“We were thrilled with the success of the event,” remarks Diversity Partner Bethany Appleby, “with such an incredible variety of dishes prepared the evening was very festive and a wonderful way to celebrate our collective heritages.”

Wiggin and Dana also announced today that it has promoted Kevin S. Budge of the Litigation Department, and Helen C. Heintz of the Trusts & Estates Department, to counsel. Mr. Budge is based in the firm’s New Haven office, and Ms. Heintz in its Stamford office. Both were previously associates with the firm.

It’s the firm’s lack of depth, however, in other areas of law practice that two now-former principals are citing as the reason for their jump to Wiggin and Dana.

New Haven’s Wiggin and Dana recently did just that, bringing aboard two former federal prosecutors as partners to help clients in cases involving corporate compliance, government investigations and internal audits.

James I. Glasser joined the firm after 19 years in the U.S. Attorney’s office in Connecticut, most recently serving as counsel to U.S. Attorney Kevin O’Connor and chief of the criminal division. Joseph W. Martini arrived at Wiggin from Pepe & Hazard in Hartford, for whom he practiced after serving as federal prosecutor for nine years.

Mr. Glasser joins the firm from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut and Mr. Martini joins from the firm Pepe & Hazard LLP.

In a recent Business Law Segment of Smart Pros – Knowledge for Professionals, Wiggin and Dana partner, Bob Langer, was the guest antitrust expert on a program entitled “When Can You Set and Enforce Minimum Prices?” The host begins the program as follows: “In an opinion [Leegin Creative Leather Products, Inc. v. PSKS, Inc.] released on the last day of the courts term, the Supreme Court held that it was not automatically unlawful for manufacturers and distributors to agree on minimum retail prices. The court struck down the 96 year old rule that resale price maintenance agreements were an automatic or a per se violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. In its place the court instructed judges considering such agreements for possible antitrust violations to apply a case by case approach, known as the rule of reason, to assess their impact on competition.”

Bob Langer, along with his partners, Aaron Bayer and Suzanne Wachsstock, in collaboration with the firm of Bryan Cave, filed a friend of the court (amicus) brief in Leegin on behalf of PING, Inc. The PING brief was noted by Chief Justice Roberts and the Deputy Solicitor General of the United States during oral argument and is referenced favorably by Associate Justice Kennedy, author of the court’s majority opinion. Leegin is widely acknowledged to be the most significant antitrust decision issued by the United States Supreme Court in the past thirty years.

Click the title above to view the video of the entire program.

Dunham, named as one of the top four U.S. franchise attorneys in this year’s Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, will serve as Forum Chair for a two-year term. The ABA Forum on Franchising is the preeminent organization dedicated to the legal aspects of franchising.

Antitrust Opinions: No Bright Lines, More Facts. On the antitrust front, Robert M. Langer, head of the antitrust and trade regulation practice group at Wiggin and Dana, Hartford, Conn., submitted that Leegin was the key case of the term, and perhaps the most important since Continental T.V. Inc. v. GTE Sylvania Inc., 433 U.S. 36 (1977). Leegin held that vertical price restraints in the form of resale price maintenance agreements between manufacturers and distributors are not per se illegal under Section 1 of the Sherman Act, but instead should be analyzed under the rule of reason in deciding whether those measures are anticompetitive. In reaching that conclusion, the court overruled Dr. Miles Medical Co. v. John D. Park & Sons Co., 220 U.S. 373 (1911).

In order to qualify, candidates must have demonstrated a broad background in practicing law involving common law subjects. The candidate must then pass a rigorous three-day examination covering English statutes, cases, practice rules and common law.

"As more aging-services providers look to new technology ventures, it will be important to incorporate HIPAA into strategic planning."

The co-authors of the Unfair Trade Practices treatise are: Robert M. Langer, of Wiggin and Dana's Antitrust & Trade Regulation Practice Group, David L. Belt and John T. Morgan.

This issue also includes:

The program will be called the Wiggin & Dana Innovation@work Series after its lead sponsor. Wiggin and Dana’s top technology partners Bill Perrone and Frank Marco are excited about the possibilities the program will present for the State. “We are in a time of significant technical advances by many firms here, companies of all sizes. If we can find ways to promote sharing of the best techniques that these firms are using and also stimulate strategic partnerships we have a win-win situation for everyone,” Marco noted.

Wiggin will have seven summer associates this year, down from 10 in 2003. Prout said the firm purposely reduced the program's size so it can give more attention to the interns it did bring on. It wasn't a question of economics, he maintained.

More than 500 venture capitalists and company executives packed the mezzanine of the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale.

Robert M. Langer, a partner at Wiggin and Dana, was a member of this panel.

• PIPEDA - A Clearly Canadian Approach to Privacy Protection
• New Rules for Marketing by Email and Text Message
• The European Commission’s First Report on the Implementation of the Data Protection Directive: Towards Greater Convergence?
• Broadband Security: Developing Legal Standards for a Brave New World

In an increasingly litigious society, where state court systems already are overwhelmed with civil suits, more businesses, including restaurant companies, are turning to arbitration — often viewed as less expensive, contentious and time consuming than traditional lawsuits — to diffuse their thorny frictions.

In addition, as revenue-strapped states look for ways to cut budgets, many legislatures are passing laws forcing companies to arbitrate or mediate their disputes up to certain monetary limits before taking them into courtrooms.

Howe & Addington focuses on real estate, tax, estate planning and litigation.

The combined firm of 155 attorneys will continue to be known as Wiggin & Dana and all of Howe & Addington’s partners, associates and staff were included in the merger. The NY practice will continue to practice from offices at 450 Lexington Avenue.

The combined entity, with 155 attorneys, will still be called Wiggin & Dana. Howe & Addington's partners, associates and staff will join Wiggin & Dana, and will continue to practice from their offices in New York.

Dale Carlson and Will Slate led a discussion of recent PTO proposals to periodically recertify patent practitioners. Dale and Will had authored a recent JPTOS article entitled "Are We Certifiable?" Redux—A Strategic Plan for Maintaning Patent Practice Competence" (April 2003, pp287-300).

He stands accused of planning to set off a radioactive "dirty bomb" in this country.

Clarifying the standard for equitable tolling under the federal habeas statute, 28 U.S.C. § 2255, the 2nd Circuit said that a combination of due diligence by the petitioner and the “extraordinary circumstances” created by an attorney’s failure may rescue a petition that is untimely under the one-year statute of limitations.

Clarifying the standard for equitable tolling under the federal habeas statute, 28 U.S.C. § 2255, the 2nd Circuit said that a combination of due diligence by the petitioner and the "extraordinary circumstances" created by an attorney's failure may rescue a petition that is untimely under the one-year statute of limitations.

Since 1978, the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights has worked in the U.S. and abroad to create a secure and humane world by advancing justice, human dignity and respect for the rule of law. Mr. Freiman has worked with the Lawyers Committee for several years. His current work focuses on the development and implementation of a national litigation strategy addressing the appropriate balance between national security and human rights. In addition to work with the Lawyers Committee, Mr. Freiman’s litigation practice includes appellate cases before federal and state courts, dispositive motions in trial courts, and the review of organizations’ long-term strategic litigation planning. He has particular substantive expertise in international law.

In two decisions released June 23, the high court underscored that racial quotas are unconstitutional but left room for the nation’s public universities – and by extension other public and private institutions – to seek ways to take race into account.

• US/EU Safe Harbor Agreement: What It Is and What It Says About the Future of Cross Border Data Protection
• The European Union Data Directive: Implications for United States and Multi-National Companies
• Harmony or Discord? Using Intra-Group Contracts to Address International Data Protection Standards
• Privacy Regulation on Both Sides of the Pond: Lessons from Microsoft .NET Passport
• The Impact of New Canadian Privacy Rules on U.S. Businesses
• Privacy and Business in Australia
• Privacy and Video Surveillance: A European Vision

Deshala T. Dixon, Boston College Law School
Betsy A. Golden, University of Connecticut School of Law
Thomas Hedemann, Yale Law School
Adena Herskovitz, Yale Law School
Justine D. Parker, University of Connecticut School of Law
Marie C. Pollio, New York University School of Law
Katarzyna Przychodzen, University of Pennsylvania Law School
Matthew J. Schiller, Washington University School of Law
Shaina Spreng, University of Connecticut School of Law
David Sweet, Yale Law School

Kravitz was recently nominated by President Bush to be a U.S. District Court judge in Connecticut. Edward Wood Dunham, chair of Wiggin & Dana’s executive committee, says "Mark Kravitz is one of America’s truly outstanding lawyers. So is Aaron Bayer. And it is our great good fortune that Aaron is joining us to help take our nationally-recognized appellate practice to even greater heights."

• EU laws regulating unsolicited commercial email
• U.S. state law regulation
• U.S. federal regulation