1. J. Joseph Moakley Federal Courthouse Tour

Click here to RSVP for this event

Thursday, December 14, 2006
9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
J. Joseph Moakley Courthouse
One Courthouse Way in Boston

Please join us for a tour of the J. Joseph Moakley Federal Courthouse and Library of the United States Courts in the First Circuit. The tour will be conducted by Discovering Justice: The James D. St. Clair Court Education Project, and will be followed by an introduction to the Library led by one of the staff reference librarians.

Those interested should meet outside the security desk at the J. Joseph Moakley Courthouse, One Courthouse Way in Boston. All visitors over the age of 18 must have TWO forms of identification with them, one containing a photograph. Electronic devices, including cell phones, cameras, and portable music players, are NOT permitted in the courthouse. Additionally, containers with liquids, such as water bottles, will not be allowed to pass through security.

Please RSVP to Heather J. Zelevinsky at hzelevinsky@gordonhaley.com

2. Immigration Tax and Business Documents – Everything You Wanted to Know but Dared Not Ask

Sponsored by the New Lawyers Section and Immigration Law Committee

Click here to RSVP for this event

Thursday, December 14, 2006
12:15 p.m.
Boston Bar Association

Steven Clark of Flynn & Clark, P.C. and Shiva Karimi of Vakili Karimi LLC will explain what to watch out for when obtaining and analyzing birth, business and tax records required for family and business immigration applications.  They will also entertain questions about cases you may be handling.

3. CLE: Taxpayer Rights in Audits and Collection Proceedings

Thursday, December 14, 2006
3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Boston Bar Association

After an era of expanding taxpayer rights, we are entering into a period of increased emphasis on enforcement and collection of taxes.  Both the IRS and DOR are implementing new procedures for improving collections while simultaneously trying to create more methods and opportunities for taxpayers to meet payment obligations.

This seminar will focus on the latest statutory and administrative developments in the law, and summarize the rights, remedies and alternatives available to taxpayers.  Panelists will provide feedback based on their own experiences in the examination and collection processes, as well as an overview of the law and procedures involved in representing taxpayers involved in such proceedings.

Click here for more information or to register

4. CLE: FIN 48: What your clients will expect from you CLE

Tuesday, December 19, 2006
4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Social Law Library
John Adams Courthouse
One Pemberton Square, Boston

New FASB Interpretation 48 on Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes (“FIN 48”) will soon become effective, setting new thresholds for recognizing and measuring the benefits of a company’s tax return positions in its financial statements.  Implementation of these new rules will likely present a major undertaking for companies, requiring an examination of not only current but also prior reporting positions.  The role of attorneys in this process will significantly expand as companies struggle to classify their tax return positions under these new standards.  In addition, attorneys need to understand how these requirements for recognizing tax benefits on financial statements will affect planning for acquisitions and divestitures, as well as how the interpretation’s new disclosure provisions could create a road map for tax authorities to attack tax planning structures.

A panel of experts from the “Big four” accounting firms and academia willl take us through the ins-and-outs of these issues and the related planning opportunities.

Click here for more information or to register

5. CLE: Digital Campus

Wednesday, December 20, 2006
4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Boston Bar Association

Networked access to digital information continues to raise new legal issues regarding ownership, as well as permissible uses of information and resulting products. These issues are particularly complex within the networked campuses of educational, governmental, healthcare and research institutions that balance missions to advance public knowledge and welfare with obligations to protect personal or proprietary information. 

This program brings together practitioners who face these issues on a daily basis and who lead in developing institutional policies and responses.

Click here for more information or to register

6. Jim Milkey Discusses his Supreme Court Argument

Sponsored by the Environmental Law Section

Click here to RSVP for this event

Thursday, December 21, 2006
12:30 p.m.
Boston Bar Association

Arguing Massachusetts’ Clean Air Act Case in the U.S. Supreme Court

Jim Milkey, Chief of the Environmental Protection Division of the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General, will discuss his recent argument to the United States Supreme Court in Massachusetts, et al. v. EPA, No. 05-1120. In the case, Massachusetts and 28 other petitioners are challenging EPA's refusal to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the federal Clean Air Act.

7. The Steering Committee for the New Lawyers Section meets the first Wednesday of every month at 8:30 a.m. The next meeting is December 6. All are welcome.

Should you want to become involved in another manner, please click here.

Questions or comments about this newsletter? Contact Alex Klibaner, Sally & Fitch LLP, at 617-542-5542 or ak@sally-fitch.com.