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Bickel & Brewer law firm's role in Hunt heirs' case debated
Legal Marketing |
2008/08/22 05:06
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Two of Dallas' most prominent law firms squared off in federal court Thursday in the high-profile case that has pitted heirs to oilman H.L. Hunt's fortune against each other in a nasty family fight. But the skirmish was not to decide how the family funds should be divvied up. Instead, it was to decide whether the Bickel & Brewer law firm can represent one of the parties. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees could be at stake, and the courtroom was crowded with distinguished lawyers, including George Bramblett and Don Godwin, who have an interest in the case. Some may have been looking for fireworks but got gentlemanly jabs instead as Mike Lynn of Lynn Tillotson Pinker & Cox, representing Al G. Hill Jr., asked the court to disqualify Bickel & Brewer from representing Al G. Hill III in the suit against his father and other family members. Bickel & Brewer "chose to betray their own client" by filing a lawsuit against him, Mr. Lynn said as "Al Jr." looked on. He described attorney Bill Brewer as "the most conflicted lawyer in the city of Dallas." Neither Mr. Brewer or "Al III" attended the hearing. But Bickel & Brewer partner James Renard said despite hundreds of pages of filings in the case, Mr. Lynn failed to prove that Al Jr. was anything other than a witness in unrelated litigation, so there was no conflict of interest. In a filing last February, Bickel & Brewer called the motion to disqualify its firm "transparently tactical in its effort to delay this litigation and increase the costs to Plaintiff." The hearing is a byproduct of a suit filed last fall, by Al III against Al Jr. and other relatives, accusing them of conspiring to plunder two family trusts, one set up for his late grandmother, Margaret Hunt Hill and the other set up for his late great-uncle, Haroldson Lafayette Hunt Jr., known as Hassie. The trusts were begun in 1935 by oilman H.L. Hunt, once considered the richest man in the country. The two trusts' major asset was Hunt Petroleum, which was sold to XTO Energy for more than $4 billion in June. |
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Louisiana law firm combining with Alabama firm
Legal Marketing |
2008/08/15 08:45
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| One of Louisiana's largest law firms is combining with a banking law firm from Alabama. Effective Sept. 1, Miller Hamilton, Snider and Odom LLC, the Alabama firm, will add 32 lawyers to Jones Walker, which has 240 attorneys. The new firm will keep the name Jones Walker and continue to be led by William Hines, Jones Walker's managing partner. "We've thought for a number of years that we want to have a larger geographic footprint in the Gulf South," Hines said Thursday of the merger. Miller Hamilton will add offices in Birmingham, Mobile, Montgomery and Atlanta to Jones Walker and beef up the Louisiana firm's presence in Miami and Washington, D.C. Hines said the merger will allow Jones Walker to advise more easily large client International Shipholding Corp., which relocated to Mobile from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, obtain more Alabama business and expand its portfolio in the financial industry. After the merger, Jones Walker will have offices in Washington, Houston, Miami, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, New Orleans, Birmingham, Mobile, Montgomery and Atlanta. |
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Davis Polk Named Among Best Law Firms for Women
Legal Marketing |
2008/08/12 05:45
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Davis Polk & Wardwell was today named a "2008 Best Law Firm for Women" by Working Mother magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers LLC. The annual honor recognizes law firms whose policies take into account the issues that are most important to the retention and promotion of female lawyers.
Davis Polk was selected based on its initiatives in a number of areas, including family-friendly benefits, flexibility, leadership, compensation, and advancement and retention of women.
"Today nearly half of law school graduates are women. Law firms need to make a fundamental shift in their policies by instituting female- and family-friendly benefits as Davis Polk has done," said Carol Evans, CEO, Working Mother Media. "We hope that by recognizing Davis Polk, who has already moved the needle, a paradigm shift will follow."
"We hope other law firms will take notice of Davis Polk's commitment to change, and competition will drive more creative ways to enhance work/life balance and improve the status of women in the profession," said Deborah Epstein Henry, Founder and President, Flex-Time Lawyers LLC. Flex-Time Lawyers is a national consulting firm advising attorneys and legal employers on work/life balance.
Davis Polk is a long-time leader among major US firms in hiring and promoting women. In 1971, Davis Polk became one of the first Wall Street firms to elect a woman partner. Today, it is recognized as one of the most female-friendly firms in The Am Law 100, and its women lawyers lead numerous practice groups and committees throughout the firm.
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White & Case law firm scores high-yield deals
Legal Marketing |
2008/08/07 06:27
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Despite the continued slowdown in the debt finance markets and the defection of key members of its banking & finance team, law firm White & Case LLP is advising on five deals with a combined value of more than US$27bn. The deals span the US, Europe and Asia, and include several record-breaking transactions to date in their respective regions and countries.
The biggest deal was its representation of Citigroup Inc, Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley in the provision of debt financing for Dow Chemical Company’s US$18.8bn acquisition of Rohm & Haas.
The firm also represented Deutsche Bank, GE Commercial Finance, ING Bank, Morgan Stanley and DBS as mandated lead arrangers in connection with the provision of debt financing to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts to acquire Unisteel Technology Limited, a Singapore-listed maker of disk-drive components, for approximately US$578m.
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Metro Atlanta Law Firm Expands Website
Legal Marketing |
2008/07/11 05:38
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Smith, Welch &a Brittain, LLP, Attorneys at Law recently redesigned and expanded its website www.swblawfirm.com to include concise legal information on subjects such as automobile accidents (car wrecks), personal injury claims, divorce, mediation, child custody, zoning, and other matters of general legal interest. The information can be found in a growing library of informative articles written by Smith, Welch & Brittain attorneys who attest to the documents' accuracy and relevance. No subscription is required to access the information and articles can be searched by subject, downloaded, printed and e-mailed to others directly from the site.
Senior Partner Mark Brittain said that posting free, easy-to-access information on the firm's website allows the public to research potential problems and determine whether their issues require further legal assistance.
SWB attorney and partner John P. Webb, who authored several of the articles posted said, "Our firm's commitment to providing quality legal services to this area is not exclusive to clients who sign a legal agreement with us; this expanded website extends our assistance to all areas of our firm, including the website and media departments."
The site also contains detailed information about the firm's services, its attorneys and its practice areas. There is also an online form to facilitate secure submission of title requests.
Webb said that the enhanced design is viewer-friendly and easy to use, with no heavy graphics that take extra time to download, and no commercial content. Said Webb, "Web viewers will be pleased with this new legal resource as close and convenient as their computer keyboards."
About Smith, Welch & Brittain, LLP
Smith, Welch & Brittain, LLP is a full service law firm established in 1898. The firm operates offices at four locations in metro Atlanta -- McDonough, Stockbridge, Jackson and Barnesville - and employs approximately 100 attorneys and support staff. |
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Florida Divorce Law Firm Offers Online Services a la Carte
Legal Marketing |
2008/07/10 05:20
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DivorceDeli.com, a low cost online divorce law firm focused on customer service, is dishing up a menu of divorce services for couples ready to "86" their marriage - but not interested in a full-on battle with their soon-to-be ex.
Developed over 18 months by divorce attorney Steven D. Miller in consultation with the Florida Bar and in compliance with its strict tradename regulations, DivorceDeli.com is a customer service Divorce Law Firm. Miller crafted an informative site, including video help, attractive design and most commonly requested Florida Divorce services to ensure both the product and trade name were descriptive - without inferring a promise or particular result.
"It's a catchy name that consumers will remember. But we agreed to change the trade name so consumers realize this doesn't make online divorce easy," said Miller, a pioneer in online divorce services, who changed his original site -- DivorceEZ.com -- after the bar received an anonymous complaint. "DivorceDeli streamlines the process to make it easier than hiring traditional Florida Divorce lawyers, and more thorough and effective than filing services."
Designed like a deli menu, DivorceDeli.com is a la carte. Its $249 basic service can be a fast path to an amicable "online" divorce. Got kids? Order the "online" Divorce with children. Need to divide assets. That's on the menu, too. If desired, no court appearance is required. This makes DivorceDeli service perfect for couples already separated, or military couples with a spouse deployed overseas. Customers even receive free biscotti baked by Miller's wife Amy with every order.
Here's how DivorceDeli.com works: A person or couples seeking divorce in any of Florida's 67 counties log on and review the menu of divorce services. They can select based on their needs, for example whether it's a simple splitting of assets, or child custody is involved. In every case, phone orders are welcome and consultation with an attorney is required. The Law Firm accepts payment by Paypal, credit card or money transfer.
This is a departure from divorce attorneys who earn more the longer a divorce lasts, and self-help centers, paralegals or document preparers who aren't attorneys, can not give Florida Divorce Law advice and legally are not allowed to represent clients, Miller said.
Miller intends to transform and relaunch DivorceEZ.com into a unique non- law firm online service. Miller, a Massachusetts native and member of that state's bar association, plans to launch DivorceDeli.com in the Bay State.
About DivorceDeli.com.
Founded in 2006 and relaunched in 2008 by Steven Miller, Esq., DivorceDeli.com is a Plantation, Florida, law firm that provides fast, reliable and inexpensive divorce representation statewide. To learn more, visit www.DivorceDeli.com or call Steven Miller at 877-348-3354. |
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Hudson & Luros open law firm in Napa
Legal Marketing |
2008/07/03 03:24
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Two local entrepreneurs have started a new law firm. Hudson & Luros, a general civil practice, specializes in business formation, estate planning, contract drafting, identity theft and intellectual property law.
“It shouldn’t be so difficult to get affordable legal help these days,” partner Jason Luros said. “A growing area like Napa requires high-quality legal services, but with the current economy, the people of Napa also require reasonable rates. ...” Hudson & Luros credits the Napa County Chamber of Commerce with taking some of the frustration out of starting a business.
“Starting a law firm is hard enough,” said partner Mary Hudson. “The last thing we wanted to deal with was red tape. But starting a business in Napa is not as hard as one would think. The city has been extremely helpful throughout this process, and the Chamber of Commerce has been a useful resource.” “Our goal in starting this law firm is to provide a service to the people of Napa that is both affordable and of the highest quality,” Luros said. “Thanks to the help of local Napa resources, we have the potential to make our business dreams a reality.”
Hudson & Luros will offer free one-hour consultations to potential clients. Most legal services may be negotiated on a flat-fee basis.
For more information go to www.hudsonluros.com |
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Class action or a representative action is a form of lawsuit in which a large group of people collectively bring a claim to court and/or in which a class of defendants is being sued. This form of collective lawsuit originated in the United States and is still predominantly a U.S. phenomenon, at least the U.S. variant of it. In the United States federal courts, class actions are governed by Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule. Since 1938, many states have adopted rules similar to the FRCP. However, some states like California have civil procedure systems which deviate significantly from the federal rules; the California Codes provide for four separate types of class actions. As a result, there are two separate treatises devoted solely to the complex topic of California class actions. Some states, such as Virginia, do not provide for any class actions, while others, such as New York, limit the types of claims that may be brought as class actions. They can construct your law firm a brand new website and help you redesign your existing law firm site to secure your place in the internet. |
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