The Chicago Tribune reports when Mars Inc. pulled the plug on its short-lived Ethel's Chocolate Lounges in the Chicago area this spring, some read it as a sign that recession-weary consumers have little appetite for reclining in plush purple chairs, eating hand-painted truffles and dipping strawberries in gooey, hot chocolate fondue.

Think again, says newfound chocolatier and small business owner Debra Jenrette.

The former owner of an office equipment firm believes there are plenty of stressed-out folks looking for a little pampering. So, after a yearlong crash course in the art of chocolate -- visiting all manner of luxury chocolate boutiques, working in a handmade -chocolate plant and tasting "more chocolates than you can imagine" -- Jenrette took the plunge. She purchased New York-based Anna Shea Chocolates & Loungefrom its Finnish namesake founder last month and is relocating its headquarters to a South Barrington shopping mall. (Shea is married to Jenrette's nephew, Tim Shea.)

If you need a Chicago small business attorney, Brinkmeier Roth Law Group can assist you. They have litigation lawyers, contract attorneys and aviation lawyers who can give you advice on what to do next. Contact them.

Last month, the Supreme Court agreed that the Essex County, New Jersey trial jury participating in a medical malpractice case involving an infant's brain damage was influenced by discriminatory sources during the choosing of the jury, thus being opposed to the medical professionals involved, as well as to Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, according to the Associated Press.

The Court ruled that this case requires another trial, since there is no way of knowing who the biased jurors were during this case thus the case requires another hearing before a final verdict can be reached. This was the largest New Jersey medical malpractice case in the history of the state.

New York-based lawyer John Q. Kelly and his law firm can assist you if you find yourself needing a medical malpractice or brain injury lawyer. They can also assist you with cases involving catastrophic injury, electrocution and wrongful death. They have many high profile cases and clients, including the estate of Natalee Holloway and O.J. Simpson.

The Associated Press reports that a mother who drove the wrong way on an expressway, triggering a three-car crash that killed eight people, had been drinking vodka and smoking marijuana and had a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit, police said Tuesday.

Diane Schuler, 36, who died along with her 2-year-old daughter and three nieces in her red minivan, had more than 10 drinks of alcohol in her system and a high level of the main ingredient in marijuana, authorities said. A broken 1.75-liter bottle of Absolut vodka was found in her wrecked minivan, police said.

If you're in the Los Angeles area and you've been arrested for a DUI, you may want to consider a DUI defense lawyer. Los Angeles-based Michael Bialys is a DUI attorney with proven results. Set up a consultation with his DUI law firm today.

The Salt Lake Tribune is reporting that Lance Starr says he and other immigration attorneys in Utah had heard complaints about The Alcala Law Firm but didn't have evidence until recently of any possible illegalities in how it handled cases.

But then two former employees of the Glendale firm asked him last year to review their applications to legalize their presence in the United States, which had been prepared by principle attorney James Hector Alcala but rejected by the government. Starr spotted what appeared to be forged letters verifying that one of them had worked for Mexican employers.

The American Fork attorney -- who had worked for the Alcala firm for less than a year beginning in 2006 and now has his own practice -- knew his former colleague had been living in Utah during the time he supposedly worked in Mexico. Starr felt ethically obligated to report his suspicions to the US Attorney's Office.

The evidence likely was included in a federal investigation that resulted in an indictment unsealed Tuesday against Alcala, his law firm, seven current or former employees and a property management company.

According to The American Lawyer, three firms have landed key advisory roles on one of the most significant non-M&A commercial transactions in recent months: the 10-year Internet search deal announced on Wednesday between Microsoft and Yahoo that seeks to scuttle Google's market dominance.

Under the terms of the deal, Yahoo will use and promote Microsoft's new Bing search engine on its site. Yahoo will also keep 88 percent of revenue from all search ad sales for the first five years and have the right to sell ads on select Microsoft sites.

While the lack of an up-front payment by Microsoft caused shares of Yahoo to sink early Wednesday, the deal is a clear shot across the bow of Google, the dominant force in online search and advertising.

Yahoo turned to a team of lawyers from Skadden, Arps, Slate & Flom and Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton for the agreement with Microsoft.

The JD Journal reports that Florida’s Holland & Knight is cutting salaries for associates and senior counsel. The firm says the cuts average 7% across all those effected; 10% for associates.

This salary reductions are effective immediately.

Holland & Knight is reviewing its associate compensation scheme, and intends to implement changes next year.

Holland & Knight cut 70 lawyers and 173 support staff positions in February.

Holland & Knight is a law firm with more than 1,150 lawyers in 23 US offices. Foreign offices include Beijing, China, and Mexico City, Mexico, with representative offices in Caracas, Venezuela, and TelAviv, Israel.