SS Enforcement/I-9 Battle Win for Employers…as War Looms

A collective sigh of relief could be heard across the U.S. this morning as General Counsels, immigration attorneys, and labor organizations heard the good news:  the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California granted a temporary injunction keeping the federal government from in...

Jose E. Latour Oct 11, 2007

CAFTA Update- Costa Rica (Probably) Comes Aboard

Well, I've been checking online to confirm the facts but I still can't find definitive confirmation on Sunday's CAFTA vote in Costa Rica.  It APPEARS that voters approved it by a narrow (52%) margin.Good for them if they did.  The call centers will remain open.  The export opportuniti...

Jose E. Latour Oct 10, 2007

CAFTA and Costa Rica: A Diorama of Globalism vs. Nationalism

Yesterday's referendum in Costa Rica on the proposed free trade on a free trade pact appears to be headed toward approval.  My Tico friends -- Costa Ricans refer to themselves as "Ticos" -- are pretty solidly divided on the issue: half believe that approval of the treaty is an indispe...

Jose E. Latour Oct 08, 2007

Faulty Logic

Today a U.S. District Court in San Francisco begins examining the legality of a planned U.S. government crackdown which, if implemented, will, among other things:make the cost of your produce skyrocketparalyze the few remaining active sectors of the U.S. construction industryshut down restaurants an...

Jose E. Latour Oct 01, 2007

“Astronomical” Bonuses, Marble Lobbies and Other Legal Fictions

The headline with the biggest font on the front page of this morning's WSJ is captioned: "A Stingier Job Market Awaits New Attorneys."  The piece is pretty significant and well researched, attributing the glut in lawyers to a variety of factors. The critical component is demand: more ...

Jose E. Latour Sep 24, 2007

“Astronomical” Bonuses, Marble Lobbies and Other Legal Fictions

The headline with the biggest font on the front page of this morning's WSJ is captioned: "A Stingier Job Market Awaits New Attorneys."  The piece is pretty significant and well researched, attributing the glut in lawyers to a variety of factors. The critical component is demand: more ...

Jose E. Latour Sep 24, 2007

(Starship) Enterprise Management

Whether you are an in-house attorney at a busy corporation or in private practice, you can probably relate to this scenario:  your paralegal -- with whom you have a codepenency rivaling that of the most dysfunctional sitcom couple -- is finally off for a week-long vacation he/she planned a year...

Jose E. Latour Sep 06, 2007

Okay, I really HAVE to get a new photo on this…

Went to visit my 85 year old mother for lunch and when I showed her the new blog, she said (translated from Spanish):"Wow, that looks very interesting...and complicated...and who's the young man in the picture, your boss?..."As Hootie and the Blowfish complained..."Time...why you puni...

Jose E. Latour Sep 05, 2007

“Compassless” Colleges: Why America Will Increasingly Rely on Imported Talent

This morning's Wall Street Journal features a provocative editorial by Peter Berkowitz, a professor at George Mason University's School of Law.  Berkowitz, a senior fellow with the Hoover Institution, is an astute observer of trends in American education.The editorial piece, entitled "Our ...

Jose E. Latour Sep 05, 2007

The Immigration Crackdown: the End of Corporate Complicity

Today's Miami Herald screams the main front page article loud and clear: "IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN"Drive through the urban portions of Miami, my de facto hometown (well, since I left Cuba at the age of four) and you will see them, lunch buckets in hand and hard hats perched on their noggins.&...

Jose E. Latour Sep 04, 2007