Gerard O'Connor — Clean Tech Lawyer — Joins Morse, Barnes-Brown & Pendleton

WALTHAM, MA — Morse, Barnes-Brown & Pendleton has announced that Gerard P. O'Connor, a noted business and clean technology attorney formerly with Foley Hoag, has joined the firm as a member.

O'Connor, who is clerk for both the Massachusetts Hydrogen Coalition and the New England Clean Energy Council, advises early stage energy technology companies and software companies in all aspects of their formation and growth, including negotiating and carrying out financing transactions, strategic alliances and joint venture agreements. His business law practice includes corporate finance transactions, mergers and acquisitions, securities law and intellectual property matters.

Massachusetts Attorney General Embracing Social Media

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley is embracing social media as a way to be "more transparent in government," according to a statement on the AG's web site, and for outreach, education and information. The web communications tools being used to date include:

A blog: At Issue & In Focus
A Twitter page - MassAGO
An e-newsletter - Building Better Communities
A YouTube Channel - MassAttorneyGeneral

For more information, see the Web Communications Policies page on the AG's web site.

Filmmaker's Book is Updated for Social Media and Changing Economy

Rapid changes in the economy and within social media has prompted New Hampshire entertainment attorney and Hamline University Law Professor Jon Garon to substantially update his popular filmmaker's handbook, The Independent Filmmaker's Law and Business Guide: Financing, Shooting, and Distributing Independent and Digital Films, to address strategies for financing film, completing principal photography, and obtaining distribution.

Newly updated and expanded, this second edition explores concepts such as executing a digital distribution strategy through the use of YouTube and "webisodes," the importance of international distribution, and legal issues particular to documentaries. Six handy appendixes provide sample contracts, copyright circulars, Documentary Filmmakers' Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use, studio contact information, and more.

Massachusetts Plastic Surgeon Gets Website Makeover

Massachusetts plastic surgeon Christine A. Hamori, MD has launched an updated web site including an integrated plastic surgery blog. Hamori's plastic surgey practice includes a full-service skin spa with many anti-aging and cosmetic treatments that are non-surgical including laser treatments and those regularly featured on television such as Thermage, VelaShape and Latisse.

Dr. Hamori is well known for natural results in cosmetic surgeries such as breast augmentation (breast implants) and labioplasty, as well as facial fillers and injectables such as botox, restylane, and juvederm. Check out the new sites designed by Infoworks! here:

• Plastic Surgery web site
• Plastic Surgeon web log.

MBBP Launches “Good Company” Law Firm Blog

Morse, Barnes-Brown & Pendleton has launched a law firm blog titled, Good Company, as a place to share news and information about its attorneys, its clients, and the things that connect them. Attorneys at the Waltham, MA law firm hope it will help to illustrate the type of work they do and in the process showcase some of the companies they with.

Collections Cases Dismissed

Via his blog, Massachusetts Consumer Rights, attorney Kenneth Quat writes that:

"Judges sitting in the Quincy and Brockton District Courts each recently dismissed collection cases brought by CACH, LLC, against clients of Quat Law Offices. CACH is a "debt-buyer" based in Denver which sues Massachusetts consumers through Cambece Law Offices. In each case CACH was unable to produce documentation at trial sufficient to establish that it owned the alleged debt or had the right to collect it."

Best Practices for Integrating New Lateral Partners at Your Law Firm

Ten Ways to Boost Lateral Partner Integration is the latest law firm marketing article on Legal Marketing Reader. Written by Katie Rutter, the article provides a brief overview of this trend and tips on best practices for integrating new lateral partners into the fold. According to Rutter, lateral partner movement is on the rise and putting in a lateral partner integration plan in place can help make the process less painful and more productive for everyone including the bottom line. Learn more at: Lateral partner integration.

Google Health Allows Sharing Medical Records Online

Leave it to Google... Google Health, a product that lets you organize, store, and manage your medical records securely online, just announced a new sharing feature. Google Health users can now invite others they trust (family members, a trusted care provider, a friend or a doctor) to view their medical records and personal health information online. You can stop sharing at any time, and you will always be able to see who has access to your information. You can also print a wallet-sized version of your health profile to share with doctors or family members who are not
online.

Lawyers Using Social Web to Network

Lawyers are waking up to the potential of social networking web sites to help them enhance relationships and grow their networks. A good article that explains what its all about from the point of view of attorneys is Using the Web to Network published by Chicago Lawyer. It's one of the Legal Marketing 101 articles on Legal Marketing Reader. For more great law marketing articles, check them out.

Community Bank Compensation and Benefits Trends

Community Bank Compensation and Benefit Trends Seminar - April 8, 2009

CONCORD, NH — A seminar on Community Bank Compensation Issues will be held April 8, 2009, at the New Hampshire law firm of Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell in Concord. Attorneys from the firm will join colleagues from Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker from Portland, Maine, in addressing compensation and benefit trends that can contribute to a bank's success. The Tri-State Financial Institutions Compensation Survey will provide the foundation for the program. For more information and to access registration form, click on: Banking compensation.

RGGI's Third Auction Trades $117M Carbon Credits

Mass. High Tech reports "The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) executed its third auction of carbon dioxide allowances this week, with the results announced today. RGGI is a 10-state alternative energy cap and trade program aimed at reducing greenhouse gasses through the auctioning of renewable energy credits and other vehicles." 

See article here: RGGI raises $117M in CO2 auction

Personnel Record Requests in Massachusetts

Massachusetts employment lawyers at Morse, Barnes-Brown & Pendleton, Waltham, MA, have published an informative article addressing terminated employees access to their personnel files seeking possible claims. The article is featured in the firm's Employment Law Advisor newsletter: Responding to Personnel Record Requests in Massachusetts. A brief introductory excerpt is included here:

"As layoffs continue throughout the country, many terminated employees are asking to review their personnel files, sometimes to assess whether they may have legal claims. In Massachusetts the Personnel Records Statute, M.G.L. c. 149, §52C..., sets out what must be included in a "personnel record" as well as various employer obligations and employee rights concerning personnel record access, challenges and retention. This [article] addresses the Statute’s requirements and implications for employers."

Copyright Basics for Musicians - Copyright Law

Jon M. Garon, an attorney with the Concord, NH, law firm, Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell, and professor of law at Hamline University School of Law, has published a new article of interest to musicians. Copyright Basics for Musicians, provides an overview of essential copyright issues that every musician should know. Copyright is an important issue that drives the music business, yet many artists have very little understanding of copyright, and may often rely on knowledge about rules that have changed dramatically in the past quarter century.

To read the article, click on Entertainment Law: Music Copyrights.

Additional books and articles by Professor Garon can be found at www.lawbizbooks.com. He also writes a blog, Entertainment and Entrepreneurship.

CDM Reform Addressed by Lee at Carbon Market Insights 2009

Cathy Lee, emissions trading consultant with Lee International, will present at Carbon Market Insights 2009, a Point Carbon conference taking place in Copenhagen, Denmark, on March 17-19, 2009. Lee will present on Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Reform.

Lee, who shaped much of her CDM expertise and thinking in concert with her strategic partner Charlotte Streck of Climate Focus, will discuss how both shorter-term and long-term CDM reform will need to focus on three broad areas: environmental integrity, procedural integrity, and accessibility.

For more information, read the full press release at: CDM reform.

Boston Law Firm Chosen Medical Malpractice Boutique Law Firm

BOSTON, MA — Lubin & Meyer PC, a personal injury law firm specializing in medical malpractice law, is pleased to announce its membership in the International Network of Boutique Law Firms (INBLF).

Lubin & Meyer is a leader in the field of medical malpractice law and has obtained many of the state's largest verdicts and settlements on personal injury cases including: cerebral palsy and birth injuries, misdiagnosed cancers, medical errors and medical negligence. Lubin & Meyer's attorneys are licensed to practice in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

Reader more at: Boston Boutique Law Firm.

Marketing in a Recession for Law Firms

The latest feature article on Legal Marketing Reader speaks to the timely topic of marketing in a recession. Written by marketing consultant Deborah Scaringi, a veteran law firm marketer and a former president of the Legal Marketing Association's New England Chapter, the article is titled: Recessionary Thinking: 12 Smart Marketing Tips for Tough Times. According to Scaringi, while adding marketing expenditures in a recession may not seem prudent, "maintaining and increasing marketing activities in a difficult market will help your business soar when the economy bounces back."
To read the entire article, click on: Marketing in a Recession.

SlimLipo™ is Latest Offering at Christine Hamori Cosmetic Surgery + Skin Spa

Massachusetts cosmetic surgeon Christine Hamori, MD, announced recently on her blog that she is now offering SlimLipo — laser-assisted liposuction at her Duxbury, Massachusetts cosmetic surgery practice. She writes in her blog how she was impressed by Slim Lipo technology at the recent annual meeting of American Society of Plastic Surgeons in Chicago, and has added the technology to her offerings.

In her blog, What's New In Plastic Surgery?, Hamori writes she has been

"offering it here in my Duxbury plastic surgery practice since December. The results have been great and as expected — the new laser system actually melts fat through tiny incisions, so there is less trauma involved in "suctioning" out fat. This means a faster treatment, less bruising, faster recovery. It's important to understand this is still a surgical treatment, so a surgical consultation is required. If you've been considering liposuction, SlimLipo may be the way to go."

Link to the blog post: Introducing SlimLipo™ — The Kinder, Gentler Liposuction

Law Firm Marketing and Business Development — Working as One Team

Lastest feature article on Legal Marketing Reader is a good one:

Getting Marketing and Business Development on the Same Page

Are your marketing and business development teams playing from the same game plan? For the majority of professional firms, our research and experience tells us the answer to this question is "no." Despite the fact that marketing and business development people are both charged with expanding their firm's client base, at any given time they may be promoting different services to the same companies or speaking about the same services in quite different ways-thus confusing their clients. They rarely know which side has interacted with each prospect, or when and what happened. This leads to poorly timed and inappropriate pitches. And many marketing and business development groups within the same firm use different metrics to gauge their respective performance. That can put them at cross-purposes. It also usually fails to give firm leaders a solid indication of whether revenues are poised to grow or shrink.

A survey The Bloom Group completed in late 2007 suggests that when marketing and business development are on the same page, a professional firm has a significant competitive advantage. By working in concert, successful firms' marketing and sales activities create many more viable leads. A much higher percentage of those leads turn into work, and much faster: they accelerate the sales process. And, our experience tells us, these firms sell bigger and more profitable projects.

To read full article and download PDF, click on: Law Firm Biz Dev.

For latest law firm marketings news headlines and blog posts, click on: Law Firm Marketing News

Faith Kasparian Joins Morse, Barnes-Brown & Pendleton

WALTHAM, MA — Morse, Barnes-Brown & Pendleton is pleased to announce that Faith D. Kasparian, former assistant college counsel to Emerson College, has joined the firm as IP and trademark lawyer.

Attorney Kasparian practices intellectual property law, and will focus on technology transactions (including development, distribution, and licensing matters) and trademark adversarial proceedings. She has significant experience in intellectual property law as it applies to higher education, arts, and entertainment areas.

To read the full release and attorney bio, click on: Faith Kasparian.

Down Economy Provides Interesting Opportunities in Wealth Transfer Planning

New Hampshire Trusts & Estates Attorney Jan P. Myskowski has published an article describing how following the dramatic changes in the economy, the IRS section 7520 rate is now at an all-time low, creating new opportunities and challenges in the estate planning world.

According to Myskowski, "The Internal Revenue Code section 7520 rate required for valuation of retained interests plummeted from 5.0% in December, 2007, to 3.4% in December, 2008, and has dropped to the dramatic low of 2.0% for February, 2009, a rate never before seen since the enactment of section 7520 in 1989."

The article further states, "Acutely low interest rates make for interesting times in the estate planning world. Rare opportunities arise to shift wealth at reduced transfer tax burdens, but a larger than usual gap opens in the comparative utility of various planning techniques, placing greater emphasis on the importance of analyzing the appropriate technique for any given client. Planning vehicles such as Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRATs) become particularly attractive, while others, such as Qualified Personal Residence Trusts (QPRTs) lose some of their appeal (although plummeting real estate values make this technique viable despite the effect of low rates)."

To read the full article, click on: Wealth transfer planning.

NH Immigration and Employment Attorney Beth Deragon Joins GCG

Concord, NH law firm Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell PC is pleased to announce that Attorney Beth A. Deragon has joined the firm.

Formerly an associate with Upton & Hatfield, Concord, Attorney Deragon's practice centers around employment and immigration law. She assists business with issues such as hiring, employee discipline, termination, discrimination, sexual harassment, wage and hour disputes and the full range of immigration matters. In addition she represents businesses in employment litigation.

To read the full announcement, click on: NH Immigration Lawyer.

Five Lubin & Meyer Lawyers Named Top Medical Malpractice Attorneys by Super Lawyers

Boston, MA -- Five medical malpractice lawyers at the law firm of Lubin & Meyer PC, have been named Massachusetts Super Lawyers as published in Boston magazine.

Medical malpractice attorneys Andrew Meyer and Robert Higgins were chosen among the "Top 100" of all the attorneys selected in Massachusetts. The Super Lawyers distinction is based on a peer balloting process involving attorneys from across Massachusetts and conducted by a research and review panel. With over 37,000 ballots sent to lawyers statewide, the Super Lawyers list represents the top 5 percent of attorneys in Massachusetts.

The firm's William Thompson and Krysia Syska were also named as Super Lawyers. All attorneys were selected in the categories: Medical Malpractice Attorney and Personal Injury Attorney. Additionally, Adam Satin was selected as Massachusetts Super Lawyers Rising Star, which acknowledges the best young attorneys in the state.

See full news item for more information.

Melt That 'Muffin Top' with New Thermage Body Tip 16.0 Now at Christine Hamori Skin Spa

DUXBURY, MA (February 6, 2009) — Christine Hamori Cosmetic Surgery + Skin Spa is pleased to announce its latest offering for non-surgical body contouring, the Body Tip 16.0 for the Thermage NXT system, which provides a faster, more comfortable body shaping, contouring and cellulite treatment.

With five times the surface area coverage of traditional Thermage tips, Body Tip 16.0 cuts body shaping and contouring procedure time in half. “Patients have been very pleased with the experience and the results,” said Dr. Hamori.

To learn more about skin tightening and body contouring using Thermage for Body, see Dr. Hamori’s web site at www.christinehamori.com, and check out her blog, “What’s New In Plastic Surgery” for a post that includes a video of the new Thermage Tip in action.

Terminations: Obligation to Pay Final Wages Upon Termination in Massachusetts

The current economic downturn has resulted in a staggering number of employment terminations, or layoffs. Yet, despite the volume of terminations, some employers in Massachusetts remain unaware of the termination pay requirements contained in the Massachusetts Payment of Wages Act, M.G.L. c. 149, §148. Given that wage claims are on the rise and penalties for non-compliance can be substantial, including mandatory triple damages, employers should understand their obligations under the Act. Read what Massachusetts employment lawyers at Morse, Barnes-Brown & Pendleton have to say on the subject: Download their Employment Law Advisor newsletter by clicking on: Final Wages Massachusetts.

IRS Section 7520 Rate: Bad Economy May Be Good for Wealth Transfer

Following the dramatic changes in the economy, the Internal Revenue Code section 7520 rate required for valuation of retained interests plummeted from 5.0% in December, 2007, to 3.4% in December, 2008, and has dropped to the dramatic low of 2.4% for January, 2009, a rate never before seen since the enactment of section 7520 in 1989. This according to trusts and estate planning lawyer, Jan Myskowksi.

In an article titled, 7250 Rate Drop to Historic Low Creates Rare Opportunities for Lifetime Wealth Transfer Planning, Myskowski states, acutely low interest rates have created "rare opportunities arise to shift wealth at reduced transfer tax burdens, but a larger than usual gap opens in the comparative utility of various planning techniques, placing greater emphasis on the importance of analyzing the appropriate technique for any given client."

He explains further that estate planning vehicles such as Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRATs) become particularly attractive, while others, such as Qualified Personal Residence Trusts (QPRTs) lose some of their appeal. For more information on estate planning in light of recent economic events, read the entire article by clicking on: Wealth transfer planning.

North Shore Employment Lawyer

Massachusetts employment lawyer Tracy M. Conlon has launched a new Massachusetts employment law blog called North Shore Employment Lawyer. Attorney Conlon practices exclusively in employment law and blogs on issues related to:

• Employment Discrimination
• Handicap Discrimination
• Independent Contractors
• Payroll and Personnel Records

Some of her recent blog posts include these topics:

• Employee Records
• Handicap Employment Discrimination
• Obtaining Your Payroll Records
• Independent Contractor or Employee?
• It Ain’t Illegal To Be a Jerk

Visit the blog at: http://northshoreemploymentlawyer.com

Sylvester & Maley Lawyers Selected Vermont Super Lawyers

Sylvester & Maley Lawyers Selected Vermont Super Lawyers

BURLINGTON, VT — Attorneys at Vermont law firm Sylvester & Maley are pleased to announce that founding partners Alan Sylvester and John Maley as well as Christopher Maley were selected for inclusion in the recently published New England Super Lawyers magazine. New England Super Lawyers is an annual list of the top lawyers in each state based on a peer nomination, evaluation and selection process conducted by Law & Politics magazine. All candidates are evaluated on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement. The list represents the top 5% of the profession.

Attorneys Maley and Maley are selected in the plaintiff lawyer categories of personal injury and medical malpractice. Alan Sylvester is selected in the plaintiff lawyer categories of personal injury, medical malpractice, and products liability.

For more information, see www.sylvestermaley.com and www.superlawyers.com.

Boston Area Non-Profits: Win a Free Web Site Makeover

BOSTON — Attention all Boston-area non-profit organizations, a group of web designers is giving away a free web site makeover — and it could be yours! The effort is a partnership between the World Organization of Webmasters (WOW), a not-for-profit professional association that provides education and support for web professionals; Web Design World, a web-design conference that takes place at the Westin Copley on December 8-10; and Bizland, a website-hosting company.

“We’re calling it the Extreme Markover,” said Bill Cullifer, Executive Director of WOW, “and our goal is to provide a deserving non-profit organization with a website that showcases today’s best design practices, which is exactly what WOW and the Web Design World conference strive to teach.”

Boston-area non-profit organizations are invited to submit their existing site for consideration by going to the Extreme Markover site (www.extrememarkover.org). A panel including some of the world’s top web designers will review the sites and choose one for the makeover. Selected WOW members will then implement the design, and designers everywhere can follow along through frequent podcast interviews, tutorial articles, and more.

The deadline for submissions is Monday, November 24.

To apply and learn more visit the Extreme Markover web site. To learn more about the Web Design World conference, visit webdesignworld.com.

Green News from Mass High Tech

Mass High Tech has launched GreenFlash — a weekly e-newsletter that bundles together the news and information from New England’s clean tech, alternative energy, biofuel, solar, wind, battery and fuel cell initiatives. Some of the most viewed items include:

• Green manufacturing jobs sprouting in Mass.
• Dataupia draws $10M in Series B-1 funding
• Patriarch buys Maine paper mill for $19M, to convert to ethanol

The newsletter is published every Thursday. Subscribe here.

French Government Hosting Cocktail Reception for Boston-Area Videogame Execs

The law firm of Morse, Barnes-Brown & Pendleton, P.C. will be hosting a cocktail reception for executives of the Boston-area videogame industry this Wednesday, October 8th, from 7 – 9 p.m. The reception is being sponsored by The French Government Agency for International Investment. Videogame executives will meet with representatives from the Lyon, France videogame cluster and hear how they can take advantage of funding by the French government for R&D projects in the Lyon area. For more information, click this link: Boston videogame industry.