ALMResearchBlog

DOJ E-Government Status Report

The Dept. of Justice has prepared a report of the status of its efforts to implement e-government capabilities,  The DOJ E-Government Status Report, FY 2007, available in PDF format.

Minority Law Journal Now Soliciting Free Directory Listings

The National Directory of Minority Attorneys is getting ready to update the directory for publication in early 2008. Listings are free. Sections in the directory – which is both a print publication and an online database – include corporate legal departments, government agencies, minority-owned law firms, minority attorneys at majority-owned law firms, and minority bar associations. The deadline for submitting directory listings is August 24^th. Click here to access the directory site online and to create or update a listing.

Salaries: National Compensation Survey

The U.S. Dept. of Labor has released its periodic National Compensation Survey: Occupational Wages in the U.S., based on June 2006 data. Interestingly, the report says that hourly wages are lower for those in private industry ($18.56 per hour) than in state and local government ($23.99) because "high-paying professional and related occupations are relatively more common in state and local government than private industry."

Resources: Government Documents

Thanks to the Stark County Law Library for calling this to our attention, and to Ballard Spahr for providing it free on their web site. "It" is a rich lists of Government Resources, compiled on Ballard Spahr's "Virtual Chase" site ("Teaching Legal Professionals How to Do Research"), and includes everything from a guide to government acronyms to the records of how the U.S. Congress has voted since 1991.

Survey: Best Place to Work in the Federal Government

The Best Places to Work organization has just released the results for the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government, 2007 survey. The DOJ came in 5th, overall, with its Civil Division placing 13th in the “Agency Subcomponent Rankings.”

Practice Area: Federal Bankruptcy Filings Dropped 70% in 2006

According to government statistics, bankruptcy filings plunged 70% last year, the lowest number in 19 years. The National Law Journal reported this news on their web site NLJ.com recently, saying that the drop reflects the first full year in which the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 has been in effect. The majority of bankruptcies involved predominantly non-business debts, falling by 71% for the year, the NLJ report said. Filings among businesses, a much smaller share of total filings dripped by 50% for the year, to 19,695 in 2006 from a high of 39,201 in 2005.

50 Fastest-Growing U.S. Metro Areas

According to this report from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Fastest-Growing U.S. Metro Areas are in the West and South. The Atlanta metro area topped the list, followed by Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Phoenix/Mesa/Scottsdale, Riverside/San Bernardino/Ontario, and Los Angeles/Long Beach/Santa Ana.

DOJ's FOIA Guide

The Dept. of Justice has put on their web site The Freedom of Information Act Guide, which provide, according to their site, an "overview discussion of the FOIA's exemptions, its law enforcement record exclusions, and its most important procedural aspects."  The link above takes you to a handy Table of Contents, each linked to the pertinent chapter.