Legal News from Around the Nation

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Best Legal Departments 2012: From Singular to Plural
For the first time, Corporate Counsel has chosen four Best Legal Departments as winners in its annual competition. The winners range from a department with 140 attorneys to a department with just one. This year, size really didn't matter. What did count: strong leaders who are passionate about what they do; the creation of systems to make legal departments more efficient; and a shared belief and teamwork on the part of committed colleagues.
Lippman Urges Passage of Bill to Up Age of Criminal Responsibility
New York Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman has begun an aggressive campaign to achieve his top legislative priority: passage of a court system reform that would raise to 18 from 16 the age of criminal responsibility for non-violent crimes.
Sneaker-Maker Skechers Settles Deceptive Ad Claims with FTC
Skechers USA has agreed to pay $45 million to settle Federal Trade Commission and state charges that it made unfounded claims that its toning sneakers would help people lose weight while strengthening and toning their legs, buttocks and abdominal muscles.
PTO Director Compares 'Smartphone Wars' to Patent Battles of Old
The so-called "smartphone wars" involving patent lawsuits are just part of the "natural ebb and flow of technology development" and not a fundamental problem with patents or the patents system, the director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office told a congressional committee today.
As More Lawyers Head for Exit, Dewey Faces Several Lawsuits
Some of the last remaining lawyers at Dewey & LeBoeuf packed up their belongings and turned in their BlackBerries and security passes Tuesday. Meanwhile, lawsuits against Dewey are starting to pile up. So far, suits have been filed over the firm's pension plans, a lack of termination notice and payment for janitorial service.See also: Dewey Makes New York Headquarters Closing Official With Notice to State
How the Firms Reacted to the First Am Law 100
Telling The American Lawyer's Creation Story
Recorder Roundtable: Outstanding Trial Work
Four judges talk about the do's and don'ts of trial practice as observed from the bench.
Mallesons' Gerard Neiditsch on an App to Keep Attorneys Connected
Gerard Neiditsch, executive director of business integration and technology for Mallesons Stephen Jaques, speaks with LTN magazine's Editor-in-Chief Monica Bay, about the development of his firm's iPhone/iPad app, Mallesons Connect, which helps attorneys securely access client and matter information from internal systems. This tool won Mallesons the 2011 LTN award for Most Innovative Technology in a Large Firm.
9th Circuit Affirms SEC's Win in Backdating Case Against Maxim CFO
Maxim Integrated Products' former CFO illegally backdated stock options, the Ninth Circuit ruled Tuesday, giving the SEC a win in one of the few backdating cases to go to a jury. Carl Jasper will have to repay the semiconductor company about $1.8 million in bonuses and profits from the sale of Maxim stock, plus a $360,000 penalty.
War memorial sculptor entitled to market royalties for use of image on stamp
The sculptor of the Korean War Veterans Memorial could potentially receive millions of dollars as a result of the U.S. Postal Service's infringement of his work on a stamp, the Federal Circuit has ruled in a case of first impression in the circuit about copyright damages in a suit against the government.
Federal Judge Greenlights $11 Bil. Whistleblower Suit
A federal judge has refused to dismiss a qui tam suit alleging that Education Management, which runs more than 100 campuses, defrauded the federal government of $11 billion in student aid by violating the terms of the Higher Education Act, which bars the distribution of incentives to college recruiters based on how many students they draw.
Facebook Lists $2.6 Million in Legal Fees Ahead of Friday IPO
When Facebook debuts Friday on the Nasdaq, thousands of company employees will become instantly rich. Also reaping the rewards of the high-profile IPO: Facebook's lawyers from Fenwick & West. Facebook lists legal fees and expenses related to its hotly anticipated IPO at $2.6 million, according to an SEC filing Tuesday.
Alsup to Boies: I Can Code -- Can You?
Oracle v. Google became Alsup v. Boies for a few momentous minutes Tuesday, as the tough judge and the famed litigator fought over tricky issues involving damages in a case that has gotten messier as the trial has progressed. After a colorful hearing, U.S. District Judge William Alsup seemed open to a proposition by Oracle attorney David Boies.
Apple, Publishers Lose Bid to Dismiss eBooks Class Action
A federal judge on Tuesday refused to dismiss claims that Apple conspired with Simon & Schuster, Hachette Book Group, Penguin Group USA, Macmillan, and HarperCollins to break Amazon's dominance in the electronic book market and engineer a wholesale increase in e-book prices.
N.Y. Judge: Delaware Plaintiffs Must Wait to Fight $20 Million BofA Deal
Bank of America shareholders who want to scuttle a proposed $20 million settlement of derivative claims arising from the bank's acquisition of Merrill Lynch have been thwarted again. On Monday a New York federal judge rejected objectors' requests to intervene and replace the lead plaintiffs and their counsel.
Arizona's Lethal Injection Protocols Again Under Fire
The Ninth Circuit and the state of Arizona are on a collision course over execution protocols. On Monday, the court upbraided a lawyer for that state's department of corrections, threatening to order a trial on the department's frequently shifting protocols for administering lethal injections.
Morgan Stanley's Barron Returns to Cravath as Litigation Partner
Cravath said Tuesday that Francis "Frank" Barron is rejoining the firm as a litigation partner two years after leaving to become Morgan Stanley's top in-house lawyer. Barron, who spent 32 years at Cravath advising such clients as CBS, Citigroup, and General Electric, will also be a member of the firm's board advisory practice.
Brown Cuts $544 Million from Court Budget
Insisting that trial courts "have largely been held harmless from budget reductions" in recent years, California Gov. Jerry Brown has unveiled a revised budget that would slash $544 million in funding to the judicial branch. One-time reductions account for $419 million; the remaining $125 million would consist of permanent cuts.