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A special Kosovo court set up in The Hague indicted Thaci in November 2020 on 10 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity including persecution, murder, torture and enforced disappearance of people among other things during the uprising. Thaci, 54, resigned as president shortly afterward and was transferred to detention in The Hague. As the fighting abated and Serbian forces withdrew under NATO bombardment from Kosovo, Thaci traded in his green uniform for a blue suit and tie. Milosevic went on trial before a separate U.N. tribunal in The Hague for war crimes against Kosovo Albanians in the conflict, but he died in 2006 before a verdict was reached. Some senior Serbian officials including then-army chief Nebojsa Pavkovic and deputy prime minister Nikola Sainovic were sentenced to long prison terms over war crimes in Kosovo.

☆ Inside a shake-up at the world's 'most feared law firm'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Casey Sullivan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +30 min

It's been a tumultuous period for Quinn and the storied law firm he built over the past 37 years — now the world's largest litigation firm with hourly rates that can be north of $2,000. But behind the scenes, a shift at QE has been the talk of elite law firm circles. Indeed, the firm – known as a singular, even freewheeling, institution that brands itself as the "#1 Most Feared Law Firm in the World" — may appear to be less in the image of its founder as a generational shift brings changes. "We all thought it was important that the world understands this is not a one generation law firm." One former firm partner in California says he believes Quinn's inner circle generally got better deals.

☆ U.S. House panel on China to highlight abuse of Uyghurs in second hearing
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Michael Martina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, March 23 (Reuters) - A new U.S. congressional committee on China will hold its second hearing on Thursday, seeking to highlight what Washington says is an ongoing genocide against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China's Xinjiang region. Rights groups accuse Beijing of abuses, including forced labor, mass surveillance and the placement of 1 million or more Uyghurs - a mainly Muslim ethnic group - in a network of internment camps in Xinjiang. China vigorously denies abuses in Xinjiang, and says it established "vocational training centers" to curb terrorism, separatism and religious radicalism. A United Nations report last year said China may have committed crimes against humanity in the region. Its top Democrat, U.S. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, told reporters that what happens to the Uyghur community in China affects Americans.

☆ Boies, co-counsel move to grab control of all private FTX cases
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Alison Frankel | Thomson Reuters | Alison Frankel Has Covered High-Stakes Commercial Litigation As A Columnist For Reuters Since A Dartmouth College Graduate | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, that the judge overseeing their Miami cases, U.S. District Judge Michael Moore, has already proven in their brand ambassador cases that he can steer FTX cases quickly and efficiently. Not everyone pursuing claims on behalf of FTX customers agrees with Boies and Moskowitz. (To be clear, these private cases are different from cases that could be brought by a court-appointed receiver or trustee in FTX’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy.) If the cases go to California, the California slate is a likelier candidate. It will be a few months before any ruling on the Boies and Moskowitz consolidation petition.

☆ Facebook, Gibson Dunn sanction order is light on dollars, heavy on message
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Alison Frankel | Thomson Reuters | Alison Frankel Has Covered High-Stakes Commercial Litigation As A Columnist For Reuters Since A Dartmouth College Graduate | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

CompaniesCompanies Law firms Meta Platforms Inc FollowFeb 10 (Reuters) - To Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) and its lawyers at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, $925,000 isn't a whole lot of money. Chhabria, as you've probably heard, ordered Facebook and its lawyers to pay that sum to plaintiffs' lawyers as recompense for their bad-faith litigation tactics. "Does anyone really think that Facebook was planning on taking this case to trial?" This is, by far, the most likely explanation for Facebook and Gibson Dunn’s conduct." Facebook and its lawyers fell into their roles with ease, and then they took things way too far.”Gibson Dunn and Meta both declined to provide a statement on Chhabria’s order.

☆ Sorry crypto world, but SEC isn’t backing down on ‘regulation by enforcement’
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Alison Frankel | Thomson Reuters | Alison Frankel Has Covered High-Stakes Commercial Litigation As A Columnist For Reuters Since A Dartmouth College Graduate | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Right now, Wahi argued, crypto users are simply left guessing about their exposure to SEC enforcement — and that's not sustainable. That strategy, Hodl Law asserted, didn't give token-holders fair notice about whether their coins are securities. Otherwise, Hodl Law said, Ethereum users have no idea if the SEC will swoop in with an enforcement action. The SEC also said that it's not obliged to warn crypto users about its interpretation of securities laws. It also, however, provides the first robust explanation of an argument I expect to see more often in SEC crypto cases: SEC enforcement, according to Wahi, is precluded by the Supreme Court’s recently articulated major questions doctrine.

☆ Haitians in the U.S. feel pressure to sponsor friends, family back home
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Brian Ellsworth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"Many people unfortunately are not in a position to sponsor family members or friends back home, but they are receiving calls nonstop." She said her clients have described being expected to sponsor entire extended families and in some cases face threats. "I would say it's also a program that will place undue stress on families and cause family divisions." "People will say 'I have more than one cousin I would like to sponsor, I'm only able to sponsor one of them,'" Jozef said. She is also opposed to the expulsions of Haitians and other migrants arriving at the southwest border, many who are seeking U.S. asylum.

Binance was the only major crypto exchange among Bitzlato's top counterparties, FinCEN said. The Justice Department and FinCEN declined to comment. Bitcoin worth about $175 million was transferred to Binance from Bitzlato in that period, making Binance its largest receiving counterparty, the data show. The U.S. action against Bitzlato comes as the Justice Department investigates Binance for possible money laundering and sanctions violations. The Justice Department said Bitzlato exchanged more than $700 million in crypto with Hydra, either directly or through intermediaries.

Binance was the only major crypto exchange among Bitzlato's top counterparties, FinCEN said. A Binance spokesperson said via email it had "provided substantial assistance" to international law enforcement to support their investigation of Bitzlato. Bitcoin worth about $175 million was transferred to Binance from Bitzlato in that period, making Binance its largest receiving counterparty, the data show. The U.S. action against Bitzlato comes as the Justice Department investigates Binance for possible money laundering and sanctions violations. The Justice Department said Bitzlato exchanged more than $700 million in crypto with Hydra, either directly or through intermediaries.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried could be bailed and placed under house arrest after he's extradited to the US, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sam Bankman-Fried could be bailed and placed under house arrest after extradition to the US. One option being explored, alongside house arrest, is electronically monitoring Bankman-Fried. Two people familiar with the matter told the Times that the deal could see Bankman-Fried placed under house arrest. Since then, Bankman-Fried has spent just over a week in the notoriously-harsh Fox Hill prison, which reports say is overcrowded and understaffed. One official at the prison told The Washington Post that the FTX founder appeared "awfully scared," but seemed like a "nice guy."

☆ Analysis: After a day of courtroom bickering and confusion, SBF is coming home
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The tl;dr version: It seems that SBF’s US lawyers worked out an agreement with Bahamian prosecutors to drop the extradition fight, which would have taken months, if not years, to play out. But SBF’s local defense lawyer, Roberts, said he wasn’t included in that plan, and claimed prosecutors wouldn’t share the US indictment with him. But then he was denied bail in the Bahamas, meaning he wouldn’t be able to fight extradition from the comfort of his luxury home. After a week of that, SBF is ready to face the music on US soil. To be sure, the federal detention facility in Brooklyn where SBF could end up while awaiting trial isn’t exactly the Ritz.

☆ Boies law firm makes odd moves in FTX case against Tom Brady, celebs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Alison Frankel | Thomson Reuters | Alison Frankel Has Covered High-Stakes Commercial Litigation As A Columnist For Reuters Since A Dartmouth College Graduate | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

That was apparently not what the Boies and Moskowitz firms were hoping. In mid-November, the firms filed the first of their three FTX lawsuits in federal court. On Nov. 21, the Boies and Moskowitz firms filed a second FTX class action, this time on behalf of non-U.S. FTX customers. The day after Bloom’s assignment to the case, the Moskowitz and Boies firms voluntarily dismissed the two previously-filed FTX class actions before Moore and Gayles. “As we got more cases, we filed more cases,” Moskowitz said.

[1/2] The logo of FTX is seen at the entrance of the FTX Arena in Miami, Florida, U.S., November 12, 2022. Ellison, who ran trading firm Alameda Research, has hired Washington-based law firm Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr to represent her, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. Semafor previously reported Mills' advisory work for Bankman-Fried. FTX secretly transferred customer funds to its affiliate Alameda Research to fill a shortfall at the crypto trading firm, Reuters has previously reported. The Wall Street Journal has previously reported that Ellison and senior FTX officials knew the crypto exchange had dipped into its customer funds to help Alameda meet liabilities.

☆ Ex-'socialite heiressblogger' Emily Brill is back — and she's terrorizing the pet industry
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Kate Taylor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Emily Brill might be the most hated woman in the pet industry. Now, Brill — the preppy blond daughter of the media magnate Steven Brill — is reinventing herself as the founder of the dog-centric publication The Canine Review. Courtesy of Emily Brill Show less One reader even threatened to cancel their subscription because of the so-called bird-massacre photo shoot. Courtesy of Emily Brill Show less Brill says the photos reassure readers that "I'm not a stereotypical sort of Manhattan, head-up-my-ass, agenda, PETA person." It isn't a bad start, but "she's got a long way to go to make it really thrive," Steven Brill told Insider.

☆ US calls for the release of Cambodian labor activist Chhim Sithar
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The United States on Tuesday said it was deeply concerned by Cambodia’s arrest of union leader Chhim Sithar and called for her release and that of other detained trade unionists. The State Department said Sithar, whose union has been in a year-long dispute with the NagaWorld casino, was arrested after returning to Cambodia from a labor conference in Australia. It said Cambodian authorities had previously interfered with workers’ rights by detaining union leaders and workers protesting the termination of NagaWorld employees. “We urge Cambodian authorities to release Chhim Sithar and all detained trade unionists exercising their rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly, drop charges against them, and move to constructively resolve their disputes,” the department said in a statement. The State Department also reiterated a call for the release of US citizen Theary Seng and said the Cambodian government should uphold labor rights obligations and mediate a resolution between NagaWorld and the union.

☆ Would Twitter get online publisher immunity in fake 'blue check' suits?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Alison Frankel | Thomson Reuters | Alison Frankel Has Covered High-Stakes Commercial Litigation As A Columnist For Reuters Since A Dartmouth College Graduate | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

(Reuters) - Twitter Inc’s introduction last week of a new subscription system to dole out blue-check verification badges was a flop by any standard. Edelson's preliminary theory: By awarding verification badges to the fake corporate tweeters, Twitter enabled the imposters to trick consumers and even shareholders. (Eli Lilly and Co and Lockheed Martin Corp both experienced sharp, if temporary, stock drops after tweets from corporate accounts that carried the blue-check verification.) Twitter also did not respond to my email query about potential private lawsuits arising from last week’s fake tweets. What about shareholders or consumers who claim to have been duped by tweets from fake corporate accounts?

☆ Godiva accused of post-settlement meddling with claims in Belgium chocolate class action
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Alison Frankel | Thomson Reuters | Alison Frankel Has Covered High-Stakes Commercial Litigation As A Columnist For Reuters Since A Dartmouth College Graduate | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

At issue is the settlement claims process, funded by Godiva and executed by Kroll Notice Media Solutions. According to class counsel, Godiva recently directed Kroll “to conduct several additional rounds of review” of class claims that had already been validated. Adding to the intrigue: In September, class counsel told Preska that Godiva had informed them that the company did not have enough money to pay class members. It's also rare, Frank said, for class counsel to ask a judge to get involved in the post-settlement claims administration process. Read more:State AGs, objectors hoist red flags in proposed Godiva class actionOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Take big law firms and Twitter. “Lawyers and law firms must struggle to stay visible, posting regularly, getting followers, and tweeting regularly. Consider, for example, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, which has 1,587 Twitter followers – among the fewest of Am Law 100 firms. “To date, the firm’s social media efforts have focused on platforms that are most aligned with recruiting — LinkedIn and Instagram,” the spokesman said via email. Will law firms pony up $8 a month for the blue check now?

☆ Meta refuses to give up on campaign to disqualify FTC chair
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Alison Frankel | Thomson Reuters | Alison Frankel Has Covered High-Stakes Commercial Litigation As A Columnist For Reuters Since A Dartmouth College Graduate | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Her previous expressions of her policy views about alleged big tech monopolists, Boasberg said, did not require Khan’s recusal under the standard for federal prosecutors. (The petition and stay motion are not in the FTC docket but are exhibits in the preliminary injunction case.) We know this from an Oct. 6 letter from the FTC to Weil Gotshal in the administrative proceeding. Remember, Meta is not asking Davila to order Khan off either the preliminary injunction case or the administrative proceeding. We’ll know more about whether the stratagem accomplished anything when the preliminary injunction case goes to a hearing in December.

☆ The U.S. has never had a lesbian governor. These two women could change that.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Matt Lavietes | Matt Lavietes Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

And in 2014 she broke barriers again, becoming the nation’s first out lesbian elected state attorney general. Nearly 3,000 miles west, Kotek became the country’s first out lesbian speaker of a state House of Representatives in 2013. This coming Election Day, these lesbian trailblazers could shatter glass ceilings once more, simultaneously becoming the first out lesbians ever elected governor in the United States. Kate Brown, who is bisexual and became the first openly LGBTQ person to be elected governor in 2015, and Colorado Gov. This past summer, some of those threats were pointedly directed at the LGBTQ community in Massachusetts’ state capital.

☆ Asian and Native American female lawyers get the least amount of big law business, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-07 | by ( Sakshi Venkatraman | Sakshi Venkatraman Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

“Native American women and Asian American women are the poorest in terms of this.”Nearly 72% of corporations surveyed said they give less than 10% of their business to Asian American lawyers, the study found. Less than a quarter said they gave no business at all to Asian American lawyers. Native American lawyers see a similar lack of representation. “[Asian] men are doing a little bit better than [Asian] women. But the difference between what Asian American women or Native American women are getting was so striking because they’re getting so little.”And though many corporations collect their diversity data, few actually put it to use, the study found.

☆ Get ready for 'stealth layoffs' at Big Law firms as the economy slows
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Jack Newsham | Peter Coutu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But at Big Law firms, "managing out" is common, with lawyers quietly directed to look for work elsewhere. O's story stands to become more common as the economy cools and Big Law firms seek to quietly cut costs without technically laying people off. Here's how Big Law firms let people go. Most Big Law firms operate under an "up or out" system, where lawyers are either expected to make partner or leave. Big Law lets more people go and slows down hiring in tough economic timesOne point of agreement is that stealth layoffs rise in economic downturns.

☆ From Jay-Z to Elon Musk: Inside the rise of Quinn Emanuel partner Alex Spiro, one of the lawyers helping the billionaire break out of his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Elon Musk has fired many lawyers but hired Alex Spiro for at least five cases, with a mixed record. But there's at least one lawyer who Musk seems to get along with: Alex Spiro. Spiro had been working behind the scenes for the billionaire when he was trying to buy Twitter. But they are hardly the "hardcore street fighters" Musk wants in a lawyer, according to a recent tweet of his. It's not clear how Spiro and Musk connected in the first place, but they seem to operate on the same wavelength.

☆ 2 Gibson Dunn partners outlines the traits they look for and the questions they ask in recruiting summer associates
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-13 | by ( Peter Coutu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Gibson Dunn is one of the nation's most prestigious law firms. Gibson Dunn is ranked 12th in The American Lawyer's list of top law firms by revenue, pulling in $2.16 billion in revenue last year. Show that you're collaborativeJura said Gibson Dunn prides itself on being a great place to work, with a communal and supportive environment for all staffers. Ask questions about the firmJura said that students should not be afraid to ask questions about the firm. Asking questions can help candidates show a genuine interest in Gibson Dunn specifically.

☆ Famed litigator Randy Mastro is joining King & Spalding after more than 20 years of representing big clients for Gibson Dunn, from Chris Christie to James Dolan
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-16 | by ( Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Randy Mastro, a fixture at Gibson Dunn since 1998, is leaving the firm, four people told Insider. Star attorney Randy Mastro is leaving Gibson Dunn & Crutcher after more than 20 years, four people told Insider. Mastro has spent more than two decades at Gibson Dunn, which he first joined in 1989. By 2014, Chevron had run up a $32 million tab with Gibson Dunn, a bill it tried to make Donziger pay, according to Reuters. Do you know Randy Mastro or more about why he left Gibson Dunn?

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