Law And More

Jones Day - What Was It Thinking in Court/Social Media Response to "Savignac/Sheketoff v. Jones Day et al."

Public relations may be more of a wild-card game to play than litigation.

Jones Day, once a low-profile black box, has decided to leverage the court of public opinion for lawsuits filed against it. That began with gender bias case "Tolton et al. v. Jones Day." It posted on its website about the lawsuit. Here is that statement. 

Now it might have gone out of control with the parental leave bias litigation "Savignac, Sheketoff v. Jones Day et al." Here is a copy of the complaint. The two plaintiffs had been former U.S. Supreme Court clerks.

The plaintiffs, among a number of beefs, contend that it is illegal for Jones Day to provide more paid parental leave for females than males, there was retaliation when plaintiff brought that to the attention of Jones Day, and there had been a pay gap between female and male associates. 

As Jack Newsham reports in Law.com, Jones Day issued a public statement in social media about the litigation. That was in addition to filing in court a motion requesting a 30-day extension of when it has to respond to the lawsuit. Here is that statement. posted on its website.

Essentially Jones Day claims:

• The contentions ignore law and biology
• There was no retaliation. Savignac was fired because of poor judgement, lack of social skills, and perceived disinterest in a career at Jones Day.
• Sheketoff was paid equitably, despite mixed reviews of her performance. 

A fundamental of public relations is: Knowing when to put it out there and when to lay low. The ambitious in the public affairs industry should take the leap into the analyzing the dynamics of Jones Day's new approach to branding. 

Reflection: Is white shoe law firm Jones Day becoming undone? Meanwhile, consumers of the legal media are enjoying the theatre. 

Not getting results from your marketing communications? Complimentary consultation – janegenova374@gmail.com.

"Criminal Minds" - 15th and Last Season

CBS series "Criminal Minds" will enter its 15th - and final season. There will only be 10 episodes.

No, "Criminal Minds" is not going out with a whimper. It still remains in the top 30. But that's a long way from being in the top 11 back during the 2008 - 2009 season. 

Over the years, as Brian Boone explains in Looper, "Criminal Minds" lost its mojo. Among what went very wrong included:

• Too much change of characters. Audiences bond with them. Among the major losses had been Aaron Hotchner and Derek Morgan.
• Unlike newer shows such as "Good Girls," the characters didn't deepen in complexity. Sure, JJ had two children but JJ remained JJ. On "Good Girls," Beth shifts from suburban housewife to hardened criminal who can kill. 
• Formulaic plotting and scripting. There is more variety in other law enforcement dramas such as "Chicago PD."
• Scandal. It was big news when Thomas Gibson, who portrayed Hotchner, had been fired for a physical altercation on the set. 

Despite these flaws, enough of the audience stuck with "Criminal Minds" to keep it going. Why?

Here's why I remained part of what could be called the "Criminal Minds Family."

• Love forgives. The vulnerability of the characters such as shutdown Hotchner, drug addict Spencer Reid, and couldn't-commit David Rossi stole our hearts. They were among the early antiheroes in network television. So what that they became ossified.
• Honor early adopters. The programming dealt with taboo-for-television material such as serial killers and presented in detail their often evil genius. It also introduced a zany female character like Penelope Garcia into a law enforcement show. 
• Enjoy satisfaction of the bad guys getting caught. Those were really bad guys and the team never failed, although there were delays. Those required several episodes to get the Unsub. 
• Spirits lifted by selflessness. The BAU was about the right values - duty over ego. 
• Inspiration from reflections on the jet back to headquarters. JJ, who had lost a sister to suicide, noted that life is a brutal teacher but, damn it, we learn.

Hopefully, for many years there will continue to be reruns of the best of "Criminal Minds." Currently, they are on ION. 

Not getting results from your marketing communications? Complimentary consultation – janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Things to Consider When Choosing a Law Firm/Group

Choosing a law firm is not as easy as you may think. You can’t simply pick the first one you come across and expect optimal results. After all, the law firm you choose will be in charge and responsible for your case; the case that you want to win, especially if, for example, you file for a personal injury.

This being said, there are a couple of things that you should look into when choosing a law group or firm. There are various factors that you can keep in mind, regardless of the company that you are looking to hire - and if you are looking into a company such as Mills & Anderson Law Group, for example, you need to ensure that it features the following standards.

Service and Ability

Obviously, a law firm must be capable of providing you with the results you need and deserve. This also implies good, if not perfect, service.

To begin with, you can study the background and credentials of the attorneys who currently work in the firm.

Then, you can move on to reviewing their website and even speak with some of the lawyers in the firm. You should also consider the way you are treated when asking for information, and if your phone calls are returned promptly.

Moreover, experienced and reputable firms will most likely give you the names of some of their former clients so that you can contact them for further references.

Experience

First, check if the law firm has substantial trial experience. If, for example, your personal injury case goes into court, you must be able to rely on the law firm you choose to get you through the proceedings.

You can also check if the firm has a track record of successfully resolving wrongful death cases and personal injury against large corporations, because this aspect is quite important.

Partners

It is recommended that the law group you choose is capable and willing to partner with other lawyers to strengthen your legal team. In most cases, if they can add another lawyer to their team when you are in need, then the law firm is experienced and cares about your case.

Communication with Their Clients

Naturally, the firm and its lawyers must be able to communicate with you efficiently. Avoid law firms that only stick with legalese and don’t provide you with an explanation whenever they use a term that you may not fully understand.

Also, make sure that they can respond to emergencies and return your calls promptly. In short, there should be no occasions in which the law firm is not able to communicate with you!

The Bottom Line

Besides the aforementioned, you should also look into the firm’s know-how, to determine what they are good at. You might want to choose the firm that is experienced in certain types of cases. Naturally, your type of case.

Find the firm that has attorneys who are experienced in the matter you need help with. Also, it goes without saying that certain unique skills, such as negotiation, are mandatory!

Sponsored Content

Law Office, Vancouver, Canada - Marketing Assistant

Details.

JD Class of 2019 Starting Careers in Boston - Beware Carpe Diem Spending/No Saving Ethos

Member of the JD Class of 2019 who landed jobs in Boston are likely euphoric. The law sector is solid and scaling. And, that urban area is young and cool.

The peril is the mindset among the millennials there. Essentially, as Alyssa Giacobbe reports in Boston Magazine, it's the 2109 version of carpe diem: Spend today, don't save, retirement isn't on the radar.

There's plenty in the city and while on vacation to spend on. At the top of the list is the pricey rent. That eats up about more than a third of monthly take-home. Exotic vacations seem mandatory for recharging the batteries. 

Paying down the minimum monthly nut on student loans is plenty and it seem irrelevant that interest is piling up. One in five expect to die in debt.

Even those who took refuge in frugality in law school might find they are plugging into the hedonistic ethos.

It could be there is no choice. New friends want to meet for a drink, A mixed one could cost about $17. And since the city is the national headquarters for higher education, most residents carry student loan debt. There will be no putting up with a lawyer who balks about spending big on a good time because of that. 

But Boston isn't unique in a carefree attitude about money. It is a general characteristic of millennials just about everywhere to be more comfortable with student loan and credit card debt than the generations ahead of them.

Will a severe economic downturn change that? Only time will tell. The brutal recession of the mid 1970s catapulted myriad free spirits from the counterculture to clean up and suit up for a job, any job. 

Not getting results from your marketing communications? Complimentary consultation – janegenova374@gmail.com.

Come the Recession, Lawyers Have Target on Their Backs

So far 2019 is turning out to be no boom 2018. But still, according to Citi Bank Private Bank's Law Firm. it's a good post-recession year.

As reported in Law.com, for the first half, revenue is up 4.1%. But expenses are up 5.9%. One major factor in the uptick in expense is the cost of lawyers. That's beccause of both an increase in headcount and in compensation.

You don't have to be an economist to predict that at the first sign of an economic downturn, there will be painted targets on lawyers' backs.

From The Great Recession, law firms have learned that at the get-go, they better reduce the cost of doing business. That will get them down to their fighting weight, to take on competition for their current clients and new business.

The number floating around is that 10,000 lawyers could lose their jobs in the next economic downturn. Given how easy it is to ease out nonequity partners in stealth layoffs, that estimate may be low.

Not getting results from your marketing communications? Complimentary consultation – janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Chipped Paint - The Crime-Stopping Theory which, Unlike Broken Windows, Could Pan Out

Crime, economic development, and a community's sense of well-being.

Anyone who has lived in a neighborhood on the decline gets the association of that with chipped paint on the houses.

It's obvious.

That piggybacks on the earlier crime-stopping theory of broken windows. But, unlike that theory, this one could really pan out. That's because it's more grassroots. And it is rooted in how people nest.

Community leaders can pilot programs to fix that chipped paint to reduce crime and,on the way, also probably achieve lots of economic progress.

Last weekend I returned to my old neighborhood in the Wilkinsburg section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania metro area. In the early 1980s, I had owned a duplex on Marlboro Avenue. 

No, I didn't encounter broken windows. One property did have boarded up windows. What unhinged me was so many houses had chipped paint. That's so fixable. Instead of going to underdeveloped economies to do good, the well-meaning can volunteer to fix the chipped-paint situation. 

The architecture of the houses in Wilkinburg, as in most of Pittsburgh metro, is beautiful. Those houses are worth saving. But they might not endure if there is a perception of the neighborhood as being a target for crime. Chipped paint can create such a perception. Since I am in the public relations industry, I know perception is everything. 

In the amazing turnaround of old-line city Jersey City, New Jersey, mayor Steve Fulop has focused on reducing crime. Most recently he has installed more video cameras.

But, what if he experimented with a program to fix up the exteriors of houses with chipped paint? I had grown up in Jersey City. There remain sections of that gentrified urban area which still have plenty of housing with chipped paint - and high crime. 

Leaders who get in front of chipped paint could emerge as community superheroes. Do that and the economic developers will come.  Also, saving old housing is totally eco.

Not getting results from your marketing communications? Complimentary consultation – janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Dateline's Robert Durst Special - Susan Berman Steals the Show

Wealthy oddball, Robert Durst is suspected of three murders. 

But, as Dateline focused last night on NBC, he's only being tried for one - Susan Berman's.

The grabber for the highly promoted programming was supposed to be the prerecorded testimony of those in Durst's circle. It will be used in the trial. Their statements, of course, could help the prosecution make its case. The judge is allowing the prosecution to leverage the mosaic of the three murders to try to nail Durst on one. 

Little of that grabbed. Given the enormous media of Durst over the decades, much was predictable. 

What did intrigue was the character of Berman. The child of a big mobster, she didn't fear darkness. In fact, she might have associated it with love and trusted it. That could have been her tragic flaw. 

As happens for many, Berman ran out of money. For that she seemed to turn to Durst. It could have been that she leveraged the help she allegedly gave in covering up the murder of his wife Kathie McCormack.

The prosecution is floating the idea that she was the one who impersonated McCormack in a phone call to the medical school. That could have been to create the narrative that the wife was still alive that morning in Manhattan, leaving Durst off the hook in another part of New York state.

The request for money might have set off alarms in Durst. He could have concluded: Berman was the woman who knew too much and therefore had to go. Of course, he had the financial resources to set up a contract killing. She was offed execution style. If that was staging it was smart. It could create the theory that in her journalism about being daughter of the mob she crossed someone.

The takeaway here could be not to play in the darkness. The creatures in it are not knowable. That is being played out in the popular new television series "Good Girls." Even after she loops out of punishment for everything from robbery to money laundering, Beth not only continues her life of crime. She ups her game. There is no flight back to the conventional safety of being a suburban mom. Darkness generates more darkness. 

If Durst lives to be tried next January - he has cancer - it probably will be the idea of what it means to be a mobster's daughter which hovers over the courtroom. Not only might Berman have been the woman who knew too much. She also seems to have been the woman who assumed she could control the darkness. 

Not getting results from your marketing communications? Complimentary consultation – janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Bloomberg BNA, D.C. - Team Leader for Gov.

Details

U.S. House of Representatives Press Gallery, DC - Assistant Director

Details