JD Scoop

Our year-end review takes the form of a thank you note.

Indeed, as 2008 draws to a close we extend thanks to members of the legal community for many reasons. To some of you, our founding members, we say thanks for joining and posting your documents on JD Supra even before our spring launch. The quality of your early work set the standard for what came next!

To others, our power users, we say thank you for uploading copious amounts of top-notch documents, and doing so often.

Thank you to those who've been using JD Supra widgets to stream legal documents off the site, out to your blogs and websites.

Thanks also to those who've integrated our application, JD Supra Docs, into your online presence, streaming documents from JD Supra to your profiles and business pages on Facebook.

To so many, we say thank you for your generous JD Supra advocacy. The kind words and goodwill you've spread on Twitter, blogs, web sites, and elsewhere is deeply appreciated.

(To some - you know who you are - we say thanks for all of the above.)

We're proud of the diversity represented on JD Supra - from large firms to solo practitioners of every stripe, from legal aid to legal support and professional services...

This is a resource built by a community that understands the value of publishing and distributing written work to demonstrate expertise and get noticed online. And so  - incomplete at best, in no particular order - here's a look at just a few of the hundreds of legal professionals who, in numerous ways, have helped to make our first year a great one.

Thank you:

• Marc Stern [Docs]
  
• Ron Coleman [Docs]
• Doug Cornelius [Docs]
• Nicole Black [Docs]
• Adrianos Facchetti [Docs]
• Lisa Solomon [Docs]
• Connie Crosby [Docs]
• David Barrett [Docs]
• D. Todd Smith [Docs]
• Martha Sperry [Docs]
• Erik Magraken [Docs]
• Ed Poll [Docs]
• Christopher Hill [Docs]
• Carl Starrett [Docs]
• Patti Spencer [Docs]
• Robert Holland [Docs]
• Jeffrey Roy [Docs]
• Steve Matthews [Docs]
• Bambi Walters [Docs]
• Mitchell Matorin [Docs]
• Tom Lamb [Docs]
• David Lorenzo [Docs]
• Rick Horowitz [Docs]
• Kenneth Vercammen [Docs]
• Jason Woodward [Docs]
• Amy Becerra [Docs]
• Thomas Clarke [Docs]
• Victoria Pynchon [Docs]
• Gary Kaleita [Docs]
• Venkat Balasubramani [Docs]
• Kevin Heller [Docs]
• Rob Robinson [Docs]
• Gregory Siskind [Docs]
• Patrick McKenna [Docs]
• Bruce W. Marcus [Docs]
• Robert Matthews [Docs]
• Mitchell Matorin [Docs]
• Helene Wasserman [Docs]
• Goldstein & Clegg [Docs]
• Wolfe Law Group [Docs]
• Ford & Harrison [Docs]
• Ober | Kaler [Docs]
• Fenwick & West [Docs]
• Littler Mendelson [Docs]
• Lane Powell [Docs | Attorneys]
• Clark Wilson [Docs]
• Spencer Fane [Docs]
• Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor [Docs]
• Pryor Cashman [Docs]
• Gray Plant Mooty [Docs]
• Morrison & Foerster [Docs]
• Lang Michener [Docs]
• Manatt [Docs]
• Mintz Levin [Docs]
• Duane Morris [Docs]
• Allen Matkins [Docs]
• Pro Bono Net [Docs]
• Electronic Frontier Foundation [Docs]
• CATO Institute [Docs]
• Electronic Privacy Information Center [Docs]
• Texas RioGrande Legal Aid [Docs]

Thank you also to the journalists and bloggers who covered the JD Supra story in 2008. Some of you we mentioned above - also Bob Ambrogi, Carolyn Elefant, Tim Stanley, Ari Kaplan, Jordan Furlong, and others.

It has been a real pleasure to hear reports of our contributors connecting with new clients, media, and colleagues through their participation on JD Supra - and we look forward to facilitating many more connections in the coming year.

Here's to all of you in 2009. We'll see you on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, and in the blogosphere - and we'll see you and your work on JD Supra.

...

The year in review:

- Lawyers Open Their File Cabinets for a Web Resource

- A Revolution in Online Legal Content

- Stay Informed: JD Supra Legal Digests via Email (also: latest digest)

- Expand Your Online Reach with RSS and Widgets

- Legal Documents on Twitter (JD Supra News Feeds)

- JD Supra Unveils Online Repository of Legal Analysis on the Financial Crisis

- Stream Your Legal Docs and Info on Facebook

Here's an introduction to some of the latest lawyers and law firms to be publishing their great work on JD Supra. We're thrilled to have them on the site:

	Richard Mokler - Practicing civil litigation and marital & family law in Tampa, Florida...
	Dickinson Mackman Tyler & Hagen - focused on emerging industries and the opportunities they present for the firm's clients. The firm has a large concentration of clients in highly regulated industries that benefit from Dickinson's proximity to numerous governmental entities through its branch office in Washington, D.C...
	Probono.net - a national nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing access to justice through innovative uses of technology and increased volunteer lawyer participation...
	Robert Louis - attorney at Saul Ewing, providing business succession planning,  estate planning and administration, trusts & estates litigation, and employee benefits & retirement distribution planning services...
	Hissey Kientz - experienced in medical mass tort law, including representing those who contracted mesothelioma or lung cancer as a result of asbestos exposure, and those injured by the Ortho Evra patch, Trasylol, the Composix Kugel mesh patch, the Duragesic patch (fentanyl), gadolinium MRI contrast dyes or other defective drugs and devices...
	J. Nichole Oblinger - a transactional and litigation attorney at Boates & Crump, whose practice focuses on business law, business litigation & disputes, real estate & property, family law, and misdemeanor criminal matters...
	Michael Iacopino - represents individuals and corporations in criminal, civil and administrative proceedings in the state courts of New Hampshire, before state administrative agencies, and in the federal courts. Serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and is the Immediate Past President of the New Hampshire Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers...
	The Law Offices of Matthew T. Marin -  defends individuals charged with a variety of felony and misdemeanor crimes such as DUI, drug crimes, domestic violence, assault, sex crimes, and conspiracy...
	Jane Lambert - a barrister (UK) specializing in intellectual property, technology, media and entertainment and competition law...       Tamera Bennett - represents clients throughout Texas and Tennessee in entertainment, trademark and copyright law related matters. The primary focus of Tamera’s entertainment practice is music publishing catalog administration. She works extensively with “estate” clients in reclamation of copyrights under the 1909 Copyright Act and licensing of song and master catalogs...     Law & Mediation Offices of Joy Rosenthal - help people resolve family-based conflicts through mediation and collaborative practice when couples are separating or divorcing, or when families are grieving the loss of a loved one...   Darrin Mish - a tax attorney whose practice focuses on representing clients across the United States with IRS problems. His passion is providing IRS help to taxpayers with both individual and payroll tax problems. He also provides training to attorneys, CPAs and enrolled agents how to handle their toughest cases with the IRS ...

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Looking for an effective way to showcase your expertise to an online audience?

Join JD Supra, build a professional profile, and start posting your legal documents today.

The JD Supra repository includes an ever-growing collection of law practice content from top-notch providers of legal support services. In addition to being searchable on the site, these articles are available via RSS feed and widgets, as well as in our @Law_Practice Twitter stream.

Here's a roundup of some of the newest law practice support providers to be sharing their work on JD Supra. We thank them for participating:

	Nancy Hopp - partnership manager, CT Summation: a pioneer and innovator in litigation support solutions, gives litigators innovative tools and support needed to gain control over every piece of critical data related to a case...
	Justia.com - dedicated to providing free legal information online (also provides website, blog and SEO services).  Founder Tim Stanley shares his very own legal analysis...
	Steve Matthews - the founder of Stem Legal, a company that helps law firms build their online presence and increase web-driven business. Steve has been sharing his wisdom with JD Supra for  a while now - and it's great to also see his work on the site.
	David Lorenzo - Founder and Chairman of DLorenzo Business Advisors, an advisory group that works directly with attorneys and independent professionals on Business Strategy, Sales, Marketing, and Work-Life Balance. In this role, his team helps solo practitioners, small groups of attorneys, and large firms...
	Patrick McKenna - principal at Edge International and an internationally recognized authority on law practice management, Patrick has, since 1983, worked with the top management of premier law firms around the globe to discuss, challenge, and escalate their thinking on how to manage and compete effectively...
	PinPoint Labs - and parent company Pivotal Guidance, Inc. address many of the issues facing forensically sound file collection, preservation, and EED processing...
	Rob Robinson - Vice President of Marketing at Orange Legal Technologies, provider of eDiscovery services....
	M. Hedayat - attorney and legal technology consultant...
---- Related: -Law Practice News (Twitter) -Law Practice News (Facebook)	Francine McKenna - has more than twenty years of experience in business development, client relationship management, and project delivery in a range of industries in the professional services environment. She leads McKenna Partners LLC, a specialized consultancy, advising other professional services firms, especially those that have interests in Mexico and South America.....   Martha Sperry - Advantage Advocates: provides legal research, writing, editing, ghostwriting, article drafting, firm marketing, professional bios and support services to the legal and general business communities.

Congrats to Tim Stanley, Stacy Stern, and the whole team at Justia on the official launch of their free legal directory. Check it out at lawyers.justia.com.

The directory has a comprehensive listing of not only lawyers, but firms and non-profit organizations. (We at JD Supra are big supporters of these institutions). More than that, if you support certain other organizations, like Cornell, that provide free access to legal information - you can get a special badge on your profile.

Further, JD Supra contributors can automatically stream the documents they post on JD Supra into their profiles on Justia - a perfect combination - and yet one more way to distribute your work to a wide audience online.

(As you know, Justia has long promoted free access to legal information with its online collection of decisions and other documents directly from the courts. JD Supra provides a platform for the legal community to freely share the wealth of useful content it generates - with direct attribution.)

Tim and Stacy truly are Web gurus - not to mention two of the sweetest, most generous people I know.  I highly recommend that all of our users  "claim" their profiles on Justia. It's fast, easy & free - and offers a great way to expand your online presence. (And, if you are looking for more exposure -  Justia also provides free websites, and other services like blogging platforms and  SEO consulting).

We've seen a number of noteworthy filings posted recently on JD Supra. Here are three from unfolding news stories that continue to capture the headlines:

- US v. Rod R. Blagojevich and John Harris (Criminal Complaint Against Illinois Governor Blagojevich)

Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested on corruption charges this last Tuesday, including trying to sell the Senate seat vacated by fellow Democrat President-elect Barack Obama, federal prosecutors said. Patrick Fitzgerald, US attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, said the charges "allege that Blagojevich put a 'for sale' sign on the naming of a United States senator; involved himself personally in pay-to-play schemes with the urgency of a salesman meeting his annual sales target; and corruptly used his office in an effort to trample editorial voices of criticism." The complaint comes to us via Doug Cornelius.

- In re: Tribune Company, Petition for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

With estimated assets and liabilities in excess of $1 billion, media conglomerate Tribune Company owns several properties, including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and the KSWB television station in San Diego. (The company also owns the Chicago Cubs.) Petition comes to us courtesy of JD Supra contributor and bankruptcy attorney Carl H. Starrett II. (Attorneys of record in the case: James Conlan of Sidley Austin and Norman Pernick of Cole, Schotz, Meisel, Forman & Leonard.)

- Request of Defendant Roman Polanski To Dismiss This Prosecution (People of the State of California v. Roman Raymond Polanski)

New from Top-10 JD Supra contributor Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, a request to dismiss the 30-year-old criminal case against director Roman Polanski for "unlawful sexual intercourse." The request is based on the claim that judicial and prosecutorial misconduct had so distorted the legal process that the interests of justice can only be served with the complete dismissal of the case.

Lawyers Chad Hummel, of Manatt, and Bart Dalton issued the following statement about the public filing:

The release of the documentary film, ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED, and its aftermath, have revealed a pattern of misconduct and improper communications between the Superior Court and the District Attorney’s Office, in violation of the rule of law and without the knowledge of the defendant or his counsel.

This case serves as a classic example of how our justice system can be abused, and defendants’ rights trampled, by an unholy alliance between courts and criminal prosecutors.

Related documents also available:

• the Declaration of Douglas Dalton (attorney for Polanski in the original proceedings)  with exhibits that include:
  • transcripts from the 1977 case;
  • the probation officer's report;
  • the joint statement of Attorney Dalton and former Deputy District Attorney Roger Gunson expressing their shared view that the Los Angeles Superior Court engaged in "inappropriate handling of the Polanski case."
  • a letter from the attorney representing the family of the 13 year old girl involved in the Polanski case, urging the court to accept the parties' plea bargain in order to protect the girl's privacy;
  • a 1997 letter from the victim of the abuse exhorting the court to resolve the Polanski matter and stating her opinion "as the victim of this crime, that the 42 days he [Polanski] has already served is excessive"  and that it is "apparent that he [Polanksi] was not being treated fairly."
• the Declaration of Chad Hummel, which includes a transcript of the documentary ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED;
• the Declaration of Diana Kwok, attorney at Manatt, attesting that  the Superior Court has identified the official file in the case of People v. Polanski as "missing" as of 1994

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Related:

- JD Supra Hot Docs: noteworthy court filings, decisions, newsletters, alerts, and articles shared here by JD Supra's diverse group of legal professionals.

- JD Supra News Feeds: Legal Documents on Twitter