“When sorrows come, they come not single spies. But in battalions.”
Erdogan
family acquired oil tanker through tax havens: Reports
"The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed." - Martina Navratilova How to prepare for the jobs of the future when you don't know what they are
Journalists have a bias in favor of change. Something’s not “news” unless it’s new. Pronouncements of “seismic shifts” and “sea changes” generate more buzz and page views than saying things aren’t really changing all that much. This explains why we media types tend to go on breathlessly about “transformation” this and “disruption” that.
But picking up on the major theme of my story from yesterday about the latest Am Law 200 rankings, in which I argued that reports of Biglaw’s death (or even disruption) are greatly exaggerated, I’d like to provide more examples of how the practice and business of law aren’t changing as much as some might think. ...
3. Robots aren’t taking all your jobs.
Jamie Wine, global chair of the litigation department at Latham & Watkins, talked about how her firm is working with IBM (of Watson fame) to see how artificial intelligence can improve the delivery of legal services. But AI is still not a total substitute for actual lawyers. For example, artificial intelligence can streamline the due diligence process, but it’s still not perfect; for example, it’s not great at detecting when key provisions are missing from a contract.
As Stuart Ingis, chairman of Venable, added, “Computers aren’t yet able to advocate. We are being hired to advocate, whether in court or in a deal, and computers can’t yet do that.” ...
Hogan rejects ATO boss 'settlement' claims
Inquiry into the e-petitioning system of the House of Representatives Petitions Committee
On Wednesday, 24 May 2017 the Standing Committee on Petitions resolved to inquire and report on the e-petitioning system of the House of Representatives Petitions Committee.
The Committee invites interested persons and organisations to make submissions addressing the terms of reference by Monday, 24 July 2017. Online submissions can be made on this page. For information on how to make a submission, go to our Making a submission to a Committee Inquiry page
HYPOTHESIS: THERE’S A COVERUP, AND WHAT THEY’RE COVERING UP MUST BE PRETTY BAD:
Criminal probe on Capitol Hill staffers remains eerie.
The criminal probe into a cadre of Capitol Hill techies who worked for dozens of Democratic lawmakers remains shrouded in mystery, months after their access to congressional IT systems was suspended
It’s still not clear whether the investigation by the Capitol Police into the five staffers, who all have links to Pakistan, involves the theft of classified information.
The staffers are accused of stealing equipment and possible breaches of the House IT network, according to Politico, which first reported on the investigation in February.
A spokeswoman for the Capitol Police refused comment last week in what she described as an ongoing investigation.
And now, at least one of the staffers, Hina Alvi, has fled to Pakistan, according to The Daily Caller.
Alvi, 33, who was based in Virginia, worked for Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Queens) since 2008, making $126,225 last year, according to public records.
Her husband, Imran Awan, 37, also worked for Meeks in the past. In addition to his wife, Awan put forward his brothers Jamal, 23 and Abid, 33, to work in IT operations on Capitol Hill. He also recommended Rao Abbas, 37. The group worked for 25 members of Congress at different times since 2004, public records show.
In the midst of the criminal probe, Imran and Abid Awan are now being accused of more wrongdoing, this time by a member of their own family. Last month,
their stepmother accused them of threatening her in order to force her to sign a power of attorney to gain access to assets in Pakistan.
In court papers filed in Fairfax County, Samina Gilani alleges her stepsons of wiretapping her phones, threatening to kidnap family members in Pakistan, and preventing her from seeing her dying husband in a Virginia hospital unless she granted them power of attorney. She also accused them of trying to remove her as the beneficiary of her husband’s $50,000 life-insurance policy. Her husband, Mohammad Ashref Shah, died in January, and the insurance payout is being disputed in court.
And in a recent twist in the criminal probe, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) demanded that Capitol Police Chief Matthew Verderosa return equipment belonging to her office that was seized as part of the investigation — or face “consequences.”
Chris Jordan provides detailed updates on the major fraud
investigation and online services meltdowns that have kept the Tax Office in
the news in recent months.
Tax commissioner opens up
