http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/index.jsp Updated daily en-us 11/22/2009 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 A dirty fight over coal is heating up in West Virginia. But behind all the indignation and accusations lies a simple (and expensive) lesson — execute a proper contract, and make sure it's actually signed. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202435704378&rss=nlj Plaintiffs' lawyers are slapping public companies with securities class actions months or years after the date the alleged fraud came to light as they turn their attention from cases related to the financial meltdown back to traditional securities suits. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202435720873&rss=nlj The case against Web talk show host Hal Turner will turn on whether his online postings are protected as an exercise of free speech, albeit violently hyperbolic, or constitute a "true threat" that posed imminent danger to the targets. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202435721083&rss=nlj Two very different cases are casting new light on a legal issue that has been simmering for years: when, whether and how defendants should be informed about the collateral consequences of pleading or being found guilty. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202435725123&rss=nlj Former Senate majority leader Tom Daschle spoke with the NLJ about his jump from Alston & Bird to DLA Piper and his role in his new firm's global operations. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202435716906&rss=nlj Bad economies are apparently good for workers' ethics. A new study by the nonprofit Ethics Resource Center, which researches ethics in the private and public sectors, says employees are witnessing better behavior in the workplace since the start of the recession in 2007. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202435722778&rss=nlj A panel of general counsel and senior in-house lawyers at a Boston conference revealed that cost isn't always their top criteria when picking outside lawyers. They also want outside lawyers to take the initiative in building a relationship. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202435719245&rss=nlj Medical marijuana laws are having an odd effect on many employers: They're dazed and confused about their obligations to workers who use pot for health reasons. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202435561994&rss=nlj The resignation last week of Henry "Hank" White Jr., the American Bar Association's executive director, follows other recent staff departures amid a reorganization set in motion by the ABA's new president, Carolyn Lamm. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202435617067&rss=nlj A group of Hispanic farmers whose discrimination lawsuit against the federal government has dragged on for years received a morale boost this week. On Wednesday, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) took to the Senate floor and urged the government to correct past discriminatory practices by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and settle the suit. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202435685398&rss=nlj A federal judge in New Orleans on Wednesday issued a verdict against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, finding that its failure to maintain a navigation channel contributed to the deaths of inhabitants and destruction of homes during Hurricane Katrina. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202435684993&rss=nlj Amid weak demand for both corporate and intellectual property legal work, Minneapolis-based Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi formed a new group with lawyers from both disciplines to help clients make money from their patent portfolios. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202435660403&rss=nlj A federal judge has ordered that a former in-house lawyer at Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. must arbitrate claims that the automobile manufacturer hid and destroyed evidence in cases involving victims of rollover accidents. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202435601092&rss=nlj The nation's largest law firms this year suffered the deepest cuts in their attorney numbers since the NLJ began tracking their census figures more than 30 years ago. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202435209872&rss=nlj The current legal market offers attorneys an opportunity to figure out what they want to do outside of a big firm. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202435707308&rss=nlj Within days of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, an image of the superhuman terrorist took shape in American society. Do not bring him to this country, and do not give him the benefit of the law. He is not like mortal men. It is thinking like this that has taken us so far astray. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202435706329&rss=nlj The problem with the "ticking-bomb" argument for torture is that it's made to justify potential situations. But when justification can not be demonstrated in advance, the extraordinary measure should not be condoned. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202435704750&rss=nlj Efficiencies are a fairly controversial aspect of antitrust merger review. The agencies should revise the guidelines to provide greater flexibility to consider a broader range of efficiencies in order to reflect the underlying business realities of many mergers. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202435704523&rss=nlj In this economy, lawyers must learn how to resolve disputes outside of litigation. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202435438534&rss=nlj A strong antitrust compliance culture and program are essential for companies in the targeted industries. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202435036182&rss=nlj The U.S. energy landscape will change even more dramatically during the next decade than it did during the last. Because all phases of energy-project development, production and distribution are regulated, lawyers will find themselves at the forefront of facilitating these unique and historic changes. http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202434864398&rss=nlj