No-frills approach proving costly; insurers' demands to economize are too much for some defense firms

Article Abstract:

The insurance industry's cost-cutting and cost control efforts are forcing some insurance defense firms to cut their legal staffs, shift them to work in more lucrative areas, and even to shut down. Informal firm surveys indicate insurance defense partners' billing rate to average $130/hr., while their commercial counterparts bill at $250/hr. This results in tension and different compensation packages at the same firms. Experts recommend that lawyers use computers more to succeed in insurance defense. Lawyers also have to know the bottom line to compete for clients.

Economic aspects, Finance, Insurance industry, Law firms, Defense (Civil procedure)

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Going for broke; soaring bankruptcies prompt calls for new repayment plan

Article Abstract:

Every US judicial district has seen an increase in consumer bankruptcies in 1996, and they constitute 95% of the 1 mil bankruptcies expected to be filed this year. These filings are paradoxical since unemployment is low and the economy appears to be in good shape. Many observers think the cause is the ready availability of consumer credit, while a controversial study attributes it to insurance coverage and divorce. A Bankruptcy Review Commission will issue a 1997 report recommending reforms to bankruptcy law.

Statistics, Debtor and creditor, Bankruptcy, states

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Scrutiny scrutinized; case sparks debate on intermediate standard

Article Abstract:

The US Supreme Court ruled in United States v. Virginia that the male-only admissions policy of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) violated the constitutional guarantee of equal protection, thus overturning a ruling of the US Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. Some feminists fear the heightened scrutiny the decision calls for may provide fodder for reverse discrimination plaintiffs seeking to attack affirmative action programs, some of which have the goal of giving women parity with men.

Equality before the law, Equal protection, Military education, Single-sex schools, Single sex schools

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