U.S. News and Best Lawyers, the leading survey of lawyers worldwide, announced last year that the two publications have teamed up for an expansion of U.S. News's signature "America's Best" series to include new rankings of "America's Best Law Firms" and "America's Best Law Firms to Work For."

We want to give an update on the status of these new rankings. The ranking projects continue to make progress on the collection of client references and associate references from law firms. The vast majority of America's major law firms have provided the requested information. As with other rankings published by U.S. News, we believe that we will be able to secure from various sources quantitative data concerning those law firms that do not provide the requested statistical data directly to U.S. News and Best Lawyers.

Combined with the qualitative reviews of the firms by clients —more than 50,000 client references have already been accumulated—and qualitative peer-reviews by leading lawyers, this will enable the publication of valid rankings for all major law firms, both large and small, across the United States in the inaugural year. In time, it is expected that an increasing number of the ranked law firms will participate in the process.

Robert Joffe, an antitrust, corporate governance and litigation specialist who worked for more than four decades at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, including eight as presiding partner, has died.

Joffe, 66, died on Thursday from cancer, according to Greg Johnson, chief executive of asset management company Franklin Resources Inc (BEN.N), where Joffe was a director and chaired the corporate governance committee.

Johnson spoke on a conference call. A spokeswoman for the law firm confirmed Joffe's death.

Joffe was principal litigator for Time Inc in its efforts in 1989 to resist a takeover by Paramount Communications Inc, according to a biography on Cravath's website,.

It said he later represented Time Warner Inc (TWX.N) in connection with its merger with America Online Inc, and a proxy fight by the investor Carl Icahn.

Founded in 1982, Bryan A Lowe & Associates is a law firm based in Las Vegas, Nevada. The firm provides a wide range of services, primarily in the areas of estate planning, probate, bankruptcy, general business (corporate, partnership, and proprietorship), taxation, real estate, asset protection, and elder care.

The firm was founded on a philosophy of service that not only emphasizes quality representation in terms of experience and expertise - but places a high value on initiating appropriate actions to meet the client's legal needs and objectives. Particular stress is also placed on providing individualized service and achieving the desired results while working in a cost-effective manner.

At Bryan A Lowe & Associates, we handle a wide variety of legal cases, including the areas listed below. If you need an elder law, estate planning, corporate, tax, or probate lawyer, see the information below or contact an attorney.


  Elder Law

  Estate Planning

    Corporate and Tax Law

    Probate and Estate Administration

    Bankruptcy

LOS ANGELES- 200 members of the Los Angeles legal community are expected to attend the Employment Law Forum, a nonprofit legal education event in Los Angeles.

The Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators (GLA ALA) will host its Annual Employment Law Forum Saturday, January 23 from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at the Autry National Center of the American West in Griffith Park, located at 4700 Western Heritage Way in Los Angeles.

The event will offer an annual update on new 2010 employment laws with speaker Laura Petroff, managing partner of Winston & Strawn’s Los Angeles office.

Marsha Petrie Sue, MBA, CSP will present the lunch keynote  “The Reactor Factor: How to Respond Positively to Negative Situations at Work.”

Three breakout sessions following lunch will feature the speakers Marsh Petrie Sue on the topic of how to Decontaminate Toxic People, Fred Griffin, partner of Burke Williams & Sorenson, on the topic of Navigating California Leaves and John LeCrone, partner at Davis Wright Tremaine, on the topic of Social Media in the Workplace.

An exhibit hall with over 40 business partners who support the legal industry will be in attendance.

Price to attend for ALA members is $50 for the morning session or $75 for the all day seminar and for non-ALA members is $75 for the morning session and $100 for the all day seminar.

For more information, contact GLA ALA President-Elect Mary McDonnell at mmcdonnell@entertainmentpartners.com. For media requests, contact Jess Block, media relations, at JessBlockPR@gmail.com or at 909.706.8525.

ABOUT GLA ALA:

The Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators (GLA ALA) is a 385-person nonprofit membership organization that provides educational opportunities, community service, and exchange of information to improve the quality and professionalism of management in legal services organizations. For more information, visit www.glaala.org.

Photos from the GLA ALA Employment Law Forum will be available after the event.

Atlanta-based law firm King & Spalding LLP has secured a $350 million arbitration award against Mexico’s national oil company.

King & Spalding represents Commisa, a subsidiary of U.S.-based KBR Inc. Commisa signed an agreement in 1997, with PEP, a subsidiary of Mexico’s national oil company, to build two large offshore natural gas platforms and other structures in the Bay of Campeche on the Gulf of Mexico, according to a King & Spalding news release.

Commisa claimed PEP delayed and disrupted the construction and refused to pay for change orders.

The International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce awarded Commisa $350 million in damages, fees, expenses and interest, according to the news release.

King & Spalding partners Robert Meadows in Houston and Charles Correll, Jr. in San Francisco represented Commisa.

Enid Public Schools will be represented by the law firm Rosenstein, Fist & Ringold in a suit filed by the father of a boy who said school officials failed to prevent assaults and harassment against his son.

John Kevin Bradshaw, of Yukon, has named Enid Public Schools, school officials and coaches in the lawsuit seeking more than $40,000 in damages.

Amber Graham Fitzgerald, director of school and community relations, said Rosenstein, Fist & Ringold will represent the district in the lawsuit and those named in the suit who were acting in an official capacity for the district.

“While I cannot comment specifically on this situation, generally EPS employees have the opportunity to be represented by the district’s attorney for claims made while they are fulfilling du-ties in an official school capacity,” she said. “Representation is not provided when a claim is made against them as an individual.”

She said the district does had liability insurance, which addresses this type of situation.

She said school officials could not comment on pending litigation.

Four law firms have been included in this year's Workplace Equality Index compiled by gay rights charity Stonewall.

The index, which ranks the top 100 gay-friendly employers in the UK, included Simmons & Simmons as the highest-ranked law firm in 15th place, up from 31st place last year.

Elsewhere, Pinsent Masons ranks 36th, up from 50 in 2009, Herbert Smith moves from 77th to 56th position and Eversheds has risen to 85th up from 100 last year.

In total, 24 law firms submitted entries to Stonewall this year.

Computing giant IBM topped the rankings for the second time in four years, replacing last year's winner Lloyds TSB.

The process sees companies nominate themselves to participate through an online survey giving evidence of their policies. An anonymous staff survey is then carried out, which this year saw 7,000 lesbian, gay and bisexual participants. The top 20 finalists are then separately audited.

Stonewall chief executive Ben Summerskill said: "We received more entries than any previous year from employers who understand and have benefited from Stonewall's research which found that gay people are far more likely to buy goods or services from companies they know are gay-friendly."