« September 07, 2008 - September 13, 2008 | Main | September 21, 2008 - September 27, 2008 »
September 20, 2008
Muslim Arbitration Tribunal sets up 5 Sharia courts in UK.
New world, new England. See "Sharia Courts in the UK", by Temple Law prof Jaya Ramji-Nogales, at IntLawGrrls. Excerpt: "The Sharia courts have been classified as arbitration tribunals under the same provision of the 1996 Arbitration Act used by Jewish Beth Din courts, which have resolved civil cases in Britain for over 100 years."
Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 11:51 PM | Comments (0)
Camelot in France: The First Odd Couple.
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, First Lady of France, photographed by Annie Leibovitz. Vanity Fair's September 2008 cover story is "Paris Match". At the Élysée Palace, writer Maureen Orth "encounters a pair of romantic predators who appear to have met their matches."
Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 11:20 PM | Comments (0)
September 19, 2008
3 years ago a WAC: GCs gone angry--fear, loathing, questions.
Have some law firms learned anything since? See "Fear and Loathing at the CLE Seminar? Getting an Earful from GCs" (Dec. 21, 2005).
American in-house lawyer still looking for new law firms. (Art: R. Steadman)
Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)
September 18, 2008
The federal bailout of AIG: loan or purchase?
And was the $85 billion loan to AIG legal? See Eric Posner ("I suspect the deal is a loan in form but a purchase in substance") at The Volkoh Conspiracy, Carolyn Elefant at Legal Blog Watch, David Zaring at The Conglomerate and Marty Lederman at Balkanization.
Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)
France: Dites-le en anglais, s'il vous plait?
You will? Really? Okay, good--but don't go nuts. In "Franglais Resurgent" London-based The Economist reports that the French may be giving in to the "corrupting influence of English."
Illustration: Peter Schrank
Posted by JD Hull at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)
ADR: Geoff Sharp in New Zealand
Apart from his international ADR practice, teachings, and writings, Geoff is also a founding, vigilant and highly-respected member of WAC?'s Weenie Watch. Geoff's questions include: Are Mediators Corrupting Civil Justice? "[S]urely other ADR practitioners are moved to comment on what Harvard's Prof. [Peter] Murray had to say about the integrity of our field?" See the related links.
Posted by JD Hull at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)
Trademarks: Dan Harris in Seattle and China
"Trademark Protection In The Global Marketplace" is at China Law Blog. His firm is the Seattle-based Harris & Moure.
Posted by JD Hull at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)
"Deliver Legal Work That Changes the Way Clients Think About Lawyers"
If your clients are Fortune 500 stand-outs, and the GCs love you and your firm, is that because your service delivery is so good--or because other lawyers they've used are so bad?
Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 12:04 AM | Comments (0)
September 17, 2008
CPR, and The Politics of Disputes: "The Mediator's Handbook"
On September 5, General Electric's Mike McIlwrath interviewed Jenny Beer, co-author of The Mediator's Handbook, in his weekly radio show at The International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR). The book, now a standard for the practice of mediation, was first published in 1982. See at CPR's site "Mediator's Handbook After 25 Years, with Jenny Beer". The podcast is here.
Posted by JD Hull at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)
Business and Net Royalty Hosts Blawg Review
Anita Campbell of Small Business Trends
We're not easily star-struck.
Cruel, ruthless and demanding--eccentrics who think that employees are paid to work and add value, rather than to just talk, be wankers, leave work at 5:45 PM and feel good about themselves--WAC? writers are different. Hardened. Tough. And not easily impressed. And we don't even like small businesses (except ours), small minds, small towns (under 5 million SMSA) or small parking places. We've grown up around, worked with, drank with and/or even "dated"--if you call trophy sport-swiving "dating" (and we do)--a few public figures, politicians, artists and celebrities. We are not usually fazed.
But like Parker Posey, who WAC? met last year in the Newark airport and still has a huge thing for, Anita Campbell, of the widely-read and respected Small Business Trends, is also different, and authentic. Even glamorous. Somehow we feel like the flustered men or women who met Sharon Stone or George Clooney in the early days, before anyone knew Stone and Clooney were just more fun bozos on a boomer bus.
Seriously, folks (and just kidding, Sharon, George), Anita's site does have five (5) qualities you almost never see in Anything: Popular, Interesting, Well-Written, To-the-Point, Useful.
See Blawg Review this week and Anita's Back to Business Blawg Review #177. WAC? is not worthy. We be flustered.
Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 11:59 PM | Comments (1)
In a down economy.
In July, Tom Kane, at his well-regarded Legal Marketing Blog, focused on marketing during "bad times". Once again:
Now, More Than Ever, Talk With Your Clients
Down Economy: Rainmakers Need Not Worry
Best Practices for the Down Economy
We add: (1) Stick to clients you have. (2) Make sure all employees buy into Client Service with the fervor of evangelists. (3) Consider today terminating uninspired or "looter" employees who add no value, starting with, first, the "Unwilling", and second, the "Unable" (in good times and bad times, it's either You or Them, and eventually they will do you in). (4) Hire lawyer-consultant Tom Kane, straight-up and fair.
Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)
"I believe in Wasilla."
You think America is getting even more dumbed down? Well, decide for yourself. Meet Todd, the First Dude, or Sarah Palin's "package", in Salon. Excerpt:
According to local politicos and observers, he lurks around the capitol if he doesn't have anything better to do, which, since he works seasonal jobs in oil and fishing, is fairly often.
And then see this:
Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)
Coming soon: "Why Johnny Can't Work".
Or "The New Employee as Houseplant". Dan Hull just got back to the States--and now suddenly goes back to Europe for a few days. But he plans to finish the above when he returns. ("I may have figured out why these people can't accomplish anything; so alert the Media..."). Whatever, Dan.
In the meantime, see at Scott Greenfield's "The Lawprofs Respond: The Slackoiesie are Differently Abled" at Simple Justice and Jeffrey Harrison's "Creating Disabilities" at MoneyLaw. Greenfield, a hero to boomers, is on a roll. Query: can "high self-esteem" exist along side marginal abilities/low self-respect? And isn't this in the DSM IV somewhere?
Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 12:23 AM | Comments (2)
Booze Piano
"My name is ___, and it's been three months since I tickled the ivories in a blackout."
From GeekLawyer, and a sensitive aftermath of LawBlog 2008.
Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)
September 16, 2008
"LawBlog 2008 A Smash In London"
You think Lehman Bros. Holdings is big news? One source said of last night's solicitor-barrister-IP-bloggers' meet-up in London: "Like the Hells Angels Memorial Day Picnic in 1968". Several "institutionalisations" reported. Read Scott Greenfield at WAC?'s new NYC global affairs desk for this special report at Simple Drinking.
Welsh lawyers headed for LawBlog yesterday morning.
Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)
September 15, 2008
158-year-old Lehman Bros. will file for Chapter 11.
Broker-dealer subsidiaries up for sale. Rueters. MarketWatch. The Scotsman (UK). Wall Street Journal.
Munch time.
Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 11:59 PM | Comments (6)
LawBlog 2008: Tonight, London, The Harp, 6:00 PM.
Finally, the big day. The 2nd annual Brit blogger/IP summit and Extreme Word-Slurring WankFest is at 48 Chandos Place at 6 PM. See GeekLawyer's post. Midnight Antler Dance: Ms. Ruthie as Grand Wazoo; newly-married GL as Lizard King. Special guest: Albion's Hunter Thompson, Charon QC. Most Yanks welcome, mostly.
"...saw Lon Chaney walkin' with the Queen..."
Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 11:59 PM | Comments (4)