Calif. high court mulling release of law test data

Researcher Richard Sander has been fighting for years to obtain sensitive data collected by the administrator of California's bar examination to help him examine the effects affirmative action policies have on the performance of minority law school students.

On Thursday, the California Supreme Court will rule on the matter after an appeal court ordered the state bar to turn over the data to Sander.

Sander is a University of California, Los Angeles law professor who is seeking information on test takers' race, law schools attended, year graduated from law school, bar pass rate, law school grades and scores from standardized tests for admission to law schools.

Texas Supreme Court tackles same-sex divorce

The issues of same-sex marriage and divorce are set to go before the Texas Supreme Court.

The court is scheduled to hear arguments Tuesday on whether Texas can grant divorces to same-sex couples who married elsewhere.

Both cases involve same-sex couples who married legally in Massachusetts. Texas approved a constitutional ban on gay marriage in 2005.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott argues that state law won't allow Texas to recognize the divorces because that would validate the marriage. The couples question whether the same-sex marriage ban applies to divorce and whether it conflicts with the U.S. Constitution.

The U.S. Supreme Court in June struck down parts of the federal Defense of Marriage Act because it treats same-sex couples unequally.

The Texas court is not expected to rule for several months.

Law Firm Website Templates‎ - Legal Marketing Tips

4 Myths about Template Website Design for Law Firms

Template websites are one of the most affordable and simple solutions for attorneys looking to get their legal business online. They are offered for a very low price and require a limited amount of input to get online. Still, template websites get a bad name. In this article, we’ll dispel several myths and make a case for why a template website is just as capable as any custom designed site.

MYTH: Templates Always Have Unprofessional Design

Firstly, we should establish the difference between a template website and a sitebuilder website. Sitebuilder websites can be incredibly cheap, and usually offer the benefit of do-it-yourself customizability. People who know what they want and have time to invest are drawn to these solutions.

However, these sitebuilders lack the knowledge and experience of a designer or web developer, and users often find their capabilities limited by the interface or a necessity for HTML/ CSS fluency. The most capable attorneys will end up with a website that undersells their professionalism and excellence. The least will have a website that offends the eyes and scares potential clients away.

Our template websites differ because they are based on our most successful custom designs. Unlike other template solutions, each template has been professionally designed by our in-house, highly experienced web designers, and is proven to be successful at impressing visitors and converting prospects into real business. They are also created specifically for lawyers and law firms, so each template is absolutely appropriate for legal professionals.

MYTH: Template Websites Aren’t SEO Optimized

We’ve heard a lot of arguments against template websites because they are not SEO optimized. Law Promo’s template websites are ALWAYS fitted with the very best of onsite optimization. While template websites are made to be static–best for those who have little interest in constant work and updates on their pages–they still are search engine optimized like any of our custom websites, and have the potential for search engine success. Page titles, heading tags, image tags, and keywords are all equally powerful as they would be on a custom website. And if you’re looking to keep your website fresh, you can always add a blog for constant, keyword-rich updated content.

MYTH: My Website Will Look Like Everyone Else’s

This is another concern we hear frequently: “Won’t there be other websites out there, just like mine?” Law Promo offers dozens of different website templates with several customizable options, so its unlikely that there will be many others like yours. Further, you only need to worry about what your potential visitors see. As long as your website isn’t the same as your immediate competitors, a template website is an affordable and easy solution for any law firm.

With the available choices and custom options, your website will be fit to your preferences, and your visitors will not be thinking about whether it’s a template website or not. Instead, they’ll get a great initial impression of your professionalism, then go on to learn more about you through your written content, where most legal professionals really shine.

MYTH: Template Websites Require Technical Knowledge and Web Savvy

We’ve heard horror stories about template design companies that hand their customers a completed template website and expect them to install and maintain it themselves. We understand that attorneys are busy individuals without the time to learn about server configuration or technical coding. That’s why we do all of the technical work for you– you make a few simple choices, send us your written content, and your website will be online and running in a little over a day.

Remember, template websites are not for everyone. If your firm is looking for a deeply personalized, high-functioning website designed to dominate the web space, you’ll be looking for more involved custom design and coding. However, for those who realize that the web is a necessary space for business but don’t have the time to invest in content creation, we highly recommend our template website solution designed specially for legal professionals.

Ind. high court to hear eminent domain lawsuit

The Indiana Supreme Court has agreed to hear an eminent domain case involving land in southern Indiana that a local board claimed for a planned airport runway expansion.

The state's high court recently vacated the Indiana Court of Appeals' ruling in the case involving the action by the now-defunct Clark County Board of Aviation Commissioners. That board used eminent domain in 2009 to acquire property owned by resident Margaret Dreyer for a runway expansion at the Clark County Regional Airport.

Dreyer sued the board, alleging its appraisals of the property acquired through eminent domain were wrong. She won and was awarded a judgment of $865,000.

The News and Tribune reported Clark County became party to the case last year when Dreyer's motion was granted to have the "civil government of Clark County" pay the judgment. The Court of Appeals later upheld the verdict.

South Central Regional Airport Authority Attorney Greg Fifer said last week in an email that the Indiana Supreme Court could either reach the same verdict as the appellate court, or affirm the county's position that the judgment was void.

Authority President Tom Galligan said the panel, which replaced the now-defunct Board of Aviation Commissioners, is pleased with the court's decision to hear the case. He said the airport authority thought the original ruling "was not a very good ruling."

Houston, Texas - Motorcycle Collisions and Wrecks

As commuters look to motorcycles as a means of transportation, the risk of motorcycle collisions have increased in high-traffic areas. Motorcycle collisions with aggressive automobile drivers often involves a serious injury or death of the cyclist. It is important to understand your rights if you have been involved in a collision while riding your motorcycle. The attorneys at Padilla & Rodriguez, LLP can help you analyze the scene to secure the physical evidence for your case. If you or a loved on has been injured or have suffered from a death, contact our personal injury layers for a consultation today.

IMF head Lagarde in court in fraud probe

International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde is facing questions at a special Paris court Thursday over her role in the 400 million euro ($520 million) pay-off to a controversial businessman when she was France's finance minister.
The court hearing threatens to sully the reputations of both Lagarde and France. The payment was made to well-connected entrepreneur Bernard Tapie as part of a private arbitration process to settle a dispute with state-owned bank Credit Lyonnais over the botched sale of Adidas in the 1990s. It is seen by many in France as an example of the cozy relationship between big money and big power in France.
Lagarde has earned praise for her negotiating skills as managing director of the IMF through Europe's debt crisis and is seen as a trailblazer for women leaders. Her decision to let the Adidas dispute go to private arbitration rather than be settled in the courts has drawn criticism, and French lawmakers asked magistrates to investigate.
Lagarde, smiling at reporters, left her Paris apartment Thursday morning and appeared at a special court that handles cases involving government ministers. She has denied wrongdoing.
At the time of the payment, Tapie was close to then-French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was Lagarde's boss. Critics have said the deal was too generous to Tapie at the expense of the French state, and that the case shouldn't have gone to a private arbitration authority because it involved a state-owned bank.

3 guilty in Dallas-area, Houston health care fraud

Three more people have been convicted in a nearly $3 million health care fraud case involving Houston and Dallas-area companies.
Prosecutors say unlicensed doctors were recruited to treat patients at their homes and then wrongly bill Medicare.
A federal judge in Dallas on Wednesday convicted Godwin Umotong and Comfort Gates of Houston of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and health care fraud. A third person - Vagharshak Smbatyan of Grenada Hills, Calif., - was convicted of making a false statement to an agency.
All will be sentenced in July and face penalties ranging from five to 10 years per count.
Prosecutors say Umotong worked for Euless Healthcare Corp. in Hurst and Medic Healthcare Inc. of Houston. Gates worked for Medic.

Riley Bennett & Egloff - Bankruptcy & Reorganization

Our Indianapolis attorneys have substantial experience collecting monies owed to our business clients, in amounts ranging from thousands of dollars to hundreds of millions of dollars, in Indiana state courts and in federal bankruptcy courts. Our focus is on maximizing our client’s recovery in a timely and cost-effective manner.
Creditor’s Rights

The Firm’s creditors’ rights experience also includes such areas as foreclosures and deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure; appointment of receivers; replevin, garnishment and attachment proceedings, pre-judgment and post-judgment; suits on guaranties, Uniform Commercial Code issues, and other commercial litigation matters.

http://www.rbelaw.com/practice-areas/bankruptcy-reorganization

Cliff avoided: Congress staves off tax hikes

Past its own New Year's deadline, a weary Congress sent President Barack Obama legislation to avoid a national "fiscal cliff" of middle class tax increases and spending cuts late Tuesday night in the culmination of a struggle that strained America's divided government to the limit.

The bill's passage on a bipartisan 257-167 vote in the House sealed a hard-won political triumph for the president less than two months after he secured re-election while calling for higher taxes on the wealthy.

Moments later, Obama strode into the White House briefing room and declared, "Thanks to the votes of Republicans and Democrats in Congress I will sign a law that raises taxes on the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans while preventing tax hikes that could have sent the economy back into recession."

He spoke with Vice President Joe Biden at his side, a recognition of the former senator's role as the lead Democratic negotiator in final compromise talks with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

In addition to neutralizing middle class tax increases and spending cuts taking effect with the new year, the legislation will raise tax rates on incomes over $400,000 for individuals and $450,000 for couples. That was higher than the thresholds of $200,000 and $250,000 that Obama campaigned for. But remarkably, in a party that swore off tax increases two decades ago, dozens of Republicans supported the bill at both ends of the Capitol.