Free: Newsbriefs

Kaplan Set to Offer Full Bar Exam Preparation Courses

Kaplan Inc., has announced it will begin offering full-service bar exam preparation courses in New York, New Jersey and Florida. A leading provider of such courses for the SAT, LSAT and other standardized tests, Kaplan has been overshadowed in the bar exam prep course market by Thomson Corp.'s BAR/BRI unit. Kaplan, a subsidiary of the Washington Post Co., has previously only offered a prep course for the multistate portion of the bar exam, but the company said yesterday it will offer its first full-service course for the winter 2009 Florida bar exam, then the summer 2009 exams in New York and New Jersey. Kaplan said it planned a number of innovations over the typical multiweek video lecture course, including online, on-demand lectures, personalized study plans and a money-back guarantee. Kaplan and BAR/BRI last year settled for $49 million an antitrust class action claiming the two companies colluded, with Kaplan agreeing not to launch a bar review class if BAR/BRI did not offer an LSAT preparation class. A Kaplan spokeswoman said yesterday the company's decision to begin offering bar classes was unrelated to the litigation or settlement. - Anthony Lin

Bankruptcy Court Issues General Orders

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District has issued two general orders effective Sept. 1: "Deposit of Funds in Certain Mutual Funds" and "Adoption of Form for Motions for Relief From Stay to Foreclose a Mortgage on Real Property or a Security Interest in a Cooperative Apartment." For details, see Court Notes at www.nylj.com.

Group to Study Impact of Failure to Raise Judges' Pay

The Atlantic Legal Foundation yesterday announced it is undertaking a study of the impact on the business community and economy of the failure to raise state judges' salaries for nearly 10 years. Representatives of the government's three branches and business community leaders will provide input for the study, which will examine claims that low salaries may make the bench an unattractive career option for lawyers, expert in commercial issues and adversely affect the resolution of complex commercial cases, the group said in a statement. According to its Web site, the foundation "participates in significant public interest litigation" in its advocacy of "individual liberty, school choice, free enterprise, limited, effective government and sound science in the courtroom." - Daniel Wise

N.Y. Judge Grants Pa. Woman Residency Status

A state court has ruled that a woman who fled from Pennsylvania to Manhattan after her husband allegedly beat her with a cane and threatened to shoot her had residency status to file a family offense petition in New York County. Citing the legislative history of Family Court Act §818, Family Court Judge Karen I. Lupuloff (See Profile) held in E.H. v. D.B., O-14185-07, that the statute does not require alleged victims of domestic violence to "prove home ownership or that they are leaseholders here in New York." Daniel B. was arrested in Pennsylvania on Nov. 5, 2007, after allegedly pointing a shotgun at his wife's head and "repeatedly" threatening to kill her. On Nov. 6, Erin H. sought an order of protection against Daniel B. in Montgomery County, Pa., which was subsequently issued by the court. The following day, she filed a family offense petition in Manhattan in which she listed an art gallery as her residence. Daniel B. contended that Erin H. actually resided in Pennsylvania, and moved to dismiss the petition on the basis of improper venue. But Judge Lupuloff ruled that regardless of whether Erin H. fled to an apartment at the gallery or "stayed on a friend's couch in a Manhattan apartment, Erin H . . . resided here at the time she filed the family offense petition." The decision will be published Friday. - Noeleen G. Walder