Court allows hearings in Nevada abortion case

The Nevada Supreme Court on Tuesday denied a request to block a judge's hearings into the health risks of a mentally impaired woman's pregnancy.

The court's unanimous ruling allowed Washoe County District Judge Egan Walker to resume the evidentiary hearings Tuesday morning in a case that has drawn the attention of national anti-abortion groups.

The 32-year-old woman's parental guardians asked the court Friday to halt the hearings, saying Walker lacks the authority to terminate the pregnancy of their daughter, who has the mental capacity of a 6-year-old.

They claim they have exclusive authority over her health care decisions, and they want their daughter to carry the baby to term in line with their Catholic religious beliefs.

But the high court sided with Walker, saying he has the authority to monitor the woman's welfare and hold the hearings.

Justices noted the guardians failed to file an annual report regarding their daughter's condition and their performance of duties as required by state law. They also said the court obtained information about concerns over the woman's medical condition.

"The purpose of the evidentiary hearings at this time is merely to obtain information in order to make well-reasoned and informed decisions regarding the ward's medical care," justices wrote. "Under these circumstances, we conclude that the district court has not exceeded its jurisdiction or arbitrarily or capriciously exercised its discretion."

Attorney Jason Guinasso, who represents the guardians, was tied up in Tuesday's hearing and unavailable for immediate comment, according to his secretary.

Guinasso has said he's aware of only one similar case in the country. It involved a Massachusetts judge who ordered a mentally ill 31-year-old woman to have an abortion and to be sterilized against her wishes. The state Appeals Court overturned the decision Jan. 17.

The Nevada couple said that while the pregnancy poses health risks to their daughter and the baby, medical experts back them in their decision to continue the pregnancy. The woman suffers from epilepsy and is on medication.

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Court delayed for woman in W. Pa. shelter scam

A court date has been delayed for a woman charged with staying at a western Pennsylvania shelter for battered women under false pretenses.
Online court records show the trial of 33-year-old Amy Slanina, which had been scheduled to begin Monday has been pushed back to Sept. 6 when she's scheduled to enter an unspecified plea to one or more of the charges she faces.

Slanina's attorney and Armstrong County prosecutors haven't returned calls for comment.

Kittanning police charged Slanina, whose last known address was in Marysville, Ohio, with theft by deception and other charges for living at the shelter in December after falsely claiming to be the abused wife of a Pittsburgh police officer.

Police say Slanina also conned an Idaho couple into believing she was pregnant during phone calls from the shelter, but determined that wasn't a crime.

Ex-DC Council chairman pleads guilty to 2 charges

The former chairman of the District of Columbia Council pleaded guilty Friday to lying about his income on bank loan applications, the latest blow to a city government rocked by scandal.

Kwame Brown also admitted to a misdemeanor campaign finance violation, capping a tumultuous week in which he forfeited his position as one of the city's most influential powerbrokers. His departure creates more turnover on the city's governing body and follows the resignation of another councilmember who admitted to stealing public funds earmarked for youth sports programs.

Their departures this year — coupled with a federal probe of Mayor Vincent Gray's 2010 campaign that has already produced guilty pleas from two campaign aides — have sent the district government into a tailspin. And the scandals likely aren't helping efforts to gain greater budget autonomy, much less win more voting power for the district's delegate to Congress or to secure the long-sought goal of statehood.

High court's stance could spur immigration laws

Emboldened by signals that the U.S. Supreme Court may uphold parts of Arizona's immigration law, legislators and activists across the country say they are gearing up to push for similar get-tough measures in their states.

"We're getting our national network ready to run with the ball, and saturate state legislatures with versions of the law," said William Gheen, president of Americans for Legal Immigration. "We believe we can pass it in most states."

That goal may be a stretch, but lawmakers in about a dozen states told The Associated Press they were interested in proposing Arizona-style laws if its key components are upheld by the Supreme Court. A ruling is expected in June on the Department of Justice's appeal that the law conflicts with federal immigration policy.

Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said he was encouraged that several justices suggested during Wednesday's oral arguments that they are ready to let Arizona enforce the most controversial part of its law — a requirement that police officers check the immigration status of people they suspect are in the country illegally.

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Apple defends use of iPad name in Chinese court

Apple defended its right to use the iPad trademark in China in a heated court hearing Wednesday that pitted the electronics giant against a struggling company that denies it sold the mainland China rights to the tablet's name.

Shenzhen Proview Technology's lawyer Xie Xianghui argued that the sale of the iPad trademark to Apple Inc. by Proview's Taiwan affiliate in 2009 was invalid.

"Apple has no right to sell iPads under that name," Xie said. Apple countered that Proview violated the sales contract by failing to transfer the trademark rights in mainland China.

It also contends that the Chinese LCD maker has not marketed or sold its own "IPAD," or Internet Personal Access Device for years, thus possibly invalidating its claim to the trademark.

The hearing adjourned after a fractious four-hour session which saw the judge repeatedly admonishing both sides to observe proper court protocol as they argued across the courtroom. No date was announced for a judgment or further hearings.

Proview is suing to stop Apple selling the iPad in China under that name. It has also asked commercial authorities in many cities to stop sales of the device. So far, iPads have been pulled from shelves in some Chinese cities but there has been no sign of action at the national level.

Strauss-Kahn has March court date in US

A New York court has scheduled a hearing on a lawsuit filed by the woman who accused former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexually assaulting her in a Manhattan hotel.

Prosecutors dropped criminal charges against Strauss-Kahn last year, but his accuser has demanded damages in civil court.

The March 15 hearing will deal with issues that must be resolved before a trial, which has yet to be scheduled.

Strauss-Kahn wants the lawsuit dismissed because he says he had diplomatic immunity. He isn't required to attend the March court session.

The hotel maid who says she was attacked and forcibly sodomized by Strauss-Kahn is Nafissatou Diallo (na-fee-SAH'-too dee-AH'-loh). Her lawyer, Kenneth Thompson, says she is "looking forward to her day in court and can't wait to get to trial."

Thomas Campbell Appointed to Museum District Board

Thomas J. Campbell, managing partner of the law firm Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, L.C., has been appointed by St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley to serve a four-year term on the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Zoological Park and Museum District, one of the largest districts of its kind in the nation.
Formed in the late 1960s, the District today is the tax-supported funding body for the Saint Louis Zoological Park, the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Saint Louis Science Center, the Missouri Botanical Garden and the Missouri History Museum sub districts. As one of the largest tax-supported cultural districts in the U.S., it is a model for those in many other cities.
The District’s governing body includes eight board members, including four representing St. Louis County appointed by the St. Louis County Executive and four representing the City of St. Louis appointed by the Mayor.
Campbell also serves on the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association Board of Directors and its Executive Committee. He is active in many other community organizations.
Campbell received his J.D. from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis and B.A. and M.S. degrees in political science from Illinois State University.  He has extensive experience representing clients in matters involving local, state and federal governmental entities and agencies.
Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, L.C., a full service law firm of 80 attorneys, has provided legal services to clients in diverse industries since its founding in 1976 and is one of the largest law firms in St. Louis. The firm serves public corporations; privately-held companies; entrepreneurs and start-up enterprises; individuals and families; trustees and trust beneficiaries; charities; and non-profit entities. The firm is located at 101 South Hanley Road, Suite 1700, in Clayton, Missouri.
For more information about Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, please contact Lois A. LaDriere at 314.615.6000 or visit the website www.GJN.com.  

Houston's Mark Lanier Honored Among Texas' Top 10

Houston trial lawyer Mark Lanier of The Lanier Law Firm has been selected by his peers as one of the Top 10 attorneys in Texas.  Mr. Lanier is recognized in the annual Texas Super Lawyers list published in Texas Monthly magazine.
This is the seventh consecutive year that Mr. Lanier has earned selection to the list of the state's top attorneys, and the second time he has been named among the Top 10 lawyers in Texas.  He has been listed among the Top 100 attorneys in Houston and the Top 100 in Texas since the list was first published in 2003.
The attorneys selected for the Texas Super Lawyers list represent less than 5 percent of all Texas attorneys. Mr. Lanier earned his place among the Top 10 attorneys in the state based on his overall point score in the judging process.

Thelen law firm files Chapter 7 after Citi cutoff

Thelen LLP, a U.S. law firm that once had more than 600 lawyers, said it filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation after Citigroup Inc (C.N), a large creditor, cut off needed funding.
The 85-year-old firm said Citigroup "is no longer willing to advance funds for the cost of collection and (to) wind down operations," or to fund the costs of a Chapter 11 proceeding, according to a filing on Thursday with the U.S. bankruptcy court in Manhattan."
Thelen also said its estimated assets "will be insufficient to result in any meaningful payment" to unsecured creditors, in light of Citigroup's $7.2 million secured loan.
A Citigroup spokeswoman declined to comment.
According to its bankruptcy petition, also filed on Thursday, Thelen has between $10 million and $50 million of assets, and between $50 million and $100 million of liabilities.
Thelen shut down in late 2008 after the recession hurt revenue, many partners departed, and efforts to merge with another firm fell apart.
The San Francisco-based firm had reached its maximum size following a 2006 merger with New York's Brown Raysman Millstein Felder & Steiner LLP. Thelen said its largest remaining creditors are in New York.
A debtor can liquidate under either Chapter 7 or Chapter 11 of the U.S. bankruptcy code. A Chapter 11 liquidation can make more economic sense for a debtor and give creditors more of a say in how proceeds are distributed.

Saranac Lake man joins Albany law firm

Whiteman Osterman and Hanna LLP, the Capital Region's largest law firm, has announced that John Alsina of Saranac Lake, will be joining the firm.
Alsina's practice will focus on European and Canadian clients with business interests in New York, and on issues involving technology development and application. Mr. Alsina has been Of Counsel to Weissberg, Gaetjens, Zeigenfeuter and Associates, a law firm in Paris, France, where he will continue to act as a consultant on specific matters. Previously, Mr. Alsina held positions at Telecordia and Bellcore, where he was involved with telecommunications technology and software, and at Viacom, where he advised on technology strategies and intellectual property protection.
Alsina graduated with a B.A. degree from Columbia University. He obtained his M.B.A. degree from the University of Chicago and his Juris Doctorate from Cornell University. Mr. Alsina will maintain an office in Whiteman Osterman & Hanna's Albany and Plattsburgh offices.

Law firm offers fixed-cost employment service

Law firm Hill Dickinson has launched a new fixed-cost service for SMEs to help them keep employment contracts up-to-date.
The Employment Contracts Diagnostic Toolkit has been created to review companies’ contracts and prepare a clear report, which identifies any areas of legal non-compliance, commercial weaknesses and other legal risks.
“British employment laws are notoriously strict and change on a regular basis,” said Will Clayton, an empployment partner at Hill Dickinson. “As a result, any errors or weaknesses within contracts of employment can not only create misunderstandings and loss of productivity, but can also increase the likelihood of disputes and legal claims.
In recent years, law firms have lost market share advising employers on employment law by a number of firms such as Salford-based Employment Law Advisory Services and Peninsula Business Services – both of which charge companies a subscription fee based on updating firms on employment and health & safety law as well as providing insurance against legal costs if a business does find itself brought before an employment tribunal.
However, Clayton said that it encouraged clients “to do more than merely comply with their minimum legal obligations by using their contracts with employees as a business tool to protect their commercial interests, improve labour relations and encourage employees to perform at their best”.
“We believe this service is unique in its offer and is one of several products that will be developed to support our client base.”