Friday, May 1, 2009

All Signs Point to Immigration Reform This Year

AILA optimistic that the President and Congress will push for CIR this year.

Washington, D.C. (Vocus/PRWEB ) May 1, 2009 -- The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) is encouraged by events of the past 24 hours as President Barak Obama renewed his Administration's pledge to pursue comprehensive immigration reform, the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) announced its intention to recalibrate its worksite enforcement actions to focus more on criminal prosecutions of employers who knowingly hire unauthorized workers, and the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship led by Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), commenced hearings to examine common sense solutions to fixing America's broken immigration system.

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The stars seem to be aligning for a major push toward comprehensive immigration reform this year
AILA commends Chairman Schumer for sounding the starting gun with an outstanding first hearing. Two expert-laden panels of witnesses made a highly compelling case - covering the moral, economic, business, labor, security and law enforcement angles - for the need to advance immigration reform legislation this year. "The stars seem to be aligning for a major push toward comprehensive immigration reform this year," said Charles H. Kuck, president of AILA. "Momentum continues to build as more and more of our elected leaders understand that tackling and solving our current immigration crisis will only help strengthen America's economy and security. The events over the past two days signal that this Administration and Congress get it and will not let this opportunity to finally bring the nation's legal immigration system into the 21st century pass them by."

AILA is pleased that DHS is taking steps to restore balance and rationality in its enforcement priorities. Mr. Kuck expressed hopes that the new DHS statement of policy addresses pivotal due process concerns, saying "a retooling of enforcement activities must, first and foremost, ensure the right to counsel of any employees caught up in these actions, and limit or eliminate the abusive practice of transferring detainees away from their communities, families and attorneys. These are indispensable elements of a fair and just system."

The American Immigration Lawyers Association is the national association of immigration lawyers established to promote justice, advocate for fair and reasonable immigration law and policy, advance the quality of immigration and nationality law and practice, and enhance the professional development of its members.

CONTACT:
George Tzamaras
202-507-7649
www.aila.org

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Posted by prolink at 7:45 AM 0 comments

SEO Consultant Firm Announces New Strategy For Creating Powerful & SEO Friendly Legal Blogs for Your Law Firm

SEO Consultant Firm, (http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/05/www.seoconsultantfirm.com) an industry leader in law firm search engine optimization (SEO), today announces their strategy to SEO optimize Blogger - the largest blogging system provider on the market today.

New York, NY (http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/05/PRWEB) May 1, 2009 -- SEO Consultant Firm, (http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/05/www.seoconsultantfirm.com) an industry leader in law firm search engine optimization (SEO), today announces their strategy to SEO optimize Blogger - the largest blogging system provider on the market today.

"Many attorneys contemplate whether they should create a blog for their law firm," said Dustin Ruge of the SEO Consultant Firm. "Over 25% of AmLaw 200 law firms now have a blog - a number that has increased over 36% over the past 6 months alone. But having a blog for your law firm is not enough. Attorneys must also know the responsibilities and opportunities that a legal blog provides them."

The SEO Consultant Firm now suggests that the following three areas should be considered before any attorney starts a blog:

1.) Do you have the time and discipline to Blog on a weekly basis? If you cannot discipline yourself to update your Blog on a weekly basis, than it makes little sense to go any further.
2.) Will you be consistency providing useful information on your Blog? People will only come back to your blog if you can provide them with a reason to. Like all web properties, useful websites and Blogs are highly visited and highly linked to - all of which help to improve your search engine visibility.
3.) Will you use your Blog to improve your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) initiatives? Once of the most important SEO considerations of a blog are the textual linking you can provide to other websites in your blog. Since ALL law firms should pursue a continuous link building strategy, what better place to start than with your own blog.

"If an attorney confidently and affirmatively answers these questions, then creating a Blog can be a rewarding and positive endeavor. If they cannot, then they are missing the three pillars of a successful blog," said Dustin Ruge.

HOW TO CREATE A LAW FIRM BLOG

There are literally thousands of choices when it comes to choosing a blog. The good news is that the most popular blogging system on the market today (http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/05/http://www.blogger.com) is easy to use, can be setup in less than 30 minutes, and best of all…it is free!

Here is what you need to get started:

1.) Go to http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/05/http://www.blogger.com and create a new account (unless you already have an account with Google - who owns Blogger.com.
2.) From your Blogger Dashboard, click the "Create a Blog" link on the upper-right side of the screen.
3.) When creating a "blog title" and "blog address", try to use your practice area keywords in each since Google will be indexing them for search. You can also select a template (or layout) that we will eventually modify.
4.) Once your Blog is created, you will want to click the "Customize" link to update the look and feel of your new Blog (i.e. colors, titles, pictures, etc.)
5.) Once you blog is created, create a link on your website/s to the blog and visa versa.

SEO OPTIMIZE A LAW FIRM BLOG

As previously discussed, using your Blog to further your linking strategy is one of the three pillars of a successful blog. The challenge is that links are only counted when they don't have a "nofollow" attribute automatically associated to your links - like Blogger does. You can change that.

Here is how to SEO optimize your new blog:

  • Make sure to use your practice area keywords in your "blog title" and "blog address."
  • Try to title each blog posting with strategic practice area keywords. Try to also repeat these keywords in your body text as well.
  • Create textual links in your posts to strategic web pages and blogs you wish to promote. Start with your own website/s and try to match the keywords in your textual links to the title tags for each page you link to. For example, I might create a textual link to a page on my website having to do with SEO Link Building. In this example, all I am doing is creating a code link (<a href="http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/05/http://www.seoconsultantfirm.com/seo-optimization/SEO-Link-Building.html">Seo Link Building</a>) and pasting it into the text. You can do the same thing by simply replacing the http:// address with the webpage you want to link to and replacing the "SEO Link Building" text with your own text. Once published, it will look like this: SEO Link Building.
  • Now the most important part: how to remove the "nofollow" attributes in your Blog so your links will be counted in Google. Here is how to do it:
1.) Click on the "Customize" link on your blog, select the "Layout" tab and select the "Edit HMTL" link.
2.) Check the box next to the "Expand Widget Templates"
3.) Click inside the HMTL text box under "Edit Template" and click CTRL+F on your keyword. In the "Find:" box, type in: "nofollow" and delete all results that say "rel='nofollow'" and nothing else. You might have to repeat this three times until all are deleted.
4.) Once you are done, click the "Save Template" button. Congratulations - you have now added full linking value to your new blog!

To see how this should look when you are done, visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/05/http://legalseo.blogspot.com


For additional information about products and services, please contact us at 1-347-254-7200, visit our website at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/05/www.seoconsultantfirm.com.

Copyright © 2009 SEO Consultant Firm, http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/05/http://www.seoconsultantfirm.com

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[Via Legal / Law]

Posted by prolink at 2:45 AM 0 comments

USOBA Welcomes the FTC at Its 2009 Summer Conference

USOBA has confirmed that Stephanie Rosenthal from the FTC's Division of Financial Practices will be speaking on the topic of marketing practices. This year, the conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago, Illinois from June 7 – 9.

Houston, TX (Vocus/PRWEB ) May 1, 2009 -- The United States Organizations for Bankruptcy Alternatives, a trade association dedicated to the advancement of consumer protection in the debt settlement industry, is seeking compliance guidance from the experts for its 2009 Summer Conference.

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We are very pleased to be able to welcome the FTC to our event just as they welcomed us in September
In a continuing effort to bring the most relevant information to its membership, USOBA recently extended an invitation to the Federal Trade Commission to address conference attendees on how debt settlement companies can properly comply with FTC standards.

USOBA has confirmed that Stephanie Rosenthal from the FTC's Division of Financial Practices will be speaking on the topic of marketing practices. This year, the conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago, Illinois from June 7 – 9.

USOBA Executive Director, Jenna Keehnen, recently participated as a panelist at a workshop hosted by the FTC. On September 25, 2008, the Federal Trade Commission held a workshop regarding consumer protection and the debt settlement industry. Two USOBA member company representatives and Keehnen were invited to participate as panelists during this landmark event. Protecting the consumer by explaining the program thoroughly, qualifying them appropriately and providing excellent customer care for the duration of the program were recurring themes during this event.

"We are very pleased to be able to welcome the FTC to our event just as they welcomed us in September," Keehnen said. "Our attendees will learn invaluable information from the FTC representative and the topic of marketing practices could not be more important right now."

About USOBA
USOBA is dedicated to providing its member companies with important, industry-related information, including compliance requirements, as well as advocating on behalf of its membership for fair and appropriate industry regulation that maintains the utmost in consumer protection. USOBA members are provided a USOBA State Law Summary guide, the only one of its kind in the industry, to better ensure and promote national compliance. This guide contains the laws and regulations, state by state, and has been reviewed by regulators and legislators. For further information, please visit www.usoba.org.

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Posted by prolink at 2:45 AM 0 comments

Home Study Course Teaches Health Care Professionals How to be Effective Experts & Defendants in Medical Malpractice Lawsuits

Health care professionals in every specialty can earn additional income by testifying as medical experts in medical malpractice lawsuits, but they must learn how to be effective in the courtroom first. A new home study course developed by board-certified physician and medical expert allows them to learn what they need to know on their own timelines and from the comfort of their own homes or offices rather than attending expensive, and time consuming medical expert workshops. A valuable resource for defendants in medical malpractice lawsuits too.

Austin, TX (PRWEB) May 1, 2009 -- An estimated 25% of all practicing physicians are sued annually for malpractice (When Good Doctors Get Sued, 2001). Nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals are also at risk for such lawsuits. In every medical malpractice litigation, medical records are reviewed and medical experts testify for both the defendant (the medical professional) and the plaintiff (the patient). A qualified medical expert is reimbursed on average at between $250 and $600/hour for their involvement in a medical malpractice case.

Health care professionals in every specialty can become medical experts, but they must learn how to be effective in the courtroom first. In the past they would have had to attend expensive and time-consuming medical expert workshops to gain that knowledge. Now however, they can obtain it on their own timelines and from the comfort of their own homes or offices by purchasing Medical Malpractice Expert Witnessing: Introductory Guide for Physicians and Medical Professionals (Potomac Press, ISBN-10: 1420058959, 592 pages) at http://www.medmalbook.com. They can purchase the entire volume in hardcover or as a download or they can purchase individual chapters of the book. The chapters will be downloaded to the purchaser's e-mail address. Coaching by the author comes with the cost of purchase. (This Summer, healthcare professionals will be able to deepen their understanding of being a medical expert with the publication of Medical Expert Testimony: Advanced Syllabus for Health Care Professionals. The complete book as well as individual chapters will also be available at http://www.medmalbook.)

A reference work (with) astute advice and helpful recommendations, artfully detailed
Medical Malpractice Expert Witnessing discusses among many other subjects:

  • The kinds of questions medical experts can expect the plaintiff's attorney to ask them during a trial
  • What to say and not say when providing testimony
  • How to maintain a powerful presence on the witness stand
  • How to respond to embarrassing questions from the plaintiff's attorney
  • How to use legal theories and medical analogies to strengthen testimony
  • How to manage attorney abuse
  • How medical experts should bill for their time
  • The kind of contract they should get from the retaining attorney
  • The dos and don'ts of advertising
The book also features numerous time-saving forms and templates as well as sample agreements.

A reviewer for the Journal of the American Medical Association praised Medical Malpractice Expert Witnessing as "A reference work (with) astute advice and helpful recommendations, artfully detailed". The editor-at-large for the Journal of Nurse Consulting called it "An invaluable primer for the beginner, a guide for the experienced and also a reference book…for both health care providers and attorney alike."

Medical Malpractice Expert Witnessing is written by Perry Hookman, MD, FACP, FACG, who is board certified in both gastroenterology and internal medicine and has over 30 years of experience in those fields of medicine. He was retained and continues to serve as an expert medical witness by the Office of Medicare Hearings & Appeals of the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Dr. Hookman is also the author or co-author of more than 50 peer-reviewed articles on topics related to internal medicine and gastroenterology and has served on the editorial boards of such publications as the Journal of American Association for Hospital Medical Foundation, Montgomery Medicine, (the Journal of the Montgomery County Medical Society), and Maryland Medical Journal. He has also served as a peer reviewer for The Annals of Internal Medicine, The American Journal of Gastroenterology, and Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Journal.

Dr. Hookman has a clinical practice and participates on the faculty of a medical school and teaching hospital. He is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions for his leadership, excellence and service as a clinician.

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[Via Legal / Law]

Posted by prolink at 2:45 AM 0 comments

ACS Releases New Books Offering Vision of the Constitution and How to Interpret It

Authors Present Alternative to "Originalism" and "Strict Construction"

Washington, D.C. (Vocus/PRWEB ) May 1, 2009 -- The American Constitution Society for Law and Policy (ACS) today released two books on the Constitution that will shape the ongoing debate over how to interpret our nation's founding document. The lead book, Keeping Faith with the Constitution, articulates a vision of the Constitution and an approach to interpretation that is faithful to the words of the document and at the same time has enabled the Constitution to retain its relevance for each new generation of Americans.

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These books offer a fresh, affirmative vision of what the Constitution means and how to interpret it
Keeping Faith with the Constitution was written by Goodwin Liu, Pamela S. Karlan and Christopher H. Schroeder. A companion volume called It Is a Constitution We Are Expounding: Collected Writings on Interpreting Our Founding Document, was edited by Pamela Harris and Karl Thompson, with a foreword by Professor Laurence H. Tribe. The books provide an accessible and compelling approach to constitutional interpretation and explain why the U.S. Constitution is the world's most enduring written constitution.

"These books offer a fresh, affirmative vision of what the Constitution means and how to interpret it," said Acting ACS Executive Director David Lyle. "They lay bare the flaws and inconsistencies that plague originalism, and provide a clear and rigorously argued alternative approach. These works are an important contribution to the debates that shape our nation, debates in which members of the American Constitution Society play a vital role."

Keeping Faith examines the text and history of the Constitution to show how the Framers inscribed the fundamental values of liberty, equality and democracy into the document. The authors describe what they call "constitutional fidelity," a principle that "serves not only to preserve the Constitution's meaning over time, but also to maintain its authority and legitimacy. The words and principles of the Constitution endure as our fundamental law because they have been made relevant to the conditions and challenges of each generation through an ongoing process of interpretation."

"Overall, the Constitution is a profoundly visionary document," write the authors. "It advanced a new model of effective governance and democratic rule. Its text and structure express general principles that further the guiding purposes stated in the Preamble. And the amendment process has enlarged our basic commitments to liberty, equality, and democracy. Our Constitution thus reflects, in a spare outline, the moral trajectory of a nation continually striving for greater justice."

Authors Liu and Karlan and editor Harris were joined by Charles J. Cooper, a former assistant attorney general in the Reagan administration, in a discussion of Keeping Faith moderated by Slate Senior Editor Dahlia Lithwick at the National Press Club.

More information about the books is available here. Contact the ACS Communications Department to arrange interviews with the authors.

The American Constitution Society for Law and Policy is one of the nation's leading progressive legal organizations, comprised of lawyers, judges, students and policy makers committed to promoting the vitality of the Constitution and the fundamental values it expresses. The views of the authors and speakers are their own and should not be attributed to ACS. For more information about ACS, visit www.ACSLAW.org.

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Posted by prolink at 2:45 AM 0 comments

Personal Injury Claims Advice on Price Comparison Giant

Two of the UK's biggest and most trusted consumer advice brands are working together to improve access to justice for British consumers.

London, UK (PRWEB) May 1, 2009 -- Claims specialist National Accident Helpline is working with financial website moneysupermarket.com as a key supplier for its new personal injury claims referral scheme.

National Accident Helpline is one of the leading claims advice and referral companies in the country - and this new venture means that thousands more customers will be able to access free personal injury claims advice online.

We are proud to be the personal injury brand that consumers most trust - and it is good news that they can access claims advice from a second well trusted source.
Alan Kennedy, chief executive officer of National Accident Helpline, said: "National Accident Helpline helps thousands of accident victims to achieve access to justice by introducing them to our specialist panel of lawyers every year.

"We are proud to be the personal injury brand that consumers most trust - and it is good news that they can access claims advice from a second well trusted source."

This new venture sees moneysupermarket.com adding personal injury advice services to its price comparison site, which has historically been best known for its credit card, loan, mortgage and insurance comparison.

National Accident Helpline will be one of the main companies to receive personal injury leads from moneysupermarket.com, which received over 120 million visits in 2008.

The move by moneysupermarket.com to include a personal injury advice section follows an overall rise in personal injury claims throughout the UK.

moneysupermarket.com launches its personal injury referral programme this week. Customers can always access claims advice at http://www.national-accident-helpline.co.uk/

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Posted by prolink at 2:45 AM 0 comments

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Now Available from Pepper Law Group - Third Party Custodian Services for 18 USC 2257 Compliance

The federal laws at 18 U.S.C. § 2257 and 2257A impose name- and age-verification, recordkeeping, and labeling requirements on producers of visual depictions of actual human beings engaged in actual and simulated sexually explicit conduct. Pepper Law Group is now proud to provide record keeping services for such producers, giving producers security, privacy, and peace of mind.

Somerville, NJ (PRWEB) April 30, 2009 -- Pepper Law Group proudly announces its new user-friendly and secure record keeping services for producers of adult content.

Pepper Law Group will store and maintain, in a secure and confidential environment, producers' 2257 compliance documents and be available during business hours to allow the Department of Justice to inspect the documents.

Pepper Law Group will also be listed as the producer's custodian of records on your DVD or website, so the producer's name and address can be kept out of the public eye.

Pepper Law Group uses an online-based system to receive producer's records safely and securely, at reasonable costs any producer can afford.

The third party custodian services include:

  • maintaining and indexing producers' records on the producers' behalf
  • acting as the designated contact on producer's 2257 compliance notices
  • working directly with the Attorney General's office should the producers' records be inspected
  • allowing producers to maintain their privacy
  • giving producers the peace of mind of having a qualified legal team overseeing the producers' records
  • maintaining producers' records in a safe and secure location
  • reasonable, cost-effective solutions for any size production company

To learn more about Pepper Law Group's 2257 third party record keeping and custodian services, visit their website at http://www.adultwebsitelawyer.com.

About Pepper Law Group, LLC
Pepper Law Group, LLC provides strategic advice and sophisticated legal services to businesses, entrepreneurs, and entertainers in the areas of technology law, intellectual property, Internet law, free speech, entertainment law, business formation and general business counsel, and privacy and security law.

Pepper Law Group, LLC offices are located at 21 East High Street, Somerville, New Jersey 08876. More information about PLG can be found by visiting http://www.adultwebsitelawyer.com or by telephone at 908.698.0330.

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Posted by prolink at 4:45 PM 0 comments

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