The Legal Intelligencer Blog

Fresh Ink: Inside Today's Legal

Welcome to your Wednesday morning round-up of stories in today’s edition of The Legal Intelligencer. All of the links below will take you directly to today’s stories, or you can head straight over to The Legal’s homepage. (Some stories may require registration or a paid subscription.)

Today’s top story is an analysis of the effect state Sen. Jane Orie’s conviction might have on her sister, state Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin. As reporter Ben Present writes, Orie’s verdict Monday, in which she was found guilty on 14 of 24 corruption charges, does little to settle the fate of Orie Melvin, according to some legal observers. The larger issue for Orie Melvin might be her other sister, Janine Orie, whom the state hit with two rounds of corruption charges.

Also above the fold on Page 1, reporter Saranac Hale Spencer writes that the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that workers can bring claims against their employers under both federal collective actions and state law class actions simultaneously.

Below the fold on Page 1, reporter Zack Needles writes that the state Supreme Court has defined the term “in paying quantities,” and attorneys believe it will have wide-reaching applicability for oil and gas companies. The court ruled that wells that are operated sporadically and don’t consistently turn a profit can still be considered to be producing in paying quantities as long as the operator has maintained the well in good faith.

In more Regional News on Page 3, Saranac Hale Spencer writes that a federal judge is allowing a private racketeering claim to proceed against a bank and payment processors involved with telemarketing schemes under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).

Also on Page 3, insurance firm Nelson Levine de Luca & Horst announced plans to open a Washington, D.C., office.

As always, our People in the News section is on Page 2, and the top stories from our sister publications across the country make up the Page 4 National News section.

In a Litigation column on Page 5, Harrie Samaras and Judy Weintraub write about 10 ways to introduce mediation to opposing counsel.

In this week’s GC Mid-Atlantic column on Page 7, Erica Smith-Klocek, Lisa Dykstra and Tara Lawler write about what should be considered when deciding to issue a litigation hold.

If you have questions or comments about any of today's stories, or our coverage as a whole, we invite you to e-mail any of the reporters directly. We hope you'll enjoy today's Legal.

Fresh Ink: Inside Today's Legal

Welcome to your Tuesday morning round-up of stories in today’s edition of The Legal Intelligencer, which also includes this week’s edition of Pennsylvania Law Weekly. All of the links below will take you directly to today’s stories, or you can head straight over to The Legal’s homepage. (Some stories may require registration or a paid subscription.)

The second supplement of 2012, Banking & Accounting, is also inside the pages of today's Legal, so be sure to check it out.

Today’s top story is the growth of Dechert’s revenue for the first time in four years. As reporter Gina Passarella writes, the firm bumped its revenue from $648.5 million in 2010 to $671 million last year. Dechert also saw growth in metrics such as revenue per lawyer, profits per equity partner and average compensation for all partners.

On the bottom of Page 1, reporter Amaris Elliott-Engel writes that Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge M. Teresa Sarmina said the majority of “bad acts” evidence will be admitted in the priest abuse case. Sarmina ruled that all but six instances of priests who were reported to have committed sexual abuse or other improprieties can be admitted in the trial of Monsignor William Lynn, who allegedly endangered the welfare of two youths whom Lynn’s co-defendants are accused of sexually abusing.

In more Regional News on Page 3, reporter Zack Needles writes that recorders of deeds may not reject gas lease documents. The Commonwealth Court has ruled that counties’ recorders are required by statute to record all lease documents presented to them, in what attorneys said is a significant win for natural gas drillers.

As always, our People in the News section is on Page 2, and the top stories from our sister publications across the country make up the Page 4 National News section.

On Page 5 is today’s Litigation column, as William E. Harris writes about projecting wage growth and inflation in today’s economic climate.

In a Business of Law column on Page 7, Frank Michael D’Amore writes about the top areas where law firms differ from each other in the first article of a series he will write.

As it is Tuesday, it’s also your chance to read this week’s Pennsylvania Law Weekly. The lead story for PLW comes from Zack Needles, who writes that a Northampton County trial judge has found that talking on a cellphone while driving is not egregious enough to warrant punitive damages in a motor vehicle accident case. “The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has held that punitive damages are an ‘extreme remedy,’ available in only the most exceptional matters,” said Northampton County Common Pleas Court Judge Leonard N. Zito.

On the bottom of Page 1, Amaris Elliott-Engel writes that the Republican-controlled state House of Representatives has moved to cap punitives in nursing home cases. The House passed a bill to cap punitive damages in lawsuits against personal care homes, assisted living communities, long-term care nursing facilities, home care agencies, home health care agencies and hospices at 200 percent of compensatory damages awarded in such lawsuits.

On Page 3, Gina Passarella writes that the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a car accident caused by a box left on the road can generate uninsured motorist benefits.

There’s much more inside this week’s PLW, including Samuel C. Stretton’s Ethics Forum, in which he discusses how a heavy dose of trial work can help a young lawyer; Matthew Weisberg’s commentary on the legal profession, in which he writes about attorney fees as consequential damages in legal malpractice actions; a criminal practice article in which the state Supreme Court has ruled that robbery was not needed as a predicate offense for a murder conviction; and the Commonwealth Court ruling that a Chester, Pa., ordinance making it illegal to loiter in “high drug activity” areas is too vague and unconstitutional.

If you have questions or comments about any of today's stories, or our coverage as a whole, we invite you to e-mail any of the reporters directly. We hope you'll enjoy today's Legal.

Fresh Ink: Inside Today's Legal (and Delaware!)

By Jaime Bochet
Of the Legal Staff

Welcome to your daily round-up of stories in today's edition of The Legal Intelligencer. Click the links below to access stories directly, or head to The Legal homepage.  (Some stories may require registration or a paid subscription.)

Just as Tuesdays always include our Pennsylvania Law Weekly section, Wednesday is the unofficial "Day of Delaware," when we roll out the fresh ink from our First State to the south. That includes the Delaware Law Weekly, available online at www.delawarelawweekly.com, as well as our newest product, the Delaware Business Court Insider, an online newsletter that definitely warrants a look.

But more about Delaware in a bit … let's get to today's Legal.

Topping the front page, U.S. Courthouse Correspondent Shannon P. Duffy has news that deals a legal setback to the Obama administration: "A federal judge in Harrisburg has struck down several provisions of the Affordable Care Act after concluding that the law's 'individual mandate' is an unconstitutional extension of Congress's authority under the Commerce Clause. 'The issue is whether Congress can invoke its Commerce Clause power to compel individuals to buy insurance as a condition of lawful citizenship or residency,' U.S. District Judge Christopher C. Conner wrote in his 53-page opinion in Goudy-Bachman v. United States."

Below the fold, reporter Amaris Elliott-Engel was there as the Supreme Court heard (televised) oral arguments in an historic setting in Old City Philadelphia yesterday. In the case she covered, a state Supreme Court justice characterized the drugmaker Wyeth as asserting that there is enough protection for persons harmed by prescription drugs in federal regulation of the release of drugs onto the market, and limiting plaintiffs to lawsuits for drugmakers' alleged failures to adequately warn of risks.

Today's Page 3 Regional News story is by reporter Zack Needles, who chronicles the growth of an area law firm: Philadelphia-based Zarwin Baum DeVito Kaplan Schaer Toddy has acquired four transactional lawyers from the Philadelphia office of Maryland-based Offit Kurman, saying increased work in that practice area over the last few months has necessitated the growth.

As always, our People in the News sectionis on Page 2. The top stories from our sister publications across the country make up the Page 4 National News section.

Today's contributed columns begin on Page 5 with an "Employment Law" column by Sid Steinberg of Post & Schell, who writes that as cases under the amended Americans with Disabilities Act begin to reach the courts, less emphasis will be placed on whether an employee is "disabled" and a greater emphasis will be placed on the questions of whether an employee is a "qualified individual" under the act and whether an employee could be reasonably accommodated.

Page 7 features our weekly "GC Mid-Atlantic" page, with an article from affiliate Corporate Counsel magazine, which profiles the new head of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA), Joe West.

As we move south in our weekly coverage to Delaware, we'll stop first at the Delaware Law Weekly, where reporter Jeff Mordock has the top stories. Please note: all of our Delaware coverage is for paid subscribers, but you can register for a free 30-day trial by clicking here.

In the top slot, Jeff writes that four Sussex County residents have filed a lawsuit accusing the county's legislative council of explicitly endorsing Christianity by beginning each meeting by reciting the "Our Father."

Jeff also reports that St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Co. has filed a lawsuit seeking to remove itself from the duty of defending or reimbursing the Beebe Medical Center in Lewes, Del., from civil lawsuits related to the crimes committed by former pediatrician Earl Bradley.

Finally, we'd like you to meet (if you haven't already) the Delaware Business Court Insider.  As the name suggests, this is a national product covering the latest news, analysis and cases from the Delaware Chancery Court, Bankruptcy Court and Supreme Court. The accompanying website is www.delbizcourt.com, where you can go to subscribe to this newsletter weekly. You can also follow us on Twitter at: @delbizcour.

Top stories there include the following:
- President Obama is set to overhaul the nation's patent system, but attorneys say it is too early to see how the law will affect business.
-  Plaintiffs filed yet another amended complaint in their derivative suit against News Corp., including new allegations against the company.
- Vice Chancellor Noble denies plaintiffs' request for interim attorney fees in the Novell shareholder dispute.

Have questions or comments about any of today's stories, or our coverage as a whole? E-mail me or any of the reporters directly. We hope you'll enjoy today's Legal and our Delaware coverage!

Jaime Bochet is the Magazines & Supplements Editor for The Legal. Follow her on Twitter at @JaimeBochetTLI or e-mail JBochet@alm.com.

K&L Gates Opens Qatar Office

By Gina Passarella
Of the Legal Staff

K&L Gates said Thursday that it has opened an office in Doha, Qatar.

The new location, the 38th for the Pittsburgh-based firm, will be the second location in the Middle East. It opened a Dubai office in 2009.

The Doha location was established following the issuance of a license by the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) Authority on August 23, the firm said.

Disputes partner Kenneth Freeling, who joined K&L Gates in March after serving as managing partner of the Doha office of Dewey & LeBoeuf, assisted in setting up and obtaining approvals for the new office. His practice focuses on the areas of intellectual property, antitrust, commercial and construction litigation.

"I have been practicing in Doha for more than three years and have no doubt that K&L Gates is the ideal platform for Doha's growing and dynamic economy," Freeling said in a statement. "The breadth and depth of K&L Gates' practices, in combination with its global reach in a single integrated firm, uniquely suits the broader needs of our Qatari clients in Doha and around the world, as well as our multinational clients doing business in Doha."

Firm Chairman Peter Kalis said in a statement that Qatar is committed to a diversified economy on the strength of its energy endowments.

The firm's Doha lawyers will assist clients with their legal and regulatory needs in areas including projects; energy and infrastructure; banking and finance; telecommunications, media and technology; real estate and construction; intellectual property, and dispute resolution, among others.

The new office will be located in Doha's well-known Tornado Tower.

Gina Passarella is the senior reporter for The Legal. She can be contacted by e-mailing gpassarella@alm.com or calling 215-557-2494. Follow her on Twitter at @GPassarellaTLI.

Fresh Ink: Inside Today's Legal

By Jaime Bochet
Of the Legal Staff

Welcome to your daily round-up of stories in today's edition of The Legal Intelligencer. Click the links below to access stories directly, or head to The Legal homepage. (Some stories may require registration or a paid subscription.)

Just as a heads-up, tomorrow's Friday issue will be devoted mainly to a special section on the 10-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. In commemoration of the anniversary, we asked readers to send us their stories of what they remember about that day, and what they feel about it now - and you won't want to miss the amazing stories you sent in.

But for now, today's paper features a ton of business of law stories, so let's get to them!

Leading the front page on this soggy Thursday morning, senior reporter Gina Passarella has a salary story of particular interest: "With some evidence that associate salaries are on the rise, one might start to think that it's a case of back to the future. But this time around, firms appear to be treading lightly. After a few years of taking advantage of a down market and decreasing associate salaries, some firms are starting to edge up what they pay first-year associates. Whether this means a wholesale increase across all associate levels is unclear." Read the full article here.

Alongside Gina's story, sharing the top of the front page, Zack Needles reports on a lateral move that may surprise you: David H. Marion, a 25-year veteran of Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads who served as the firm's chairman for seven years until 2003, has left the firm to join the Philadelphia office of Haddonfield, N.J.-based Archer & Greiner.

Below the fold, U.S. Courthouse Correspondent Shannon P. Duffy has a (non-business of law-related) ruling from the 3rd Circuit: When an employer is hit with a proposed collective action under the Fair Labor Standards Act, it cannot "pick off" the lead plaintiff by making an offer of judgment that moots her claim before any other workers have the chance to "opt in" to the case, according to the court.

Zack also has today's Page 3 Regional News story, reporting on a Philadelphia-based firm's expansion to the western part of the commonwealth: Insurance defense firm Bennett Bricklin & Saltzburg announced the opening of a Pittsburgh office Tuesday, citing a desire to bring in more of its clients' Western Pennsylvania-based work.

As always, our People in the News section is on Page 2, and the top stories from our sister publications across the country make up the Page 4 National News section.

Today's Page 5 "Insight on Diversity" column is by Christopher A. Lewis of Blank Rome, who takes a deeper look at the business case for diversity.

Page 7 is where you'll find our weekly "Young Lawyer"or "YL" page, which today features a story from the Connecticut Law Tribune, a Legal affiliate. It looks at the emerging trend of recent law grads going solo because of the down economy.

Have questions or comments about any of today's stories, or our coverage as a whole? E-mail me or any of the reporters directly. We hope you'll enjoy today's Legal!

Jaime Bochet is the Magazines & Supplements Editor for The Legal. Follow her on Twitter at @JaimeBochetTLI or e-mail JBochet@alm.com.

Fresh Ink: Inside Today's Legal (and PLW!)

By Jaime Bochet
Of the Legal Staff

Welcome to your daily round-up of stories in today's edition of The Legal Intelligencer. Click the links below to access stories directly, or head to The Legal homepage.  (Some stories may require registration or a paid subscription.)

As is the case every Tuesday, today's paper is especially full, because it includes our Pennsylvania Law Weekly section, which includes analysis pieces, our Verdicts & Settlements section, and contributed columns by Samuel Stretton (Ethics), Robert M. Bovarnick (Politics), Jim Malone (Taxation) and Cliff Rieders (Civil Practice).

But let's begin with The Legal.

Topping today's front page, U.S. Courthouse Correspondent Shannon P. Duffy has an analysis of last week’s decision from the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that ordered a new sentencing for former state Sen. Vincent J. Fumo. The decision is sure to be mined by prosecutors and defense lawyers for the guidance it provides on how to conduct sentencings in complicated white-collar crime cases.

Below the fold, senior staff reporter Gina Passarella has the fourth in her weekly series examining the impact of e-discovery on the practice and business of law. This week, she writes that the list of judges who are at the forefront of e-discovery case law roll off the tongues of e-discovery lawyers like Con-law professors can spout the intricacies of the Bill of Rights. To read all the previous parts in this series, as well as related content, click here.

Inside, in our Page 3 Regional News section, Gina adds yet another chapter in the Wolf Block saga. The defunct law firm has filed an appeal with the state's Superior Court related to a discovery dispute in the legal malpractice case filed against the firm by car dealership owner Alan Potamkin.

As always, our People in the News section is on Page 2, along with a Letter to the Editor today from Astor Weiss attorney Jerrold Moss regarding one of Sam Stretton's recent Ethics columns. The top stories from our sister publications across the country make up the Page 4 National News section.

The Legal's contributed columns today include an "Asset Management" column by David B. Bruckman of Citrin Cooperman Wealth Management, who wonders if purchasing life insurance on adult children is prudent.

Our second contributed article is a Commentary by Richard Q. Hark of Hark & Hark, who writes that amendments to Pennsylvania's law change the self-defense landscape.

Today's Pennsylvania Law Weekly section begins with an analysis piece by reporter Ben Present, who writes that after hearing that Lackawanna County Common Pleas Court Judge Terrence R. Nealon sent a private e-mail in 2004 advising his fellow Democrats how to oppose a county voting redistricting plan -- a case over which he was presiding — "shocked" courtwatchers statewide reacted to a practice they said was "a thing of the past" -- ex parte communications.

Also on the PLW front page, we have another analysis piece by reporter Zack Needles. Now that former Luzerne County Common Pleas Court Judge Mark A. Ciavarella is serving a nearly three-decade term in federal prison for his part in the county's judicial scandal, all eyes have turned to his alleged co-conspirator and fellow former Luzerne County Judge Michael T. Conahan, whose sentencing hearing is set for Sept. 23. 

The PLW has much more, so head to the main website of that section to check out even more.

Have questions or comments about any of today's stories, or our coverage as a whole? E-mail me or any of the reporters directly. We hope you'll enjoy today's Legal and PLW!

Jaime Bochet is the Magazines & Supplements Editor for The Legal. Follow her on Twitter at @JaimeBochetTLI or e-mail JBochet@alm.com.

Fresh Ink: Inside Today's Legal

By Jaime Bochet 
Of the Legal Staff

Welcome to your daily round-up of stories in today's edition of The Legal Intelligencer. Click the links below to access stories directly, or head to The Legal homepage.  (Some stories may require registration or a paid subscription.)

In a follow-up piece to last week's article, reporters Zack Needles and Ben Present write that state Supreme Court Justice Max Baer has clarified comments he made to the press regarding Lackawanna County Judge Terrence J. Nealon's ex parte e-mail, saying he did not intend to imply that Nealon either should not or would not be disciplined. 

Below the fold, U.S. Courthouse Correspondent Shannon P. Duffy writes that, striking down several provisions in Pennsylvania's Medicaid law, a federal judge has declared that the state cannot impose any eligibility requirements that conflict with those passed by Congress. "Medicaid is no exception to the general rule that state laws that conflict with federal laws are pre-empted," Senior U.S. District Judge Jan E. DuBois wrote in his 61-page opinion in Lewis v. Alexander.  

Our Page 3 Regional News story today is by reporter Amaris Elliott-Engel, who writes that a defunct law firm can't arbitrate a fee dispute raised as part of a legal malpractice lawsuit filed by a former client, the Superior Court ruled 2-1 in a unpublished opinion last week.

As always, our People in the News section is on Page 2, and the top stories from our sister publications across the country make up the Page 4 National News section.

The Legal's contributed columns begin on Page 5, with our  "Antitrust Law" column by Carl W. Hittinger and Matthew A. Goldberg of DLA Piper, who wonder if a U.S.-China antitrust memorandum is a step in the right direction.

Page 7 has our weekly "Real Estate" column, this week by James M. Lammendola and Harper J. Dimmerman both of Temple University's Fox School of Business. They write: "The recent case of Goldstein v. The Zoning Hearing Board of the Township of Lower Merion, filed April 21 by the Commonwealth Court, emphatically illustrates the importance of not disregarding the mandates of local ordinances when constructing additions or new structures on one's real estate. As we shall soon see, neither the long-standing nature of a nonconformity, the expense of compliance, nor the acquiesance of one's immediate neighbors will afford relief to the landowner when a hardship is not directly tied to a pre-existing unique physical condition on one's property."

Have questions or comments about any of today's stories, or our coverage as a whole? E-mail me or any of the reporters directly. We hope you'll enjoy today's Legal!

Jaime Bochet is the Magazines & Supplements Editor for The Legal. Follow her on Twitter at @JaimeBochetTLI or e-mail JBochet@alm.com.

Fresh Ink: Inside Today's Legal (and PLW!)

By Jaime Bochet
Of the Legal Staff

Welcome to your daily round-up of stories in today's edition of The Legal Intelligencer. Click the links below to access stories directly, or head to The Legal homepage.  (Some stories may require registration or a paid subscription.)

As is the case every Tuesday, today's paper is especially full, because it includes our Pennsylvania Law Weekly section,  which includes analysis pieces, our Verdicts & Settlements section, and contributed columns by Samuel Stretton (Ethics), Matthew T. Mangino (Criminal Practice), David Mandelbaum (Environmental Law) and Cliff Rieders (Civil Practice).

But let's begin with The Legal.

Topping today's front page, reporter Zack Needles writes that the height of the recession, many midsized firms said they were poised for an influx of work that typically goes to larger firms in better economic times. But did that flood ever come? And, if so, will it stay?

Sharing the top of the page, reporter Amaris Elliott-Engel has a decision from the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas: Judge Allan L. Tereshko, who threw out the case of Illinois residents who allege that brain cancers and tumors were caused by exposure to a toxic chemical, has refused to recuse himself from the case and rejected the plaintiffs' motion for reconsideration.

Below the fold, senior staff reporter Gina Passarella has the third in her weekly series on e-discovery. Preservation is far and away the most-cited trouble spot of e-discovery. (Click here to access all the articles in the series in our special Online Only package!) It's an area that can land both the client and the lawyer in hot water and one, lawyers say, is fraught with broad, vague standards. So should clients simply preserve everything at the first sign litigation may be forthcoming? David  J. Walton, the co-head of Cozen O'Connor's e-discovery task force, said, "Lawyers have to have the guts to make the tough judgment because if you say preserve everything to a client of any size, it will overwhelm you."

Inside, in our Page 3 Regional News section, Gina has a business of law story from the West Coast: Fox Rothschild's latest acquisition has all the buzz words of the current lateral market — Los Angeles, intellectual property, China. And for the firm, the acquisition of three-attorney IP boutique Chan Law Group met all of the points on its merger checklist. 

As always, our People in the News section is on Page 2, and the top stories from our sister publications across the country make up the Page 4 National News section.

The Legal's contributed columns today include an article on damages by Jeff Willoughby and Jim Stavros  of Forensic Resolutions, who write that lost profits can be a minefield for practitioners; and a commentary by Alva C. Mather of Hangley Aronchick Segal & Pudlin, who thinks a new bill entangles Pennsylvania in liquor makers' relationships with wholesalers.

Today's Pennsylvania Law Weekly section begins with a follow-up piece by reporter Ben Present, who writes that, in light of the announcement that cameras will be filming state Supreme Court proceedings, appellate lawyers are welcoming the development with open arms.

Also on the PLW front page, Editorial Intern Jen Zimmerman writes that nearly two years after Pennsylvania established its first veterans court in Lackawanna County, the initiative has burgeoned into a "more than satisfying" specialty court program aiming to help veterans who are struggling with readjustment to civilian society.

The PLW has much more, so head to the main website of that section to check out even more.

Have questions or comments about any of today's stories, or our coverage as a whole? E-mail me or any of the reporters directly. We hope you'll enjoy today's Legal!

Jaime Bochet is the Magazines & Supplements Editor for The Legal. Follow her on Twitter at @JaimeBochetTLI  or e-mail JBochet@alm.com.

Fox Rothschild Wants to Represent Trocadero Theater in Bankruptcy

By Gina Passarella
Of the Legal Staff

Fox Rothschild is looking to represent Philadelphia entertainment venue Trocadero Theater in its bankruptcy filing in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 

Along with helping Trocadero owner Joon Associates Inc. in preparing for and filing the Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition, the firm asked to be approved as bankruptcy counsel moving forward.

According to the filing, partner Michael G. Menkowitz would charge $590 an hour, counsel Martha Chovanes would charge $440 an hour, associate Jason C. Manfrey would charge $250 an hour and paralegal Robin I. Solomon would charge $265 an hour. The firm said those figures reflect its standard hourly rates.

Joon Associates paid Fox Rothschild a $25,000 retainer prior to the filing. Nearly $7,000 of that was left at the time of filing, the firm said in its petition.

David Shulick Law Office is listed among the company's 20 largest unsecured creditors as being owed $6,000, according to a filing in the case.

Gina Passarella is the senior reporter for The Legal. She can be contacted by e-mailing gpassarella@alm.com or calling 215-557-2494. Follow her on Twitter at @GPassarellaTLI.

Fresh Ink: Inside Today's Legal (and DLW)

By Jaime Bochet
Of the Legal Staff

Welcome to your daily round-up of stories in today's edition of The Legal Intelligencer. Click the links below to access stories directly, or head to The Legal homepage.  (Some stories may require registration or a paid subscription.)

Just as Tuesdays always include our Pennsylvania Law Weekly section, Wednesday is the unofficial "Day of Delaware," when we roll out the fresh ink from our First State to the south. That includes the Delaware Law Weekly, available online at www.delawarelawweekly.com, as well as our newest product, the Delaware Business Court Insider, an online newsletter that definitely warrants a look.

But more about Delaware in a bit … let's get to today's Legal.

Topping the front page is a decision from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by U.S. Courthouse Correspondent Shannon P. Duffy: In a pair of hefty opinions, a federal judge has certified class action antitrust claims against pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, maker of the wildly popular antidepressant drug Wellbutrin XL, for allegedly using sham patent suits to delay generic versions of the drug from making their way to the market.

Also sharing top billing on the front, reporter Amaris Elliott-Engel writes that when former Philadelphia Housing Authority Chairman John F. Street said on a local news program that former PHA Executive Director Carl Greene "'lied about everything,'" Street did not defame Greene, a Philadelphia judge said earlier this month.

Below the fold, senior reporter Gina Passarella has news of Pittsburgh-based Thorp Reed opening an office in Wilmington, Del.

Today's Page 3 story is also by Amaris, who writes that a Philadelphia judge has ruled that a convicted murderer should get a new trial because one of two main witnesses against him said that he was pressured by a police detective to give false testimony as a child.

As always, our People in the News section is on Page 2. The top stories from our sister publications across the country make up the Page 4 National News section.

Today's contributed columns are "Immigration Law" by H. Ronald Klasko of Klasko Rulon Stock & Seltzer, and our weekly "GC Mid-Atlantic" page.

As we move south in our weekly coverage to Delaware, we'll stop first at the Delaware Law Weekly, where reporter Jeff Mordock has the top stories. Please note: all of our Delaware coverage is for paid subscribers, but you can register for a free 30-day trial by clicking here.

In the top slot, Jeff writes that the controversy continues at Widener University School of Law: Several law professors throughout the country have blasted Widener Law and Dean Linda J. Ammons after the school ordered a one-year suspension without pay and a psychiatric evaluation for university professor Lawrence J. Connell after a university panel cleared him of all but one of the charges levied against him by two former students. 

Jeff also reports that the Delaware Attorney General's Office filed a motion in New York Supreme Court last week seeking to enjoin the proposed $8.5 billion settlement between Bank of America and Bank of New York Mellon, which could end their legal dispute over residential mortgage securitization trusts.

Finally, we'd like you to meet (if you haven't already) the Delaware Business Court Insider. As the name suggests, this is a national product covering the latest news, analysis and cases from the Delaware Chancery Court, Bankruptcy Court and Supreme Court. The accompanying website is www.delbizcourt.com, where you can go to subscribe to this weekly newsletter. You can also follow us on Twitter at @delbizcourt.

Top stories there include:
- A ruling in Delaware Chancery Court that fact witnesses, who are prohibited from receiving compensation for their testimony, may receive payment from a party who will benefit from their testimony, if they perform other services in relation to the case.

- A ruling from Chancellor Leo E. Strine Jr. that a member of an existing Delaware limited liability company can assign its entire interest, including voting rights, to another member and that the member who acquired the shares does not need to be readmitted with each additional interest it acquires, even if the LLC agreement requires consent of all the members upon the admission of a new member. 

- Vice Chancellor Donald F. Parsons Jr. set a late November trial date to decide a request by an affiliate of Starr International to inspect China MediaExpress Holdings' books and records under Section 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law.

Have questions or comments about any of today's stories, or our coverage as a whole? E-mail me or any of the reporters directly. We hope you'll enjoy today's Legal and our Delaware coverage!

Jaime Bochet is the Magazines & Supplements Editor for The Legal. Follow her on Twitter at @JaimeBochetTLI or e-mail JBochet@alm.com.