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Knobbe Martens Adds Partners in San Francisco
Firm News/California |
2008/12/13 18:22
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Knobbe Martens, one of the leading intellectual property law firms in the nation, is pleased to announce the addition of two partners, Veronica Colby Devitt and Marlene J. Williams, to its San Francisco office.
“Knobbe Martens is pleased to welcome lawyers with such outstanding talent and reputation. Their history of success and expertise expands the capabilities of our San Francisco office,” said Steven Nataupsky, Managing Partner of the firm.
Both Devitt and Williams join Knobbe from Thelen LLP’s San Francisco office.
Devitt focuses her practice on trademark counseling, global trademark portfolio management, prosecution and litigation. She brings her expertise on trademark law, has practiced before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, and written and spoken on trademark law before numerous bar associations including the American Bar Association, the International Trademark Association, and the American Intellectual Property Law Association. Devitt is a graduate of Marquette University (M.A. and B.A.) and received her J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law.
Williams focuses her practice on trademark portfolio management, worldwide prosecution and policing of trademarks, dispute resolution, UDPR proceedings, litigation, copyright law, licensing, Internet law and rights of publicity. She brings over ten years of experience in assisting clients in the selection, creation and protection of brands. Williams advises clients in a variety of industries ranging from medical devices and software to apparel and consumer goods and services. Williams received her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley and her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. |
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Insurer's asbestos-related lawsuits at high court
Headline News |
2008/12/13 17:14
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| The Supreme Court agreed Friday to consider reinstating a roughly $500 million settlement of asbestos-related lawsuits against the Travelers Companies Inc. The settlement would also block any new lawsuits against Travelers arising out of the insurance company's long relationship with Johns Manville Corp., once the world's largest producer of asbestos. Travelers has been named in dozens of lawsuits claiming that it tried to hide the dangerous health effects of asbestos. Asbestos is a mineral that was commonly used until the mid-1970s in insulation and fireproofing material. Exposure can increase the risk of lung cancer, mesothelioma and other ailments, according to federal health agencies. The company has argued that asbestos-related claims should be paid out of a trust created by Johns Manville in the 1980s and approved by a federal bankruptcy judge. Money for the fund came largely from insurers. Travelers agreed to settle with several groups of plaintiffs provided that federal courts make clear that it would not have to face any new similar lawsuits. The 2nd U.S Circuit Court of Appeals in New York overturned lower-court approval of the settlement, saying a bankruptcy judge lacks the authority to act so broadly. The justices, at arguments in March, will consider the question of the bankruptcy court's power. The consolidated cases are The Travelers Indemnity Co. v. Bailey, 08-295, and Common Law Settlement Counsel v. Bailey, 08-307. |
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Bodman LLP Establishes Richard D. Rohr Scholarship Fund
Firm News/Michigan |
2008/12/10 18:27
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Bodman LLP has honored its late chairman Richard D. Rohr by establishing an endowed scholarship at the University of Michigan Law School in his honor. The Richard D. Rohr Scholarship fund was initially endowed with $100,000 from Bodman LLP, which was matched with $50,000 by the university.
The Richard D. Rohr Scholarship will be awarded for the first time in the fall of 2009. The recipient is expected to be a second or third-year law student who plans to practice law in Southeast Michigan.
“Under Richard Rohr’s leadership, Bodman grew into one of the largest and most successful law firms in Southeast Michigan,” said Larry R. Shulman, Bodman LLP Chairman. “ He had close ties with the University of Michigan Law School as an alumnus, donor and adjunct faculty member. It is fitting that we help foster the future leaders of Detroit’s legal community at his alma mater.”
Rohr, a prominent member of Detroit legal community and chairman of Bodman LLP for 25 years, died on Wednesday, August 27 at 81 years of age. He graduated from the University of Michigan Law School at the top of his class in 1953 and served as editor-in-chief of The University of Michigan Law Review.
“We are deeply honored and appreciative that Bodman has established a scholarship at Michigan Law honoring the memory of Richard Rohr,” said University of Michigan Law School Dean Evan Caminker. “Dick’s association with the Law School began when he was a 1L and endured throughout his lifetime, including his service on our adjunct faculty. Moreover, he was a generous donor to scholarships. In a time when student assistance is more important than ever, there simply could be no more appropriate memorial.” |
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Justices chide California-based appeals court
Legal Watch |
2008/12/04 02:53
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| The Supreme Court took aim at one of its favorite targets Tuesday, criticizing a California-based federal appeals court for its ruling in favor of a criminal defendant. The justices threw out a decision by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in the case of Michael Robert Pulido, who was convicted for his role in robbing a gas station and killing the defendant. A U.S. District Court judge set aside Pulido's conviction because the trial judge in the case gave the jury improper instructions. The high court said in an unsigned opinion that the appeals court ruling affirming the federal judge's action used faulty reasoning. The justices did not reinstate Pulido's conviction. Justices John Paul Stevens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David Souter agreed that the appeals court made a mistake, but would have affirmed its ruling anyway because the underlying decision in favor of Pulido was correct. Last month, the court overruled the 9th Circuit in an environmental case involving the Navy's use of sonar and its potential harm to whales. The case is Hedgpeth v. Pulido, 07-544. |
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Victim's kin file suit in Wal-Mart stampede death
Headline News |
2008/12/04 02:52
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| The family of a New York man who was trampled to death the day after Thanksgiving by a stampede of bargain hunting Wal-Mart shoppers has filed a wrongful death lawsuit. The family also filed notice that Nassau County, on Long Island, and its police department will be sued. The lawsuit against Wal-Mart and the Long Island mall where it is located was filed Wednesday in state Supreme Court in the Bronx on behalf of Elsie Damour Phillipe. Phillipe is the sister of victim Jdimytai Damour (DHMEE'-tree Di-MOHR'), and is the court-appointed administrator of his estate. Damour, a temporary worker hired for the holiday season, was crushed to death when some 2,000 customers stormed into the Valley Stream store. None of the defendants in the lawsuit immediately responded to requests for comment. |
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Ages of Supreme Court justices and recent retirees
Attorneys News |
2008/12/03 02:49
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The members of the Supreme Court, by age: John Paul Stevens, 88 Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 75 Antonin Scalia, 72 Anthony Kennedy, 72 Stephen Breyer, 70 David Souter, 69 Clarence Thomas, 60 Samuel Alito, 58 John Roberts, 53 ___ The last 10 justices to leave the Supreme Court, with their age and date of retirement: Sandra Day O'Connor, 75, Jan. 31, 2006 William Rehnquist, 80, Sept. 3, 2005-x Harry Blackmun, 85, Aug. 3, 1994 Byron White, 76, June 28, 1993 Thurgood Marshall, 83, Oct. 1, 1991 William Brennan, 84, July 20, 1990 Lewis Powell, 79, June 26, 1987 Warren Burger, 79, Sept. 26, 1986 Potter Stewart, 66, July 3, 1981 William Douglas, 77, Nov. 12, 1975 x-died while chief justice. |
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Colo. man charged with libel over Craigslist posts
Headline News |
2008/12/03 02:49
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| A man accused of making unflattering online comments about his former lover and her attorney on Craigslist has been charged with two counts of criminal libel. "It's not a charge you see a lot of," Larimer County District Attorney Larry Abrahamson said of the 1800s-era state law that can put people in jail for the content of their speech or writing. Abrahamson charged J.P. Weichel, 40, of Loveland, in October over posts he allegedly made on Craigslist's "Rants and Rave" section. The case began when a woman told Loveland police in December 2007 about postings made about her between November and December 2007. Court records show posts that suggested she traded sexual acts for legal services from her attorney and mentioned a visit from child services because of an injury to her child. Police obtained search warrants for records from Web sites including Craigslist before identifying Weichel as the suspect. Weichel shares a child with the woman. Weichel, confronted by detectives at his workplace in August, said he was "just venting," according to court records. No phone listing could be found for Weichel, and his attorney, Michael Liggett of Fort Collins, didn't immediately return a message left Monday by The Associated Press. Libel is commonly seen as a civil case. Denver attorney Steve Zansberg, who specializes in First Amendment law, said prosecutors seeking criminal libel cases could have a "chilling" effect on free speech in Colorado, particularly over the Internet. Abrahamson wasn't so sure. He said it is up to police departments to pursue cases. Zansberg contends the law is outdated, is unclear about stating opinions and is written in such a way that dead people could be victims of criminal libel. |
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