Mark A. Block Appointed Chair of Seyfarth Shaw's Real Estate Practice Group

ATLANTA (Business Wire EON) November 27, 2007 -- Seyfarth Shaw LLP, one of America’s leading full-service law firms, announced today that Mark A. Block, a partner based in the firm’s Atlanta office, has been appointed Chair of the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group. Block’s practice specializes in commercial real estate development and finance.

“Mark is an integral member of our national real estate practice group and he’s known in the Southeast commercial real estate market for his astute understanding of industry trends,” said Edward J. Karlin, Chair of the Seyfarth Shaw’s Business Services Department which houses the Real Estate Practice Group. “Mark takes the reins from Kelly Bufton who has overseen tremendous growth of our real estate practice under his leadership over the course of the past several years. We are grateful to Kelly for his leadership and look forward to working with Mark to build upon this solid foundation.”

Seyfarth Shaw’s real estate attorneys counsel individuals, corporations and other business entities to maximize the value and return on their real estate investments and assets. The firm’s national footprint, extensive business and legal networks, and broad array of legal services, allows the firm to provide comprehensive legal advice and assistance to its clients. Real Estate Practice Group attorneys help clients identify emerging opportunities and challenges, and develop forward-looking strategies to meet their short- and long-term goals.

“I’m honored to chair this robust group of over 80 real estate attorneys throughout the firm,” Block said. “Although the overall real estate market has been turbulent, we see signs that the commercial real estate segment of the market will remain strong. Whatever the conditions of the market, we work with our clients strategically to maximize their business opportunities.”

Seyfarth Shaw has over 725 attorneys located in nine offices throughout the United States including Chicago, New York, Boston, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento as well as Brussels, Belgium. Seyfarth Shaw provides a broad range of legal services in the areas of real estate, corporate and securities transactions, labor and employment, employee benefits, and litigation. The firm’s practice reflects virtually every industry and segment of the country’s business and social fabric. Clients include over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions, newspapers and other media, hotels, health care organizations, airlines and railroads. The firm also represents a number of federal, state, and local governmental and educational entities. For more information, please visit www.seyfarth.com.

Source: PRWeb: Legal / Law

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Class Counsel Announce Filing of Class Action Complaint Charging Leading Manufacturers of Cathode-Ray Tubes Participated in a Global Cartel to Fix Prices

SAN FRANCISCO (Business Wire EON) November 27, 2007 -- Class counsel for businesses and individuals that purchased cathode-ray tubes (“CRTs”) and products containing CRTs from manufacturers announced the filing today of a class action complaint alleging defendants operated a global cartel to fix the prices of CRTs sold in the United States.

“With the rapid fall in demand for CRTs in the United States over the past decade due to the introduction of technologically superior products, prices for CRTs should have rapidly declined as well,” stated plaintiff’s counsel Joseph R. Saveri of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP. “Instead, for almost a decade, we have seen periods of unnatural and sustained price stability, as well as inexplicable increases in the prices of CRTs.”

CRT technology has been in use for more than 100 years. CRTs can be found in a wide range of products including computer monitors and televisions. “Despite the enormous size of the CRT industry, it is dominated by a small group of manufacturers,” Saveri added. “The complaint charges that these manufacturers participated in a global cartel to fix the prices of CRTs.”

The complaint alleges defendants’ collusive behavior artificially inflated the price of CRT products, causing plaintiff and other direct purchasers to pay more than they should have. The defendants include multinational electronics corporations Chunghwa, LG Electronics, Matushita, Philips Electronics, Samsung and Toshiba. A number of these companies have been the subject of coordinated enforcement actions by the United States Department of Justice and competition authorities in Europe, Japan and South Korea. Chunghwa recently confirmed it had a received a subpoena relating to CRTs issued by a California district court. A federal grand jury operating under the auspices of the United States Department of Justice, Antitrust Division (“DOJ”) through its San Francisco office issued the subpoena.

Plaintiff seeks to represent the following class of businesses and individuals:
	All persons and entities residing in the United States who, from May 1, 1998 through the present, purchased CRT Products in the United States directly from the Defendants. Specifically excluded from this Class are the Defendants; the officers, directors or employees of any Defendant; any entity in which any Defendant has a controlling interest; and any affiliate, legal representative, heir or assign of any Defendant. Also excluded are all governmental entities, and any judicial officer presiding over this action.

Further information on the litigation, including a copy of the consolidated class action complaint, can be obtained at www.lieffcabraser.com/antitrust/crt.htm.

Contact Class Counsel

Antitrust laws are designed to protect the economy and to promote competition among businesses by prohibiting price-fixing and other forms of anticompetitive conduct.

Individuals, businesses, public agencies and other entities that have purchased CRTs or products incorporating CRTs are welcome to contact plaintiffs' counsel. Learning of your experience in purchasing these products will assist us in prosecuting the litigation. We will review your claim without charge or obligation.

You may contact Lieff Cabraser partner Eric B. Fastiff at 1-800-541-7358 or at efastiff@lchb.com.

About Lieff Cabraser

Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP is a fifty-plus attorney law firm with offices in San Francisco, New York and Nashville. The firm represents businesses, governments and individuals as plaintiffs in class and group actions as well as in individual lawsuits in cases involving substantial losses. Since 2003, the National Law Journal has annually selected Lieff Cabraser as one of the top plaintiffs' law firms in the nation.

Lieff Cabraser has played a prominent role in federal litigation under the Sherman Act on behalf of businesses in numerous markets including computer components, prescription drugs, polypropylene carpets, compact discs, credit cards, linerboard, carbon fiber, plastic laminates, flat glass, industrial pigments and vitamins. The firm has also successfully litigated antitrust claims against Microsoft Corporation for monopolistic practices, and achieved record recoveries against El Paso Gas Co. and wholesale electric companies for allegedly manipulating the price of energy in California.

Learn more at www.lieffcabraser.com.

Source: PRWeb: Legal / Law

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Weil Gotshal Sponsors Anti-Defamation League Peer Training Program: Proceeds from pro bono case fund diversity education in 8 NYC public high schools

As part of its ongoing efforts to promote diversity awareness, law firm Weil Gotshal & Manges will sponsor the Anti Defamation League's A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE(R) Institute Peer Training Program in eight New York City public high schools located throughout several boroughs. The firm's contribution will fund a three-day anti-bias and tolerance-training program for 200 selected students and workshops, which they will conduct with more than 15,000 of their peers, multiplying the program's success exponentially. (PRWeb Nov 27, 2007)

Source: PRWeb: Legal / Law

Acteva Unveils New Ticketing Option in its Autumn 2007 Release

Event Organizers can Instantly Sell and Deliver Professional-Looking, Printed Tickets using Acteva's Professional-grade Solution

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) November 27, 2007 -- Acteva, the leader in online event registration and payments, today announced the release of both new and enhanced features. Autumn 2007 incorporates ticket printing and delivery, enhanced reporting and publishing features as well as six redesigned registration page themes. The result is a better online and offline experience, increased event revenue and lower administrative costs.

Acteva's new Ticketing Option is a complete solution for printing and mailing professional-looking tickets to attendees. The Ticketing Option seamlessly integrates with all existing Acteva products including Acteva Express, Acteva Plus and Acteva Plus - MultiVent. Each printed ticket includes Bar Coding and a UV-visible logo to protect against fraud. Organizers can customize their tickets to include their event name, venue start time and sectional seating options (VIP, General Admission, All-Access, etc). Buyers receive their tickets and a packing slip anywhere in the world and have the option to print tickets at home.

As a complement to the Ticketing Option, Acteva's Bar Code Equipment Rental Program is available to help simplify admission control at one or more venue entry points. The rental program integrates wireless handheld computers, scanners, WiFi base stations, optional on-site staffing and Acteva's Ticketing Option - providing an effective and scaleable solution for events of any size.

According to Ed Lemire, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Products for Acteva, the Ticketing Option gives organizers another cost-effective yet powerful capability. "Best of all, Acteva takes care of everything," says Lemire. "There's no need to stock inventory or worry about delivery."

Acteva is also announcing new enhancements to make its hosted registration pages even more user-friendly and visually compelling. All Acteva customers can now choose from six new registration page "Themes." Acteva's Themes allow event organizers to project a professional image -- without relying on outside graphic designers. Each theme incorporates 20 matching design elements such as fonts, colors, borders, shading and HTML link formatting. For example, the "Victorian" theme is a crisp, clean design that incorporates the black Arial font, which is set against earth tones such as "Spring Rain" and "Chino."

Also, with Acteva's Easy Event Duplication feature, organizers now have an even easier way to publish multiple, recurring events. Organizers can quickly designate certain events to recur automatically, alleviating the burden of re-creating events from scratch. Workshops, trainings, tours, membership meetings, cooking classes and wine tastings are just a few examples of events that may be an ideal fit for Easy Event Duplication.

Finally, Acteva Express customers will now have access to Custom Reporting features at no additional cost. Custom reporting was previously available only to Acteva Plus Customers.

Lemire adds that with the Autumn Release, Acteva hopes to provide organizers with even more tools to increase revenues and project a professional image. "We continually engage with our customers and react to their input," he says. "And that means providing our customers with more than just the best technology. The Autumn Release exemplifies Acteva's commitment towards continuous innovation in the delivery of wrap-around services. Services that enable our customers to produce some of the most successful events in world."

About Acteva
Acteva is the worldwide leader in online event registration and payment solutions. Since 1998, over 11,000 customers have used Acteva to manage more than 150,000 events and process more than 1.75 million registrations. Acteva's customers include McKesson, Bausch & Lomb, Pfizer, Check Point Software, Lending Tree, and thousands of small to large-sized businesses and organizations. Acteva is headquartered in San Francisco, California. More information on Acteva is available at www.Acteva.com

Contact: Elias Terman
Acteva
Phone: 415-962-9047

Source: PRWeb: Legal / Law

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Class Counsel Announce Federal Court Grants Preliminary Approval to Proposed Nationwide Consumer Class Action Settlement With Carrier Corporation Over Alleged Defects in High-Efficiency Furnaces: Settlement Applies to High-Efficiency Carrier, Brya

SEATTLE (Business Wire EON) November 27, 2007 -- Class counsel announced that United States District Court Judge Ronald B. Leighton has granted preliminary approval to a nationwide settlement in a class action lawsuit filed by current and past owners of high-efficiency furnaces manufactured by Carrier Corporation equipped with polypropylene (plastic) laminated secondary heat exchangers. Approximately three million U.S. consumers purchased the furnaces covered under the settlement since January 1989. Carrier sold the furnaces under the Carrier, Bryant, Day & Night, and Payne brand-names. The settlement also resolves companion cases in Canada and will be presented to courts there for approval as well.

“After several years of hard-fought litigation in four different U.S. courts, the parties engaged in extensive negotiations that have resulted in an outstanding resolution of the case,” stated Kim D. Stephens, counsel for plaintiffs with the Seattle law firm of Tousley Brain Stephens PLLC. “The settlement offers a cash payment for the tens of thousands of consumers and others who paid to repair or replace their furnaces as a direct result of the alleged defect. Perhaps most importantly, the settlement also provides an enhanced 20-year warranty for consumers whose furnaces have not yet failed that will cover parts and labor for failures caused by the alleged defect.”

"We believe this is a terrific result for consumers," stated Jonathan D. Selbin, of Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein, LLP in New York, also counsel for plaintiffs, adding "We are proud of what we have accomplished with this settlement, and Carrier has really stepped up to the plate to take care of its customers."

The complaint, originally filed in June 2005, charges that starting in 1989, Carrier began manufacturing and selling high efficiency condensing furnaces manufactured with a secondary condensing heat exchanger (“CHX”) made of inferior materials. Plaintiffs allege that as a result, the CHXs, which Carrier warranted and consumers expected to last for 20 years, fail prematurely. Carrier has denied these allegations and has vigorously contested the litigation. The Court has not made any ruling on the merits of plaintiffs’ allegations.

For the purpose of effectuating the proposed settlement, the Court has granted conditional certification of the following settlement class:

All individuals and entities in the United States who currently own a Carrier 90% high efficiency condensing furnace manufactured between January 1, 1989 and the date of final approval of the Settlement and equipped with a polypropylene-laminated secondary heat exchanger, and former owners of such furnaces whose furnaces experienced CHX failure.

The Court will set a hearing to determine whether to grant final certification of the settlement class and final approval of the settlement agreement for April 22, 2008. Prior to the hearing notice will be provided to class members by first class U.S. mail and other means as to their rights under the settlement, including how to submit a claim or opt out or object to the settlement.

Reporters that wish to obtain a copy of the Court’s order and the settlement agreement may contact Brandan de Coteau of Lieff Cabraser at bdecoteau@lchb.com.

Source: PRWeb: Legal / Law

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Harneys Acts as British Virgin Islands Counsel to DV4 Limited ("DV4") (an investment vehicle of Delancey Real Estate Asset Management Limited) in Connection with its New €1.5Billion Evergreen UK and European Real Estate Fund

Harneys' expertise in BVI law played an important role in the transaction and helped DV4 to achieve its objectives.

British Virgin Islands (PRWEB) November 27, 2007 -- Earlier this year Harneys, an offshore IBC law firm, advised DV4 on British Virgin Islands international law in connection with the close of its new UK and European real estate fund which has equity commitments in excess of Euro 1.5bn and will have the capacity to invest up to Euro 6bn.

It was a demanding, very interesting and multi-faceted transaction for the international law firm because of the client's requirements and its complexity caused by its structure which catered to the different requirements of several institutional investors.

Previous funds in respect of which Delancey have acted as investment adviser have invested in a wide variety of real estate related activities including direct investments, developments, public and private companies, equities and through the provision of venture capital.

Unlike previous funds, which have been entirely UK focused, the new fund has the capacity to invest across mainland Europe. Unusually, it has been structured as an evergreen investment vehicle, meaning that investors are providing long-term unrestricted capital facilitating longer term commitments without the restrictions that a limited life fund imposes and therefore providing the platform to invest in larger more complex opportunities.

Harneys, a British Virgin Islands law firm, is happy to have been a part of this exciting next step for DV4.

Source: PRWeb: Legal / Law

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Legal-Ease International Inc. Announces Seminar to Address Guatemala's Growing Economy and Need for English Contracts with the U.S.

Position your organization to take advantage of Guatemala's growth potential. Legal-Ease International Inc. is offering the first legal English seminar ever to take place in Guatemala city, January 28 - Feb. 1, 2008. Dena Falken Esq. to head seminar.

(PRWEB) November 27, 2007 -- Guatemala ratified the U.S.-Central America Free Trade Agreement, commonly known as CAFTA, on March 10, 2005 and the agreement entered into force between Guatemala and the U.S. on July 1, 2006. CAFTA eliminates customs tariffs on as many categories of goods as possible, opens services sectors and creates clear and readily enforceable rules in areas such as investment, government procurement, intellectual property and business dispute resolution. Legal-Ease International Inc. is offering the first legal English seminar ever to take place in Guatemala City, January 28 - Feb. 1, 2008. Dena Falken Esq. to head seminar.

Organizations who have positioned themselves with sound contract language have prospered under CAFTA. "An organization with clearly written contract language is essential to ensure all parties are working toward a common goal," said, Dena Falken Esq. an International attorney and President of Legal Ease International Inc.

The need for Legal English is imperative to do business in Guatemala now.

Legal Ease International representatives have trained thousands of attorneys, translators, business leaders, and government officials with the skills of Legal English. Participants have indicated an increase in their bottom line, better client relationships, a more efficient office environment, and a better understanding of the principals of a global economy. This will prove beneficial to the Guatemala economy.

For more information, please visit www.legalenglish.com

Contact:
Dena Falken
Legal-Ease International Inc.
info @ legalenglish.com
2126291978
www.legalenglish.com

Source: PRWeb: Legal / Law

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