The National Law Journal's L.A. Legal Pad

ICANN votes on whether to help people shield their online identities

The non-profit that manages the Internet's assignment of domain names and IP addresses is set to vote on changes to the Web site registration process to help people to shield their identities online,  The Washington Post reports.

While the change could fight off spammers, it also may remove a tool in intellectual property disputes and cyber crime investigations.

Anyone who registers a website would still need to give their personal information, but the change would allow users to withhold that information from a public database, instead providing a third party's contact information, like the website's registrar.

The current policy violates European data protections laws, Wendy Seltzer, a visiting cyber law professor at Northeastern University School of Law, told the Post.

The Marina Del Rey-based ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is discussing the matter during their 30th international public conference in Los Anglees held October 29 - November 2.

Sheppard Mullin's Laura Taylor appointed to bankruptcy judgeship

The Recorder tells the story of the unconventional path to judgeship by Sheppard Mullin partner Laura Stuart Taylor.

Laura Stuart Taylor's been an associate, a part-time associate, a partner, a special counsel and, finally, a partner again during her 24 years at Sheppard Mullin in Los Angeles and San Diego. Pending an FBI background check, she'll take a bankruptcy judgeship in the Southern District of California in 2008.

Read the full story

Lawsuits prompt move of juveniles from state prisons to counties

A new law sends half the inmates in California's Juvenile Justice System from state prisons to county facilities due to a collapse of confidence in the state, KCRW's Which Way LA reports.

It was prompted by lawsuits and findings by court appointed experts that state prisons are failing wards in education, therapy, education and treatment for mental illness - who leave more dangerous than when they came in, freelance journalist Jim Sterngold told the radio show's host.

The more serious offenders (murder, rape) will remain in state prisons, according to Sterngold.

"Obviously we are incredibly concerned with conditions in the state system and very happy with a change that would keep youth out of the utterly failed state system and keep youth closer to their families,"  said Sarah Norman, a staff attorney for the Prison Law Project who appeared on the show.

But some counties like Los Angeles are as bad as the state system, she added.

"There is a lot of research on the kinds of therapy that works but it's very difficult to get counties... [away] from the punitive approach...it's going to take a lot of work to persuade them to change it and it might in fact be only through lawsuits," concluded Sterngold.

Listen to "Bill Would Send California Juvenile Offenders Back to Their Counties"
*segment starts midway through the radio show
 

Two judicial officer positions become judgeships at LA court

Two subordinate judicial officer positions at the Los Angeles Superior Court will be converted into judgeships, the Metropolitan News-Enterprise reported on Monday.

This decision by the Judicial Council of California works to the end of AB 159, a new law for the conversion of 162 subordinate judicial officer positions to judgeships and 16 per fiscal year starting 2008-2009 .

Five other positions were converted in San Luis Obispo, San Francisco and Contra Costa.

A study by the council earlier this year found that 78 of the 162 positions for conversion were at Los Angeles Superior Court.

Read Judicial Council Report on the seven conversions from SJOs to judgeships

Listen to Judicial Council of California meeting 10.26.07

Thomas Daly president elect of Pasadena Bar Association

Thomas Daly was named yesterday as 2008 president-elect of the Pasadena Bar Association and president in 2009.

Daly is senior partner at Pasadena intellectual property firm Christie Parker and was vice president-program chair of the local bar association and, before that, a trustee.

He'll be the third member of Christie Parker to head the century old bar association, according to a press release from the firm.
 

State Bar Association helping victims, looking for volunteers

The State Bar of California has compiled a list of resources to aid victims of the recent southern California wildfires, as well information for individuals, law firms and others who want to contribute assistance, according to a press release.

The State Bar Disaster Team if focusing on providing immediate legal assistance in San Diego County. The San Diego County Bar Association and a coalition of local organizations are coordinating and organizing efforts locally.

Federal Emergency Management Assistance and the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division set up a Legal Assistance Hotline for victims (800 636 9041), hosted by Foley & Lardner and sponsored by the state bar.

The Los Angeles County Bar Association is providing referrals to wildfire victims for free. The first 30 minutes of consultation is also free.

Lawyers are needed to volunteer legal assistance, joining the efforts of the San Diego County Bar Association, San Diego Volunteer Lawyers Program and Legal Aid Society of San Diego. To volunteer, fill out this form online, or download the following form and fax it to 619 388 0442.

Lawyers who were affected by the fires and have questions about your ethical obligations can contact the state bar's ethics hotline at 415 538 2150.

David Nahai to run LA Department of Water and Power

Attorney H. David Nahai was nominated yesterday to run the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Nahai is the President of Nahai Law Corporation, a Century City law firm, specializing in real estate, corporate, environmental and commercial law. He's also the President of the Board of Water and Power Commissioners of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

Why lawyers of color leave

Lawyers of color leave firms for a variety of reasons.  The  Minority Law Journal finds in an article today that many minority partners are leaving for better and more interesting work.

Rather than minority attorneys leaving because they are underqualified as UCLA law professor Richard Sander famously asserts, the article finds that some lawyers leave because their opportunities seem limited.

One Harvard Law School professor in the story says law firms aren't offering the best jobs anymore.

A lawyer quoted in the piece says it's a matter firms taking bold actions towards their written commitments to diversity - by reevaluating how credit is given for generating business and rainmaking is weighed in promotion decisions, as well as ensuring that partners bring minority attorneys along when pitching to new clients.

Read the full story here

Wildfire lawsuits coming

Now that the fires have died down, here come the lawsuits, The National Law Journal reports.

Lawyers are predict an amount of litigation from homeowners, similar to 2003. However, the number could be lower given lessons learned.

Read the full story here

Lerach pleads guilty, will serve one to two years

Securities plaintiff's lawyer William Lerach plead guilty to a federal conspiracy charge yesterday as part of a criminal investigation into whether he paid kickbacks to named plaintiffs, The National Law Journal reports.

Lerach, a former partner at Milberg Weiss, made a plea deal to forfeit $7.75 million to the government, pay a $250,000 fine and serve one to two years in prison, depending on the judge's discretion.