A judge allegedly punched a lawyer outside a Florida courtroom… record companies join Dotcom court case… why law firms should take advice from their clients… and a Fifty Shades publisher is accused of deviant behaviour.
Judge accused of punching lawyer
An altercation in a court building isn’t big news, except when the alleged assailant is the judge! A judge and an assistant public defender apparently quarrelled over the speed of the trial and the incident was captured on CCTV inside a Florida courtroom. The judge is accused of then punching the lawyer when the pair left the room.
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Record companies join the Dotcom lawsuit
Lawyers for internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom, whose Megaupload file sharing site was shut down in 2012, say papers have been served on them by the Recording Industry Association. Together with six Hollywood film studios, four record companies are claiming copyright infringement and want the New Zealand High Court to freeze Dotcom’s assets. The US government is currently seeking Dotcom’s extradition from New Zealand to enable him to face charges in US courts for copyright infringement, money laundering and racketeering.
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Law firms need to act more like their clients
A senior executive with Canadian aerospace and transport giant Bombardier Inc. says it’s time that law firms acted more like businesses. In an open letter posted on the Association of Corporate Counsel website, Daniel Desjardins asks how many law firms are adapting to the challenging changes that have occurred in the profession, especially since economic crisis of 2008. Mr Desjardins is VP, general counsel and corporate secretary of Bombardier, which has a team of 175 lawyers in 17 countries. Challenges, he writes, include being more in tune with clients’ needs, being more efficient in delivery of services and operating as other businesses do. He suggests that in a reversal of roles, law firms should seek advice from their corporate clients to ensure best business practice.
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Another US firm accepts Bitcoin
Following news that McLaughlin and Stern in New York were accepting the digital currency Bitcoin, another firm in the city has followed suit. NS Wasserstein & Associates say it believes that digital currencies are here to stay and it wants to be “ahead of the curve”. Law firms are not always among early adopters of new technology but if your client base is using something, it may be unwise not to consider it, too. Bitcoin is growing in popularity, especially in younger tech-orientated businesses.
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Fifty Shades books inflict pain
A court action has been filed in Texas alleging some deviant activity surrounding the erotic novel
Fifty Shades of Grey. The book, which has been in the best sellers list for around two years and has netted hundreds of millions of dollars, was written by English author EL James and was published by Australian Amanda Hayward. The court action has been brought by two women who allege that Hayward restructured a company that they were part of so that she got all the profits. They say they are due royalties from the company and have asked the court to rule that it is an ongoing partnership.
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