Ken Swindle received the Distinguished Service Award from the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce for the service he provided to them during his entire career in law enforcement.  Ken Swindle worked in law enforcement for 34 years and served as the Tuscaloosa Police Chief for 20 years before coming to work as an investigator with Prince Glover Law.

IN LIMBO: Explanation is not filed by attroney general.
Anchorage Daily News

The 5 p.m. eastern time deadline came and went Saturday and no explanation was filed by the Attorney General in U.S. District Court in Washington about how an Alaska-based FBI agent's complaint was handled by the Justice Department.

A Justice Department official said nothing was filed because the government appealed the unusual order on Friday by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan directing Attorney General Michael Mukasey to account for the agent's complaint. A stay of Sullivan's order was granted in the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals, said the official, who spoke on the condition of not being identified by name.

A copy of the appeal or the stay couldn't be obtained independently from the court on Saturday. With pre-inaugural plans and events taking over Washington, the normally difficult job of finding official information on a Saturday became nearly impossible.

Sullivan, the trial judge in whose courtroom former Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, was convicted in October of felony disclosure violations, has been dealing with a number of post-trial issues, including the complaint by FBI agent Chad Joy. Joy, one of the agents investigating political corruption in Alaska, asserted that the lead agent in the case engaged in unethical and possible illegal activities during the investigation. He also charged that Justice Department attorneys intentionally withheld information that Stevens' lawyers were entitled to.

Sullivan said he was dissatisfied with explanations from prosecutors about how Joy's complaint was handled and demanded a sworn statement from Mukasey himself or one of his top deputies.

International law firm Holme Roberts & Owen LLP (HRO) announced today the renewal of its office space lease at Denver’s iconic Wells Fargo Center. The new agreement with building owner Maguire Properties runs until 2022 and encompasses a total of 108,600 square feet of Class A office space on five floors.

"HRO is delighted to renew its commitment to the Wells Fargo Center, one of Denver’s most iconic business addresses," said HRO Chief Operating Officer Patty Fontneau. "The long-term lease renewal underscores HRO’s and the Wells Fargo Center’s shared commitment as driving forces in the Denver, and Colorado, business community. The new agreement will contribute to HRO’s healthy and competitive advantage for many years to come."

HRO also announced that the firm intends to modernize the five floors the firm currently occupies within the 52-story building and build a multipurpose communications center that will increase capacity for hosting best-of-class client service and educational programs.

Potter Anderson & Corroon LLP partner Joshua W. Martin III has been named by Governor-elect Jack Markell to chair the Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Council, the state’s revenue forecasting committee. DEFAC is responsible for estimating the state’s revenues and setting the limit the legislature must use to draft the next fiscal year’s budget.

“I am pleased to have the opportunity to serve Jack and the State of Delaware. In these tough economic times, leadership must be particularly vigilant in managing the fiscal responsibilities,”  stated Mr. Martin.

Mr. Martin concentrates his law practice on mediation and arbitration and on business counseling, particularly in the areas of telecommunications, public utilities and governmental relations.  He serves as chair of Potter Anderson's Diversity and Inclusion Committee, charged with enhancing the firm's ongoing diversity efforts.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Martin was President and Chief Executive Officer of Verizon Delaware from 1996 until early 2005, where he was responsible for all aspects of its telecommunications business within the state of Delaware, including regulatory, financial and operational matters.  He first joined Verizon's predecessor (Bell Atlantic) in Delaware in 1990 as Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary.  Prior to that, Mr. Martin was a Delaware Superior Court Judge for eight years.  Earlier, he served on the Delaware Public Service Commission from 1978 to 1982, including three years as Chairman.  A physicist by training, Mr. Martin began his legal career as a patent attorney for Hercules, Inc. from 1974 to 1982.

In anticipation of the FEC Policies and Procedures hearing slated for January 14, 2009, Charlie Spies from McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP's Political Law practice is offering initial comment and will be available for further comment during and following the hearing.  Mr. Spies offers a unique perspective on election law issues due to his experience working at the Federal Election Commission (as Counsel to Chairman Darryl R. Wold in 1999 and 2000)  as well as serving as Election Law Counsel for the Republican National Committee during the successful Bush-Cheney re-election campaign in 2004 and then General Counsel for the Republican Governors Association working on 38 Governors races in 2005 and 2006.

"Too often with the FEC, the enforcement process has been the punishment, even for Respondents that were ultimately vindicated.  The Commission is to be commended for holding this hearing and taking comment regarding some of the agency's long-standing enforcement procedures," said Charlie Spies.  "The Commission should pay special attention to the comments of practitioners who represent clients participating in campaigns and exercising their constitutionally protected free speech, while at the same time attempting to comply with the cumbersome federal election law statutes and regulations."

Mr. Spies will be attending the hearing at 10:00 AM on Wednesday the 14th and will be available for comment throughout the day at (202) 496-7878.

Cohen and Wolf, P.C., one of Connecticut's leading law firms, continues its growth throughout Connecticut by expanding its office in Danbury. The Danbury expansion follows the opening of new offices in Orange in 2008 and in Westport in 2007. Cohen and Wolf is the largest full-service law firm in Danbury, where it has had an office for more than 30 years.

"The Danbury office renovation reflects our strong commitment to staying in downtown Danbury," said David L. Grogins, principal and co-chair of Cohen and Wolf's Municipal Law Group. "Our ability to sustain and increase our practice here is significant, especially in light of current economic conditions."

Cohen and Wolf offers a broad range of legal services to the Danbury area from house closings to commercial real estate and development, all types of litigation, securities arbitration, family law, trusts and estates and elder law, as well as municipal and corporate matters. Cohen and Wolf serves as Town Counsel for five towns, including Newtown and Ridgefield.

Cohen and Wolf has more than 50 attorneys, seven of whom are resident in the Danbury office (located at 158 Deer Hill Ave.). Danbury natives David L. Grogins and Neil R. Marcus have been with the firm since it first occupied its current building in 1977. Attorneys Robin A. Kahn, Joseph G. Walsh, Monte E. Frank, Jason A. Buchsbaum and Peter A. Arturi are also based in Danbury.

When Neil Marcus first interviewed with the firm's co-founders, Austin K. Wolf and Herbert L. Cohen, 35 years ago, they commented on Mr. Marcus' long ties to the Danbury community where Mr. Marcus' grandfather started farming in 1919. "It didn't take me long to convince them that this area would be a great place to grow the law firm" said Marcus, a co-founder with Mr. Grogins of the Danbury office. "It seems hard to believe that we have been here for more than three decades, but it is reassuring to me that our original vision has been realized and the current project is a further commitment of Cohen and Wolf to Danbury. We look forward to serving our clients in our expanded facilities."

The office will grow in size by twenty-five percent to about 5,000 sq. ft. There will be additional offices and a new conference room, as well as a revamped reception area. The renovation is expected to be completed later this Spring.

Cohen and Wolf is being careful to maintain the building's historic character, which dates back to 1830. Moldings and the architectural integrity of the Greek revival house will be preserved. Philip Clark of Newtown-based Claris Construction has been hired as the contractor. He also did the work on the firm's Westport office when it was built last year.