November 30, 2007 nº 570 - Vol. 5
“Books, the children of the brain.”
Jonathan Swift
Law Firm Marketing: 7 quick, cheap and easy steps to new clients.
Business call for plan on climate
Global businesses have called for a legally-binding and comprehensive international deal on climate change. A binding agreement on emissions reductions would encourage business to invest in low-carbon technologies, a statement from 150 businesses said. The statement will be sent to environment ministers and heads of state ahead of talks in Bali on climate change. The signatories represent companies from Europe, the US, China and Australia. Action now will stop the worst effects of climate change and at a fraction of the cost of inaction.
US hails Pakistan leader's pledge
Pervez Musharraf was sworn in Thursday as a civilian president and promised to lift the state of emergency he imposed earlier this month by Dec. 16. He also said he would restore the country's constitution before parliamentary elections in January. The White House welcomed a vow to lift emergency rule.
Subprime Bailout: Good Idea or 'Moral Hazard?'
The White House and the mortgage industry are near a pact that would temporarily freeze interest rates on certain troubled subprime home loans. With over two million mortgages scheduled to jump over the next two years, an accord could reassure Wall Street and homeowners. Saving wounded financial institutions is good for the economy, some economists argue. But others warn against intervention, lest we fall prey to "moral hazard:" Bail out someone who has engaged in risky behavior and you're likely to encourage that behavior in the future. Major banks are suffering enormous losses on investments tied to home mortgages. For years, Wall Street made handsome returns betting on mortgage-backed securities. But those securities are opaque and contain risks that investors were either unwilling or unable to recognize.
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1 - Putin tells citizens to vote for his party. (Read more)
2 - Chavez in close Venezuela vote to expand powers. (Read more)
3 - Foxhunting is not a human right. (Read more)
4 - Outrage as Sudan charges teddy row teacher, Gillian Gibbons. (Read more)
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China 'ends illegal tax breaks'
China has agreed to end tax breaks for local manufacturers, which the US said gave them an unfair advantage over rivals, US trade officials have said. Under the deal, China will remove the subsidies, which the US called "market distorting" by the end of the year.
7 quick, cheap and easy steps to new clients
Often, all you need to attract a few new clients is the opportunity to speak to a qualified group of prospects at a seminar. Here are 7 simple, cheap and easy steps:
Step #1: Create a seminar on the problem you can solve for clients. For example: How to settle an injury claim. How to avoid probate. How to reduce the pain and expense of divorce. How to cut liability insurance costs. How to reduce lawsuits from employees and vendors. Whatever is specific to the area of law in which you want to attract new clients.
Step #2: Prepare a flier that you'll use to promote the seminar. On the flier, display the title, explain the various points or problems you will discuss, add your photo and include your biography. Include a space for the time, date and place of your program.
Step #3: Get a co-sponsor for your seminar. If your seminar is business oriented, you might ask the local chamber of commerce to co-sponsor it. Or a local business group. If it is consumer oriented, ask a local newspaper or TV station to co-sponsor it. Or a citizens' group. Choose your co-sponsor based on the size of the audience they reach, how many of your prospective clients are in that audience, and how willing they will be to promote your seminar to their audience, membership or mailing list. (This can save you a tremendous amount of money in promotion costs, including printing and postage.)
Step #4: Promote your seminar to your co-sponsor's membership or mailing list. Provide them with a flier about your program. If you rely on them to produce the flier, it will contain little more than the title, time, date and place. But if you provide it, you can go into great detail about the information you will present and the problems you can help prospects solve. The more you explain about your program’s content, the more prospects you can expect to attend.
Step #5: Promote your seminar with newspaper publicity. Contact your local daily newspaper or business paper (depending on the nature of your seminar). Announce that you’re presenting a seminar. Discuss the problem your seminar will address and emphasize how many people in your area are affected by this problem. Invite the editor to interview you for an article to help alert the community (or your target audience) to this problem -- and your upcoming seminar. You’re in a stronger position when you approach the editor in writing with a letter discussing your seminar and what you will present. Give the editor at least six weeks’ advance notice of your program.
As an alternative -- if you can't get advance promotion from a particular media outlet -- invite the editor to send a reporter to your seminar who can write an article about it for the newspaper. I’ve seen editors put articles about my clients’ seminars on the newspaper’s front page. Because this article won’t appear until after the seminar, it won’t help your attendance. Still, it makes a powerful reprint and may bring you new clients.
Step #6: Promote your seminar with direct mail (or e-mail) to your past clients, current clients, prospects and referral sources. Many people on your mailing list may want to learn about your subject. Also, they may have friends and colleagues they can invite to attend with them.
Step #7: Present your seminar, addressing the subjects you outlined on your seminar flier. Discuss clients you have helped in the past so prospects see you have experience in these matters. Share actual case histories of what happens when prospects make good decisions, and what happens when they make bad decisions. Then offer something your prospects will find attractive, such as a free office consultation, free telephone consultation, or whatever you wish.
In all likelihood, if you reach qualified prospects, you will get new clients as a result of this seminar.
© Trey Ryder
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Constituyente – Ecuador
La Asamblea Constituyente de Ecuador, dominada por el movimiento oficialista Alianza País, asumió hoy "plenos poderes", ratificó al presidente de la República, Rafael Correa, y ordenó un receso indefinido de las funciones del Congreso opositor.
Bolivia
El presidente de Bolivia, Evo Morales, convocó el juevesal diálogo a los prefectos (gobernadores) opositores, los cuales lo acusan de ordenar a sus aliados en la Asamblea Constituyente la aprobación de una nueva Carta Magna sin la presencia de la oposición.
Mercosur
El intento por cerrar un acuerdo de libre comercio entre Israel y los cuatro países del Mercosur – Brasil, Argentina, Uruguay y Paraguay -- no pudo ser concretado el jueves, luego de que las partes no pudieran ponerse de acuerdo en la reducción de tarifas de los productos comercializados.
Referéndum
El domingo Venezuela votará la posibilidad de reelección indefinida del actual presidente Hugo Chávez, quien llamó al pueblo a votar con el corazón en el referéndum. Aunque el mandatario asegura que saldrá vencedor.
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Brazil's Lula to visit Rio slum
Lula is set to make his first visit as president to a favela in Rio de Janeiro. The favela of Cantagalo has been the scene of recent clashes between police and drug gangs, but no exceptional security measures will be in place. The president will formally launch a revitalisation program worth $1.7bn to help restore infrastructure in some of Rio's favelas.
France lawyers, judges protest proposed court cutbacks
Judges, lawyers, and court clerks went on strike in France Thursday to protest a proposal to eliminate 319 French courts. French Justice Minister Rachida Dati has proposed the cutbacks, which the Magistrates' Trade Union says has been mishandled by Dati and the Justice Department. Dati has been involved in several controversies since being appointed to French Prime Minister Nicholas Sarkozy's cabinet in May. A group of judges threatened to revolt in September over Dati's "authoritarian" management style. Dati also has the dubious distinction of being the first Justice Minister to be called before France's Higher Judicial Council after she sparred with a prosecutor who publicly criticized her proposal to toughen the French criminal code.
Facebook Suit
Facebook filed legal motions meant to force an independent magazine to take down documents related to a lawsuit over the social-networking site's origins.
In Venezuela, Big Choice for Voters
Venezuelans flooded the streets of Caracas to protest a Sunday referendum that would eliminate term limits for Chávez. Polls indicate a close vote.
Ecuador forum dissolves Congress
An assembly elected to rewrite Ecuador's constitution has dissolved the country's opposition-dominated Congress on its first day of work. President Rafael Correa, whose allies control the assembly, wants to push through reforms blocked by Congress. Correa - who was also confirmed in office by the assembly - says Congress is corrupt and inept wants a new body to be elected. His opponents have attacked his plans as an attack on democracy.
Morgan Stanley's top woman leaves
Morgan Stanley has announced that co-president Zoe Cruz is to retire, a move seen by analysts as the latest casualty of the US sub-prime crisis. The investment bank, which earlier this month revealed a $3.7bn loss from US sub-prime mortgage exposure, said Ms Cruz would leave on Saturday.
NatWest Three face jail sentence
Three British bankers extradited to the US on charges linked to Enron each look set to face a 37-month jail sentence. The so-called NatWest Three, admitted one wire fraud charge after a plea bargain. A Texas judge must approve the sentence agreed as part of the deal. The bankers had faced up to 35 years in prison. They admitted conspiring with ex-Enron staff to defraud NatWest of $19m and then split $7m between themselves.
Kasparov freed from prison
Former world chess champion and Russian opposition leader Garry Kasparov has been released after five days in jail. After his release, he said Russia was in danger of becoming a dictatorship under President Vladimir Putin.
Moscow court convicts Berezovsky
A Moscow court has sentenced the exiled businessman Boris Berezovsky to six years in jail in absentia after finding him guilty of massive embezzlement. The court found that Mr Berezovsky had stolen 214m roubles (nearly $9m) from the state airline Aeroflot through fraud. Berezovsky, who has political asylum in Britain, controlled the airline in the 1990s. He told the BBC the verdict was "a farce".
Court: $42 Million Legal Bill Not "Unconscionable On Its Face"
A New York appeals court ruled that a 40% contingency fee negotiated by a Gotham law firm — amounting to about $42 million for five months of work — wasn't unconscionable on its face. Graubard Miller was retained by the widow of a real estate developer involved in a multimillion-dollar estate dispute. Four judges on the five-judge panel ruled that Graubard Miller's fee "might arguably seem excessive and invite skepticism" but its reasonableness should be determined at trial. The lone dissenter, James Catterson, made his presence felt, calling the fee "exorbitant." When the retainer was signed a $60 million settlement offer was already on the table, and the estate was settled just five months later for more than $100 million. So, the firm's fee was almost equal to the additional amount of money it won. He said the firm's entire bill should be thrown out and the lawyers involved reported to state disciplinary authorities. "What the courts recognize is that a fee agreement is not unconscionable simply because it can produce a big fee," he said. "You have to look at the value rendered to the client."
EU ministers approve sat-nav deal
A majority of EU transport ministers have approved the multi-billion euro Galileo satellite navigation project. Ministers had until the end of year to reach an agreement. The system is supposed to be in operation by 2013. Questions remain about its cost but supporters say it will create jobs and cut dependence on the US GPS service.
Hunt for Nazi war criminals extended to South America
The Simon Wiesenthal Center announced Tuesday that it will extend its campaign to capture and prosecute suspected Nazi war criminals to four South American countries. In a press conference in Buenos Aires, director Efraim Zuroff outlined the details of Operation Last Chance , which will offer rewards to anyone providing information that leads to the capture of suspected Nazis in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay . According to the Center, between 150 and 300 suspected Nazi war criminals entered Argentina after the end of World War II, and "dozens, if not hundreds" remain in hiding in South America today. Zuroff announced that there is evidence indicating that Aribert Heim , a doctor accused of performing medical experiments on concentration camp detainees, is living in South America. Although Heim's family claims that he died in Argentina in 1993, the Center is offering a reward of 310,000 euros for information leading to his capture. Heim would be in his 90s if still alive.
Yahoo to put ads in PDF files
Yahoo has reached a deal to start running advertisements in Adobe's popular PDF document-reading format. The service will allow publishers to make money by including adverts linked to the content of a PDF document in a panel at the side of the page. It is Yahoo's latest way of expanding the places it can advertise online following deals with the auction site Ebay and the cable TV group Comcast. The advertisements will not appear if the PDF document is printed.
Barista Sues Starbucks for 'Cluster-Bomb' Approach to Competition
A federal judge has ruled that a Seattle-area coffeeshop owner may go to trial next year to air her claims in court: that coffee giant Starbucks "cluster-bombs" neighborhoods, barraging the areas with so many stores that competitors, like her, are driven off. Penny Stafford maintains the Starbucks strategy unfairly thwarted her expansion plans, and violated antitrust laws in the process.
ArcelorMittal to Invest $5 Billion in Brazilian Steel
ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steelmaker, plans to spend $5 billion to expand Brazilian steel production in the next five years to benefit from growing demand and the South American country's cheaper iron-ore supply. ArcelorMittal will build a new blast furnace at its Vega do Sul plant and improve other mills. ArcelorMittal will increase Brazilian steel production by as much as 5 million metric tons a year from 12 million tons now.
Brazil experiencing best investment era
Brazil is experiencing its most "opportune" moment to receive investment from European companies, Lula said. "The Brazilian economy is firmly fixed on the track of stability. We have been assuring long-lasting growth at an annual rate of at least 5 percent. Direct foreign investments are expected to exceed 35 billion U.S. dollars in 2007."
UK seeks teacher release in Sudan
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England
Graft clouds DRC donor conference
CongoPlanet.com, Independent online news aggregator
NPP Aspirants' Fate Decided Today
GhanaWeb, Online news portal, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Commonwealth Summit: Leaders Should Join Forces Against Rights Abuses
Human Rights Watch (Africa), International news press releases
Tourist tragedy in the Kruger Park
iafrica, Online news portal, Cape Town, South Africa
Family left bitter as killer is fined
Independent Online, News portal, Cape Town, South Africa
Govt faces R5-billion lawsuit after condom scandal
Mail & Guardian Online, Liberal, Johannesburg, South Africa
Nationwide 'ignored CAA'
News24.com, Online news portal, Cape Town, South Africa
Venezuela's Chavez says no ties with Colombia's Uribe government
Brazil Sun, Independent online news aggregator
Caribbean hit by 7.4 earthquake
Caribbean News Portal, Online news aggregator
Venezuela: Proposed Amendments Threaten Basic Rights
Human Rights Watch (Americas), International news press releases
Rights-Mexico: Supreme Court Lets Governor Off the Hook
IPS Latin America, International cooperative of journalists, Rome, Italy
'A dark day' - ACP among two policemen murdered yesterday - 10 others killed in separate incidents
Jamaica Gleaner, Independent daily, Kingston, Jamaica
Peru: Photo of the day - Best Tourism Poster in the Americas
Living in Peru, News portal, Lima, Peru
Christmas specials come but once a year
The Globe and Mail, Centrist daily, Toronto, Canada
Canada to join nuclear group
Toronto Star, Liberal daily, Toronto, Canada
Indonesia says Israel remains root of conflict in Palestine
Antara News, News agency, Jakarta, Indonesia
Another Scandal at Samsung?
Chosun Ilbo, Conservative daily, Seoul, South Korea
Left 'fascist in garb of socialist': Filmmaker
India Express, News portal, Mumbai, India
Patna HC lawyers strike work
India Times, Conservative daily, New Delhi, India
No defense of corruption
Japan Times, Independent centrist, Tokyo, Japan
Siva Subramanian forced to leave meeting
Malaysian Star, Online news portal, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
A tenth of therapists crossing sex lines
New Zealand Herald, Conservative daily, Auckland, New Zealand
Hill expects to finish denuclearization in DPRK in 2008
People's Daily Online, English-language, Beijing, China
Loving farewell to murdered larrikin dad
Sydney Morning Herald, Centrist daily, Sydney, Australia
Emergency to go on December 16
The Hindu, Left-leaning daily, Chennai, India
Police to launch donations probe
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England
LSE set for FTSE 100 debut
BreakingNews.ie, Online news portal, Cork, Ireland
Shock fall in house prices
Daily Express, Conservative tabloid, London, England
Welcome to 15 days of hell: Teddy bear teacher heads for notorious Sudan jail
Daily Mail, Conservative daily, London, England
Vodafone launches HSUPA service in Germany
DMeurope, Online news portal, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Teddy bear teacher Gillian Gibbons found guilty of insulting Islam
icLiverpool, Online news portal, Liverpool, England
Caught in the middle of French unrest
International Herald Tribune, Independent daily, Paris, France
Harman implicates Brown
The Guardian, Liberal daily, London, England
Dell sees costs hitting profits
The Irish Times, Centrist daily, Dublin, Ireland
Man fined after stabbing ex over 'love trap'
The Scotsman, Moderate daily, Edinburgh, Scotland
McCann spokesman says 'enough is enough'
The Telegraph, Conservative daily, London, England
Civilian Musharraf holds out to promise of end to emergency
Times Online, Conservative daily, London, England
Poll: Likud Stronger, Right Wing Coalition a Cinch
Arutz Sheva, Online, right-wing, Tel Aviv, Israel
Haj pilgrims call for opening of Gaza border
Asharq Al-Awsat, Pan-Arab daily, London, England
Bhutto gears for Pakistani poll, Sharif for boycott
Gulf News, Independent daily, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Washington: There is no place yet for Syria in peace process
Haaretz, Liberal daily, Tel Aviv, Israel
IRAQ: A Tenuous 'Peace' in Al-Anbar
IPS Middle East, International cooperative of journalists, Rome, Italy
UAE oil output to rise to 3.5m bpd at the beginning of next decade
Middle East North African Network, Online financial portal, Amman, Jordan
Bin Laden Urges Europe to Leave Afghanistan
Nahamet, Online news portal, Beirut, Lebanon
Iran launches second homegrown submarine
The Daily Star, Independent daily, Beirut, Lebanon
Yemen asks U.S to transfer two Yemeni clerics out of supermax prison
Yemen Times, Independent weekly, Sana'a, Yemen
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The messages that appear in this newsletter are for informational purposes only. They are not intended to be and should not be considered legal advice nor substitute for obtaining legal advice from competent, independent, legal counsel in the relevant jurisdiction.
Transmission of this information is not intended to create, and receipt does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. The information contained on this list may or may not reflect the most current legal development.