the Antitrust, Commercial Litigation and Franchise Law categories. This is the 17th time that Mr. Davis has been chosen among The Best Lawyers in America.

Mr. Solomon is recognized in the Intellectual Property Law category.  

Ms. Wren is recognized in the Trusts & Estates category. 

Published since 1983, The Best Lawyers in America is considered the preeminent referral guide to the legal profession in the United States. Best Lawyers lists are compiled through surveys in which thousands of lawyers in the U.S. confidentially evaluate their professional peers.

Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, L.C., a full service law firm of 80 attorneys, has provided legal services to clients in diverse industries since its founding in 1976 and is one of the largest law firms in St. Louis. The firm serves public corporations; privately-held companies; entrepreneurs and start-up enterprises; individuals and families; trustees and trust beneficiaries; charities; and non-profit entities. The firm is located at 101 South Hanley Road, Suite 1700, in Clayton, Missouri. 

For more information about Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, please contact Lois A. LaDriere at 314.615.6100 or visit the website www.gjn.com.

On Monday afternoon of the meeting of the House of Delegates during the American Bar Association, the House of Delegates saw the passing of the gavel from President Carolyn B. Lamm to incoming President Stephen N. Zack.

During her introduction of Zack, Lamm noted, “I know you’ll be in fabulous hands.” She outlined Zack’s rise in the leadership of both The Florida Bar and the ABA.  He is an “incomparable advocate and strategist,” Lamm continued.

Zack noted that, in 1961 as a 14-year old, he and his family were detained while fleeing Cuba. Separated from his family in his own cell, Zack explained that, “The last thing I could have imagined then was a day like today.”

The responsibility of our association is to always speak truth to power.  “Today, I would like to talk to you about four responsibilities:  preservation of the justice system, civic education, protecting human rights, and preparing for disaster,” introduced Zack. 

“We are fighting for rule of law around the world, but we are in danger of losing it here” advised Zack.  The financial crisis in America has been devastating to our judicial system, with 80 percent of this nation’s poor people not being able to afford a lawyer, he said.  

But beyond that, Zack continued, “We are talking about closing the doors to our courtrooms for all Americans.”  Access to justice begins with access to our courts.   Rather than the noted Shakespearean tongue-in-cheek quote about killing lawyers, Zack said that the quote should have encouraged the killing of the justice system. For without a justice system, a society doesn’t need lawyers and anarchy would certainly ensue, he said.

The Task Force on the Preservation of the Justice System will be chaired by luminaries David Boies and Ted Olson.

“Every day, our nation becomes more divided with respect to civil rights,” noted Zack in introducing his Committee on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities.  Zack reminded delegates, “We are a nation of immigrants.  Our basic freedoms are based on the principle that the minority is protected from the tyranny of the majority.” 

Zack also encouraged the members of the House of Delegates, and indeed all lawyers, to be prepared for future disasters, including the possibility of a man-made disaster.  Zack posed:  What will be our response if that happens and the president suspends habeas?   “Now is the time to reflect” and to consider what our response will be. 

“In conclusion, let us remember. History has taught us that we can have liberty and justice, or neither, for there is nothing in between.   In America no man is above the law.  No one is beneath its protection,” summed Zack.

To access video of Zack’s speech:

http://www.abanow.org/2010/08/incoming-aba-president-moves-to-increase-judicial-funding-improve-civics-education-preserve-immigrant-rights-and-advance-disaster-planning-among-goals/

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP has added three partners to the firm's Labor and Employment practice group: Thomas R. Kaufman, Michael L. Gallion and Gregg A. Fisch.  Kaufman, Gallion and Fisch join Sheppard Mullin's Los Angeles/Century City office from Seyfarth Shaw in Los Angeles, where Kaufman was co-chair of Seyfarth's national wage/hour class action practice group.  

"We are very excited to welcome Tom, Mike and Gregg.  They are tremendously talented and collectively bring a wide range of labor and employment law experience, including a specialization in wage-and-hour law – an area the firm is already known for," said Guy N. Halgren, chairman of Sheppard Mullin.  "We have one of the biggest and best employment practices in California, and this group further strengthens the capabilities of one of our signature practice groups."

"We look forward to joining Sheppard Mullin, a top-notch full service firm with a strong footprint in Los Angeles and throughout California," Kaufman commented.  "I am impressed with the firm's marquee labor and employment practice, including the group's continued growth in recent years and firm management's support in growing it further."  

"I am very excited to continue to practice with Tom and Gregg at Sheppard Mullin.  We are thrilled to be part of a firm with such a distinguished labor and employment group and one with such a strong California platform," said Gallion.  "Sheppard Mullin's labor and employment practice has been well known in California for years and the firm has done an excellent job expanding this brand nationally.  The firm's unwavering commitment to client service, diversity, and its top notch practice groups outside of labor and employment were also big draws."

Kaufman is a wage/hour specialist and has handled more than eighty class actions for a wide variety of industries, including banks and mortgage lenders, hospitals, large newspapers, information technology companies, restaurants, and other retailers.  Kaufman also is experienced in litigating employment discrimination cases, including winning several jury trials.  He received a J.D. from University of California, Los Angeles in 1995.

Gallion is a seasoned employment litigator and counselor.  He has significant experience handling complex employment litigation, including California wage and hour class actions and nationwide discrimination class actions.  Gallion has also developed a significant counseling practice, regularly advising clients on the most challenging aspects of employment law, including workforce reclassifications, mergers and acquisitions, reductions in force, and high-profile investigations. He has been recognized as a Southern California Super Lawyer and was recognized by Chambers in 2009 and 2010 as a leader in his field.  Gallion received a J.D., Order of the Coif, from the University of Tennessee in 1995.

Fisch has extensive experience in all aspects of employment litigation, and has successfully defended management before federal and state courts and administrative agencies in defense of complaints for class action and single-plaintiff matters, involving wage-and-hour violations, wrongful termination, age, race, gender, and national origin discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, and other statutory, contract and tort-related claims, as well as in relation to union campaigns and elections.  He received a J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1996.  

Sheppard Mullin has 200 attorneys based in its Los Angeles offices and its Labor and Employment practice group includes 75 attorneys firmwide. 

About Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP

Sheppard Mullin is a full service AmLaw 100 firm with 550 attorneys in 11 offices located in the United States and Asia.  Since 1927, companies have turned to Sheppard Mullin to handle corporate and technology matters, high stakes litigation and complex financial transactions.  In the U.S., the firm's clients include more than half of the Fortune 100.  For more information, please visit www.sheppardmullin.com.