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Litigation Support Today Acquires Legal Assistant Today from James Publishing, Inc.

[Columbia, MD] Conexion International Media, Inc., publisher of Litigation Support Today, announces today that it has acquired Legal Assistant Today - the leading magazine for the paralegal profession from its former owner James Publishing, Inc.

Produced bimonthly by James Publishing of Costa Mesa, CA, Legal Assistant Today is the only independent national trade magazine written exclusively for paralegals. It has been published continuously for more than 25 years and it is the established authority in the paralegal field.

Specializing in the development of international and niche-market publications particularly those focused on vertical professions or special interests with multiple growth potential in the USA and the markets of Latin America, Asia-Pacific, or other regions, Conexion International Media is based in Columbia, MD and has sales offices in Miami and New York. The company currently publishes Litigation Support Today magazine with a total of 10,000 in circulation which is currently scheduled to be audited by BPA
Worldwide. Additionally, the company produces The International Litigation Support Leaders Conference, an annual education/networkin g conference and the prestigious Betsy Ann Reynolds Awards for Excellence in Litigation Support, recognizing the important role of today's litigation support
professionals.

Since 1981, James Publishing has been providing the legal profession with law books that are more practical and less costly than the traditional treatises that then dominated the market. Additionally, James Publishing provides extensive practice tools such as time-saving motions and pleadings, client letters, step-by-step procedural checklists, as well as pattern arguments, model questions, pitfalls to avoid, and practice tips. James Publishing is also known for its private charitable foundations that support
education and health projects for needy youth in the United States and less developed countries.

"We are pleased to announce the acquisition of Legal Assistant Today," said Charles Buckwalter, VP of Conexion International Media, Inc. "Legal Assistant Today shares areas of convergence with our other publication and we are confident that we will be able to maximize promotional opportunities with both current and new clients in the legal support community. In addition, we intend to build on LAT's strong legitimate base of paid subscribers and expand circulation to better serve the information needs of
the paralegal profession."

"I am pleased to have found a great new home for Legal Assistant Today at Conexion International Media, Inc.," said Jim Pawell, Founder and President of James Publishing. "We wish continued growth and success for the publication and we are confident that it will continue to thrive under its new ownership."

For further information, please contact:

Charles Buckwalter, Vice President
Conexion International Media, Inc.
10632 Little Patuxent Parkway
Suite 249
Columbia, MD 21044-6206
Tel: 410 740-9770
cbuckwalter@ conexionmedia. com

*Conexion International Media, Inc. is a new ventures division Conexion International Ltd., Inc., a  publishing group that specializes in the development of international and niche-market publications particularly those focused on vertical professions or special interests with multiple growth potential in the USA, Hispanic USA and/or the markets of Latin America, Asia-Pacific, or other regions*.

ParalegalGateway.com Announces 2009 Paralegal Superstars

ParalegalGateway.com is pleased to announce that the following 12 Paralegal professionals were selected to be ParalegalGateway.com's 2009 Paralegal Superstars:

Donna Dupree
Deisha Vazquez
Lynne J. DeVenny
Mary McCutcheon
Mathew Laskowski
Vandy Fitzpatrick
Dana Welcker
Chiquetta Simmons
Cynthia Mascio
Stacy McIlvain
Debra Hindin-King
Darlene McLellan

We are honored to be represented by such a prestigious and accomplished group of men and women.  Please join us in congratulating them.

Paralegal's Dates With Defendant Throw Curve Ball at Assault Case

A paralegal who assisted San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi with an ongoing, gang-related assault case has admitted to police inspectors that she carried on a yearlong affair with the defendant.

The relationship, which came to light in court filings last month, hasn't derailed Adachi's case, though it complicated his efforts to persuade San.Francisco Superior Court Judge Marla Miller to release the defendant, Pounloeu Chea, on his own recognizance and nearly led to a conflict of interest for the public defender.

Chea and co-defendant Sarith Soun are both charged in connection with the September 2006 stabbing death of a 19-year-old man after a fight over a parking space in front of a Richmond District nightclub. Chea was originally charged with murder, but thanks to an appeal court ruling that altered how courts were to treat murders that result from gang fights, he now only faces charges of assault, accessory after the fact and participating in a gang. Prosecutors allege Chea, who is in his 20s, is a member of a Cambodian gang.

Adachi said paralegal Megan Jordan, 24, had been working with him on the Chea case since taking over for another staffer within the last year. Her relationship with the defendant came to be revealed in court documents after she and Chea had a violent encounter with the mother of Chea's two children, 24-year-old Shirley Cisneros, on Oct. 2.

Now, both Chea and Cisneros are facing charges in connection with the incident, and Assistant District Attorney Harry Dorfman has tried to introduce the confrontation into Chea's stabbing case as evidence of the defendant's violence. This would have created a conflict of interest for Adachi had Dorfman called Jordan to the stand for her account of the incident, Adachi said.

In a motion playing down Chea's role in the confrontation, Adachi said Cisneros allegedly attacked Jordan as she drove Chea to a court date. Cisneros cut Jordan off, got out of her car and threw herself on the hood of Jordan's vehicle. Cisneros then came to Jordan's window, punched her in the head multiple times, slammed her head against the dashboard and attempted to drag Jordan from the car by her hair, according to the motion.

Yet in Dorfman's motion, he alleges that Chea then got out of the car, pulled Cisneros away, and punched her in the back of the head. He dragged her off the street and delivered "multiple blows" to her body with his fists and elbows, Dorfman wrote.

Cisneros now faces charges of vandalism, assault, battery and threats, said Erica Derryck, a spokeswoman for the DA's office, while prosecutors have also charged Chea with two counts of domestic violence and one of assault.

In the days after the altercation, Jordan told investigators that her relationship with Chea was professional and denied they had a "dating relationship," according to a police report. But on Oct. 10, she admitted to an inspector that she had a "personal relationship" with Chea going back a year and said she loved him.

Jordan also told investigators that Cisneros had threatened her in June, but that when she reported the threats to supervisors in the public defender's office, they told her they wanted to keep it "in house," according to a police report.

Jordan resigned from the office about a week after the Oct. 2 incident, Adachi said. She could not be located for comment Friday.

Judge Miller denied Dorfman's motion to introduce Chea's conduct into the stabbing case as evidence of violence. Dorfman did not return a call seeking comment and Derryck said she could not comment on Chea's cases, because they are pending.

Reached Friday, Adachi acknowledged that Cisneros called the public defender's office several times in June to allege that Jordan, a recent college graduate who was hired by the office after an internship, was involved in an inappropriate relationship with Chea.

Adachi said that Kathy Asada, who manages the paralegal unit, told him about the calls. Adachi said he then spoke with Jordan and she assured him that no such relationship existed. He couldn't comment on his discussions with Chea because they fall under the attorney-client privilege.

After the Oct. 2 incident, Adachi said, he asked Jordan about the issue again, but was again assured that there was no romantic relationship. He only learned about it when the police reports came in, he said.

"I never saw any indication that they were having a relationship, I was completely surprised by this," Adachi said.

He denied that anyone in the office ever told Jordan to be silent about Cisneros' claims or keep them "in house," and said he did not notify prosecutors because "it's not a crime to have a relationship, but it would be inappropriate."

Rory Little, a professor and criminal law specialist at Hastings College of the Law, said Chea could raise a conflict issue by saying Jordan's work on his case was "skewed by love, or [they're] on the rocks and it's skewed by hatred," but that the affair won't be disastrous for Adachi's efforts.

"This is definitely something that's not pleasant for the defense case, but I don't think it's a stopper," he said.

"I'm sure [Adachi] wishes somehow he had surfaced this earlier, but people having affairs don't usually run around advertising it."

Before the 2006 stabbing, Chea was the subject of a PBS documentary, "Who I Became," about his emigration from Cambodia and tumultuous life in San Francisco.

Chea was released on his own recognizance after prosecutors dropped the murder charge, but was arrested again after the Oct. 2 incident. He has since posted $50,000 bail and is out of custody, Adachi said.

Adachi and Dorfman are in the process of picking a jury in Chea and Soun's case, and should give opening statements this month. (Source>>>)

Legal Assistant Today Announces Its 2008 Rookie of the Year Award Winner

October 24, 2008 (Costa Mesa, Calif.) — The editors and staff of Legal Assistant Today are proud to announce Debra Clarke, CP, CFLA, FRP, has been awarded the magazine’s sixth annual Rookie of the Year Award, sponsored by Robert Half Legal. Clarke, a paralegal at Roberts & Culmer in Rockledge, Fla., was selected by the magazine’s Editorial Advisory Board for her leadership and dedication to the legal assistant profession and her employer, in less than two years of performing paralegal duties.

As this year’s winner, Clarke graces the cover of LAT’s November/December 2008 issue and is profiled inside. Clarke will receive a $500 check from LAT, a commemorative plaque and a free 1-year subscription to LAT — the only independent news magazine covering the paralegal profession. To learn more about Clarke and the Rookie of the Year Award, check out the November/December 2008 issue of LAT. Inside, you will find feature articles on building a corporate governance checklist, criminal law paralegals, discovering personal assets, and damages and settlement forms. This latest issue also offers news on the most recent paralegal case and regulation updates, the latest association offerings, technology reviews, and much more. And don’t miss the great advice offered by our expert columnists on everything from working with subrogation liens to handling closed client files.

LAT subscribers receive this annual issue in their subscription package. For subscription information, call (800) 394-2626 or visit www.legalassistanttoday.com, where you can also renew your subscription, purchase individual issues and find many free services you can start using today, including a nationwide job bank, the LAT Listserv, access to over 150 downloadable forms, hundreds of articles categorized by subject, and more!

About Legal Assistant Today
LAT — a national bimonthly publication and the only independent trade magazine geared toward the rapidly expanding needs of the paralegal profession — strives to offer unbiased news, practical tips, career advice and substantive feature articles.. The LAT Editorial Advisory Board consists of 12 respected leaders from a variety of legal backgrounds. They choose both the Paralegal of the Year and Rookie of the Year winners and provide valuable ideas, contacts and feedback to the magazine. For more information about LAT, visit www.legalassistanttoday.com or call (800) 394-2626.

Paralegal Who Beheaded Gang Member Acted in Self-Defense, Say Defense Attorneys

Attorneys for a Fresno, Calif., paralegal accused of dismembering the body of a gang member don't have an explanation for the act, but they called the murder "textbook" self-defense.

Brian Waldron, 50, works for the man now defending him, David Mugridge. On Wednesday the attorney called a news conference to say that the dead man, still unidentified, had forced his way into Waldron's home.

After a confrontation, Waldron allegedly hit the man with a metal pipe, placed him in the bathtub, cut off his head and limbs and bagged them in plastic, acts his attorney referred to as "not something normal." He then buried the body parts in the Sierra.

Mugridge said his paralegal "did not have a chance" to call 911. (Source)