By: Kristi Tousignant
Asked: Our weekly question to the In-House community
The former general counsel of USAir is speaking out against corporate crime.
Lawrence Stentzel, who now works at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP in Washington, D.C., has written a paper, “Federal Regulation is Not an Effective Deterrent to Corporate Malfeasance.”
Stentzel says in the paper that regulators have failed to be stringent enough and properly punish corporate wrongdoing. He says sanctions are rarely imposed and when they are, they are so minimal it does not discourage future corporate crime.
He recommends the government create a database of corporate wrongdoing.
When Corporate Crime Reporter asked if he knew more corporate lawyers speaking out, Stentzel responded: “I do know them. But they are pessimistic about the future and believe that greed has overtaken everything else.”
So here’s our question for you:
Do you agree with Stentzel that more corporate lawyers should speak out? As a GC, do you share his bleak view of the future of corporate crime?
Leave a comment below or email me.
Read the rest of this entry »
By: Danny Jacobs
Earlier this month in this space, we noted how the bar exam results had been released. At the time, all that was available was a four-digit ID number.
Now, however, we have the full list of 462 names from the State Board of Law Examiners, which was also published in Tuesday’s paper.
Congratulations to Maryland’s newest lawyers!
By: Steve Lash
Welcome to Monday and a reminder to reserve your infield spot for Saturday. Here are some news items to get your week started.
– Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg criticizes Roe v. Wade.
– The family of NHL player sues National Hockey League for wrongful death.
– Male lawyers will don stilettos to make a point.
– The family behind the Bananas Foster fights over its New Orleans restaurant.
By: Danny Jacobs
Here’s another argument for cameras in the Supreme Court — it would make the judges more trustworthy.
That’s my conclusion after reading about Readers’ Digest’s list of the 100 most trusted Americans.
Among all members of the bench, Judge Judy had the highest score, of 51 percent. Next was Judge Joe Brown at 48 percent.
In between the two television judges was Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who ranked 36th on the list, according to the ABA Journal. Justice Stephen G. Breyer was 43rd, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. was 44th and Justice Anthony M. Kennedy was 49th.
The rest of the justices: Sonia Sotomayor (53); Elena Kagan (62); Samuel A. Alito Jr. (60); Antonin Scalia (66); and Clarence Thomas (88).
Tom Hanks tops the list, with 65 percent of those surveyed finding him trustworthy, followed by Sandra Bullock and Denzel Washington.
By: Kristi Tousignant
Asked: Our weekly question to the In-House community
The state of Washington is pondering new rules for in-house counsel.
The proposal would require in-house counsel to register with the state bar, even if they are already bar members in other states.
The Association of Corporate Counsel is taking issue with the proposal, arguing it is just a way to collect more money in extra registration fees and there is no evidence of in-house counsel ethics problems in the state.
The organization also argues that if a company hires general counsels from out of state without state supervision and if the attorney does not perform, the company simply can fire that person.
The proposed rule permits lawyers from other states to waive into Washington state’s bar but would require in-house lawyers to pass the part of the bar exam devoted to Washington law.
So here’s our question for you:
Should in-house counsel who are bar members in other states have to register with another state bar when they move to a new company?
Read the rest of this entry »
By: Steve Lash
Welcome to Monday, the 98th anniversary of Baltimore native Babe Ruth’s first major league home run. Here are some news items to get your week started.
– The West, Texas, fertilizer plant was woefully under insured.
– Is there “a fundamental right … to engage in intimate contact“?
– A new book on The Roberts Court will hit stores this week.
– Businesses speak well of the aforementioned court.
By: Danny Jacobs
If this blog post is the first time you learned that the results from February’s bar exam have been posted, I’m guessing you probably didn’t take the bar exam in February. Either way, here they are.
(This also gives me a chance to link to one of my favorite videos, “Law students reflect on the bar exam.”)
Congratulations to all who passed!
By: Danny Jacobs
Madison Grimm, age 6, is the artist behind the painting of a canvasback duck you see here. Madison submitted it to the 2013 Federal Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest, and last month she became the youngest winner in the competition’s history.
But then questions were raised about the “painting’s authenticity” and poor Madison was disqualified.
Madison’s dad is a wildlife artist and her painting was based on an unpublished photo her father took. The Grimms’ hometown Argus (S.D.) Leader picks up the story:
She also used a technique called a graphite transfer, where an artist applies a pencil lead to a print of the photo to create an outline for a painting. Both are legal, and both are accepted and common among artists…
Madison’s dad hired a Washington, D.C., lawyer to help reinstate his daughter as the winner, according to the Leader. The legal questions abound — was Madison’s technique legal? Did she violate any copyright or fair use laws by using the photo as the basis of her painting? Could the duck file its own suit alleging his (or her) image was used for commercial purposes without her consent?
Alas, we’ll never know all of the answers — the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced it reinstated Madison and her painting as the winner after “careful consideration.”
So congratulations to Madison and thanks for inspiring me to try to find my inner-artist.
It’s just too bad I’m too old to take a quack at this contest.
By: Kristi Tousignant
Asked: Our weekly question to the In-House community
In-house counsel need to be more involved in reviewing executive compensation, according to a new study by Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom.
The reason, according to the study, is a spike in lawsuits against management and directors alleging that executives breached fiduciary duties when making compensation decisions.
The study recommends that general counsels review these compensation decisions beforehand in order to avoid new waves of litigation.
So here’s our question for you:
Should in-house counsel review executive compensation?
Leave a comment below or email me.
Need to Know:
- Syracuse University named a new general counsel.
- The general counsel of Georgetown College in Kentucky is one of the finalists to be the university’s next president.
- Microsoft’s general counsel joined Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s political action group.
- President Barack Obama’s nomination for the new transportation chief, Anthony R. Foxx, was once deputy general counsel of DesignLine USA LLC.
- Catholic Charities USA named a new general counsel.
- A general counsel of an Arizona school system was fired by the school board.
- The U.S. Department of Treasury’s new general counsel was confirmed.
Follow us on Twitter for In-House news and discussion: @TDRInHouse
By: Steve Lash
Welcome to the final Monday of April, a day to recall singing siblings. Here are some news items to get your week started.
– Russian parole hearings can get messy.
– Michael Jackson’s family heads to court in case against concert promoter.
– Fired football coach wins nearly $3.5 million court award — in England.
– Justice Clarence Thomas was a fan of country crooner George Jones.
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