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The Last of the Golden Swindlers - Wall Street Journal

Thomas F. Quinn's alleged aliases have included Georgios Samaras, Robert Dzigi, Tasos Douros and Pele Lechien. "Chien" is French for dog and Pele was supposedly the name of a Quinn pooch. Even in the face of authorities, Mr. Quinn remained ...

truesee's Blog - Lottery Post

Authorities were trying to determine Friday how an 8-year-old boy obtained a loaded handgun that was found in his backpack by school police after he made threats toward a classmate. The third-grader at Sharp-Leadenhall Elementary School, a small ...

Palo Alto murder defendant hires Geragos - San Jose Mercury News

Palo Alto hookah shop owner Bulos "Paul" Zumot, charged with murder and arson in the October death of his 29-year-old girlfriend Jennifer Schipsi, has dumped San Jose-based private defense attorney Cameron Bowman in favor of celebrity lawyer Mark ...

Potential Awaits Polk Rail Stop Area - The Ledger

"There's limited development (potential) at Orlando International Airport or at Disney,'' real estate lawyer Mike Bedke told those attending a high-speed rail conference Friday. Bedke, who is a partner at DLA Piper in Tampa, was among the panelists ...

On TV: Floyd implies Manny and Mosley are cheaters (video) - Examiner

Lesson #1: In the Philippines, nice guys finish first. Lesson #2: In America, nice guys finish last. Now repeat until your dying days. Lesson #3: Life isn't fair. This law is inviolable - to gods and devils alike. All action is of the mind, and the ...

Travel Picks: Top 10 famous movie hotels - KPNews.com

NEW YORK, March 5 (Reuters Life!) - While most travellers can only dream of getting an Oscar or being on the silver screen, anyone can pretend to be star at U.S. hotels where countless movie scenes have been shot. Travel firm TripAdvisor (http://www ...

Menifee overpaid law firm, contractor - Riverside Press Enterprise

Menifee officials are trying to pinpoint how the city overpaid the city attorney's firm about $74,000 over a six-month period and a street maintenance contractor about $11,000 over the past 11 months. The errors began coming to light in January when ...

Filing for H-1Bs workers - Manila Bulleting Online

The April 1st H-1B filing date is approaching fast. As discussed in our previous articles, the H-1B visa is subject to an annual cap of 65,000. An additional 20,000 H1B visas are allocated to alien workers who obtained their master's degree in the US ...

$12.5 Million Awarded To Victim Of Sexual Assault In Santa Clarita - Santa Clarita Radio

After a five-week trial, a Los Angeles Superior Court jury awarded 94 year-old Sophie Schwartz $6 million in general damages and $6.5 million in punitive damages following a 2007 sexual assault at a senior living facility in Santa Clarita. Schwartz ...

Prosecution in KB Home Backdating Case Takes a New Tack: Personal Gain - Law.com

In his last three years as chief executive officer of KB Home, Bruce Karatz made $232 million, most of it from stock options of the high-flying homebuilder. But many more options were backdated so that Karatz could pocket millions of dollars in ...

Resolved Question: How can I obtain a "Green Collar" job in the Environmental Law field?

I'm 22 and I'm totally confused. I'm finishing up a paralegal program at my school. I obviously want to become a paralegal but I want to work for an environmental company (legal department). How do I go about this? I want to do some "Erin Brokovich" stuff. I live in Los Angeles and I know California from all states in the U.S., is the "greenest" as far as technology and ideas go. I just don't know where to apply. I hate it because I have such a passion for the environment and I want to put it to use but I can't seem to find anything online for jobs. I haven't been able to locate anything or anyone to help me. My college counselor doesn't know either. I even went as far as to e-mailing a random employee of Greenpeace for advice but no response. Can anyone help or give me any suggestions? I don't want to end up working for a worker's comp. law firm or anything not related to helping the environment. more

Resolved Question: Is this legal America appeal Aiding and abetting with sales that benefits fired illegal aliens?

Is this legal America appeal "Justice for illegals Immigrants sales benefits fired illegals with either fake, made up or stolen documents ?It was a holiday sale for a singular group of beneficiaries -- illegal immigrants who had been thrown out of work. "It makes me feel less guilty for buying all this stuff," said Dolores Arellano, 19, one of more than 1,000 shoppers who thronged Saturday to the parking lot of American Apparel in downtown Los Angeles. The trendy, L.A.-based clothier sponsored the "Justice for Immigrants" event to benefit some 1,600 employees let go in recent months after federal inspections uncovered discrepancies in their immigration documentation. All the proceeds from the sale will go to the families of the dismissed workers and to organizations representing immigrants, said Peter Schey, an attorney for American Apparel in the immigration case. American Apparel has been a strong proponent of changes in immigration law that would allow many illegal immigrants to attain lawful status. One of its bestselling items is a T-shirt bearing the Legalize LA logo, a motto that also appears on a massive banner adorning the firm's plant in the garment district. Saturday's pre-Christmas sale featured discounts of up to 85% on shirts, sweaters, dresses and sundry other items. The crowd was larger than expected, and workers were constantly carting in boxes of new clothing to be placed on racks and bins spread across the parking lot, flea-market style. Some shoppers waited more than an hour to get in; later, they faced a half-hour wait to pay. The policy was cash only, no returns. Some shoppers were on board with the sale's pro-immigrant thrust. "You're buying things at a good price, but it's for a good cause," Robyn Ybarra, 22, said as she and friends picked through the racks. "I'm for immigration reform." Others seemed more attracted by the prices than the charity. "Everybody's entitled to their opinions, but I feel people should come here legally and by the rules, like we did," said Sahara Ayineh, 19, who said she emigrated from Iran with her family. Her sister, Saba Ayineh, said the prices were favorable compared with those at retail stores. "American Apparel is usually over-priced," she said after purchasing an armful of new clothes. "This is more reasonable." Among the crowds picking through the bins were American Apparel employees and friends of the dismissed workers. "Many of our colleagues have lost their jobs, so it's good to know this will be a help for them," said Carmen Garcia, 37, a native of El Salvador. "It's very hard for them to find jobs now." Although the Obama administration has mostly ended the high-profile work-site immigration raids endorsed by the Bush White House, it has stepped up federal document audits of companies and workers. Firms found to have workers whose documentation does not match official records may be subject to sanctions if they don't act. Supporters call the audits a humane way to enforce immigration law, without the disruption of raids. But critics call the audits inhumane "desktop raids" that still force low-income immigrants out of work. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-apparel20-2009dec20,0,5888971.story more

Resolved Question: Would you have terminated me?

1970-I've been working about a year for a huge law firm.in downtown Los Angeles as a mail clerk. We just moved the office to this huge 100 story building. The new personnel director wants to see me in his office. I don't know why,but I knew I was in trouble,:) He sits me down,.hands me my paycheck, and says right off: I have to let you go. Of course I ask why. The problems were I didn't always were my suit coat and that my hair was way to long. After going back and forth, I get my job back. We shake hands and as I'm leaving I say: If you can't beat them, join them. BANG-- Loudly he says(with my back turned) your fired. And that was that. Do you think that was such a bad thing to say? Would you have fired me for this comment? And what do I harp to my grand kids about Think before you speak. My first adult life sesson Just keep smilingHere-in lies a valuable lesson I learned in life. that I can laugh about But-- Why can't some of you? Sure glad though, there are still some class acts in here thanks.. more

Resolved Question: Do illegal aliens have the right to "demand" Obama stop e-verify and other programs?

Is this not the intention of the crackdown on employers who hire illegal aliens? Should obama worry about citizens being out of work or these illegal aliens? Do you agree it is insulting for them to 'demand' anything? XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Out-of-work Undocumented Migrants Seek End to Crackdown Sept. 8, 2009 Ivan Mejia--EFE Hundreds of undocumented workers who recently lost their jobs are asking the government to stop taking a "hard line" on immigration policy and to offer a solution to the desperate situations of many of them. "We're demanding that (President Barack) Obama stop the application of a hard line on existing immigration laws," Nativo Lopez, the head of the Mexican American Political Association, told Efe. Lopez said that more than 2,200 undocumented workers recently have been fired from several manufacturing firms in Los Angeles. "The majority of the people don't know it, but Obama has the executive discretion to put a stop to the verification of employment documents, E-Verify, and the sending of letters of Social Security discrepancies," the activist said. The E-Verify system compares the information on the Employment Eligibility Verification Form, or I-9, against government databases to confirm that a prospective employee has the legal right to work in the United States. Unions, business groups and defenders of immigrants' rights say that despite improvements, E-Verify is still prone to errors. Among the companies that laid off workers is American Apparel, a clothing manufacturer that is pushing a campaign supporting immigration reform on T-shirts with the message in English "Legalize LA" and which this month will lay off 1,500 workers from whom the government is demanding proof of the validity of their documents. Marina Andrade, American Apparel's representative, told Efe that "the workers are like our family and it affects us greatly to think that they're not going to have (money) to pay the rent or for food. Therefore, we're asking President Obama to quickly approve immigration reform." "What the government is doing is as if it were cutting off our arms," Esther Hernandez, 32, one of the workers dismissed by American Apparel, told Efe. Olga Casta??eda, 39, said that the firings are a sign of "the oppression of the labor that the country needs by the government." "We're asking the government if, for the moment, it's not going to approve immigration reform to stop pressuring employers to throw out workers," she said. Alexander Auerbach, a member of the board of directors for frozen food packing firm Overhill Farms, in southern Los Angeles, told Efe that the Internal Revenue Service conducted an audit of payrolls for 2006 and found that out of 1,000 workers 260 had inconsistencies in their documents. Because of that, last April the Social Security Administration sent letters to the employers informing them that some of the Social Security numbers of their workers were invalid. "The government was telling us that these people are not here legally and, therefore, we, the company, like the workers, were going to face legal action," Auerbach said. more

Resolved Question: Should our government accept "letters of refusal" for deportee's who have felony convictions?

Should the U.S. start forbidding these embassy's, diplomats etc... from stopping deportations? Is five years enough penalty for allowing convicted felons to remain here on our streets by giving them false documentation? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I.C.E. News Release July 28, 2009 Ex-Armenian diplomat among 5 charged in scheme to allow illegal immigrants to stay in U.S. Defendants accused of selling documents to help convicted felons avoid deportation LOS ANGELES - The former Armenian Consul in Los Angeles and a Beverly Hills immigration attorney are among five people arrested last night and this morning on federal criminal charges following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) into allegations they obtained and sold to illegal aliens documents called "letters of refusal," which allowed those illegal aliens to avoid deportation. Issued by embassies and consulates, a letter of refusal states that a country will not issue a travel document for a particular individual, essentially blocking that person's deportation to that nation. According to the criminal charges that led to this week's arrests, the five defendants sold official letters of refusal from the Armenian consulate for as much as $35,000. Those letters prevented the removal of the Armenian nationals to Armenia. The investigation revealed that many of those who purchased the letters were Armenian nationals facing deportation after being convicted in the United States of felony offenses. The defendants, who are named in four separate criminal complaints, are accused of obstructing proceedings before a department or agency, namely ICE. All five were taken into custody by ICE during the last 24 hours and are expected to make their initial appearances this afternoon in U. S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles. Those charged are: •Norair Ghalumian, 52, of Burbank, Calif., the Armenian Consul in Los Angeles from 1999 through 2003, who was arrested this morning; •Hakop Hovanesyan, 54, of Glendale, Calif., a former employee at the Armenian Consulate in Los Angeles and current operator of Regency Travel in Glendale, who was arrested last night; •Margarita Mkrtchyan, 41, of Glendale, Calif., an immigration attorney for Inman and Associates law firm in Beverly Hills, Calif., who was arrested last night; •Oganes Nardos, 36, of Valencia, Calif., a substance abuse counselor, who was arrested this morning; and •Elvis Madatyan, 47, of Glendale, Calif, who was arrested this morning. The charge of obstructing ICE proceedings carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.accept from convicted felons, wow, you advocates are for any crimes illegal aliens do. more

Resolved Question: I'm getting two job offers. How important is it to work at a big company to get ahead in an accounting career?

I dont exactly love what i do (accounting). I do it for whatever much i can make. I just graduated with a degree in Econ and minor in math in December 2008 and i am not yet 22. My strongest interest is the arts and i like to spend my evenings doing theater work. I have two job offers in my hand right now. One of them is a Client Finance Reporting Accountant position from an employment agency at one of the big law firms in downtown los angeles. I get paid 45,000 yearly there, and it is salaried, so overtime is a good possibility, specially during November, January and February. I've been warned that the boss is a very difficult person to work with. It comes with the perks that you usually get while working at a big firm. The other company is a small law firm in Orange County, where i get to work the traditional 7-8 hours per day, i am done with work at 5, and then i get to go home and get on with my life. I get paid 13 hourly for now; there is not that much training involved, i am an accounting assistant, so it is kinda related to what i've done so far. Everyone in my family is telling me to go for the bigger offer, but i know that it won't allow me to pursue my dream. If i don't go, then i feel like i cheated myself out of "career" growth opportunity. I see my other accountant friends working at such positions and i feel that I do not want to live like that. Am i just lazy? I would not mind working even 10- 12 hours daily if it was something that i liked to do, like theater work or painting. Does the regular 9 to 5 not cut it anymore for most finance/ accounting jobs? more

Resolved Question: Which idea sounds the best?

Which idea sounds the best? Ok... I have a couple of plans for myself to pursue in the future which would be my dream life... basically... Join the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and save about a thousand a month (LA Sheriffs make a starting salary of 4702.45 and it goes up after about 6 months and raises and so on etc)... Go to school while I am a Deputy and get my degree in ..... (now this is the part I need help in because I am definetley going to the sheriffs department) A. Go to school while I am a Sheriff's Deputy and get my four year degree in Business and then go to law school and get a law degree(law school is three years) a few year after I get my four year degree. B Go to school and get my four year degree in Real Estate and then go on to Law School C.Get my degree in Criminal Justice and then go to law school(My biggest problem with this choice is that I eventually want to own my own Real Estate Development business or my own Law Firm and I need business skills and Criminal Justice does that no help) I want to either own my own Real Estate Development Business or Law Firm eventually. The reason I plan on going to law school a few years after I get my degree is because I want to be in Law Enforcement for a while before I move on to something else... Which do you guys think is the best choice? more

Voting Question: whats wrong with this picture ?

case in point: federal magistrate margret nagle during a settlement conference offered four plaintiffs(tucker v. city of los angeles) one million dollars in form of settlement. tucker case details lots of corruption; for example: detective marie p. farrell forged the judges signature on a search and arrest warrant- may 05, 1999. now, for those who do not know, nagle stated " don't worry about what the city(los angeles) has to say, i can make a phone call in order to by-pass any red-tape; not to worry". case in point, federal magistrate can not offer plaintiffs money-cash settlement. that has to come from the city of los angeles; not the federal magistrate. when nagle did not get satisfaction, her temper exploded with a serious of insults and threats such as your crazy, out of your mind; youre nothing but a jew. and that they can and will arrest you, all of you. nagle further stated "that anything said in chambers or my court will not be recorded- no proof ".nagle also stated "that she had helped judge wiseman falsify legal court documents in order to protect not only wiseman and farrell, but obviously herself as well". you talk about a star chamber. keep in mind that magistrate nagle is under federal judge terry hatter. a team effort if you will-partners in crime. why would the city go through so much effort in order to conceal this abomination to law ? something is very wrong in los angeles; especially in the federal court system. the offer of money establishes guilt. it proves their guilt.under rico, the original asking price of 15 million would be times three or 45 million plus prison incarceration which is 25 years/violation for the guilty. also, when the tucker case was logged into the system, the asking price was left at zero, but all the other cases had an asking price. los angeles wanted to keep the case off radar from the public.nagles clerks on nagles word will make certain case items disappear. terry hater has an obligation to the constitution as does nagle, but you would never know it. remember, magistrate can not offer money. her position was to mediate only between the plaintiffs and the city attorney. helping nagle was our attorney chrystall bobbitt who was offered grat in terms of money and a job with a particular law firm that only dealt with immigration at the time. so, whats wrong with this picture ? more

Resolved Question: Will there be decent employment prospects for an entertainment lawyer, and is this area interesting?

I live in Los Angeles, and I'm considering going to law school. I want to go to UCLA or USC, and both have recently incorporated an entertainment law section into their law schools. This seems like it would be a pretty interesting area of law to go into, even though a lot of it would deal with contracts. Despite this, would it be easier to get a job in this particular section of law? I've never heard about many entertainment lawyers, since most go into corporate, civil lit, labor, criminal, or tax law. So would it be less competitive? And how much could you probably make starting out in Los Angeles to a medium or large firm? Thanks for any help! more

Resolved Question: Is there a pretty large demand for lawyers still?

I'm considering declaring business or political science as a major, since I want to become a lawyer. However, my mother is also a lawyer (criminal law), and said that these days, lawyers are a dime a dozen, and that it will be VERY difficult to get a spot at a firm, and/or be hired as an associate. I live in Los Angeles, if that helps any, but is there still a pretty good demand for lawyers, especially pertaining to entertainment and criminal law? more

Resolved Question: How much would a lawyer make starting out in Los Angeles?

I live in Los Angeles obviously, and I am considering going into law, possible entertainment or criminal law. In a medium- to large-sized firm, how much could I expect to make? more

Resolved Question: Is there a high demand for paralegals in Los Angeles, CA?

I have just recently gotten my A.S. degree as a paralegal. Although I have been working at a litigation law firm in Baton Rouge for 5 years as a legal assistant. I am really considering moving and would love to move to LA, what is the demand and usual salary in LA for someone with my experience? more

Resolved Question: Misdemeanor DUI and Expungements?

Hi, I wanted to know about how expungements work. My brother got a misdemeanor DUI last year. It's been a bit over a year. I believe his probation for 3 years but all the other activities needed be done are completed like fines, schools, meetings, etc. To hire a lawyer/law firm, how much should it roughly cost? Does my bro have to go to court to get off probation early first? Do they/ Can they do that for him? What is the process? We'd prefer someone to do it, since he just started working ever since the incident and would prefer not to take time off for such things. I'm sure it's time consuming. This is for CA, Los Angeles. Appreciate the help! more

Resolved Question: please check my cover letter?

Can you guys help me check my cover letter? It’s for a receptionist or executive assistant position at a law firm. Dear Sir or Madam: I would like to apply for the position of receptionist for your law office in Pasadena. My passion for the legal profession runs deep. Ever since I was a child I have been fascinated with the law and have always believed in what it stands for. I will be starting my paralegal studies this summer and would like firsthand experience working for a busy law firm. Although no experience with law itself, I have ample experience as an executive assistant for a major international trading firm in downtown Los Angeles. As an associate of the firm my main goals and responsibilities where to without fail execute the organization of the company and its CEO’s tight calendar. Dealing with executive level clients daily, I know what is expected and what is needed for great customer service. As an associate of an international firm I was given the task of vendor relations with China manufactures, acting as a liaison and translator between China, the firm, and its clients. I believe in bringing professionalism and hard work into the work place and that is what I offer my employers. I thank you for your time and consideration and look forward to meeting with you to discuss how my employment will benefit your firm. Please contact me at (xxx) xxx-xxxx Sincerely, Eric Chan Enclosure more

Resolved Question: Dems/Libs...Will the truth set you free?

THE TRUTH WILL SET U FREE 1. The American people elect a black president with a total of 142 days experience as a US Senator from the most politically-corrupt state in America whose governor is ousted from office. The President's first official act is to order the close of Gitmo and make sure terrorists civil rights are not violated. (He screwed up!!) 2. The U.S. Congress rushes to confirm a black Attorney General, Eric Holder, whose law firm we later find out represents seventeen Gitmo Terrorists. (An honest mistake!) 3. The CIA Boss appointee, Leon Panetta, has absolutely no experience , has a daughter Linda we find out, who is a true radical anti-American activist and a supporter of all the Anti-American regimes in the western hemisphere. (There were socio-economic factors involved!) 4. We got the most corrupt female in America as Secretary of State; bought and paid for. (You can put lipstick on a pig, but it will still have cankles!) 5. We got a Tax Cheat for Treasury Secretary who files his own taxes. (He misspoke!) < div> 6. A Commerce Secretary nominee who withdrew due to corruption charges. (Another honest mistake???) 7. A Tax cheat nominee for Chief Performance Officer who withdrew under charges. (Hmmm... another screw-up?) 8. A Labor Sec'y nominee who withdrew under charges of unethical conduct. (Ok, maybe this person was just plain stupid) 9. A Sec'y HHS nominee who withdrew under charges of cheating on his taxes.. (I'm running out of excuses for these idiots!!) 10. Multiple appointments of former lobbyists after an absolute campaign statement that no lobbyists would be appointed. (Dear God, I need a drink!) And that's just the first three weeks. . . but who's counting? America is being run by the modern-day Three Stooges ~ Barrack, Nancy , and Hilary ~ and they are still trying to define stimulus..."it's spending"...AND FOR US IN NEVADA LET'S NOT LEAVE OUT HARRY REID-DEE The congress passes the $800,000,000,000 (that's $800 billion) pork loaded=2 0spending bill where the government gives you a smidgen of your tax dollars ($13 per week) making you feel so good about yourself [stimulated] that you want to run out to Wal-Mart and buy a new Chinese-made HDTV and go home and watch Telemundo! And how about those 9000 earmarks that Obamaramadingdong said he would not support? I guess he just forgot to read the bill before he signed it. (Make it a double!) Yee-haw!!! Only in America , what a country... We are lost... Here's the good news though... Obama took Air Force One to Denver to sign the stimulus package, wasting as much as 10,000 gallons of fuel. And then He took it to Los Angeles to appear on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, all on taxpayer money. I guess our money is no object! Don't you just love this guy? In these times "I'll keep my God, my freedom, my gun and my money. You can keep! "THE CHANGE". more

Resolved Question: Which law school should I go to? Loyola (in Los Angeles), Chapman, Univ. of San Diego, or ASU law school?

Things to consider: 1) Chapman offered me a 90% scholarship and I could also live at home if I wanted to so I could save even more. 2) I really love the San Diego area. 3) ASU is the highest ranked school of the four. 4) I'm not sure if I want to work at a firm or for the public defenders so I don't want to be limited by a burdensome loan to pay off nor by going to low ranked school. more

Resolved Question: I NEED VERY GOOD LEGAL MALPRACTICE ATTORNEY IN LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA I HAVE $1000000.00 CASE REAL ESTATE MATT?

I NEED VERY GOOD LEGAL MALPRACTICE ATTORNEY IN LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA I HAVE $1000000.00 CASE REAL ESTATE MATT? I HAVE LEGAL MALPRACTICE CASE AGAINST ATTORNEY IN LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA THE ATTORNEY ADMITTED WRONG DOING AND DID IMPROPER SETTLEMENT IF YOU AND YOUR LAW FIRM OR ANY ONE YOU KNOW HANDLE THESE TYPE OF CASES PLEASE CONTACT ME ASAP. MY ATTORNEY HAS LEGAL MALPRACTICE INSURANCE. more

Resolved Question: What happens if no one is home when they come to subpoena?

I believe there is a law firm that will be filing suit against me for a school loan issue that we have not been able to resolve over the phone. Two attempts to offer to pay monthly resulted in them hanging up on me so I'm fully expecting a process server to arrive at my door any day now. My question is about what happens if I'm not home when they come? We are not home very much during the day so will they just leave it at the door or in the mailbox? I'm anxious to get this overwith and it's driving me nuts just waiting to see what happens. :( BTW, I'm in Los Angeles, CA, if it makes a difference. Thanks for your feedback. more

Resolved Question: What happens if I'm not home when they come to subpoena?

Resolved Question: {{MJ Fans}} Would you believe this is happening AGAIN to Michael?

A Torrance law firm has once again emerged the victor in a protracted court battle with pop star Michael Jackson over unpaid legal fees. The 2 nd District Court of Appeal issued an opinion Monday favoring Ayscough & Marar, which represented Jackson on various civil matters around the time he was on trial for child molestation in 2005. However, Jackson beat it before paying the $217,000 bill. Ayscough & Marar sued Jackson and two of his companies in Torrance Superior Court. Just as the case was to go to trial before a downtown Los Angeles judge in June 2007, Jackson agreed to pay what he owed, plus interest. Then, Jackson appealed, claiming Judge James Chalfant wrongly denied his quest to postpone the trial. "It made no sense," Brent Ayscough said in a telephone interview Tuesday. "How do you appeal something you agreed to pay?" A message left for Jackson's attorney, Thomas Mundell, was not immediately returned. In addition to the legal fees, Jackson also agreed to pay $175,000 to cover Ayscough & Marar's expenses for suing Jackson, Ayscough said. At the time of Jackson's appeal, he had paid the firm approximately $440,000. Ayscough said they will likely file a motion to recoup the costs of fighting the appeal, too. Ayscough said that his firm was hired through Jackson's brother and then business manager, Randy Jackson - who remains a longtime client of the firm. "We were turned over his civil cases," Ayscough said. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Advertisement -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "There were quite a few." At the time, Jackson was defending himself against accusations that he sexually molested a young boy at his Neverland Ranch in Santa Maria. Jackson was acquitted of the charges. The judge in Santa Maria had issued a gag order in that case, and various news organizations were fighting it. Ayscough & Marar fought mostly successfully to keep the information related to the criminal case out of the media, and also dealt with other civil cases. Once case was brought by Jackson's former business associate, porn producer F. Marc Schaffel, over more than $1.4 million in unpaid royalties and loans from various collaborations. At first, the legally embattled King of Pop paid his bills. Then, he stopped. "I said, 'If you don't pay us, we're gonna quit,'" Ayscough said. The firm sued in February 2006 and Jackson countersued, claiming his former lawyers wrongly threatened to reveal information related to the criminal trial if he didn't pay. Chalfant dismissed the cross complaint. Ayscough & Marar won a court ruling that ordered Jackson to participate in a deposition. He went, but then, inexplicably, left before it was over. Chalfant had found that Jackson failed to submit other information in the case and refused to delay the trial so Jackson's attorney could remedy the situation or continue negotiating a settlement. Ayscough & Marar isn't the only law firm who has chased after Jackson for unpaid bills. According to E! Online, the firm Wachtel & Massey quit a New York breach of contract case when Jackson stopped paying the bills, although Jackson claims he fired them. In addition, Los Angeles entertainment firm Lavely & Singer sued Jackson in 2006 for more than $113,000 in unpaid legal fees, E! Online reported. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Michael should send somebody to find that DA who prosecuted him on those bogus charges and rob his house or office to pay for the bills. That DA (like pretty much all DA's ) do not care if charges are so ludicrous, they still prosecute and have no problem looking in the mirror. If they accused a blind and deaf 100 year old elderly woman of being a armed robber holding up 7 Eleven's, they would still prosecute that. F*** the government and F*** everyone who tried to destroy this good person for trying to be a friend to children. If he really was a molester, do you think Macaulay Culkin would still talk to him, after all, he disowned his father for the bully he was, but Michael was always there for him as a friend. No wonder Michael left this sick country after what the government tried to do to him. Someone maybe should trash the Da's office to pieces, or commit ID theft against all DA's to pay for the bills Michael now has to endure. more

Resolved Question: What is life like in Los Angeles?

I'm going to Los Angeles in march for one week. Im not going on vacation i'm going because the law firm I work for in chicago is sending me their because the LA office is short staffed and has an enormous caseload so they need legal assistants. What I really want to know is how diffrent is los angeles from the midwest and is it like what you'd see in the movies. Another thing I would like to know is does traffic really get as bad as people say. more

Resolved Question: Can someone help me figure out who this company is before I submit a resume?

I'm interested in changing jobs and have been researching openings. I've come across this one which looks very interesting to me, but I want to craft the resume & cover letter specific for this company [and also do some research on them]. Can someone help me figure out who this company might be? Guessing allowed but please provide your reasons for the guess, and also any links that support your guess. Here's the specifics on this job: Company Information Our client company is one of the largest publicly traded global asset management firms in the world with approximately $618 billion in assets under management. They provide diversified, global investment management services that include growth and value equities, style blend and fixed income services to institutional, high net worth and retail clients worldwide. Additionally, they provide in-depth research, portfolio strategy, trading, and brokerage-related services. Job Description: Global Wealth/Client Advisor for a prominent Money Management firm. The positions are in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle, Washington. Strong sales background with proven sales record required. Responsibility is to create a network with attorneys, CPAs, etc., people who know wealthy individuals and sell to the wealthy individuals the asset management services of the firm. Background can be from any industry such as medical device sales, real estate sales, mortgage, law, etc. Most importantly individuals should possess a strong desire to work in the global wealth/private banking arena...have successful sales experience...without a lot of job changes. Training will be provided. more

Resolved Question: How good is UCLA law school?

I still have time but I really like UCLA and I love Los Angeles and would love to live there after I graduate. The thing is I want to work as an associate at a big law firm as well preferably in Los Angeles. Is UCLA law school a good choice? or would I be better off going to a higher ranked school in the top 14 on the east coast such as Georgetown or NYU?ps i am a sophomore at carnegie mellon now and i am not a fan of the east coast weather more

Voting Question: I am a recent college graduate with a BS in Finance what to do?

I just graduated from CSULB with BS in finance and now im not sure what to do. I am currently working at a law firm as a admin assistant basically, doing some billing A/R and A/P, filing and ordering stuff. I am also kind of interested in financial investing or becoming an analyst, but i dont think i have enough knowledge to do so. Im not sure if i should go back to school and get my masters i may do it in accounting because i love numbers, but i don't know i just don't feel that i am smart enough even though i graduated with decent grades I feel like i just don't have the brains to do anything and everything i learned just went out the door. I wanted to start up an Etrade account and just mess around with $500 and see how i like investing, but i would like some more experience as well. I really dont know what to do now I can get my masters in Accounting or Finance, or i can try and take the CPA exam and pass. I currently live in Los Angeles and really need some guidance, any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. more

Resolved Question: Has anyone attended Glendale Law School?

I'm not ready to attend a $130,000 school to get a JD. There is this law school accredited by the California Bar Examiners called Glendale Law School. It costs $45,000 for all three years! However, once I graduate I will only be able to practice law in California because it's not accredited by the ABA. People tell me not to go cause I may not get hired once I graudate. However, I plan to assist attorney's with their cases like a paralegal. I may have an advantage when going to get a paralegal job I think....because unlike a paralegal I would actually have a license to practice law. I also found out that some attorneys didn't even go to law school in california!!!! I'm not looking for a major position in a major law firm...i plan to do low cost legal assistance to minorities in Los Angeles, CA. I want to do immigration, landlord-tenant, divorce, employment discrimination law, and personal injury. I don't think my Latino/Hispanic clients will be too concerned over where I went to law school RATHER whether I'm a good attorney. From what I heard....you learn how to be an attorney outside of law school not in. Though you do get the fundamentals there. I also rough Junior College years because I got soo many Ws (12+). But at CSU I'm getting A-s and Bs. I'm majoring in political science. more

Resolved Question: Did anyone hear about the republican voter registration chief being arrested?

This is only a part of the article, you can see the entire article by clicking on the link i have provided below. I found this on fox news and they are completely for republicans but even they could not hide this story. All of the investigations they have been doing on acorn and right under every ones nose this man and probably many others have been doing this. It appears that they were using acorn for a distraction so that they can get away with their acts in the dark while acorn has been taking all of the heat. Article clip: The head of a voter registration group hired by the California Republican Party was arrested over the weekend for allegedly lying about his address in the state in order to vote illegally, the office of California's secretary of state announced Sunday. Mark Anthony Jacoby, the owner of a signature-gathering firm called Young Political Majors, was taken into custody by Ontario police just after midnight Saturday and booked with a felony punishable by up to three years in prison. Jacoby allegedly registered himself at his childhood home in Los Angeles, even though he no longer lives there. It is voter fraud to register if ineligible and perjury to provide false information on a voter registration card. Jacoby was charged with two counts of each relating to his 2006 and 2007 registration. "Voter registration fraud is a serious issue, which is why I vigorously investigate all allegations of elections fraud," said Bowen, California's chief elections officer. "Where there's a case to be made, I will forward it to law enforcement for criminal prosecution." Article link: http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/20/... more

Resolved Question: I Want To Find A Job As A Secretary In Los Angeles (Near Granada Hills) But I Don't Have Any Experience...?

Does Anyone Know A Website I Can Go To That Lists Law Firms Hiring Unexperienced Secretaries. I Can Get Trained. I Just Graduated igh School And I'm Taking College Classes So I'm Not Experienced Yet But I Want To Start Somewhere. more

Resolved Question: Does the academic background of the presidential candidates influence your choice?

Just a short summary (source: Wikipedia)... McCain: Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, McCain entered the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. There, he was a friend and informal leader for many of his classmates, and sometimes stood up for people who were being bullied. He also became a lightweight boxer. McCain came into conflict with higher-ranking personnel, he did not always obey the rules, and that contributed to a low class rank (894 of 899) despite a strong intelligence.He did well in academic subjects that interested him, such as literature and history, but studied only enough to pass subjects he struggled with, such as mathematics.McCain graduated in 1958. Obama: Following high school, Obama moved to Los Angeles, where he studied at Occidental College for two years.He then transferred to Columbia University in New York City, where he majored in political science with a specialization in international relations. Obama graduated with a B.A. from Columbia in 1983. Obama entered Harvard Law School in late 1988. At the end of his first year, he was selected, based on his grades and a writing competition, as an editor of the Harvard Law Review. In February 1990, in his second year, he was elected president of the Law Review, a full-time volunteer position functioning as editor-in-chief and supervising the Law Review's staff of eighty editors. Obama's election as the first black president of the Law Review was widely reported and followed by several long, detailed profiles.During his summers, he returned to Chicago where he worked as a summer associate at the law firms of Sidley & Austin in 1989 and Hopkins & Sutter in 1990. After graduating with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) magna cum laude from Harvard in 1991, he returned to Chicago. more

Resolved Question: Obama's "experience?"?

Following high school, Obama moved to Los Angeles, where he studied at Occidental College for two years. He then transferred to Columbia University in New York City, where he majored in political science with a specialization in international relations. Obama graduated with a B.A. from Columbia in 1983, then worked for a year at the Business International Corporation and then at the New York Public Interest Research Group a non-partiotism political group. After four years in New York City, Obama moved to Chicago to work as a community organizer for three years from June 1985 to May 1988 as director of the Developing Communities Project (DCP), a church-based community organization originally comprising eight Catholic parishes in Greater Roseland (Roseland, West Pullman, and Riverdale) on Chicago's far South Side. During his three years as the DCP's director, its staff grew from 1 to 13 and its annual budget grew from $70,000 to $400,000, with accomplishments including helping set up a job training program, a college preparatory tutoring program, and a tenants' rights organization in Altgeld Gardens. Obama also worked as a consultant and instructor for the Gamaliel Foundation, a community organizing institute. Obama entered Harvard Law School in late 1988. At the end of his first year, he was selected, based on his grades and a writing competition, as an editor of the Harvard Law Review. In February 1990, in his second year, he was elected president of the Law Review, a full-time volunteer position functioning as editor-in-chief and supervising the Law Review's staff of 80 editors. Obama's election as the first black president of the Law Review was widely reported and followed by several long, detailed profiles. During his summers, he returned to Chicago where he worked as a summer associate at the law firms of Sidley & Austin in 1989 and Hopkins & Sutter in 1990. He graduated with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) magna cum laude from Harvard in 1991. The publicity from his election as the first black president of the Harvard Law Review led to a publishing contract and advance for a book about race relations. In an effort to recruit him to their faculty, the University of Chicago Law School provided Obama with a fellowship and an office to work on his book. He originally planned to finish the book in one year, but it took much longer as the book evolved into a personal memoir. In order to work without interruptions, Obama and his wife, Michelle, traveled to Bali where he wrote for several months. The manuscript was finally published in mid-1995 as Dreams from My Father. Obama directed Illinois's Project Vote from April to October 1992, a voter registration drive with a staff of 10 and 700 volunteers and which achieved its goal of registering 150,000 of 400,000 unregistered African-Americans in the state, and led to Crain's Chicago Business naming Obama to its 1993 list of "40 under Forty" powers to be. Beginning in 1992, Obama taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School for twelve years, being first classified as a Lecturer from 1992 to 1996, and then as a Senior Lecturer from 1996 to 2004. He also, in 1993, joined Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland, a 12-attorney law firm specializing in civil rights litigation and neighborhood economic development, where he was an associate for three years from 1993 to 1996, then of counsel from 1996 to 2004, with his law license becoming inactive in 2002. Obama was a founding member of the board of directors of Public Allies in 1992, resigning before his wife, Michelle, became the founding executive director of Public Allies Chicago in early 1993. He served from 1993 to 2002 on the board of directors of the Woods Fund of Chicago, which in 1985 had been the first foundation to fund Obama's DCP, and served from 1994 to 2002 on the board of directors of The Joyce Foundation. Obama served on the board of directors of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge from 1995–2002, as founding president and chairman of the board of directors from 1995–1999. He also served on the board of directors of the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Center for Neighborhood Technology, and the Lugenia Burns Hope Center. He was elected to the Senate in November 2004 with 70% of the vote. Who else running has these brains and ambition? more

Resolved Question: In your opinion, isn't it WONDERFUL that Palin isn't a DC insider with lobbyists in the family like Biden?

Won't it be a breath of fresh air to get a newcomer in there, filled with integrity, honesty and a no-nonsense person who even fights against her own party if she senses corruption, just like she did in Alaska? Here are some excerpts about the Biden ties: Biden Family Financial Connections Detailed Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden is facing some questions about his family's lobbying and financial dealings. The Biden family's connections to SimmonsCooper, an Illinois law firm that specializes in representing asbestos victims, is detailed today in a Los Angeles Times investigation by Chuck Neubauer and Tom Hamburger. The Times reports that the firm promised to finance a hedge fund deal for Biden's son, Hunter, and brother, James (which ultimately fell through); picked the law firm of another son, Beau, to work on dozens of asbestos cases in Delaware; and that SimmonsCoopers employees donated about $200,000 to Biden's campaign efforts since 2001, making the company his top donor. Hunter Biden is a Washington lobbyist. Beau Biden, the attorney general of Delaware, gave an emotional introduction to his father at the Democratic Convention last night. The Times' report follows several stories this week documenting Hunter Biden's lobbying connections and financial dealings: -- The Post reported yesterday that as a U.S. senator, Barack Obama sought more than $3.4 million in congressional earmarks, including $192,000 for a suburban Chicago university, for Hunter Biden's clients. Here's the link, there's WAY too much info to copy and paste: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washingtonpostinvestigations/ And don't you just love that both McCain and Palin will fight those endless earmarks? more

Resolved Question: Where do I go from here....?

Your Open Question Show me another » Where do I go from here....? My aunt and I are both executors of my grandmother estate; prior to my grandmother death my aunt systematically had been transferring my grandmothers property into her name and telling her siblings and I that she needed to do this because of my grandmothers medical conditions. My grandparents had purchased this property after the death of my parents and used benefit money she received to make payments. I have a sibling and throughout our childhood into adulthood my grandmother has always reminded the family that upon her death that my sibling and I would get the property for as long as we needed it, but when my sibling and I agreed to sell the property that we divide the proceeds equally amongst her children living or deceased. When I asked my aunt about the will and what we were going to do with the property my aunt said "there is no will" and that she owned the property. The estate never went into probate. It took me a very long time but I have now located the law firm that prepared the will. The attorney believes that fraud has been committed by my aunt and her adult children because last year she transferred the property in her children names (one of her children showed me the will that is how I knew I was an executor). I will be meeting with the attorney and I don't know what to ask, I have been looking for the will for such a long time just to prove that it exist, that I never thought that fraud would be a consideration. I would greatly appreciate the help that you will give to me and my family. Legitimate answers only - Thank you everyone. The property is located in Los Angeles, CaliforniaWhen a person passes on the executor (my aunt) is responsible for notifying the attorney; that is where the probate comes in. more

Resolved Question: what are the names of good law firms to work for in the chicago area ?

planning to move there in a couple of years and I currently work as records clerk for a firm in los angeles more

Resolved Question: can you guys help me write an objective for a waitressing' position????

heres my resume but im apply for a part-time waitress job(second job) Please help i really need this job !! thanks guys resume below : any comments please add thanks !! Lori Danielle Flores Objective:(old objective need waitress objective) To join a progressive organization and become a contributing member of the staff, utilizing my education and law firm experience to achieve and surpass my company goals Summary Qualifications: Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to act as a resource, provide customer service in a courteous manner, and work effectively with diverse groups of people at various levels within an organization. Writing skills sufficient in a variety of documents using correct spelling , grammar, and punctuation, with the ability to pay close attention to detail Ability to process high volume of data on-;line accurately and for extended periods Excellent typing ,proofreading and editing skills Experience working in a computerized office environment with Microsoft work, PowerPoint ,and Excel Ability to work quickly, accurately and independently in a fast-paced environment. Ability to plan activities and programs such as meetings/orientations Ability to work a variable schedule on occasion, including early morning ,evenings and/or weekends. Education: Montebello High school 2100 Cleveland Ave. Montebello ,CA 90640 Certificate: Diploma Years attended: 2001-2005 East Los Angeles College Monterey ,CA Certificate :none Years attended: 2008- Present Experience: September 25,2006-Present Sheppard Mullin Richter and Hampton LLP 333 S. Hope st. Los angels ,CA 90071 Position title: Conference room coordinator Description: Worked with receptionist's ,office manager and secretaries. Performed duties such as setting up conference room depositions, planning for a deposition and manage details to ensure clients needs.. Catered lunches/events for law firm. August 28,2005-September 25,2006 Wilson's Leather 100 citadel Drive Commerce, A Position Title: management trainee/key holder Description: Responsible for giving task to sales associates .Open and closed store. Dealt with customer service issues and questions March 2004-July 2004 Knott's Berry Farm Buena park, CA Position title : cashier Description: Worked in food services around the whole park. Feb. 2003- April 2004 2100 Montebello High School Montebello ,CA 90640 Job training: Training to be senior sales representative / computer processing(R.O.P) Job description: Word processing, Power point, excel, trained with keyboard. Feb. 2003-May 2003 Montebello /Pico Rivera, CA Position training baking occupations) R.O.P Description: Training as bank teller. Completed training course .Banker observation. Express Box. Nov. 2003 Montebello High School Job title : poll worker Job description: Open and close polls, received election supplies from the county .Set up voting machines. Helped voters understand the process of voting. Reference: more

Resolved Question: Is this why Barack opted out of Public Campain Financing?

"While his campaign has cited its volume of small donations as a rationale for his decision to opt out of public financing for the general election, Obama has worked to build a network of big-dollar supporters from the time he began contemplating a run for the U.S. Senate. He tapped into well-connected people in Chicago before the 2004 Senate race, and, once elected, set out across the country starting in 2005 to cultivate some of his party's most influential money collectors. He courted them with the savvy of a veteran politician, through phone calls, meals and one-on-one meetings; he wrote thank-you cards and remembered birthdays; he sent them autographed copies of his book and doted on their children. The fruit of his efforts has put Obama's major donors on a pace that almost rivals the $147 million that President George W. Bush's Pioneer and Ranger network raised in $1,000-and-larger contributions in 2004 during the primary season. Given his decision not to accept public financing, Obama is counting on his bundlers to help him raise $300 million for his campaign for the general election and another $180 million for the Democratic National Committee. An analysis of campaign finance records shows that about two-thirds of his bundlers are concentrated in four major industries: law, securities and investments, real estate and entertainment. Lawyers make up the largest group at about 130, with many working for firms that also have lobbying arms. At least 100 Obama bundlers are top executives or brokers from investment businesses - nearly two dozen work for financial titans like Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. About 40 others come from the real-estate industry. The biggest fund-raisers include people like Julius Genachowski, a former senior official at the Federal Communications Commission and a technology executive who is new to big-time political fund-raising; Robert Wolf, president and chief operating officer of UBS Investment Bank; James Torrey, a New York hedge fund investor; and Charles Rivkin, an animation studio head in Los Angeles. "Big donors are the key to Obama's record haul" http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/05/america/bundlers.php Tribeca - I thought Obama didn't want to be beholden unto special interests? Just because he is purportedly not taking money from registered lobbyists doesn't mean when you have half of your contributions coming from 4 industries that there won't be expectations...... more

Resolved Question: Paralegal in the Bay Area seeking to relocate to Los Angeles?

What do I have to do to get a good Paralegal job in Los Angeles within the next 1-2 months? I have a law degree and I currently work for a law firm as a paralegal (almost 1 year). Yet, I never get any calls and I'd really like to relocate. My resume is good so what am I doing wrong besides not having a Paralegal certificate which some employers don't even require? Doesn't my experience and my J.D. count for anything? more

Resolved Question: What do I need To Become an Immigration Attorney?

Alright, Well Im 19 and probably wasted 2 years of my life after high schoo. I went and took some culinary classes which landed me a job as a cook in a casino, but i dont think that 16.50 will be good enough for the rest of my life. I was going to my Community College here and taking Classes on animation. Messed with 3DS max learned new things. But now im in a tornado of decisions. I love working with graphics and games and computers but its really hard to make it in that field here in vegas. My father insists in me becoming an Immigration attorney. He said he'll pay for my schooling but i want to know, what does it take to become that? Do i need to go to law school? Do i need to work with law firms as paralegal to start off? Do i need to intern? How long would it take? I want to do it in Los Angeles/So Cal so i want to know if this career change is worth it? Im not looking for an easy way out or easy money, but how much would i make? Does this career prohibit relationships more

Resolved Question: How to apply for an internship at a government office/law firm?

My dad wants to me to apply for an internship at some government office or a law firm by the end of this week but i have no clue where to start. im in the los angeles area so im sure theres places i can go to but i dont know how to find these locations / apply for the internship.im a 17yearold junior turning senior in high school btwand it doestn necessarily have to be an internship. it can just be volunteering more

Resolved Question: economics quiz 3 of 4?

1. One of the conclusions of A. C. Pigou was that a. a system of mandatory controls is the only effective means to control pollution. b. a system of charges can be an effective means to control pollution. c. pollution will wither away if a socialist system is in place. d. pollution cannot be adequately addressed in a price system. e. industry is self-policing when it come to pollution. 2. Environmentalists, politicians, and economists have different perspectives on what constitutes appropriate environmental policy. Which of the following statements was probably made by an economist? a. “We take the position that there are rights involved here, rights to be protected from threats to your health, regardless of the costs involved.” b. “Protecting the environment is so important that standards cannot be too high, and continuing improvements must be made regardless of cost.” c. “Pollution is a moral issue that cannot be reduced to dollars and cents.” d. “Clean air and water are things we can buy—if the price is right.” e. ”Protecting the environment is so important that it cannot be left to the market system. 3. One of the major reasons why communism ended in the Soviet Union is a. major discontent with the pollution and environmental damage. b. a desire to obtain greater output even at some cost to the environment. c. tight pollution control laws on state but not private firms. d. a refusal of communist authorities to allow pollution, which slowed growth rates. e. an over concern of communist leaders with environmental problems. 4. China, the last large communist society, a. has proved that a command economy has far less pollution problems than capitalist economies. b. has urban smog levels three times as high as Los Angeles. c. has the world’s most sophisticated pollution-control devices. d. has lowered its level of pollution dramatically since 1980. e. is causing most of the world’s pollution. 5. Because of the law of conservation of matter and energy, a. inputs can be transformed into finished goods, and then are gone.. b. inputs can never disappear, and will eventually become a waste. c. outputs cause an equal volume of raw materials for further production. d. energy generating can eventually eliminate all waste completely. e. output generates not only waste matter but also more than enough energy to eliminate that waste matter. more

Resolved Question: Will I be able to get into a decent law school with a low GPA, but (somewhat) great LSAT score?

Graduated from a University of California school w/ a degree in Legal Studies/Political Science: 2.75 UGPA. LSAT score is 169. Currently working for a law firm in Los Angeles as a legal assistant - mostly doing litigation work. I'm applying to only CA schools and only the following so far: USF, Chapman, Southwestern & Western. I'm wondering if I should shoot for some more competitive schools or if I'm basically screwed because of my less than stellar undergrad performance. more

Voting Question: Need help with this article!!! What is it about, what's the argument? please someone?

A death sentence voided The Adam Miranda case shows that the California death penalty costs too much in time, money and justice. May 7, 2008 If a respected entertainment lawyer had not decided 20 years ago to devote a substantial chunk of his life and work to helping a California death row inmate -- for free -- Adam Miranda would be dead by now. A document that could well have reduced Miranda's sentence had it not purposely or accidentally been kept from defense lawyers never would have come to light. Miranda's most recent petition for habeas corpus likely would have been rejected, just like the ones in 1987, 1989 and 1993. But George R. Hedges stood by Miranda for two decades and happened upon evidence in the file of the Los Angeles County district attorney's office that a different man stabbed a drug dealer to death in 1980. On Monday, that changed everything, as the state Supreme Court threw out Miranda's death sentence and ordered a new penalty trial. Miranda had an attorney whose firm was willing to donate millions of dollars worth of time to his case. Most of the 669 people on San Quentin's death row aren't nearly as lucky. If they have lawyers at all, they're usually harried, well-meaning professionals who do the best they can with the limited resources the state gives them to pursue their appeals. Earlier this year, one defense lawyer told the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice that, in a single death-penalty case, he typically must review 100 boxes of files and explore 40 areas in which things may have gone wrong -- but must tell his clients that "maybe I can only do seven of them" because there isn't enough money to do the rest. Confronted with the enormous cost of the death penalty in California, its supporters argue that it would be cheaper if the process were sped up. Yet Miranda's case shows how important those seemingly endless appeals can be. Miranda is not a sympathetic symbol for abolishing the death penalty. Jurors were presented with a videotape at trial that showed him killing an Eagle Rock convenience store clerk; having committed such a brutal crime, he should never again walk free. But his sentence -- death, and not life without parole -- was based in part on another killing. The letter found in the prosecutor's file, but never shared with the defense as required by law and thus never considered by the sentencing jury, contained evidence of another man's admission to that crime. Other death row prisoners are entitled to the same chance Hedges won for Miranda, but they won't get it. California's death penalty costs too much -- in time and money, but mostly in its potential for injustice -- to be sustained. more

Resolved Question: How can Obama "ban" lobbyist funding when, as shown in the LA Times, he has indulged in this practice himself?

As Los Angeles Times reporter Dan Morain explained, "some of the most influential [lobbyist] players, lawyers and consultants among them, skirt disclosure requirements by merely advising clients and associates who do actual lobbying, and avoiding regular contact with policymakers. Obama's ban does not cover such individuals." Obama received $33,000 in the first quarter of 2007 from the Atlanta-based law firm Alston & Bird, which maintains a large lobbying division in Washington. Obama's $33,000 came bundled from a number of "consultants" employed by the firm. Also deleted from Obama's "ban" are state lobbyists. Obama took $2000 from two Springfield, Illinois lobbyists for Exelon, which spent $500,000 to influence policy in Washington in 2006 and gave $160,000 directly to Obama (Morain 2007). Also, The Boston Globe published a widely circulated article titled "PACs and Lobbyists Aided Obama's Rise: Data Contrast With His Theme." Globe reporter Scott Helman.....Dear Respondents: The point is not that others don't do this. The point is that Obama (& if you recall Edwards) separated themselves as being above accepting this type of funding & support. They stated that they were different from Clinton in this specific way. Obama is not different. He has misrepresented himself in the name of marketing, in the name of arrogance and if you believe he is any "different" you have been mislead. more

Resolved Question: when does employer give people raise? what is best way to negotiate salary?

when does employer give people raise? I work for a small law firm in Los Angeles... When I first joined this job few weeks ago, I thought my employer would pay be $3000 a month. She told me that isn't 2500 a month too low for me? she then told me that she would give 2500 a month on 1099 and 3000 a month after two month on payroll. that is what I heard... but after when i told her that I would officially work for her, she said the salary is 30,000.. a year.. which is same as making 2500 a month... then after tax, not too much... is it okay to ask for raise after my probation? would she give me a raise if she first thought 2500 a month was low? what is best way to negotiate salary? more

Voting Question: when does employer give people raise normally? how can I negotiate salary?

Resolved Question: when does employer give people raise? what is the best way to negotiate salary?

Resolved Question: Does anyone know of a job opening in Los Angeles?

My friend is looking for a job in L.A. Do any of you know of a good paying job, She has worked for Kaiser permanente in the call center, for a law firm ( customer service ) and as a receptionist. She has her High School Dip. and some college more

Resolved Question: Why does Obama lie about taking money from specail interest groups and lobbyists?

He has completely snowed his supporters into believing that he is against special interest and accepting funding from lobbyists. One look at where all that money is coming from tells another story. Obama's presidential campaign has received nearly $5 million dollars from securities and investment firms and $866,000 from commercial banks through October of 2007. Obama's top contributor so far is Goldman Sachs (provider of $369,078 to Obama), identified by Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) investigators as "a major proponent of privatizing Social Security as well as legislation that would essentially deregulate the investment banking/securities industry." Eight of Obama's top twenty election investors are securities and investment firms: Goldman Sachs, Lehman Bros. (number 2 at $229,090), J.P. Morgan Chase and Co. (# 4 at $216,759), Citadel Investment Group (#7 at 4166,608), UBS AG ($146,150), UBS-America ($106,680), Morgan Stanley ($104,421), and Credit Suisse Group ($92,300). The last two firms are also known to be leading privatization advocates (Center for Responsive Politics 2007a). Meanwhile, Obama's presidential run has been "assisted" by more than $2 million from the health care sector and nearly $400,000 from the insurance industry through October of 2007 (Center for Responsive Politics 2007b). Obama received $708,000 from medical and insurance interests between 2001 and 2006 (Center for Responsive Politics 2007c). His wife Michelle, a fellow Harvard Law graduate, was until a recently a Vice President for Community and External Affairs at the University of Chicago Hospitals, a position that paid her $273, 618 in 2006 (Sweet 2007). And Obama's sixth largest contributor is Exelon, the proud Chicago-based owner and operator of more nuclear power plants than any entity on earth (Center for Responsive Politics 2007a). Go figure. As for his "lobbyist ban," last August the Los Angeles Times reported that Obama "raised more than $1 million in the first three months of his presidential campaign from law firms and companies that have major lobbying operations in the nation's capital." Campaign finance expert Stephen Weissman observed that this raised troubling questions about the practical relevance of Obama's much-ballyhooed pledge to turn down donations from "federal lobbyists." "Obama's rise to national prominence and presidential viability, Helman discovered, depended significantly on PAC and lobbyist money." As Los Angeles Times reporter Dan Morain explained, "some of the most influential [lobbyist] players, lawyers and consultants among them, skirt disclosure requirements by merely advising clients and associates who do actual lobbying, and avoiding regular contact with policymakers. Obama's ban does not cover such individuals." Thus, to give one example, Obama received $33,000 in the first quarter of 2007 from the Atlanta-based law firm Alston & Bird, which maintains a large lobbying division in Washington. Obama's $33,000 came bundled from a number of "consultants" employed by the firm. Also deleted from Obama's "ban" are state lobbyists. Obama took $2000 from two Springfield, Illinois lobbyists for Exelon, which spent $500,000 to influence policy in Washington in 2006 and gave $160,000 directly to Obama (Morain 2007). An especially big dent in the armor of Obama's effort to sell himself as the noble repudiator of lobbyist, PAC, and special interest money generally was inflicted in early August of 2007. That's when the Boston Globe published a widely circulated article titled "PACs and Lobbyists Aided Obama's Rise: Data Contrast With His Theme." Globe reporter Scott Helman reviewed campaign finance records to find that a "more complicated truth" lurked "behind Obama's campaign rhetoric." Obama's rise to national prominence and presidential viability, Helman discovered, depended significantly on PAC and lobbyist money, including large sums from "defense contractors, law firms and the securities and insurance industries" to his own powerful PAC "Hopefund." Of special interest was Helman's determination that Obama was retaining close and lucrative funding relationships with leading Washington-based lobbyists and lobbying firms while technically avoiding direct contributions from those key campaign finance players.Sorry about the length. I thought it would be easier then sending people to a ton of resources via links.Obama has not come clean about all of this activity. He has only addressed and provided explanations for some of the points made. I can't vote on a promise for reform, I can only look to what the candidate IS doing in the present. more

Resolved Question: Does anyone know of a website where i can find volunteer opportunities at a law firm around los angeles?

Resolved Question: lawyers and legal bills owed?

I HAD TAKEN OVER A LEGAL CASE FOR MY INCOMPETENT MOTHER (POWER OF ATTORNEY) MID POINT WHICH WENT TO ARBITRATION WITH A PROMINENT FIRM IN LOS ANGELES. THIS FIRM HAD THE PREVAILING PARTIES FUNDS HELD IN THEIR CLIENT TRUST ACCOUNT SO IF MY MOTHER WON, THE FUNDS WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO COLLECT. SHE WON MOST OF THE MONEY AND THE TOTAL AWARD IS NOT YET FINALIZED. i HAVE NOT RECIEVED ANY PAPERWORK. THE BILLS WERE MORE THAN THE JUDGEMENT AND AFTER MANY DISCUSSIONS MONTHS PRIOR TO SETTLEMENT I HAVE DISPUTED THE BILLS. NOW WITHOUT RESOLUTION AND CONFLICT ADDED, THE LAW PARTNER REFUSES TO NEGIOTIATE ON BILLS AND HE HAD TAKEN UPON HIMSELF TO DEDUCT THE LEGAL FEES FROM THE AWARD AND THEY WROTE THEMSELF A CHECK. I NEVER AUTHORIZED. ALL THIS HAPPENED END OF LAST WEEK. CAN THEY DO THIS? i WANTED TO NEGIOTIATE WHEN I SAW THEIR LAST BILL ANDI DID NOT EVEN SEE A BREAKDOWN OF THE CURRENT BILL, OR CHARGES AND IT APPEARS THEY FEEL ALL FEES ARE OWED AND I HAVE NO CHOICE IN THE MATTER. CAN THEY DO THAT more

Resolved Question: How do I file a demand for binding arbitration in Los Angeles?

I have an auto accident/personal injury claim which the insurance company has sent to their law firm to handle. I only have a few days left before the statute expires and need to file for arbitration. Is there a form I'd use or do I just send a letter to the insurance companys' law firm? If so, what should be included in the letter? Lastly, am I responsible for contacting and selecting the arbitrator? more

Resolved Question: How do I file a demand for arbitration? I live in Los Angeles and have an auto insurance claim to settle?

Is there a form I'd use or do I just send a letter to the insurance companys' law firm? If so, what should be included in the letter? Lastly, am I responsible for contacting and selecting the arbitrator? more