FBI FILES LIST BACK ONLINE
by Michael Ravnitzky , mikerav@mindspring.com

This huge list of notable, newsworthy, historical or important FBI Files has
been reposted on the web:

http://www.newstrench.com/01secret/01secret.htm

Legal Ethics and Legal Costs: ABA Formal Opinion 93-379: "Legal Ethics and Legal Costs:
ABA Formal Opinion 93-379 "

The Oscars

I am really rooting for Charlize Theron for the BEst Actress Oscar.

Just think of it, if she wins, she will be only the second African American woman ever to win it!

Kylie's Eyes

Peter Turecek, of the security firm Kroll Associates, says that with basic information-a person's name, his birth date, his social-security number and address history-there is a good chance you can determine whether your potential employee has a police record. Courthouse checks-performed at the county courthouse-allow you to read someone's local arrest record. "Sometimes there's a court fee," Turecek says, "but normally it's very nominal." For a wider scope, use private websites that search at the state and federal levels-or, for ten states, use the official and readily available state search engines.

That's exactly what we did for Richard Ricci, the handyman who worked in Elizabeth Smart's home. We entered his name in a website called rapsheets.com and in a matter of minutes-for a $6 fee-we found his criminal record going back almost 30 years. For Larry Parks, who stabbed Sherry-Ann Brannon and her two daughters to death in 1999 while doing excavation work at their home, we went directly to the state of Florida's website. For a fee of $23, we easily found out that Parks had a lengthy criminal background.

KROLL ASSOCIATES
Kuwait 1991 France 1992-1995 Pakistan 1997

Auletta,K. The Highwaymen. 1997 (115)
Council on Foreign Relations. Annual Report. 1990 (137)
Covert Action Quarterly 1996-#55 (44)
Dorril,S. MI6. 2000 (795)
Friedman,R. Red Mafiya. 2000 (265)
George Magazine 1997-10 (102, 104)
Intelligence (Paris) 1996-01-22 (12)
Intelligence (Paris) 1997-04-07 (27)
Intelligence (Paris) 1997-09-08 (25)
Intelligence (Paris) 1998-01-26 (13)
Intelligence (Paris) 1998-02-16 (1)
Intelligence (Paris) 1998-03-09 (28)
Intelligence Newsletter (Paris) 1991-04-10 (3)
Intelligence Newsletter (Paris) 1994-12-01 (8)
Johnston,D. Temples of Chance. 1992 (119)
Nader,R. Taylor,W. The Big Boys. 1986 (518)
Nation 1998-08-31 (24)
OSS Notices 1994-06-30 (12)
San Antonio Express-News 2000-08-06 (5K)
Truell,P. Gurwin,L. False Profits. 1992 (158-9)
Wall Street Journal 1994-11-16 (A1, 12)
Washington Post 1989-03-14 (D1, 8)
Washington Post 1989-03-17 (B12, 15)
Washington Post 1989-03-22 (F1, 5)
Z Magazine 1991-05 (42)

pages cited this search: 31
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Notes from the (Legal) Underground: Blogs/Blawgs Archives: "The Legal Underground asks that you please patronize the blogs of the following nice people, who have been identified by names rather than blogs just to keep things interesting. Can I make it more interesting? Probably not, but if The DaVinci Code didn't satisfy your puzzle fix, the names are arranged based on a simple code that YOU can break, unless you have something better to do, which you probably do. Post your answer in a comment. "

WAR STORIES

Lawyers Share Their True Tales About Life in the Trenches

BY BRIAN SULLIVAN

GUESS YOU HAD TO BE THERE

Sometimes you gotta wonder what goes on in the nation?s courtrooms. Here are two cases in which a casual perusal of the transcripts might pique one?s curiosity.

In a patent case in federal district court, the plaintiff?s star witness had been on the stand for quite some time. He was explaining that during the process of building his great new device, every night he would bring components of the device to his father, who was on his deathbed in the hospital. His father was extremely proud of him, but because of his condition, the witness feared his father wouldn?t live to see the finished machine.

At this point, K. David Crockett of Laguna Hills, Calif., was wiping a tear from his eye and looked over at his partner, who was doing the same. Realizing the impropriety, they both shook it off and looked deferentially at the judge, who was also wiping a tear from his eye. Unable to control themselves, all three broke out in laughter just as the witness was recounting the death of his father.

The transcript read, " ?? and then my dad died.? (Outburst of laughter.)"

And Milton Hammond of Dallas was one of several attorneys who, along with a judge, were listening to hardship stories from prospective jurors. It seems that one male potential juror had been admonished by the bailiff because he wore shorts to the proceedings. Having been excused from service, the man turned to the judge and said, "Next time, I?ll wear pants." The judge wondered aloud how that might sound on an official transcript.

SOBERING EXERCISE

Every litigator has learned not to ask a question to which the answer is not known. But sometimes you need to learn when to bring in a stuntperson.

Jeff Lester of Moline, Ill., tells of the time he suffered an embarrassing loss in court and was commiserating with a police officer, who had a story of his own. The officer had arrested a man for drunken driving, and the man refused to take a breathalyzer test. In court, the officer explained to the jury all of the field sobriety tests the defendant had failed.

On cross-examination, the defense attorney questioned the officer at length, then asked him to stand up and perform the sobriety tests for the jury. The officer went through each of the tests without incident, until he got to the one in which the subject closes his eyes, stands on one foot and touches his nose with each hand. The officer proceeded to lose his balance and fall headfirst into the jury box. To no one?s surprise, the defendant was acquitted.

Lester decided that his own court story no longer seemed quite so embarrassing.

AT LEAST YOU WOULDN?T FORGET IT

In the world of big business, the name of an entity should convey the essence of what it?s about. But when there?s a language barrier, those involved had better be extra careful.

James Watson of Atlanta was helping to structure a complex joint venture of two general partnerships for a real estate development project. Two Japanese-owned companies were forming a partnership to become one of the venturers. During several hours of intense discussion, the Japanese principals huddled at one end of the conference table, obviously discussing a critical point among themselves.

They finally announced that they had come up with a name for their partnership.

They had combined some of the initials of their companies? owners? names and written it on a piece of paper, which they handed to Watson. He read the new name aloud: SEKS Partners.

After the room erupted with laughter, the blushing partners quickly came up with another name.

?2004 ABA Journal

An out-of-towner drove his car into a ditch in a desolated area. Luckily, a
local farmer came to help with his big strong horse, named Buddy. He hitched
Buddy up to the car and yelled, "Pull, Nellie, pull!" Buddy didn't move.

Then the farmer hollered, "Pull, Buster, pull!" Buddy didn't respond.

Once more the farmer commanded, "Pull, Coco, pull!"

Nothing.

Then the farmer nonchalantly said, "Pull, Buddy, pull!" And the horse easily
dragged the car out of the ditch.

The motorist was most appreciative and very curious. He asked the farmer why
he called his horse by the wrong name three times.

The farmer said, "Oh, Buddy is blind and if he thought he was the only one
pulling, he wouldn't even try."

A Political Joke

A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She lowered
altitude and spotted a man in a boat below. She shouted to him, "Excuse
me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago,
but I don't know where I am."

The man consulted his portable GPS and replied, "You're in a hot air
balloon approximately 30 feet above a ground elevation of 2346 feet
above sea level.. You are 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and
100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude."

She rolled her eyes and said, "You must be a Republican."

I am," replied the man. "How did you know?"

"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically
correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and I'm
still lost.. Frankly, you've not been much help to me."

The man smiled and responded, "You must be a Democrat."

"I am," replied the balloonist. "How did you know?"

"Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are or where you're
going. You've risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot
air. You made a promise that you have no idea how to keep, and you
expect ME to solve your problem. You're in EXACTLY the same position you
were in before we met, but somehow, now it's MY fault.

Ruling in Newport news case may expand credit protection

Associated Press
© February 16, 2004
Last updated: 12:28 PM

NEWPORT NEWS — A federal appeals court, perhaps for the first time, has addressed the issue of how rigorously a credit card company must investigate a consumer complaint about inaccurate credit files.

Consumers could have an easier time disputing information on their credit reports as a result.

The case, brought before the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond by Newport News resident Linda Kay Johnson, clarifies a part of the Fair Credit Reporting Act that says credit issuers must investigate complaints. Until now, "investigate" could have meant a cursory records check. The court's decision demands more in-depth investigations when consumers ask for them. "This is very far-reaching," said Evan Hendricks, publisher of Privacy Times, a newsletter that tracks fair credit reporting and freedom of information news. "It's the first time they've said the law has plain meaning."

For Johnson, who owns Hair Raisers hair salon in Newport News, the ruling ended a three-year ordeal that began when a representative from bank and credit-card issuer MBNA Corp. telephoned her. The representative demanded Johnson pay a MasterCard balance because Johnson's husband had filed for bankruptcy and was removed from the account. Her husband's debt was $17,000.

It was the first time Johnson had heard of either the credit card or her husband's bankruptcy.

Johnson contends her husband applied for the card before the couple married in 1991. MBNA, based in Delaware, argued Johnson co-owned the card with her husband. The company said, however, it could not produce records from when the account was opened in 1987 because such documents are only kept five years.

"I never used it," Johnson said. "Never saw it."

After divorcing her husband, Johnson found she could qualify only for high interest rates on a home loan because MBNA had reported her to the three major credit reporting bureaus. Essentially, said Johnson's attorney, Leonard Bennett of Newport News, the company was using unfavorable credit information to pressure Johnson into paying.

"They disable your borrowing," Bennett said. "Which in many ways is worse than being sued."

A jury last year awarded Johnson $90,300 in damages. MBNA appealed.

An MBNA spokesman and a Richmond attorney who represented the company did not return phone messages left by the Daily Press.

MBNA argued fair credit laws require creditors only to briefly review their records when faced with a complaint.

By law, the appellate judges wrote, if a creditor cannot verify disputed information, credit agencies are to delete the item or modify it after further investigation. A jury, the judges wrote, "could reasonably conclude that if the MBNA agents had investigated the matter further and determined that MBNA no longer had the application, they could have at least informed the credit reporting agencies" that MBNA couldn't verify Johnson was responsible for the account.

Johnson hopes to refinance her home loan, on which she pays 13.99 percent interest because of her damaged credit scores.

"My credit was perfect — pristine," Johnson said. "If you know your rights, you fight for your rights and you will win."

© 2004 HamptonRoads.com/PilotOnline.com

The Library of American Broadcasting: "The Library of American Broadcasting holds a wide-ranging collection of audio and video recordings, books, pamphlets, periodicals, personal collections, oral histories, photographs, scripts and vertical files devoted exclusively to the history of broadcasting.

Founded in 1972 as the Broadcast Pioneers Library, it was housed in the headquarters of the National Association of Broadcasters in Washington, D.C., until 1994, when it became part of the University of Maryland Libraries. "

JUST WHAT LAWYERS NEED--HOOPLA!: "JUST WHAT LAWYERS NEED--HOOPLA!
Let the Games Begin for an ABA All-Star Weekend
BY SEAN CARTER

As we all know, the legal profession is suffering from an image problem. Lawyers seem to be about as popular as the WB prime-time lineup (although not nearly as stupid).

I have spent the better part of the last three minutes pondering this problem, and I think I�ve found a solution to our public perception woes. We need to find a way to let the general public view the good work that we do. Therefore, I�m proposing that we replace this year�s annual meeting of the American Bar Association with a special three-day event for the general public�the ABA All-Star Weekend.
This weekend, the National Basketball Association will gather its biggest and brightest stars in one place to showcase their talents to adoring fans at the NBA All-Star Weekend. Why can�t we do the same thing?

For instance, at this year�s event, NBA superstars will compete in the 989 Sports Skills Challenge. In this competition, players will try to complete a circuit of dribbling, shooting and passing obstacles in the fastest time. At the ABA All-Star Weekend, we could have a similar competition�the Starbucks Skills Challenge. Lawyers would race through a crowded courthouse while talking on a cell phone, checking e-mail, sipping hot coffee and pulling a rolling briefcase containing 300 pounds of documents.

Likewise, each year the NBA holds its Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout. We could hold a similar contest�the Excedrin Three-Minute Shout Out. In this competition, opposing counsel would compete by shouting insults at each other for up to three minutes. The first lawyer to threaten the other lawyer with physical violence or a referral to the state bar disciplinary committee loses the contest. I�m already predicting that this eve"

article from Advantage Hiring 4Q99 Newsletter -- Understanding Employee Turnover: "Turnover has become a major concern for organizations today with labor shortages and competitive pressures making retention of key employees a strategic issue. Latest figures from the Bureau of National Affairs indicate that monthly turnover for the first quarter of 1999 was 1.1 percent. This equates to an annual forecasted rate of 13.2%. Conservative estimates place the cost of turnover at 25% of annual salary plus benefits (Saratoga Institute and Kepner-Tregoe, Inc.). For a 2000 employee company with an average salary/benefit package of $60,000, the annual costs would be about 4 million dollars. That is a figure that should certainly draw the attention of senior management." . . .

Proposed treaty documents (generally published as Senate Executive
Documents and Reports) can be found in the U.S. Congressional Serial Set.
The CIS Index to the set is included in the Lexis CISHST file (LEGIS
library). A search such as
should turn up an abstract to the treaty and the Serial Set volume number
for it and related documents. Until the Serial Set digitization project by
Readex or Lexis is completed you will need to go to (or borrow from) a
library that has the Set. The Congressional Globe will no doubt have
discussion that bears on the issue as well. See
http://www.llsdc.org/sourcebook/sch-v.htm#over

Rick McKinney
Assistant Law Librarian
Federal reserve Board

craigslist: washington, DC online community: "craigslist washington, DCmore cities"

Roy Black’s yearly bash

A motley crew of South Florida characters and hoi polloi turned up at criminal defense lawyer Roy Black’s house for his and his wife Lea’s annual black-tie bash in support of Bay Point School, which serves at-risk youths.

The cast of characters included drag queen Elaine Lancaster, the rapper Loon, the late Victor Posner’s former girlfriend and business partner Brenda Nestor, Washington Redskins defensive end Bruce Smith, Latin pop singer Ana Cristina and asbestos attorney James Ferraro. There was even a rare sighting of a newspaper reporter in a tuxedo.

All told, 444 people gathered at Black’s lavish home across from the Granada Golf Course in Coral Gables. Rush Limbaugh, Roy Black’s latest celebrity client, did not attend. A VIP table for eight cost a cool $10,000.

“It looked like the bar scene from ‘Star Wars,’ ” quipped Joseph P. Klock Jr., managing partner of Steel Hector & Davis in Miami, who teaches at the Bay Point School every week and attended the fund-raiser with his wife, Susan.

The evening began with a performance for the 200 biggest donors inside Black’s 11,000-square-foot home by former Bee Gees singer and Miami Beach resident Barry Gibb and his band. Following a “Saturday Night Fever” medley by the disco star, the crowd emptied out into the Blacks’ acre-size yard. They joined the other guests outside, and everyone dined on donated delicacies from the Palm Restaurant, The Forge and Randazzo’s Little Italy.

Mrs. Black, who organized the event, said everything from the sound system to the flowers to the seemingly unlimited supply of liquor and wine was donated. “We can make so much because we get everything underwritten,” she said.

Following dinner, an auction was held that included a signed cowboy hat from Madonna, a Janet Jackson autographed outfit, Peter Maxx artwork and a signed guitar from Sting.

About $500,000 was raised for Bay Point School, Mrs. Black said. Bay Point is a boarding school founded in 1995 by Dr. Mary Louise Cole. It educates boys 13 and older who come to the school as court-adjudicated delinquents. According to the school, almost 90 percent of the boys go on to finish high school, attend college or find employment in a vocational career.

The Blacks have been sponsoring the annual fundraising party for the school for the past seven years. Mrs. Black said the event, which got rained on last year, is becoming increasingly popular each year. This year, she said, there was a waiting list because there was a limit to the number of people that the Blacks could comfortably fit in their house and yard.

“My husband is just going to have to work harder and get me a bigger yard,” Mrs. Black said. “It was so upsetting to turn money away.”

— Matthew Haggman