Zealous Counsel or Unethical Social Media Maven – How Far Can a Lawyer Go?
Social media has opened a Pandora’s box of information about just about everyone today, including jurors, witnesses, opposing counsel, defendants and plaintiffs. As lawyers we want to leave no stone unturned in pursuing a client’s interest, but just how far can we go without jeopardizing our case? For instance, can counsel (or someone acting at…
Read MoreIfrah Law Report: Johns Hopkins Symposium on Social Costs of Mass Incarceration
On April 28, 2014, Ifrah Law attorneys Jeff Hamlin and Casselle Smith attended a symposium on incarceration presented by The Johns Hopkins University and its Urban Health Institute. The day–long program focused on adverse impacts of mass incarceration and potential strategies for mitigating them and reversing trends toward continued prison growth. Throughout the day, panels…
Read MoreAnother SDNY Judge Finds the U.S. Federal Sentencing Guidelines Wanting
In a sentencing hearing yesterday in the Southern District of New York, yet another judge reached the conclusion that the quasi-mathematical formulaic approach of the United States Sentencing Guidelines fails to account adequately for differences between criminal defendants. But, in this case, the result was to the detriment of the individual being sentenced in that…
Read MoreAre High Frequency Traders Playing Fast and Loose With the Rules?
When high frequency trading (HFT) first crept into the public consciousness, it related to primarily to the question of whether rapid, computer driven trading posed risks to the safety and stability of the trading markets. Now it appears that HFT may have also been a means for some traders to gain a possible illegal advantage.…
Read MoreOffshore Accounts? IRS is Watching
If you have unreported income from offshore accounts, now may be the best time to come forward and report those earnings; otherwise, you may be susceptible to criminal prosecution. The IRS initially began this open-ended Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP) in 2009 and later renewed it in 2011. Due to strong interest from previous years,…
Read MoreMy, What Long Arms You Have, Uncle
Here’s a visual: Uncle Sam extending his arms around the world, reaching out for his citizens, wherever they may be. He may resemble a candy-striped Gumby, with disproportionately long rubbery arms spanning the globe. The visual is not an endearing one to many Americans abroad. They do not see Uncle Sam’s reach as an embrace,…
Read MoreEmployers Seeking to Curb Employee Mobile Phone Use at Work? Don’t Use Illegal Signal Jammer – FCC is “Listening”
Some employers, particularly those in manufacturing, health care, and other situations where mobile phone use could interfere with employee safety, have come up with novel approaches to curbing employees’ uses of mobile phones. While a policy restricting personal phone calls and texting may be acceptable, installation of a signal jammer to prevent employees from accessing…
Read MoreLive Report From iGNA 2014 – Is iGaming The Problem or The Solution?
This afternoon at the iGaming North America 2014 conference an interesting panel, “Visionaries’ Perspective—Is i-Gaming the Problem or the Solution?” explored two vastly divergent viewpoints on online gaming in the United States. The panel was moderated by Steve Lipscomb, the Founder of the World Poker Tour, and featured, Mitch Garber, the CEO Caesars Acquisition Co.…
Read MoreSupreme Court Expands Whistleblower Protection
The U.S. Supreme Court recently held that Sarbanes–Oxley extends whistleblower protection, not just to employees of public companies, but to employees of private contractors and subcontractors that serve public companies. In a 6-3 decision, the Court rejected the First Circuit’s narrow construction of the statute in favor of the Labor Department’s more expansive interpretation. Now…
Read MoreAs the Foreign Accounts Tax Compliance Act Takes Hold, U.S. Sees Expatriates at All-Time High
Are you living the American dream … abroad? If so, you may be considering joining forces with Superman[1] and changing your nationality. You face some unique burdens if you earn a cent while soaking up the sun in Saint Tropez or make a rupee while navigating the marketplace in Mumbai. The most obvious, from a…
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