http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/index.jsp Updated daily en-us 02/10/2010 Copyright 2009. Incisive Media US Properties, LLC. All rights reserved. http://www.law.com/service/terms_conditions.shtml http://www.law.com/img/newswire/nlj_rss.gif http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/index.jsp Plaintiffs attorneys' assault on Toyota continues to move forward. Lawsuits were filed in federal court in Los Angeles on Monday on behalf of shareholders and a nationwide class of buyers of several Toyota hybrid models. Another lawsuit, brought in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday, seeks damages for alleged breach of implied and express warranty, product liability, negligence and violations of business and consumer protection laws. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202443026706&rss=nlj U.S. News & World Report's decision to start ranking law firms along the lines of its much-maligned law school rankings has prompted the American Bar Association to investigate the magazine's methods. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202443027636&rss=nlj The American Bar Association announced this week that it's cutting the cost of dues for solo practitioners, government lawyers, judges and attorneys working for nonprofits as part of an effort to respond to lawyers' differing financial circumstances and the effects of the economic downturn. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202443026669&rss=nlj Corporate lawyers are busy helping clients get up to speed on new U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission guidance on how public companies should report the business impact of climate change and related legislative and business developments. Schulte Roth's Michael Littenberg spoke with us about how he's already begun to help companies that issue annual reports in the spring for the prior year's financial results grapple with the ramped-up standards. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202443027236&rss=nlj A former law firm secretary is fighting federal bank fraud charges after a partner at a Chicago litigation boutique claimed she stole almost $900,000 from his personal account over 18 months. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202443026443&rss=nlj Harvard Law School has launched a program that combines start-up financing with financial assistance for public interest law graduates. The new Public Service Venture Fund will divide $1 million per year among qualified graduates who start their own nonprofit organizations or seek jobs at government agencies or public interest groups. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202443027034&rss=nlj More Chicago partners are jumping to new law firms or seriously contemplating a move after a year in which demand for profitable partners outstripped the number willing to leave stable positions, the city's recruiters and law firm managers said. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202442983801&rss=nlj A federal judge in Chicago late last week gave final approval to the allocation of $6.2 million among 235 former Sears employees in the largest settlement ever reached by the EEOC in an Americans with Disabilities Act class action. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202442984477&rss=nlj A boom in shale drilling for natural gas brings to the forefront the debate over environmental risks. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202442047056&rss=nlj Congress is making progress toward a policy solution on liability for long-term stewardship of sequestered carbon dioxide. 2009 saw several significant advances, specifically the passage of the American Clean Energy Leadership Act, which authorizes the U.S. Department of Energy to enter into cooperative agreements for as many as 10 demonstration projects. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202442047261&rss=nlj U.S. officials who spoke at the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen expect wind and solar energy and carbon capture to play an important role in the clean energy future. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202442047222&rss=nlj The Supreme Court in Alvarez should not have avoided the important issue of the constitutionality of a forfeiture law. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202442047001&rss=nlj 9th Circuit has held the decision does not bar immediate appeal of a First Amendment privilege ruling. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202442001754&rss=nlj The merits of state statutes such as Kendra's Law deserve renewed debate. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202442050490&rss=nlj Are the latest proxy statement requirements 'new and improved' or mostly confusing and difficult? http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202442001918&rss=nlj Four legal business power players discuss the current market for lateral partners. Their verdict: It may be the most active period of movement in recent memory. Plus, a look at lateral numbers in 2009 at the nation's largest law frms and in regional legal markets. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202442004610&rss=nlj The unique nature of fact-finding 'panels' calls for different advocacy than in civilian court. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202439595627&rss=nlj Clean-tech companies, financiers and their counsel must understand and appreciate more than ever how to navigate and even avail themselves of the interplay among public policy, politics and intellectual property. The patent litigation between General Electric Co. and Mitsubishi Motors at the U.S. International Trade Commission over certain wind turbines is a case in point. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202439360288&rss=nlj A year into office, Obama's lived up to his promise at some agencies and not made much progress at others. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202438874816&rss=nlj