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law firm logos - 5 Tips for the Best Law Firm Logo

2015-06-21T02:12:00.000-07:00

Your law firm logo represents your law firm to the outside world. Every seemingly insignificant aspect of it makes an impression on the client. Font. Color scheme. Name arrangement. Text size. Spacing. Inclusion of a scale or gavel image.

Looking at your business card and firm logo, your client gets an impression. Your client forms an idea in his or her head of what your firm stands for. Is your logo modern or traditional? Does it make you look frugal and indifferent, like you made the logo yourself in Microsoft Word or does it look like you value your reputation and appearance, and had a professional designer create the logo?

Before approaching a logo designer or creating the logo yourself, there are some very important steps you can take to get a clear picture of what the logo should entail and how it should represent your law firm.

Tip 1: Look at your competitors

You don't want your law firm to look like the other law firms in your practice area and location, lest your firm be unmemorable to the client. The last thing you want to do is confuse the client with what sets your firm apart from everyone else. See what you like about their logos. Make notes. Try and gauge how their logos make you perceive their law firms. Do their logos make the firms appear professional or do they seem like the firms are unremarkable? Think about what you like and don't like about these firm logos when deciding on how your own logo is going to look.

Tip 2: Modern or traditional? Decide on a theme

Do you want your logo to be modern or traditional?

These are the two main theme options for law firm logos. This usually means the difference between serif and sans-serif font. What does that mean? Open Microsoft Word or Google Docs. Type your law firm name in Times New Roman, Georgia, or Garamond font. Then, type your firm name again in either Arial or Helvetica. The first three fonts are considered serif fonts because you can see they have little lines on the bottom and sides of letters like A, B, and C. The sans-serif fonts do not have these lines. Serif fonts are associated with newspapers, considered more traditional fonts. Sans-serif fonts are associated with Internet content and are considered modern. Do you want your law firm to have the appearance of a traditional, storied practice or do you want it to appear sleek, adaptive, and modern? The choice is yours.

Tip 3: Choose a Font

Now that we've decided whether to go serif or sans-serif, we need to choose which font is going to represent the firm. First thing's first, it should be noted that you should NOT use a commonly used font. Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman. People see these fonts every day. Whether they recognize them immediately as Arial, Helvetica, or Times New Roman, people know these fonts. They see Times New Roman while reading the newspaper. They see Helvetica when getting on the subway. They see Arial while reading websites. These fonts do not make an impression anymore.

There are many sites where you can download fonts for free. Google has a directory of free fonts, most of which you're guaranteed to not have come across. Take a look around. Use the Google Font tool to test out your law firm name in different fonts and compare them side by side.

One last tip on choosing a font: Don't be indecisive. While two or three fonts may look similar to you, your clients will never know the difference when you choose a font for your law firm logo. They will never know that it was down to three similar fonts. The client will likely not be influenced any differently by similar looking fonts. You may want to ask someone else for their opinion on two or three fonts, but make a choice and stick with it.

Tip 4: Choose your colors

Online you can find many color wheel tools useful to help web designers choose color schemes. Click on a primary color and they will suggest complementary colors. Just make sure that you use a color selection helping tool. Otherwise, you may end up picking two colors that just don't work together.

When picking colors try avoiding those of a law firm in your practice area and region. You want to make sure you stand apart in the mind of the client. If you think every color combination has been taken by the firms in your region, just ensure that your logo look different to distinguish you from your competitors.

Tip 5: Images or No Images?

Often a law firm logo entails an arrangement of the names of the partners. Sometimes it's an abbreviation of those names. Other times, the logo includes a tried and true symbol of the legal profession - the scales of justice - or a gavel - alongside the partner names.

Generally, I hate the scales of justice and gavel. They've been played out. They're overdone. They're sickening. They're unimaginative.

If you are going to include an image alongside your partner names, why not include a memorable image that represents your law firm, conveys professionalism, and also originality? You can do this by including an image, if you so choose, of the initials of the firm partners' names. If the firm is Crane, Poole, and Schmidt, you could have a small CPS initialed logo. This is a more modern element to law firm logos, differentiates the firm, and also looks professional. So, if you are going to include an image, consider shelving the gavel and scales for something a bit more contemporary and unique.

What Makes a Law Firm Fail? what is a law firm

2015-06-21T02:09:00.002-07:00

He coined the phrase "gales of creative destruction" arguing that innovation and de-regulation were examples of such "gales" that led to old ideas, technologies and skills to become obsolete in any given economic area such as the delivery of legal services, to name but one example.

Right here, right now, there are too many lawyers doing too little work and the definition of any failing business is to run out of cash!

Innovation has made things easier for law firms, but it's also made it easier for other businesses to compete with law firms.

Why would they want to do that? Simply because there is a lot of money still to be made in the delivery of legal services; but how much longer will it last?

Australia was the first country to effectively de-regulate the legal industry and allow non-lawyers to join in with law firms to create a competitive advantage. Then they allowed law firm to list on the stock market.

Regulation had simply protected the legal industry, caused it to grow fat and reduced the overall fitness of legal firms to deliver a decent service to their customer base.

Now in the UK they have the Legal Services Act which means that their legal industry has effectively been de-regulated and this will allow Alternative Business Structures (ABS) to compete for business and deliver legal services. Businesses that are good at keeping in touch with their customers are now entering an industry that has been historically poor at treating customers well and some early entrants have gone from zero to £20m in business in a very short time.

So what makes a law firm fail is simply ignoring their customers, failing to deliver what they want at a price they want to pay. Not rocket science to fix you might think.

But the reality is that the slow movers are being eliminated and replaced by firms with a higher level of business fitness and this progress and improvement in standards has raised the bar for everyone at the bar!

One way to fix this quickly has been to merge with other firms who are perceived to have the skills that the other firm lacks. But when you merge two businesses together that don't really understand customer care, you simply end up with a bigger failure, the evacuation of talent and lots of customers wondering what's going on.

So what makes a law firm fail is simply ignoring their customers, failing to deliver what they want at a price they want to pay. Not rocket science to fix you might think.

Conceptualizing Niche Marketing For Law Firm Interests

2015-06-19T22:18:00.001-07:00

The idea of niche marketing for attorney firm business interests is relatively new to the law industry. Lawyers and doctors have been deterred in the past by misplaced professional ethics from seeking certain marketing strategies. This is because traditionally, it is very hard to create a plan to market something as specialized as law. Currently however, with the new wave of online marketing strategies, lawyers have become more aggressive and niche marketing in the profession of law has become a necessity.

To choose a target niche while creating marketing for law firm campaign, you need to consider two very crucial factors. A marketing for law firm campaign is determined by the attorney firm's ability to serve the market niche in human, technical and skill resources and the potential of the market, specifically the untapped market. These two factors then denigrate or narrow down into factors such as the size of the market, the level of competition for the market niche, the market reach potential of the firm, the firm growth rate, and any new market ventures that can become available.

The size of the market must be determined so that your efforts to initiate marketing for law firm do not become cost ineffective. To determine the size of the market means establishing the volume of legal proceedings available in the market, such as the bulk handled by local courts within a specified period. Again, it is important to determine the level of competition you face so that you can determine the area that you will spend less acquisition and marketing costs. Sometimes, competition can be so rife that your marketing will be more expensive than the actual gains you pocket at the end of the day.

It is wise to choose a niche that won't cost a lot for you to initiate strategies of marketing law firm interests. For instance, you can market a specialized law, like tort law, as opposed to law in general. If your firm caters to a particular niche more adequately, then it is definitely smarter to market that specific specialization. Be very particular in this arena so you can reach full potential in the market. If you find that your firm is unable to cater to the niche you want, you can still initiate the marketing strategies if you are sure that your law firm is growing at a rate that will eventually catch up with market demands. Plot your growth rate and see what you are able to facilitate in a particular time frame and then market yourself in proportionate accordance.

It is well advised to consider market niches that have not been exploited yet by the competition. New market niches are always available and they present a better proposition than competing for traditional markets. Instead of competing with a million law firms for the accident clams niche, you can seek environmental suits that are underexploited. While searching for marketing law firm niche interests, other factors to consider include the track record of the law firm to create positive PR, new trends in the market that can indicate particular niches are headed in the future, the available resources (work force, finance, offices, legal

Bankruptcy Law Firm Names: Make Sure Yours Is Helping You Online

2015-06-19T22:16:00.002-07:00

Name and address consistency not only makes it easier for potential clients to find your law firm name but it also helps the search engines recognize mentions of your bankruptcy law practice on the internet. Every law practice should be taking advantage of free online local business listings as well as any legal directories available. Consistency between these listings is key. If your office has a suite number, decide if you are going to write out 'suite', abbreviate to 'STE' or use another method such as foregoing the suite number completely or using the # symbol. Discrepancies like this can be confusing for clients as well as for the search engines. If your law practice name includes multiple names don't us an '&' in some places and spell out 'and' in others. Deciding on a NAP (name, address, phone) and sticking to it is an important first step to making sure your law firm name is helping your online.

Once you've taken the time to decide on your NAP and get your business listed in local directories and attorney directories there are other things you can do to get your bankruptcy law practice name out there.

Share content - Bankruptcy law firm names become well recognized when they participate in forums and share content. A blog on your firm website is a great place to start sharing legal knowledge but don't stop there. Get an account on Avvo.com and start answering legal questions posted by potential clients. Consider guest blogging and sharing articles in other legal forums. Sharing your legal knowledge positions you as an industry expert which makes potential clients even more confident to call for your services.

Implement a social media marketing campaign - More attorneys are looking to social media as an avenue to get their law firm names out to the public. Facebook recently announced that their user total has now reached 1.11 billion people. When you think of the traffic potential that Facebook offers for your business it makes perfect sense to build a Facebook business page for your law practice. Keeping followers informed on changes to the legal system as well as current events surrounding the legal issues your firm handles will further prove what a valuable resource you are. Social media is also a great place to share content that you've created with followers and it also gives past clients a venue to leave reviews and feedback about your services.

Answer client questions - Legal issues raise a lot of questions for potential clients. Compile a list of the most common questions and provide detailed answer to these questions in an FAQ section on your website. You can also provide information about these questions on social media profiles and in content.

Ultimately the key to growing awareness of your law firm name is by giving potential clients the information they are searching for and making yourself easy to find through consistent local business listings, directories and social media profiles.

Ryan Paul Adams is the CEO of PME 360. At PME 360 we are here to help bankruptcy attorneys make sense of the complex local internet marketing landscape and to power growth in your bankruptcy law practice.

Qualities of an Exceptional Personal Injury Law Firm

2015-06-19T22:14:00.000-07:00

They are only available in distinguished personal injury law firms. There are many law firms specializing in personal injury law. Nevertheless, there are those that stand out from the rest because they possess certain qualities, which makes it easy for them to win cases. These qualities include:

Qualified Staff

One important quality of an exceptional personal injury law firm is that its staff is qualified. Their staff should be knowledgeable on matters pertaining to this branch of law and have all the relevant skills and experience to see them through all injury lawsuits, specifically yours.

Capable of dealing with insurance firms

Most insurance firms do not like meeting claims. They will do everything possible to avoid compensating you for your injuries. An exceptional firm should have massive experience in handling representatives of insurance firms. The attorneys of such firms should be able to negotiating with the insurance company's representatives so that they can reach an amicable solution and fair settlement or compensation for your injuries.

System of payment of contingency fees

A good law firm that specializes in this field understands that sometimes you might depend on the damages or settlement to pay their fees. Nevertheless, you are liable by law to pay for basic expenses. A good law firm however, will not force you to pay for the expenses until you recover a good amount or fair value of damages entitled to you. From there you can pay them. This is the 'no verdict no fee' or 'no recovery, no fee' or 'no settlement, no fee' type of system.

Specialization

To get an exceptional firm to handle your case, you must choose that which specialize in personal injury law. If finding such a firm is difficult, this is almost impossible, look for the firm with a personal injury law department. Such firms have all a lot of experience to help them deal with personal injury cases and have probably handled a variety of cases related to personal injury, as they are never the same.

Other specialization

Apart from the firm's lawyers having good knowledge in the field, they should also have reasonable experience in litigation. They should have the necessary skills to carry out important motions. In addition, they should be skilled in paperwork, which the court and the insurance companies expect in civil cases and in insurance claims.

Use other professionals

The firm should be able to hire and retain the services of other professionals. To have all the necessary information to help them win the case, they will need the information that the government agencies have. This means they will need to hire private investigators to collect information as to the cause of the accident, the negligent party, and to protect evidence, which could solidify and protect your case.

Follow the tips above and you will certainly find the best law firm for your case. For more information on personal injury lawyers/ law firm visit

Birmingham Personal Injury Lawyer | Drake Law Firm

2015-06-19T04:46:00.000-07:00

If you or a loved one has suffered a catastrophic injury, choosing a personal injury lawyer is one of the most important decisions you will make. Finding the right representation can be overwhelming and confusing. The Personal Injury Alliance™ was created to make this process easier, helping you feel confident that you are securing top legal representation.

Our alliance is made up of three of the Top 5 personal injury law firms in Canada*: McLeish Orlando, Oatley Vigmond and Thomson, Rogers.

    Each firm has personal injury lawyers who are recognized as leaders in professional peer-review publications such as LEXPERT® and Best Lawyers.
    Each firm has personal injury lawyers recognized by the Law Society of Upper Canada as Specialists in Civil Litigation.
    Each firm has at least one partner who is a past president of the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association.

All Personal Injury Alliance law firms are recognized leaders in personal injury law, and we are highly respected by the insurance industry and our peers. When negotiations fail to provide a fair settlement, our law firms have the resources and experience to take a case to trial when necessary. Each PIA member law firm has an excellent trial record, with some of the highest judgments in Canadian history.

Every PIA lawyer has a reputation for providing unparalleled legal representation to accident victims and their families. PIA lawyers practice law with dedication and compassion to ensure our clients’ futures are financially secure. When you hire a lawyer from one of our three firms, you’ll be choosing a legal partner with a proven track record of success and your best interests in mind.

When you first speak with us, there is no cost or obligation. We offer a free initial consultation and case evaluation. If we accept your case, you won’t pay any fees until we win.

Book a free consultation today and find out how a PIA law firm can help you after a catastrophic injury.

*As selected by Canadian Lawyer Magazine

Criminal Law Solicitors & Lawyers - Criminal Defence Firm Herts & Bedfordshire

2015-06-19T04:43:00.000-07:00

Lawtons Criminal Solicitors are a criminal law firm that include a highly trained and experienced team of criminal defence solicitors, lawyers and barristers.

The criminal law lawyers at Lawtons Solicitors are experts in dealing within the specialist area of criminal law.
Criminal Law - Accused of Criminal Offences?

According to criminal law, acts of violence against another individual or their property can be crimes. Criminal offences in relation to property include burglary, theft, arson, assault, criminal damage and vandalism. Verbal abuse and threats are also considered to be criminal offences by law.

The specialist criminal defence team at Lawtons are highly experienced in defending all criminal offences.
About Criminal Law - What Is It?

Criminal law is the part of the law that refers to crime. Criminal laws are put in place to make it illegal to harm or threaten another person, or cause damage to their property.

The Criminal Law Solicitors at Lawtons can provide you with further assistance about criminal law.

What Is a Criminal Lawyer?

A criminal lawyer is a professional that specialises in defending individuals who have been accused of criminal offences. The term criminal lawyer is often used to describe a criminal barrister and a criminal solicitor.

Criminal Liability

Criminal liability is any finding by the Police, Magistrates Courts or Crown Courts against you.

At Lawtons we specifically deal with criminal law and thus specialise in providing defence against findings of criminal liability.

Criminal Attorneys & Barristers UK

A criminal attorney is the Americanised name used to describe criminal solicitors and criminal barristers.

If you have been accused of a criminal offence, Lawtons experienced UK-based criminal attorneys and barristers are here to help.

Contact Us so that we can explain all areas of criminal law to you to ensure that you are fully aware of your rights.

Best Law Firms in New York

2015-06-18T09:00:00.001-07:00

Best Law Firms in New York

Location, location, location. These rankings reveal the best law firms by region across the U.S.
See Methodology

2015 Rank	2014 Rank	Change	Company	Score	Location
1	1	—	Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz	9.38	New York, NY
2	2	—	Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP	9.05	New York, NY
3	3	—	Sullivan & Cromwell LLP	8.81	New York, NY
4	4	—	Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP	8.70	New York, NY
5	5	—	Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates	8.55	New York, NY
6	6	—	Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP	8.31	New York, NY
7	7	—	Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP	8.15	New York, NY
8	9	▲	Debevoise & Plimpton LLP	7.91	New York, NY
9	10	▲	Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP	7.88	New York, NY
10	8	▼	Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP	7.82	New York, NY
11	11	—	Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP	7.48	New York, NY
12	14	▲	Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP	7.16	Los Angeles, CA
13	12	▼	Kirkland & Ellis LLP	7.13	Chicago, IL
14	13	▼	Latham & Watkins LLP	7.12	New York, NY
15	16	▲	Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP	6.94	Los Angeles, CA
16	15	▼	White & Case LLP	6.65	New York, NY
17	17	—	Shearman & Sterling LLP	6.49	New York, NY
18	18	—	Sidley Austin LLP	6.41	Chicago, IL
19	18	▼	Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP	6.35	New York, NY
20	19	▼	Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP	6.24	New York, NY
21	24	▲	Ropes & Gray LLP	6.22	Boston, MA
22	20	▼	Proskauer Rose LLP	6.21	New York, NY
23	22	▼	Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP	6.14	New York, NY
24	21	▼	Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP	6.11	New York, NY
25	23	▼	Covington & Burling LLP	6.08	Washington, DC
26	25	▼	WilmerHale	6.04	Washington, DC
27	29	▲	Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP	5.88	New York, NY
27	28	▲	Paul Hastings LLP	5.88	New York, NY
28	27	▼	Morrison & Foerster LLP	5.82	San Francisco, CA
29	26	▼	Clifford Chance US LLP	5.75	New York, NY

Family and Matrimonial Law

2015-06-18T08:53:00.000-07:00

We have one of the largest Family and Matrimonial Law practice in Singapore in terms of number of briefs and lawyers and have consistently been nominated as one of the best Family Law Practice Groups by Asian Legal Business. Our practice area was also recently awarded as the 2013 Corporate INTL Legal Awards Winner for the Family Law Firm of the Year in Singapore category, the M&A International Global Awards 2013 Winner for the Law Firm of the Year - Family - Singapore category and the GLE 2013 Practice Area Awards Winner for the Family Law, Firm of the Year category.

Our team of specialized and dedicated family and matrimonial lawyers has an extensive and varied experience in advising and managing divorces, custody disputes, complex asset tracing, division of matrimonial assets and maintenance issues.

We have specially trained lawyers who are pioneers of The Collaborative Family Practice (CFP), an out-of-court legal scheme by the Singapore Mediation Centre that allows divorcing couples to resolve disputes without going to court.

In 2002, our practice group filed the highest number of discovery applications in the Family Court and since then has held the market share in this field. We are also one of the few firms that leverage on technology by using the video conferencing system linked with the Family Court to conduct our Status Conferences/Pre-Trial Conferences with a view to minimize costs for clients and to ensure efficiency.

Every client is given specialized and individual attention by a team of dedicated lawyers, headed by a Partner and supported by experienced legal associates and professional support staff. The client’s legal interest is paramount. With our extensive experience in matrimonial practice, we fully understand and appreciate that in matrimonial proceedings, the experience clients undergo can be emotionally painful, spiritually draining, mentally exhausting and financially burdensome. As such, we firmly believe that discretion and confidentiality is of the utmost importance.

In line with our Firm’s multi-disciplinary practice, we are able to leverage on the capabilities of various other practice groups within the Firm in order to provide comprehensive solutions to our clients. The Practice Group also has extensive contacts with eminent external consultants in the field of private investigation, expert psychiatric and counselling services, and accounting and valuation consultants. Two of our lawyers presently serve on the Family Law Sub-Committee of the Law Society of Singapore and regularly give feedback and direction on issues relating to family law practice in Singapore.

WEBSITE BASICS FOR LAW FIRMS

2015-06-18T08:50:00.003-07:00

Why Have a Website?

Like it or not, the internet has changed the way information flows around the planet. Increasingly, the internet is our first port of call when looking for information.

Internet usage in Singapore is set to grow to 3.1 million users* by the end of 2007. Conservative estimates suggest that this number of people log onto the internet each day to find information. Given the statistics, it surprises me how many law practices still do not have a website. Some solo and small practice lawyers may still hold firm to their belief that an internet presence merely leads to more nuisance calls rather than more business; preferring to rely on traditional methods such as personal and word-of-mouth referrals. A few are happy to announce that they have enough work, thank you very much, and don’t need the internet to extend their reach.

We believe that no matter how established a law practice is, an omission (your prospective client not finding your practice on the internet) is likely to leave an adverse impression – that you are a not a serious business undertaking with a sterling professional reputation and a credible client list. As a supplier of legal services, your corporate website in this internet age shows pride and professionalism in your craft. A corporate website has become an essential business tool, just like your business card.

How to Begin?

Your law firm website must serve its primary purpose which is to inform prospective clients of your experience, skills and reputation. To be effective in delivering this message, the site must be informative, aesthetically pleasing, user-friendly and easily found by the internet search engines.

We will discuss each element in turn –

1. Design with Purpose

You have many different design options when creating your website. This is usually governed by how much you are willing to pay the web designer. We believe that simplicity is key. A showy site replete with style driven multi-media flash presentations is likely to alienate a cost-conscious client looking for a more conservative image. From a technical point of view, flash-driven web sites take a long time to download and are not search-engine friendly. We do not recommend it for these reasons.

In designing websites for lawyers, we notice that lawyers have a tendency to one extreme or the other;either boring and nondescript or overkill. Simply put, your site should represent the image you wish to portray – which is professional, competent and assured.

2. Make Website Content Informative

For your website to serve its purpose of “informing” prospective clients of your expertise, it should contain up to date information about your credentials, awards, accolades and past achievements. Most search engine friendly sites also contain legal information useful to the public. “Giving away” free legal information will serve to draw new visitors to your site; and may improve your rankings on search engines.

3. Keep Your Site Up-to-date

A cardinal rule for effective websites is to keep your content up to date. Even if your website contains only information about the practice, it should reflect current achievements and appointments.

When was the last time you updated your website? Is the content up to date and relevant? If you can’t afford to pay a web programmer to maintain your website – you can do it yourself! Even without knowledge of HTML (the programming language used on the internet), a “build-yourself” website with content management enablement (LEAP WebBuilder is a subscription service) that allows you to edit text and images; and create fresh web pages as easily as a Word document.

4. Ensure your website is found by Search Engines

In the course of our research on Singapore law firm websites, we have encountered a few well designed websites but could not locate them, even by typing the name of the law firm on Google. Without being found by search engines, your website is about as effective as a ream of glossy brochures tucked out of sight in your desk drawer.

To make your site “findable”, you must submit your website to top search engines (Google and Yahoo at the very least). In fact, for your website to be truly effective in extending your reach, ensure that Google ranks your site on the first page for search words used describe your service (example, “divorce lawyer in Singapore”).

To do this, design your website with search engines in mind. Make it clean and search-engine friendly. The website text, titles and meta-tags must contain words that describe your expertise and specialization.

Evaluate the search engines and submission criteria; study their methodology for ranking sites. Google takes into account links from other sites (to your site); so submit your website to as many online directories and public information sites as you can.

Search Engine Optimisation has developed into a science. If you lack the time or interest to monitor your page rankings and study your site for search engine optimization, you can hire a professional to do this for you. Web Marketing specialists, in addition to selling you Ad Words on Google or Yahoo, can also undertake SEO for a fee.

BE YOUR OWN WEBMASTER!

To build, update and maintain websites, you need to know how to program in a web language like html, java or php.

Lawyers (unless you have an abiding interest in the internet) will find it too time consuming to learn how to program in web languages (html) and the free text protocol (ftp) to upload the information to your host provider.

We have solved this problem through LEAP Web Builder, a subscription service that allows the user to build and edit your web pages, from any pc with internet access, as easily as a Word document. And it doesn’t cost you extra!

Canadian Immigration Law Firm

2015-06-18T07:52:00.001-07:00

Our fundamental goal is to help our clients successfully accomplish their immigration-related objectives. We succeed in a competitive environment and challenge other law firms through dynamic solutions to complex Canadian immigration problems.

Fill out our free assessment form to see if you qualify for Canadian immigration, or contact us for experienced assistance with any Canadian immigration matter, including work and study permit applications.
Why hire a lawyer?

Hiring a Canadian immigration lawyer is not mandatory. Citizenship and Immigration Canada make clear that no special attention will be paid to a file as the result of using representation. So why hire an experienced Canadian immigration attorney instead of applying on your own?

The reality is, while some Canadian immigration procedures and forms may appear simple, the legal considerations and ramifications that pertain are highly complex. Far too often our firm is contacted to do damage control after a situation has escalated. The consequences of not getting it right the first time range from costly delays to a negative decision, and most errors made by those who self-represent would have been avoided by an experienced Canadian immigration lawyer. When a mandate is entrusted to our firm, the client benefits from experienced and talented professionals who collaborate on every file and adhere to a strict code of ethics.

In the words of the Canadian Bar Association, “Having a lawyer with years of training and expertise may result in a quicker and more favourable outcome because of the inclusion of persuasive argument about the merits of the case, and the avoidance of errors or omitted information.”
Choosing the right Canadian immigration lawyer

Choosing the right Canadian immigration lawyer is a decision worth getting right the first time. Provincial bar associations regulate lawyers by ensuring they meet appropriate standards of education, skill and professionalism. However, it is the client’s responsibility to properly vet his or her options when selecting a lawyer.

As a full-service law firm, our attorneys are licensed to provide legal representation with respect to all Canadian immigration matters. Our firm earned its stellar reputation by relentlessly defending our client’s rights through the application of expertise derived from years of experience. We remain intensely result-driven, honest and accessible to our clients.
A different kind of Canadian immigration law firm

We are pleased to offer free, unrushed, comprehensive consultations. Most firms insist on a retainer fee before they will assess a candidate’s opportunities and options, but we do not. It’s part of our aim to make the process as comfortable as possible, while reassuring our clients that our priority is thoughtful representation, not making money.

Our firm is comprised of talent with backgrounds in both government and the private sector, ensuring a comprehensive perspective is applied to every client file. Our reputation as a leading Canadian immigration authority was built while providing remarkable value to our clients through vigorous representation.
Quick Tips
Immigrate To Canada

For those interested in finding out if they qualify for Canadian immigration, we offer a free assessment of qualification and eligibility. The best way to determine if you qualify for Canadian immigration is by filling out our free assessment form. We will get back to you within 24 hours.
Business Immigration

For businesspersons or managers seeking to immigrate to Canada, the Business/Investor Immigration Program may be an appealing fast-track Canadian immigration option. If you wish to make a qualifying investment in Canada or acquire/establish a Canadian business, please contact us to discuss your options.
Canadian Work Permits

Generally speaking, a Canadian job offer is required before one can begin the process of obtaining a work permit. There are categories of work permit exemption, whereby individuals may enter the Canadian labour market without a Canadian work permit. There are also instances in which individuals may qualify for an open work permit, and circumvent the Labour Market Opinion (LMO) process.
Canadian Study Permits

Generally speaking, the first step to obtaining a Canadian study permit is to gain admittance to a Canadian institution. A study permit is currently not required for educational programs in Canada lasting six months or less.

Annual Ranking Highlights The Most Prestigious Law Firms In The U.S.

2015-06-18T07:46:00.002-07:00

Top law firms are known for long hours, cut-throat competition, and charging packs of eager young attorneys. But which firms have earned the strongest reputations among peers, clients, and young legal eagles themselves?

Career resource Vault has been creating their annual Law 100 ranking since 1996. Using the reviews of 17,000 law firm associates, Vault ranks firms on a scale of one to 10, according to associates’ perceptions of the firms’ “prestige.” Respondents are not allowed to rank their own firms and are asked to comment only on those firms with which they are familiar.

The ranking provides valuable information both to candidates contemplating the search for a summer associate position, as well as to the firms themselves and their clients.

“Our goal is to really help people figure out what makes the most sense for them in terms of where they’re going to go,” said Nicole Weber, Law Editor at Vault.com, “but it’s also a way for clients of these firms to determine where they fall in terms of the perception of their peers in the legal community.”
Broken Ladders: An eBook From Forbes
Employers need workers. Young people need jobs. So why aren’t they getting hired?

Nabbing the top spot for the twelfth year in a row is Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, which one respondent identified as being known for “great prestige, great money, and great work.”

The New York-based firm is known for handling “a significant chunk of the world’s dealmaking-major mergers and acquisitions, antitrust and shareholder litigation, big name restructurings and multi-billion-dollar real estate ventures,” and co-founder Lipton is known for having created the “poison pill,” a means of protecting shareholders’ rights.

Two-year runner up Cravath, Swaine & Moore gained on Wachtell, narrowing its margin from 0.087 to 0.021, and being described by one respondent as ”the gold standard” and a “corporate icon along with Wachtell.”

“The Top 100 list remains generally consistent from year-to-year, but no firm is infallible,” said Weber. “We are seeing innovators climb slowly toward the top. Firms like Boies Schiller, Cahill Gordon, and Quinn Emanuel continue to attract the most sophisticated work and clients due to their demonstrated expertise in unique practice areas, and they are well-known for breaking the mold with respect to internal issues such as company culture and compensation.”

The 10 Most Effective Law Firm Marketing Techniques

2015-06-18T07:38:00.001-07:00

Many lawyers don't get new clients and files because they don't do enough business development activities, or they waste time on the wrong activities, or they don't get face-to-face with potential clients.

What you'll read next are the most effective marketing techniques. These tips are based on scientific research that I have conducted where we asked 377 marketing partners and marketing professionals in the professional services fields what they did that worked. I'm going to cover 10 particular points.

Number one: You have to spend at least 2.5 percent of your gross revenues on marketing. Otherwise, you're just pretending to market. That 2.5 percent does not include the salaries of any of the people that you may have hired to perform the work. This is money that is spent on generating new business, on taking clients out to lunch, on visiting clients - it's all direct marketing activities. You have to put your money where your mouth is. If you're not spending 2.5 percent, you're not being serious about marketing, and you're not going to get any results.

The second technique is to put video on your website. The reason that I bring this up is you may have noticed that YouTube is sponsoring presidential debates. It's the number four most popular website online on the internet. That's because roughly 30 percent of the population has grown up with the internet always present in their lives. Just as I grew up with fax machines, touch-tone phones, and microwave ovens - they were something I always accepted as being there. All of these people - the 30 percent of the population that has always had the internet - are looking for video. That's what they expect. It's very easy to record a video and put it online. If you don't have any video on your site, you're really missing a good trick. It's a great opportunity to present how you look, how you talk, what you're like, and make yourself more attractive to clients. It's a great business-getting technique.

The third point: Don't waste any money on marketing that is not measurable. If you can't measure it, don't do it. For instance, advertising and public relations are widely used, but after you've spent $20,000 on it, do you have any way that you can check to see if it actually generated any results? I don't think so. What I would suggest you do is pursue the techniques that you can measure. That would include blogs. You can publish up a blog and see how many people visited. On a blog, you can also see how many people commented. If you really have to advertise, take out a banner ad. A banner will tell you how many people took a look at your banner and how many people clicked on it. The same thing is true with email newsletters. It's possible to send out an email newsletter and get a report on how many people actually opened it, and if there are links inside it, how many of the links were clicked on and who clicked on them. That's all measurable stuff.

Number four: When it comes to business development, start with the low-hanging fruit, and that is your own clients. These are people who love you, they trust you, they send you work, they are sending you checks. It's incumbent upon you to get to know them better to see if you can generate additional files from them. It's much easier to open a new file from a current client than it is to originate a brand new client. Again, this is something that you can measure. You can measure the number of times the attorneys in your firm have actually visited the client, how many times they had lunch with a client or a referral source. Or, if you have an event at your firm, you can count the number of attendees, keep track of all their contact information, and then trace in the new matter reports how many of them turned into new files. The bottom line is you should start at the beginning of any sort of marketing initiative by figuring out how are you going to measure it. If you don't do that, you have no way of knowing whether it succeeded or not.

The next thing is to cultivate referral sources. A lot of lawyers get most of their business from referrals, and that's a wonderful thing, but the point is that it doesn't just happen all by itself. The people who get these referrals are lawyers who cultivated them.

    Where I would start is with clients. Again, these are people that you're doing work for, but unless you tell them that they're supposed to send you new work and that you would welcome this new work, they won't know that they're supposed to do so. You actually have to tell them.
    Step two is you tell them what kind of work you're seeking. If you're doing a lot of commercial real estate transactions and they're sending you matrimonial cases, you haven't explained the kind of work that you're looking for.
    There are lots of other referral sources besides clients. There are people that you will know in other professions such as investment brokers, accountants, and bankers. These are all people that can send you business so long as you tell them that you would like them to and what kind of work to send.
    The same thing is true with law school classmates. These are people who know you. If you're a litigator, obviously you don't want to approach the litigators because they're in competition with you. Approach all the people who have a transaction practice. Chances are they're going to have some sort of a transaction that went south, and they're going to need your help.

Number six: Get active in a trade association, and get on the board of directors. You'll notice that I said, trade association, and not bar association. You should join an association of clients. You want to get in front of a room full of clients, people who can potentially hire you. You find out about these trade associations by asking your current clients what meetings they go to. Then it's a simple matter of saying, "I'd like to join you at the meeting. Would you introduce me to your friends?" These friends, of course, are all potential clients for you. It's no good just going to the meeting; you have to be visible. Your goal when you join a trade association is not to be just a face in the crowd. Your goal is to get on the board of directors. The way you do that is you seek out the president and you volunteer. You volunteer to help put together programs; you volunteer to help with the newsletter; you volunteer to help in any sort of activity that is going to lead to a board position.

Number seven: Only after you've done all of these things, then pursue target clients. What I mean by "target" is a business executive whom you already know. You don't have to make any cold calls. Whom you're contacting could be a neighbor. It could be another dad or mom at a little league game. I originated a Fortune 500 company by just talking to another dad at a little league game and asking him what line of work he was in and what kind of business problems he faced. You can meet targets in the religious organizations that you go to and the clubs that you belong to and the charities that you're active in - these are all people who have businesses - that's what you looking for - and they all have careers. Ask them questions about it.

Number eight: If you do have a business plan, write it down. It's not real until you write it down. What you want to be writing down is whom you're going to call, when you're going to meet them, and some sort of an outcome that you're expecting to have. The idea of writing it down is now you've moved it on to your calendar. Once it's on your to-do list, you're going to do it.

Number nine: A question I get a lot is "How much time should I devote to business development?" Point number nine is I would recommend 200 hours a year. That may sound like a lot, but when you break it down by week, it's really only four hours a week. You can meet somebody for coffee at Starbucks in the morning. You can meet a client. You can meet a referral source for lunch. You can go to a trade association meeting in the evening. All of this you can weave into your ordinary to-do list, and before you know it, you've devoted 400 hours. I guarantee you are going to get way more back in new business and new clients than the value of the effort that you devoted.

My closing point, number ten, is to track your results. If you are undertaking a marketing initiative such as, "joining the local business owners club, make a point of writing down the people that you want to meet before you go. After you've met your targets, asked them about their business challenges, later you can to go back and ask yourself, "Did this work? Did I get a new file?" I recall working with a lawyer who was spending money on radio ads, and he was reaching a huge number of people, but he examined his new clients and none of them came from the radio. He wasn't getting any new business out of it at all, so he discontinued it. That's the approach you have to make, but you only will be able to do that if you track your results.

So count to ten, pick the ideas you will pursue, and just do it. The more activities you choose, the more clients and revenue you'll bring in.

Mesothelioma and Asbestos Lawyers

2015-06-18T07:35:00.002-07:00

Mesothelioma attorneys understand asbestos legal issues and the unique challenges asbestos victims face. We offer information on what to expect when working with a mesothelioma lawyer, as well as help finding a qualified mesothelioma attorney for your case.

Successful asbestos ligation requires an attorney who understands the many facets of the case, from how people get exposed to asbestos to the state-by-state regulations about filing lawsuits, to the fragile nature of many clients. Often, people who inquire about an asbestos-related claim are people who are also coping with mesothelioma cancer and all the health issues that go along with treatment.

Choosing a lawyer to represent you in depositions and in legal filings can be as important to your family's future as selecting the right doctor. If were you exposed to asbestos and you got sick as a result, you have a right to stake a claim for compensation.

The dangers and toxicity of asbestos were well-known in the 1930s, yet corporations continued using it extensively through much of the 20th century. They willingly put profits ahead of the health and well-being of employees and the public. An experienced asbestos lawyer will know how to hold those corporations responsible.

Tips When Looking For an Asbestos Litigation Specialist
You should consider several things when you start to evaluate the hiring of an attorney. You want to find someone with whom you feel comfortable talking because you will be discussing intimate details about your health and about where you used to work. Although your lawyer likely will know all the right questions to ask you, good communication is essential.

Affording an Attorney

In the area of asbestos lawsuits, attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing until you receive compensation, and nothing at all if your case is not successful. There is very little risk to you. Contingency fees protect you because they usually are based on a percentage of any compensation you receive. Be sure to discuss this percentage during your first meeting with an attorney.

How Attorneys Help in Asbestos Cases
Mesothelioma claims are different from other workplace injuries in a couple of ways. They fall into a special area of the law because the injuries that are in question do not typically occur because of an accident or sudden event. Instead exposure to asbestos takes place over time, with an illness developing 20 to 50 years later. This is why a qualified mesothelioma attorney makes sense for someone considering litigation or a trust claim.

Questions to Ask When Choosing Your Attorney

    Do you have an asbestos claim?
    Mesothelioma attorneys are familiar with important legal decisions and stay up to date on asbestos-related cases all over the country. They use this knowledge to offer an opinion about your case and also to present the strongest possible case, should you decide to file a claim.

    When were you exposed to asbestos?
    Identifying when and where you were exposed to asbestos is very important to your lawsuit. Without this information, it may be difficult to make a claim. Mesothelioma attorneys can help gather evidence related to your asbestos exposure. They routinely work with medical experts to trace when and where asbestos exposure occurred. They already have research and medical evidence at their disposal, which may be helpful to your case. They may also have helpful contacts with other organizations that fight for workers' rights concerning asbestos-related diseases.

    Who is responsible for your asbestos exposure?
    It can be difficult to know which companies to sue in an asbestos lawsuit. During the decades that usually pass between asbestos exposure and diagnosis, the companies at fault may go out of business, move, change their names or even be sold to other companies. Mesothelioma attorneys have experience identifying and locating the companies responsible for their clients' suffering.

    What is your case worth?
    Part of presenting a strong case is adequately estimating how much compensation you should receive. Mesothelioma attorneys are familiar with the medical and other day-to-day costs of living with asbestos-related illnesses. They also have experience estimating the value of future expenses, as well as the value of damages that are harder to put a number on, such as emotional anguish.

Experienced law firms have detailed records of asbestos claims, asbestos workplaces and asbestos products dating back more than 50 years. They can help you pinpoint potential exposure sites from anywhere in the country.

How to Find the Best Mesothelioma Lawyer or Law Firm

2015-06-16T23:50:00.003-07:00

If you’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer or any other illness caused by prolonged exposure to asbestos, there are many decisions you must make. Of course, your top priority will be taking care of yourself and focusing on the medical aspects and mesothelioma treatment choices. You will also have to deal with an array of issues, such as how much will it cost to treat your asbestos-related illness and how will it affect your family. In the first few days, you might not even think about hiring a mesothelioma lawyer because of your pressing emotional and medical concerns.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or any other illness due to asbestos, keep in mind that you may be entitled to substantial compensation. We invite you to fill out our contact form today to get free brochures from the top mesothelioma lawyers in your area. For more than 20 years, we’ve been helping families successfully connect with the best mesothelioma attorneys. With over $30 billion currently in asbestos trust funds, now is the right time to take the first step in determining what you may qualify for.

Hiring the Best Mesothelioma Attorney

If this is the first time that you have needed to hire an attorney, you need to know that asbestos and mesothelioma cases should not be handled by just anyone with a law practice. Like car accident or nursing home abuse lawyers, asbestos and mesothelioma attorneys specialize in a narrow niche of personal injury law, with a unique focus on asbestos-related lawsuits.

This field is extremely complex and requires knowledge about the asbestos industry, knowledge of mesothelioma treatments, exposure to asbestos, and investigative methods to determine who is at fault. The average personal injury lawyer might have a general idea about cases related to asbestos, but may not have the experience or skill sets to handle your case in a way that an accomplished mesothelioma lawyer can. A mesothelioma attorney has the right tools and experience to help you deal with the complexities of your case and to help you win fair compensation for your asbestos-related illness.

Keep in mind that there is no one-size-fits-all mold which produces mesothelioma and asbestos lawyers. Every individual lawyer has a unique method of handling cases, and each law firm has its own set of legal strategies in dealing with asbestos law. Some lawyers have dealt with cases such as yours for years and understand first-hand about the disease, including the harsh symptoms of mesothelioma and what victims have to live with on a daily basis.

On the other hand, other attorneys are newcomers to the world of mesothelioma law, and although they may have asbestos-related training, they lack the experience of actual cases. Choosing the right lawyer to handle your case can be a challenge, especially if you’re stressing over your illness, your bills, and how this is affecting your loved ones. However, as previously mentioned, if you arm yourself with knowledge and options, finding the mesothelioma lawyer doesn’t have to be difficult.
Steps To Finding The Best Mesothelioma Lawyer or Law Firm

Choosing a mesothelioma attorney is not a task that should be done in haste. You should never hire a lawyer just because a law firm’s TV ad was loud and flashy. There are many attorneys and law firms competing to handle asbestos or mesothelioma cases, but some are inexperienced newcomers who might not be able to handle your case properly. You need to separate the good lawyers from the not-so-good ones. But with so many law firms and attorneys out there, how do you find the right one?

1: Research

The first step is to do research on mesothelioma and asbestos attorneys. This sounds easy enough, but it requires time, patience, and energy. These three assets might be in short supply, especially when you are tired and don’t feel well, yet it’s important to make sure you seek out the mesothelioma law firm for your particular case and needs. Even if they don’t, they can help you conduct Internet searches and make lists of law firms or attorneys who may be qualified to handle your case.

Whether you conduct your own research or delegate it to others, look for attorneys with the right qualifications and established histories of dealing with asbestos law. Don’t make a list that’s too long. Select a manageable number of prospective mesothelioma law firms and ask for a case evaluation as quickly as possible. If a law firm can’t evaluate your case in a timely manner, there is a chance they may be too busy to take on your case. With cases as sensitive as mesothelioma lawsuits, you’ll need an attorney who not only has the experience, but also the time and effort to dedicate to your case.

2: Internet

Looking in the Internet is a convenient and relatively simple method to find the best mesothelioma attorney. The search terms “asbestos lawyer” and “mesothelioma attorneys” yield literally thousands of search engine results. Though the sheer number of lawyer websites is staggering, you can figure out the better ones simply by reading the information provided on home pages and FAQ sections. An experienced mesothelioma law firm’s website should provide you detailed information regarding all aspects of asbestos-related diseases, state statute of limitations, pertinent information regarding lawsuits, and answers to important questions you may have.

3. Comprehensive Websites

If the information is well-written, free of hyperbole, and covers detailed information, add the firms’ names to your list of possible choices. Steer clear of websites belonging to attorneys who make exaggerated promises about how much you will win if you retain them to handle your case. Although it’s important to seek out a law firm’s track record of previous successful mesothelioma lawsuits, no law firm can guarantee exactly how much you’ll win.

Keep in mind, however, that although mesothelioma legal cases were relatively obscure until the number of documented mesothelioma cases rose in the 1990s and 2000s, they are usually lucrative.Yet, there are an array of factors that affect each case, such as the stage of the disease, how you long you were exposed, and much more. Therefore, it’s not possible for a mesothelioma law firm to promise you a set amount of money beforehand. The best mesothelioma lawyers will never make you false promises of how much compensation you can win.
Key Points in Finding the Best Mesothelioma Law Firm

    Knowledgeable in all aspects of state and federal asbestos laws
    Extensive knowledge of all asbestos-related diseases, such as malignant mesothelioma and asbestosis
    Training on how to handle families with lost loved ones and/or victims going through emotional trauma
    Proper investigative skills in order to research prior company records, and if applicable, previous lawsuits against the defendant
    A professional mesothelioma law firm typically offers a no-obligation consultation in order to determine if they can successfully handle your case

Additional Tips:

Get Client References: If you want to find out how well mesothelioma lawyers handle their cases, ask for testimonials from some of their clients. Prospective hires will provide you with a list of satisfied clients who have cleared the attorneys to give to their names and contact information. You probably will see only positive feedback, but you can get a good feel for how successfully the mesothelioma lawyers handled previous cases.

Get a Consultation: Once you have a short list of attorneys that fit the needs of your asbestos lawsuit, begin contacting them and ask for a pre-screening. The initial contact can be made on the Internet via the attorneys’ websites or by phone. The consultation, however, is best done in person because this is when the attorneys evaluate your case. During this evaluation, the asbestos lawyers will advise you on your case’s validity, your chances of getting a settlement, and how much of a percentage of the award they will get if you win. Keep in mind, as aforementioned, the best mesothelioma lawyers will usually offer you a free, no-obligation consultation before taking on your case.
Legal Help

Fill out our contact form today to receive free brochures from the leading mesothelioma lawyers in your area. Keep in mind that if you have an asbestos-related disease, you may be eligible for considerable compensation. For additional assistance, contact us at 800-694-4856.

Law firms donate a little, get a lot despite NJ's pay-to-play law

2015-06-16T23:48:00.000-07:00

The five law firms with the biggest contracts in Middlesex County gave a total of $134,075 to the political campaigns of county freeholders, who determine which firms get these lucrative contracts. And they made $3.1 million in county money from 2012 to 2014 from those contracts.

The bulk of the donations -- more than $65,000 -- came from Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer of Woodbridge, one of the most politically connected law firms in the state with particularly strong ties to the Middlesex County Democratic Organization.

Stacey Bersani, the spokeswoman for the county, said Middlesex County "strictly abides by the state's pay-to-play law."

Experts in the law say she is correct. This practice is completely legal under the state's pay-to-play law.

While state law prohibit contractors from donating to county political parties and limits the amount of individual contributions from contractors to freeholders to $300, there are a few ways to get around the law, according to Jeffrey Brindle, executive director of the New Jersey Election Commission.

Fair and open

"There is a loophole known as the "fair and open" provision. If that is invoked, the amount goes to $2,600," Brindle says. Under fair and open, a contract would have to be put out to bid and advertised, but there's no restriction over who could be awarded that contract.

The problems, says Harry Pozycki, the father of New Jersey's pay-to-play law and a former county freeholder, is that since the law was adopted in 2006, contractors have been looking for ways to circumvent it. The law isn't perfect and needs to be tweaked, he said.

"It's getting crazy," said Pozycki, who is also the chairman of The Citizens Campaign, a citizen activist nonprofit organization. "Its good to have pay-to-play laws because any time you can create distance between an entity and contracts is a good thing, but they are circumvented."

Ben Dworkin, a political science professor at Rider University's Rebovich Institute, said every time some kind of campaign finance reform is adopted, "it rarely closes all of the loopholes.

"There's an old adage that money in politics is like water on pavement, it will always find the cracks," Dworkin says. "If you close a loophole in the law, they'll always find a way to get the money there (to campaigns)."

Connections

The Wilentz firm is Middlesex County's bond counsel and made $150,266 last year, according to records supplied by the county.

The firm and eight of its employees also gave thousands of dollars in donations to the campaigns of the two Democrats on the freeholder board who were running for re-election, Charles Tomaro and Carol Barrett Bellante.

According to reports submitted by the law firm to the state Election Commission, as required under the state's pay-to-play law, the Wilentz firm and its employees gave Tomaro's campaign $9,000 and Barrett-Bellante's campaign $11,050.

Dvorak & Associates of New Brunswick, one of the law firms representing the Middlesex County Joint Liability Insurance Fund Defense, made $264,642 from its contract with the county in 2013, and donated $5,000 to the re-election campaigns of Freeholders Blanquita Valenti, Kenneth Armwood and Charles Kenny. The firm also donated $2,000 to a Democratic political action committee, the Coalition for Government Efficiency.

Even the law firm of Thomas Kelso, the county's counsel, made donations to freeholder re-election campaigns in 2012 and 2013. Kelso's firm, Kelso & Bradshaw, made the most with $1.2 million in county contracts, including the firm's contract to represent the county as general counsel.

Local laws

Counties and municipalities can also forego the state law by adopting their own pay-to-play ordinances and laws. Middlesex County does not have its own law, although 14 out of its 25 municipalities—do, including the two largest, Edison and Woodbridge.

There are more than 200 counties, county agencies and municipalities in the state that have their own pay-to-play laws. A complete list is available on the N. J. Department of State website.

Brian Amaral and Anthony Attrino contributed to this report.

Pay to play alive and well in Middlesex County

Data from 2012 to 2014 shows the amount that law firms donated to Democratic candidates and causes in Middlesex County, and the amount those law firms received in county contracts the same years.

Convery & Convery & Shihar contracts

71,000

Wilentz donations

364,514

Wilentz contracts

8,575

Martin Kane Kuper donations

342,864

Martin Kane Kuper contracts

11,000

Kelso & Bradshaw donations

1,153,357

Kelso & Bradshaw contracts

33,300

Dvorak & Assoc. donations

848,080

Dvorak & Assoc. contracts

23,950

Convery & Convery & Shihar donations

421,742

Convery & Convery & Shihar contracts

Mesothelioma Law Firm - The Lanier Law Firm

2015-06-16T01:56:00.004-07:00

Early, Lucarelli, Sweeney & Meisenkothen is nationally recognized for our representation of product liability and mesothelioma victims, and for our understanding of and compassion for injured parties and their families. Our experience in these matters spans two decades and our lawyers have been recognized as some of the best in the country. We have been awarded Martindale-Hubbell's highest AV rating, we are a National, Tier 1 ranked law firm with U.S. News and World Report Best Law Firms, and we have been selected for inclusion in the Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers rating publications.
The Attorneys at ELSM

Meet the experienced team of attorneys at ELSM who will work tirelessly on your behalf to earn you the highest settlement award possible.

More About the Attorneys at ELSM

Early, Lucarelli, Sweeney & Meisenkothen has consistently been at the top of the list in terms of per case settlement dollars obtained for its asbestos clients. We represent in excess of one thousand eight hundred victims of asbestos disease in their cases against the asbestos industry. Hundreds of these victims suffer from mesothelioma cancer. We are currently licensed to practice in: California, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Washington D.C. Almost two decades of asbestos law experience has resulted in close working relationships with mesothelioma attorneys throughout the United States for the representation of individuals with asbestos cancer. We will carefully explain your legal rights to you.

We have dedicated extensive resources to gathering information and evidence against the asbestos industry. We will explain the multiple paths to follow to maximize your recovery against asbestos manufacturers and suppliers. We will discuss with you the options of law suits, out of court settlements, and claims in the bankruptcy courts. We will seek to determine and advise you as to the best course of action in your case. In many cases we can obtain settlement offers from certain asbestos manufacturers within a few months of retention.

We urge you to consider our extensive database of medical information, mesothelioma treatment options, and product identification that dates back to the 1930s when choosing your legal representation. Our Web site contains the most up-to-date information from the best sources; it is a source of pride, and we hope that it shows. Maintaining the site and adding new material is a daily process because our clients indicate they want it that way. In fact, Early, Lucarelli, Sweeney & Meisenkothen is often approached by doctors and world medical conferences, asking if they can place information on our Web site. Of course, we answer yes. Moreover, we are a nationally recognized law firm, which runs at the forefront of asbestos litigation, as we are intimately involved with current legal and political events regarding asbestos. We urge you to contact Early, Lucarelli, Sweeney & Meisenkothen first.

Martindale-Hubbell's Highest AV Rating
Martindale-Hubbell Rating

ELSM has been awarded Martindale-Hubbell’s highest AV rating for excellence in ethical standards and legal expertise. This highly regarded system utilizes both client and peer review feedback to rate lawyers in the areas of experience, expertise, knowledge, judgment, communication and ethics.

The goal of the rating system is to help those seeking legal counsel to make informed decisions with a higher level of confidence. When you choose a law firm with a Martindale-Hubbell AV rating, like Early, Lucarelli Sweeney and Meisenkothen, you can be assured that you have chosen to work with attorneys that are well regarded by their peers, have an exceptional track record and that work with a high degree of integrity.In short, you have chosen the best.

The following letter from Martindale-Hubbell confirms that Early, Lucarelli, Sweeney and Meisenkothen has earned an AV rating, the highest rating awarded only to those who exhibit excellence and uphold high standards of conduct in the legal profession.

Dear Mr. Early:

I am pleased to inform you that you have been awarded the highest accolade in Martindale-Hubbell; an AV rating. This is as a result of an extensive, confidential review conducted among the legal profession in your community.

Your AV rating is important because it is a confirmation of the status you have achieved as a highly respected, ethical member of the Bar. It signifies that your legal abilities are of the very highest standard and that your professional ethics are unquestioned. You now join a select group of attorneys who have been recognized by their peers for their legal expertise and professional reputation.

Martindale-Hubbell has gone to considerable lengths to confirm the validity of your rating. To maintain the accuracy of ratings, periodic reevaluations are conducted.

Our congratulations to you on your new rating.

Sincerely,

Edward J. Roycroft, Jr.
Vice President
Meet Our Welcome Team

We are eager to serve you. ELSM's initial consultations are 100% free of charge and since ELSM works on a contingency basis you will NEVER be charged anything out of your own pocket. ELSM only gets paid if it makes a recovery on your behalf.

Your first contact with the firm will usually be with Annette Charlevois or Kim Curnane. They are experienced, knowledgeable and compassionate asbestos paralegals who have dedicated their lives to helping mesothelioma clients. They will listen to your individual situation and, together with you, decide on the next best course of action. Often a conference call or an in home visit with one of our lawyers is arranged at your convenience. Click on the links above to learn more about Annette and Kim.

2015 Chevy SS Sedan review notes: A stock car for the road

2015-06-14T23:01:00.000-07:00

EDITOR WES RAYNAL: The Chevy SS made fine Detroit Grand Prix transportation for me, all V8 growly and fast but looking stealthy and understated.

I just love this thumping V8. It revs, has plenty of power and is really, really, smooth. The six-speed manual is a nice match, working for comfortable soft-shift cruising or hard driving. The car jumps off the line and midrange power is impressive, as is the ride/handling mix, not floaty by any means but not too harsh for Detroit. The steering feels crisp and well weighted, and there's satisfying feedback available through the wheel. The car actually feels surprisingly light on its feet and drives smaller than it is. “Civilized but not desensitized in any notable fashion,” is how we put it on autoweek.com.

We also said the balance might be the best thing of all, and I concur -- “consistent competence of the drivetrain, chassis, and overall dynamics.” Put the center console knob in tour and you can just cruise around town. Twist over to performance mode, and the ride stiffens up nicely and the car is even wieldier.

The cabin is simple and well laid out and I liked the red contrast stitching and flat-bottom steering wheel. The front buckets feel good. One thing bugged me mightily: the collision warning system. It went off a bunch over my weekend with the car. I thought it was overly sensitive. Can we turn it off?

ROAD TEST EDITOR JAKE LINGEMAN: I only had one night in the SS, so I didn’t have too much of chance to put it through its paces, just few commutes to and from work.

I had the car in either sport or performance mode most of the time, which made it feel pretty stiff. A few of the potholes I regularly roll over banged noisily in the cabin. Body roll was well controlled and steering was suitably tight in all modes. Looking at the spec sheet, it has an electric power steering setup, which makes its heft and good feel even more surprising.

Power from the V8 comes on smooth and stays smooth, without any peaks or valleys in torque. Spinning the tires is just a matter of slipping the clutch a little faster than usual, but the traction control will always keep you in line, as long as it’s activated. There are several modes for that, by the way, from full-on to full-off.

The clutch pedal was a little hard to modulate; the effort was good, though. It took a little practice to engage smoothly at slow speeds. At high speeds, however, no problems: just jam it and ram it.

There’s something about the styling of the SS that I’m not quite into. I can’t put my finger on it. The front three-quarter view looks great, though I’d like a little less chrome, the rear three-quarter view bugs me though, it looks too high or something.

There are a lot of sedans out there for $47,000. You can get a Charger R/T Scat Pack, a well-equipped 300C, probably even a cheap BMW 5-series. This one offers a manual trans, though, which is always a bonus. I do like the SS, but I’d probably go with the Charger first. The basic R/T only sets you back $33,295. Hell, you could install a manual transmission with all the money you save.

DIGITAL EDITOR ANDREW STOY: Can't put your finger on it, eh Jake? Let me help you. For all its mechanical attributes (and there are many) the Chevy SS looks a bit hillbilly. It's the modern equivalent of an "Intimidator Edition" Monte Carlo. (Yes!) I'm not judging -- the style appeals to many buyers, but you're never going to see it on the streets of Manhattan or Los Angeles, and the heavy chrome and jacked-up rear are off-putting to many staffers here.

Unfortunately for Chevy, the kind of buyers to whom SS styling appeals are often of modest means, and a $50,000 sedan isn't an option for many. Those who do have the money may not be able to find a car for sale -- limited exports, particularly of the new stick-shift model we have here, mean very limited supplies on dealer lots. That combination means SS sales are running about 300 units a month -- less than 10 percent of Corvette sales, for comparison's sake.

So, let's assume you have the cash, and the styling works for you. You've found a manual transmission SS on a dealer lot in rural North Carolina. What should you expect when you climb behind the wheel?

Four-door Corvette is the easy comparison, but the two machines don't really share anything except V8 rumble and blistering performance. The SS really behaves more like a domestic interpretation of the BMW M3. It's quick without being overpowered, easy to place in the corners and extraordinarily communicative through the tires and wheels. But the SS also offers lots of interior space, great rear legroom and a truly massive trunk, making it easy to live with for folks who need an actual car to go along with their performance -- again, attributes the M3 also has.

Ironically, my only drivability comments stem directly from the manual transmission: The clutch is very springy but quick to grab, making for a weird feel at first (but one that becomes second nature after a few dozen miles). Also, skip-shift makes an appearance, forcing 1-to-4 gear changes at certain speed/throttle positions. You can trick the mechanism, but at the expense of a sluggish 1-2 shift; alternately, you can launch like John Force from every light, which will prevent skip-shift from engaging but drop your gas mileage into the single digits -- exactly what skip-shift is supposed to prevent. Ah, progress.

I suppose the real story here is that if you dig the proto-stock car look and you prefer your sports sedans to come from a domestic manufacturer, you actually have an option today -- Chevrolet has a fantastic car that's technically available. From what we hear, though, you'll have to work to find the one you want, though we're sure a dealer will be happy to show you something in a nice Impala LTZ instead.

2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider first drive: Joy at your fingertips

2015-06-14T22:53:00.001-07:00

The 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider is the second salvo in Alfa’s latest incursion into North America. So far all of the company’s hardtop launch edition 4Cs are sold, and the average on-lot time for the next batch is just 17 days. It’s a good problem to have, says Alfa -- though it's worth noting total sales this year only add up to 295 units. The removable-top 4C Spider arrives later this summer. It’ll sticker for $65,495 including $1,595 in destination charges.

The 4C Spider gets the same Italian-made, all-aluminum 1.75-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine as the coupe, making 237 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. It sits behind the driver, but doesn’t cause nearly as many visibility problems as it does on the coupe. A six-speed twin-clutch transmission sends power to the rear wheels through an electronic limited slip differential. That, plus the launch control function, pushes the 4C Spider to 60 mph in just 4.1 seconds. Alfa notes that it’s faster than both the Porsche Cayman and the Boxster--two of the most obvious competitors. Top speed is 160 mph, which seemed easily reachable on a decent stretch of track.

The “top” is really just an easily removable targa that covers the driver and passenger. The standard material is cloth, which stows in the trunk; buyers can alternately specify carbon fiber, which Alfa says, “can be conveniently stored in your garage.”

One of the best parts about this Spider is the lines, which aren’t ruined by a ribbed top or mechanical folding piece. The windshield frame comes standard in carbon fiber, and the rear halo can also be specified with the lightweight material.

The cabin is clean and sparse, just like the 4C coupe. The carbon fiber tub shows through on the floor, there are straps for door handles and you get no armrests. The cup holders are well out of the way between the backs of the seats. Our 5-foot, 10-inch frame fit fine, though drivers above 6’ 2” would probably put the seat at its backstop. Getting in takes a little contorting, but with the top off we just hung onto the windshield frame and dropped in.

What’s it like to drive?

We have one word for you: feedback. The 4C and 4C Spider have fantastic non-assisted, manual steering. That means it’s a little taxing to parallel park, especially since the car’s default transmission setting is neutral and it’ll roll backwards if you’re not on the gas. On the road at speed, however, the experience is like a 3D laser scanner of the road directly connected to your hands. We felt the grooves in the pavement, we felt the cold patches of asphalt, and we felt the twigs that blew down onto the street when a particularly strong gust appeared as we burned down the Pacific Coast Highway on our way to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Forget the new-fangled electric power steering: this is how a high-performance car should feel.

The Spider weighs in at 2,487 pounds. That’s only 22 pounds more than the hardtop. Alfa says the carbon fiber monocoque doesn’t need any stiffening when the roof is chopped off, so the extra weight is mostly in the rear packaging changes.

In front, the 4C gets a double wishbone suspension setup while MacPherson struts get things done in back. Standard Pirelli P-Zero tires measure 18 inches at the nose, 19 in back. Body roll, dive and lift are all kept in check both on the track and on the street. The PCH, with its numerous on- and off-camber turns was great for putting the car through its paces, and the 4C never disappointed -- unless, of course, you’re looking for a supple, Mercedes-like ride. But this is an Alfa sportscar, a hopeful return to greatness, and it is sufficiently stiff.

On the gas coming out of turns, one feels the back outside corner hunker down just a tad before either sending the car forward with authority, or sliding outward slowly, depending the steering angle. Directional changes are instantaneous, and in everything short of race mode it's difficult to get the car out of sorts.
The 4C Spider comes with Alfa’s “DNA” switch, which changes between dynamic, natural and all-weather modes (DNA -- get it?). That switch affects the engine, transmission, electronic stability control and differential, allowing more aggression which each step. Race mode defeats the traction control completely, though Alfa told us that if the car senses an antilock braking event the stability control will kick back on to help prevent catastrophic accidents. Probably a smart idea. On the track, the brakes stayed surprisingly fresh after several hours of duty, with a strong bite and only an inch or so of pedal travel difference.

Power comes on in a rush at about 2,500 rpm when the turbo really gets going. It’s not so much as a kick in the back but more of a slow, strong shove. It won’t upset your line, but things will start coming at you a lot faster in short order, and that acceleration doesn’t seem to slow in higher gears. Passing is just a matter of paddling down once or twice and stepping on the gas—a feature we used regularly on the tourist-filled, two-lane highways. Those paddles? They’re your only option for shifting. A manual won’t be available.

There’s lots of drama from this Italian; surprise, surprise. Between the wooshing of the turbo and the wailing exhaust note, not to mention the sexy bodywork, the 4C Spider wants attention. That signature exhaust note is nice when it goes up and down in pitch on the track. But on the road at a constant speed it gets a little monotonous. We found ourselves shifting up and down in traffic just to make it sing. If the revs drop too low, the sound gets deep and rattles the inside of your ear drums. The Subaru WRX is the same way; keep those revs up though, and no problems.

Do I want it?

We’re going to get crazy and say the only purer driving experience is in a Lotus. The lack of a manual hurts here, even though we know the DCT is faster than we could ever be, and wind noise and exhaust get pretty loud at constant speeds. With the lack of luggage space, it’s going to have to be a second car. But we’re perfectly fine with that.

Can you get a more powerful second car for the price? Sure. Can you get a bigger second car for the price? Of course. But can you get the combination of a high-revving, Italian-made engine, near perfect steering setup, 34 mpg on the highway and a body that puts Elisabetta Canalis—look her up—to shame? We don’t think so. If we could afford it, we’d have one today.

2016 Ferrari 488 GTB first drive

2015-06-14T22:51:00.001-07:00

Ferrari turbocharges its way to the future

What is it?

It’s a new Ferrari, and that might be all some people need to know. Only this is a big one, for the brand and for car geeks far and wide. The 2016 488 GTB debuts early in Ferrari’s Brave New Turbo era, with very big shoes to fill.

It replaces the frequently acclaimed, much loved 458 Italia, which has been anointed by sundry critics as the best sports car in the world. It follows old-school Ferrari nomenclature -- 488 for the displacement of each cylinder (487.75cc) and GTB for Gran Turismo Berlinetta, which was first used on Ferrari’s first mid-engine V8 (the 308 GTB) when it debuted at the Geneva motor show 40 years ago -- rather than the more recent convention of total displacement combined with some revered locale like Modena, Maranello or Italia.

We’ve known it was coming since Geneva this year: the demise of the 458 Italia’s naturally aspirated V8, often dubbed the best anywhere, and the 9,000-rpm howl that follows it everywhere. There’s plenty of good news, nonetheless. The 488 GTB is a tad lighter than the 458, with a lot more horsepower and much more torque. It surpasses the 458 by any performance measure, and it’s loaded with enough new technology to fill a gearhead book. That tech puts the 488 GTB’s extreme charms within reach of all who can afford it (and then worm their way into an appropriate spot on the dealer’s waiting list).

2016 Ferrari 488 GTB engine, I2

The 2016 Ferrari 488 GTB's 3.9-liter twin-turbocharged engine

By now you know about the new turbo era, too, and the broader, seemingly inevitable creep toward turbocharged engines. It began at Ferrari last September with the California T -- its latest retractable-roof, front-engine GT -- and a 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8.

Ferrari has never been terribly fond of turbos, building fewer than a handful through its 66-year history. Before the California T, its previous turbo engines had appeared in the 288 GTO in 1984 and the F40 in 1987, when the high-performance renaissance was underway and turbos were the best way to make the power required of supercars.

The rationale behind Ferrari’s new turbo V8s is only slightly different, rooted in an increasing green consciousness among elite buyers and government mandates to reduce CO2 emissions. Forced induction remains the best -- maybe the only -- way to reduce displacement and continue the horsepower increases expected from a brand like Ferrari. While the engineers in Maranello frankly admit they’d probably prefer to pass on turbochargers, they also say the challenge has presented big opportunity.

The 488’s 3.9-liter V8 shares its upper cylinder block architecture with other members of Ferrari’s new F154 engine family, presently installed in the California T and the Maserati Quattroporte GTS. It’s cast at the same Maranello foundry as Ferrari’s Formula One engines, and, like the others, it employs a flat-plane crank. There the similarities essentially end.

2016 Ferrari 488 GTB interior wide shot, I3

Inside the Ferrari 488 GTB

The 488’s lower crankcase is reworked for dry-sump lubrication, with a variable-displacement primary pump and five scavenger pumps. The oiling system reduces internal drag 30 percent compared to the 458’s naturally aspirated 4.5-liter V8, according to Ferrari, and there are other friction reductions throughout the 488 engine.

Compared to the California T turbo, the 488’s gets different heads with thinner castings and more expansive cooling passages, different valve springs, different pistons, a different intake manifold with equal-length runners and different exhaust manifolds. It operates at generally higher temperatures than either the California T turbo or the 458 V8. The fuel gets hotter and cylinder pressures are higher, so pressure in the direct-injection system increases to 2,900 psi.

Then there are the two, twin-scroll IHI turbos -- as high-tech as we've seen. The compressors are larger than those in the California T, and fabricated from a low-density titanium-aluminum alloy that reduces inertia and maximizes spool-up speed. The shafts spin sheathed in ball bearings, rather than fixed bushings like just about every other automotive turbocharger on earth. The 488 turbos also use something that Ferrari calls “abradable seals,” which look something like reeds that press around the shafts. These self adjust as they wear and maintain a tighter seal over the life of the engine. Boost pressure peaks at 35 psi, compared to 19 psi in the California T.

2016 Ferrari 488 GTB rear 3/4 on track, I4

A rear 3/4 shot of the 2016 Ferrari 488 GTB on track

The result borders on startling. The 488’s 3.9-liter generates 660 hp at 8,000 rpm, and 560 lb-ft of torque at 3,000 rpm. That’s 107 more horsepower than the California T’s V8. More to the point, it’s 18 percent or 98 hp more than the larger 458 V8, with a mammoth 40 percent increase in torque (162 lb-ft). With 179 hp and 144 lb-ft per liter of displacement, the 488 GTB delivers the highest specific output of any road-going Ferrari to date.

Then come the efficiency gains. EPA mileage ratings are pending, but in the combined EU cycle, the 488 GTB’s fuel consumption (11.4 liters/100 km) drops 14 percent compared to the 458 Italia. CO2 emissions drop 6 percent on average, with considerably more power on tap, and 15 percent in steady-throttle operation.

Those numbers represent the big payoff for Ferrari, more than the turbo V8’s power gains. Yet the challenges of the turbo remain. When you put your foot in it, it has to go, sound and feel like a Ferrari, and that means joy at crazy-high revs without a significant drop in thrust.

Corrado Iotti, chief engineer for the F154 engine family, notes that the 488’s horsepower peak is still 8,000 rpm -- 1,000 lower than the 458’s, but far higher than most production V8’s are capable of revving. Yet to hedge its bets, Iotti’s team also applied Ferrari’s version of variable torque management in the 488 GTB. Its ECU adjusts boost and fuel flow to give the engine a different torque map and peak in each of the seven forward gears. The maximum torque available goes progressively higher with the gear, and the 560 lb-ft peak comes only in seventh. The point is to generate progressively stronger acceleration with speed, and to replicate the longitudinal acceleration curve of a normally aspirated engine.

2016 Ferrari 488 GTB front on track, I5

2016 Ferrari 488 GTB on track

Iotti also notes that, when the driver presses the throttle pedal, it takes just 0.06 second longer for torque from the 488’s turbo engine to reach its rear wheels than it does with the 458’s naturally aspirated V8. Six hundredths. And there’s a lot more torque.

Yet beyond throttle response or acceleration curves, there’s the sound. Ferrari spent four years addressing the sound. Turbos work something like a silencer on a handgun, or an extra muffler, but Iotti said no one ever considered fake, electronically generated cockpit noise. The first key is not wasting the noise the turbo engine generates. Among other things, the 488s headers have longer-than-typical, equal length tubing, to maximize harmonics before the flow gets to the turbos and promote the higher pitch of a screaming, naturally aspirated Ferrari V8.

Beyond the engine, Ferrari’s F1 dual-clutch automatic benefits from further development. Upshifts come 30 percent quicker, and downshifts 40 percent, which means the 488 can drop four gears in the time it takes the 458 to drop three. The E-Diff torque-shifting differential has a faster processor and new control algorithms, reducing response time and improving lateral acceleration in the process.

Ferraris says 85 percent of the 488’s parts are new, compared to the 458 Italia. The carryover includes the roof and floor panels, though the engineers say they’ve squeezed a bit more volume into the 488’s cockpit. The aluminum space frame changes mostly at the front and rear -- to accommodate the new engine and the extra airflow it demands.

The 488’s 104.3-inch wheelbase is identical to the 458’s. Its length and tracks increase slightly, yet its frame and shell are 65 pounds lighter. Even with 35 extra pounds for its turbo engine and intercoolers, the 488’s minimum curb weight drops 25 pounds. It bears slightly more weight on its rear wheels than the 458 (59 percent vs. 58 percent), thanks to the heavier engine.

2016 Ferrari 488 GTB profile from above, I6

The 2016 Ferrari 488 GTB in profile

Suspension improvements center on Ferrari’s new-gen SSM-E magnetorheological shocks and something it calls SSC2 (for side-slip control). First applied in the LaFerrari supercar, SSC measures the car’s slip angle on the fly, compares it to the driver’s data base of driving habits and demands, and then adjusts for either more allowable slip or more stability. It originally reacted using the variable-torque E-Diff and traction control. In the 488, SSC adds the adaptive shocks to its management tools, adjusting damping rates at individual corners to minimize body roll and maximize stability.

Bottom line, the 488’s maximum roll angle decreases 12 percent compared to the 458, without stiffer springs, and peak lateral acceleration increases 6 percent on street-oriented Michelin Pilot Super Sports (20-inch 245/35 front and 305/30 rear). Its standard carbon-ceramic brakes are larger than the 458’s, but six pounds lighter. Stopping distances decrease 9 percent, according to Ferrari.

Ferrari’s recent preoccupation with aerodynamics continues in the 488, focused on the challenging task of generating legitimate downforce (as opposed to reducing lift) while also reducing drag—all while feeding the 488’s greater cooling demands. The specifics, including vortex generating channels in the underbody sheathing, could fill an engineering students master’s thesis. Highlights in front include an F1-inspired double splitter, separated by something Ferrari calls an Aero Pillar in the center. The pillar is designed to manage the mass of air striking the front of the car and distribute it effectively along both longitudinal and transverse planes.

In back, the 488 gets a Ferrari-patented “blow spoiler.” Its lip is lower than typical, and barely noticeable in profile, but its surface is more steeply curved. An open channel in the middle bleeds a swath of air through the center of the spoiler and down over rear bumper to break up the vortices that trail the car. The blow spoiler generates downforce in back without the extra drag of a taller spoiler. A larger rear diffuser speeds airflow from under the car. Its chip-controlled active veins adjust to either maximize downforce or reduce drag. As a result, the 488’s dual exhaust tips are positioned wider and higher in the bumper than the signature tri-tips on the 458 Italia.

2016 Ferrari 488 GTB rear from above, I7

View of the 2016 Ferrari 488 GTB rear from above

Ferrari says its wind-tunnel handiwork generates average downforce of 715 pounds at 155 mph -- up 50 percent from the 458. The coefficient of drag, meanwhile, drops from 0.330 to 0.324.

The 488 GTB is the second Ferrari styled by Centro Stile Ferrari, after LaFerrari. Both engineers and designers say that in-house design gets more critical as engineering and aero get more complicated, allowing closer, more constant collaboration that’s harder to manage with a traditional styling house. The challenge, they say, is resolving conflict between engineering demands and aesthetics.

The 488 looks a bit chubbier than the 458 through its midsection and around its new engine. The most obvious difference is big, scalloped air channels -- homage to the 308 GTB -- along its doors to the intakes on its hips. Those intakes are partitioned across the middle, with the top section directed to the turbocharger intake and the bottom feeding the intercoolers.

The 488 is just clean and generally unadorned. As it’s been through much of Ferrari’s history, and particularly of late, the aggression is organic in the shape, rather than a collection of racy details. There are standout details, nonetheless, including door releases that are also little winglets directing air toward the side intakes. The third brake light is a matrix of 12 individual LEDs in the middle of the rear diffuser, like the rain light on an open-wheel race car.

Inside, the 488 has the same floating dash as just about every mid-engine Ferrari V8 since the 308, with no stack or connection to the center console. There’s the familiar switch bridge on the console and Ferrari’s multi-function Manettino steering wheel, now with a keyless start button and longer carbon-fiber shift paddles. Updates include a faster infotainment processor and new graphics from the California T, an optional performance display for passengers hidden in the carbon-fiber trim strip above the glove box, and standard 1,280-watt JBL audio with 16 channels.

2016 Ferrari 488 GTB engine through glass, I8

The 2016 Ferrari 488 GTB's midengine

The 2016 488 GTB hits North American dealerships in September for $242,737, including destination. That’s a hair less than a 2015 458 Italia. Ferrari’s feature color is Rosso Corsa Metallizzato (traditional Ferrari red, with metallic that glints orange), but the 488 will be available in 16 standard paint and leather colors, with six wheel designs. There’s a range of carbon-fiber options inside and out, including the front spoiler, rear diffuser, intercooler intake splitter, door panels and console bridge. All buyers get seven years of standard maintenance.

The world changes. For Ferrari it’s gotten more complicated, far beyond the legislative pressure behind the turbocharged engines. Enzo’s creation is about to become a publically traded company, as Fiat Chrysler Automotive milks what it can from its most successful brand with a pending IPO.

Meanwhile, under stewardship of the Volkswagen Audi Group, Lamborghini has grown much more competitive, and there’s another potential threat that did not exist when the 458 Italia was launched. Ferrari engineers confidently insist that the 488 GTB surpasses McLaren’s 650S in every measurable parameter. While that may or may not be true, the folks in Maranello would never have acknowledged McLaren as a potential production-car competitor five years ago.

Where it goes, no one knows. What we can tell you about the 488 after a teasingly short blast around Ferrari’s Fiorano test track, then an afternoon in the hills and valleys around Maranello, is important enough. There’s no reason to fear the turbo.

2016 Ferrari 488 GTB Manettino wheel, I9

2016 Ferrari 488 GTB Manettino wheel

How’s it drive?

The 488 GTB lives up to just about everything you’d want or expect, but the analysis comes down to a central question: Can a turbocharged engine deliver on expectations formed by the greatest of naturally aspirated V8s?

Yes, ultimately, with a plus or minus here and there.

2016 Ferrari 488 GTB IP, I10

2016 Ferrari 488 GTB instrument panel

As hard as Ferrari tried, the 488 does not sound like a 458 Italia. The new berlinetta’s primary emotion inducers are lower frequency. Its engine noise is less metallic, less shreekeeekeee -- closer to a bellow than a 458 is to a Banshee wail. That shouldn’t imply that the 488 sounds bad. It sounds fabulous.

The payback is substantial, of course, and it starts with the very obvious increase in torque. There’s nothing in the 488 that we’d call turbo lag. Indeed, its reaction to the gas pedal feels even more right-now than the 458. The new stallion kicks when you floor it, and you won’t long be missing whatever aural gratification it gives up to that shrieking sexpot of a 458.

How does one convey the sensation? It might not be worth the trouble, because the acceleration numbers probably say as much as type can. But when you get its wheels straight at an exit, or when you’re faced with a flat, empty stretch ahead, the 488 GTB delivers a rush once reserved for Indy cars or a Yamaha V-Max. It loads your head like a pop of amyl nitrite, slams the saliva toward the back of your throat and twists your gut for a second or two. It’s more intense down low, compared to a 458, but the crazy thing is that the 488 doesn’t run out. Thanks to appropriate ratio selection and Ferrari’s torque management strategy, it just goes and goes if you can find the room to keep it flat. The 488 requires six seconds to go from standstill in first to the rev limiter in fourth. It goes from 0-124 mph in 8.3 seconds, according to Ferrari, and covers the first full kilometer in 18.7.

2016 Ferrari 488 GTB console bridge, I11

2016 Ferrari 488 GTB console bridge, I11

Its throttle can be sensitive, and if there’s a drawback to all the torque and its near-immediate delivery, it may be that the 488 is harder to manage through any sustained sort of throttle steer than the 458. That matters only when the Manettino is dialed to CT Off, of course, and it may add a more brutish element to the 488’s repertoire. But it can be managed.

Watch development driver Raffaele De Simone as he guides you around Fiorano with the 488 locked in a tire-wasting, third-gear, 100-mph drift, casually explaining that Enzo’s personal track is very technical and demands a very conservative approach. A “polite style,” De Simone calls it, apparently oblivious to the implication of his slide. It won’t do much for a mere mortal’s ego, and it could dampen enthusiasm for the opportunity that awaits.

Just don’t pass it up, because the proper line will invariably be marked by lain-down rubber, and by the first full run down the pit straight, the 488 will have restored your confidence. Its steering is awesome -- much better than the front-engine Ferraris, and maybe a bit firmer than the 458s, but no less sensitive. It brakes into bends and throttles out with near perfect balance front to rear, and its neutrality is upset only by the driver’s technique. Regardless of technique, it’s a blast.

At De Simone’s hand, the 488 is faster than the 458 Italia around Fiorano by two seconds, and equal to the late-cycle, track-oriented 458 Especiale, with street tires. The difference is Ferrari’s SSC2 and the electronic bits and algorithms that manage the 488’s power delivery and suspension. And it’s exactly those things that make the 488 GTB a fantastic car for anyone who enjoys driving. Ferrari engineers call it maximum accessibility. We might call it crafted speed, but all you really need is a lick of sense and a desire to try it.

2016 Ferrari 488 GTB interior from side, I12

2016 Ferrari 488 GTB interior

This Ferrari offers an extreme performance envelope, and talented, well-practiced drivers can shut off the gizmos and explore the edges. Yet it’s also good for novices, even at a technical track like Fiorano. Properly configured, it instills a high level of confidence and leaves a good margin for error, and it allows that margin to be decreased as skills improve. It makes old, slow guys feel young and aggressive again, and to Ferrari’s viewpoint, that might be its most valuable trait of all.

Maybe best of all, the charm doesn’t fade on public highways. The adaptive shocks allow a fairly supple ride for a car of this type, but the 488’s athleticism remains. There’s no crashing suspension in front, no lateral jerks in back, no groove tracking. And there’s another turbo payback, probably to the good. The 488 seems the quieter road car, compared to the 458. Its generally lower pitch seems less inclined to penetrate the cabin at more moderate engine speeds.

The turbo engine provides less flywheel effect than the 458’s larger V8. Press the gas hard and it rockets; lift, the boost drains and it dives. That can be good when it comes to saving the brakes, but bad when there are fairly frequent, substantial pulses in traffic. The trick for smooth travel on the road is moderate application of throttle, and staying out of the high-boost zone.

The 488’s cockpit seems a bit less edgy than the 458’s, maybe less avant-garde. Or maybe we’ve just gotten used to it. Its console switch bridge is definitely less bizarre. The thin-shell seats look light, minimalist, but they’re also appropriately padded -- supportive and nearly slide-proof, yes, but quite comfortable. Getting in and out is hardly a chore, though tall folk may have a problem with the low roof.

2016 Ferrari 488 GTB controls, I13

2016 Ferrari 488 GTB controls

The displays screens are easier to follow, with better graphics and a more direct interface, and the Manettino wheel is fantastic. The value of the rev-counting LEDs along the top of its rim should not be minimized. It’s obvious in fairly short order that you don’t need stalks -- that life is better with turn signals and wipers under the thumbs. There are several places to keep things in the 488 GTB without them being displaced the first time you hit the gas, and the view from the driver’s seat is never a serious impediment. Ahead, it’s wide open. The tough spots are over the driver’s shoulders on each side and immediately behind the bumper. Yet the first is well addressed by the side mirrors, and the second by reverse park sensing. It all seems a bit crazy in the traditional Italian Exotic scheme.

Is the 488 GTB better than a 458 Italia? It’s faster, and no less desirable. It’s full of extremes, and six seconds quicker around Fiorano than Ferrari’s last mid-engine turbo -- the beastly F40. But the 488 doesn’t punish in any fashion, and it doesn’t hide its thrills in a dungeon few can breach. It’s a great car for learning track days, a wonder of technology, a piece of fine art and almost exactly what Ferrari promises. The Ferrari quirks it keeps are predominately good.

50 best Android games 2015: our top picks

2015-04-14T20:20:00.001-07:00

Best Android games introduction

While the 'free-to-play' market has taken a bit of a beating of late due to gamers falling out of love with the use of in-app payments, the world of mobile gaming is still an exciting one.

Whether you want games that will last the length of a commute, or want to be lost in a port of GTA where you spend hours mowing down pedestrians and making money out of murder, there is a game on here for you.

This constantly updated list is a mixture of free and paid for games, and also that one in between - some in-app payments aren't really that bad. Honest! If by the end you think we have missed something special off of the list, let us know and we will see if it is worthy of inclusion further down the line.

1. Dots (free)

Proving the notion that simpler is better on mobile, Dots is stupidly, almost patronisingly simple, with players just drawing lines between coloured dots. Link them up and, as coloured things tend to do in games, they disappear, So more fall in. And it carries on like this, getting more and more compulsive as you chase bigger and better dot combos.

2. The Simpsons Tapped Out (free)

EA's game based on the inhabitants of Springfield is surprising in a few ways. It's free, which is quite the thing, plus, although what many would deride as a 'freemium' game, it's more than possible to keep it going in the background, pottering away, slowly unlocking all of its content for free. Free-to-play done right, for once.

3. Angry Birds Space (free)

Developer Rovio has done quite a lot of aggressive whoring of the Angry Birds franchise, but this space-based fork of the simplistic physics game series is really worth a try. For one, it introduces some new play concepts, with the planet-based levels requiring different tactics, plus the puzzles generally need a bit more of a thoughtful approach than the chuck-it-and-see of the originals.

4. Badland (free)

Has a bit of an 'indie' vibe about it this one, with Badland offering a weird, dark and gloomy world, in which you fly about in control of a… blob thing. Your blob gets bigger and smaller, splits into loads of mini clones, and generally baffles you about what might lie around the next corner. We like a bit of a surprise, and this is full of them.

5. Crazy Taxi City Rush (free)

Crazy Taxi City Rush is another free game in which you need to put "free" in big quote marks, as it's packed to bursting with subsequent in-app purchases to unlock features, buy customisations and, in a particularly shameless move, buy petrol for your taxi to continue playing after more than a handful of failed runs. Still, endure the cash-grab and it's a pretty game, one that uses a new, simple, swipe-based control system to allow it all to work surprisingly well on a touchscreen.

[The Wonder of Tech] Pinterest Tab - The Best or Worst Extension for You!

2015-01-02T04:52:00.001-08:00

The Wonder of Tech has posted a new item, 'Pinterest Tab - The Best or Worst
Extension for You!'

Pinterest has a treat for you that may become either your favorite treat or one
you wish you never discovered. If you're a fan of opening new tabs, then the
Pinterest Tab extension will turn those new tabs into a gallery of stunning
photographs. You can take time out of your busy day to appreciate [...]

You may view the latest post at
http://www.wonderoftech.com/pinterest-tab/

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Best regards,
Carolyn Nicander Mohr
carolyn@wonderoftech.com

For all of us who have work today, cheers

2015-01-01T12:59:00.001-08:00

For all of us who have work today, cheers

BEST FUNNY DOGS COMPILATION LONG (2013 - 2015)

2015-01-01T12:39:00.000-08:00

BEST FUNNY DOGS COMPILATION LONG (2013 - 2015)

BEST FUNNY DOGS COMPILATION LONG (2013 - 2015)

[The Wonder of Tech] Celebrate the New Year with Twitter!

2014-12-31T05:14:00.001-08:00

The Wonder of Tech has posted a new item, 'Celebrate the New Year with
Twitter!'

If you're looking for a world-wide celebration of 2014 moving into 2015, come to
a Twitter party! Join revelers around the globe as they celebrate the New Year
using tweets and hashtags on Twitter. See the best tweets on Twitter in 2014.

This interactive infographic shows you how New Year's Eve was celebrated on
Twitter around [...]

You may view the latest post at
http://www.wonderoftech.com/twitter-2014-2015/

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Best regards,
Carolyn Nicander Mohr
carolyn@wonderoftech.com