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Dallas Employment Lawer - Weinberg Law Firm
Lawyer News |
2010/04/23 08:02
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pThe number one mistake an employee can make is to sign an a href=http://www.wlfirm.com/practice-areasfont color=#336699employment contract /font/awithout seeking legal counsel beforehand.nbsp; Often the employee fails to ask for contract terms that will protect what he brings to a new job.nbsp; For example, if an employee brings his customers with him to a new job, he must have the employment contract exclude these customers from being considered the new employer’s customers.nbsp; Otherwise, when the employee leaves the company and tries to take those customers with him, the company has a claim that those customers are no longer his to take.nbsp; The cost of litigating over this dispute will be far greater than the cost of seeking legal counsel to review the employment agreement before signing it.
a href=http://www.wlfirm.com/font color=#336699Dallas Emploement Lawyer/font/a/ppQ. I have an employment contract that states it is for a one (1) year term.nbsp; Does that mean the company must employ me for one year?/ppNot necessarily.nbsp; The contract may provide that the company may terminate the agreement for any reason after providing an employee 30 days notice.nbsp; In such a case, the employee only has a 30 day term contract, not a one (1) year contract./ppQ. I have a contract that states the company will nbsp; “consider” me for bonus payments.nbsp; Does this mean it is obligated to pay me the bonus payments?/ppNo. Such language only obligates the company to consider you for possible payment.nbsp; The company can simply state they considered you and decided not to pay you any bonus payments.nbsp; More specific language is needed to guarantee an employee will receive bonus payments./p |
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Budget crisis puts Los Angeles court system at risk
Headline Topics |
2010/04/23 08:01
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pThe nation's largest court system is in the midst of a painful budget crisis that has shut down courtrooms and disrupted everything from divorce and custody proceedings to traffic ticket disputes./ppThe Los Angeles court system has already closed 17 courtrooms and another 50 will be shut down come September unless something is done to find more money. The judge who presides over the system predicts chaos and an unprecedented logjam of civil and family law cases in the worst-case scenario./ppThe crisis results from the financially troubled state's decision to slash $393 million from state trial courts in the budget this year. The state also decided to close all California courthouses on the third Wednesday of every month./ppWhat has emerged is a hobbled court system that is struggling to serve the public./ppCustody hearings, divorce proceedings, small-claims disputes, juvenile dependency matters and civil lawsuits have been delayed amid the courtroom shutdowns in Los Angeles. Drivers who choose to fight traffic tickets now have to wait up to nine months to get a trial started./ppComplex civil lawsuits, those typically involving feuding businesses, could really feel the hit. It now takes an average of 16 months for such cases to get resolved, but court officials expect the cuts to bog down these civil matters to the point that they take an average of four years to finish.
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Paul Weiss hires Justice Department Prosecutor
Lawyer News |
2010/04/19 07:33
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pThe law firm Paul Weiss has hired a prominent Justice Department prosecutor in an effort to build a Washington practice that defends corporations accused of trying to gain business overseas through bribes. /ppPaul Weiss announced on Friday it had hired Mark F. Mendelsohn, deputy chief of the fraud section in the Justice Department's criminal division, who was the architect of an ambitious program to target foreign bribery. /ppMendelsohn was the top catch for Washington law firms looking to continue to participate in the thriving Foreign Corrupt Practice Act business. The Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission have been filing aggressive cases in recent years against such companies as Halliburton, BAE Systems and Daimler, reaching settlements in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
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Court to hear arguments on campus Christian group
Headline Topics |
2010/04/19 07:32
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pIn a case that pits nondiscrimination policies against freedom of religion, the Supreme Court is grappling with whether universities and colleges can deny official recognition to Christian student groups that refuse to let non-Christians and gays join./ppThe high court was to hear arguments Monday from the Christian Legal Society at the University of California's Hastings College of the Law. The Christian group said its constitutional freedoms of speech, religion and association were violated when it was denied recognition as a student group by the San Francisco-based school./ppThe group has made this argument at several universities around the nation with mixed results. The high court's decision could set a national standard for universities and colleges to follow when Christian and other groups that want to exclude certain people apply for money and recognition from the school./ppHastings said it turned the Christian Legal Society down because all recognized campus groups, which are eligible for financing and other benefits, may not exclude people due to religious belief, sexual orientation and other reasons.
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Strict new Neb. abortion law faces long legal road
Legal Business |
2010/04/19 07:32
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| pIt's been called a groundbreaking law, but a measure approved in Nebraska last week that changes the rationale for abortion bans probably won't go into effect anytime soon — if ever./ppInstead, abortion opponents are hoping it will become the most important case on abortion to reach the U.S. Supreme Court in recent memory. Even they acknowledge the ban on abortions at and after 20 weeks of pregnancy won't see the light of day unless the high court rules that it is constitutional./ppMary Spaulding Balch, legislative director for National Right to Life, said a court injunction will likely prevent the implementation of the law. The measure passed last week by Nebraska's nonpartisan Legislature and signed into law by Republican Gov. Dave Heineman is scheduled to take effect in October./ppLower courts have no precedent to support the law, which bases the new restrictions on the assertion that fetuses feel pain./p |
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SHEPPARD MULLIN RE-ELECTS CHAIRMAN GUY HALGREN
Lawyer News |
2010/04/16 09:41
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| pSheppard Mullin Richter amp; Hampton LLP is pleased to announce that the firm's chairman of the executive committee, Guy N. Halgren, has been re-elected to a fourth consecutive, three-year term leading the firm.nbsp; Halgren was first elected to this management role in 2001.nbsp; Halgren is the first Sheppard Mullin chairman to hold this position for four terms. nbsp; /ppOur partnership is very fortunate to have Guy at the helm for another term.nbsp; He's smart, fair and forward-thinking, said Benjamin R. Mulcahy, New York-based partner and member of the executive committee.nbsp; Guy has been instrumental in growing the firm in terms of size, locations, and practice areas, while preserving Sheppard Mullin's tradition of collegiality and entrepreneurship. nbsp; /ppSheppard Mullin has experienced significant growth in the past nine years.nbsp; The number of attorneys is now more than 500, which is more than 70% greater than the firm's attorney headcount in 2001.nbsp; During the same time period, the firm has geographically grown from a California firm, to a national firm with locations in New York and Washington, D.C., to an international firm with an office in Shanghai.nbsp; The firm currently has a total of eleven offices, having significantly expanded from four locations in 2001. /ppComparing 2001 to 2009, gross revenue has climbed from $149 million to $361 million.nbsp; Practice area growth has occurred in a number of ways, including the establishment of an institutional entertainment and media practice in 2003, the significant growth of the firm's Intellectual Property practice group in recent years, and the strengthening of signature practices: Antitrust, Corporate, Finance amp; Bankruptcy, Government Contracts, Labor amp; Employment, Litigation, Real Estate/Land Use and Tax. nbsp; /ppAdditionally, Sheppard Mullin's Business Trial practice group co-chair, Robert S. Beall, has been re-elected as the firm's managing partner for another three-year term.nbsp; He has held this firm management position since 2005.nbsp; Beall, based in the firm's Orange County office, has also been re-elected to the firm's executive committee for another three-year term.nbsp; /p |
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Arizona Government Book Symposium
Press Release |
2010/04/15 09:41
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| pThe Law Review Staff of the Phoenix School of Law wanted to find a way to publish a law journal, and recognize the Centennial Anniversary of the writing of Arizona’s Constitution at the same time.nbsp; The result was the printing of The Arizona Government Book, a compilation of articles written by prominent judges, attorneys and legal minds within and around Arizona Government, including the Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court, Rebecca White Berch,nbsp; Nick Dranias of the Goldwater Institute, and more.nbsp; The theme of the book is “The Past, Present and Future of Arizona Government.” /pp“Because we’re a new law school, it was difficult to solicit articles for our law journal,” says Editor-In-Chief Anthony Tsontakis.nbsp; “But we persisted, and the results were submissions of extraordinary articles from Chief Justice Rebecca White Berch (Arizona Supreme Court) and many prominent government attorneys – some of whom argued cases before the Arizona Supreme Court.” /ppA Symposium / Reception to celebrate the publishing of The Arizona Government Book will be held on Tuesday, April 27th from 5:00 PM-7:00 PM at the Phoenix School of Law, Room D-110.nbsp; Speakers include Vice Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court Andrew Hurwitz and Arizona Senate President Robert Burns. nbsp; /ppHors d'oeuvres will be served.nbsp; CLE credit may be earned for this event. nbsp; The event is free, but RSVP is required by registering at a href=http://www.phoenixlaw.edufont color=#336699www.phoenixlaw.edu/font/a./p |
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