Legal Profession Abroad (9/27/05)

California's efforts to crack down on deadbeat dads have unexpectedly cracked down on foreign lawyers.  A legislative fix is forthcoming.    . . . .    Australian Magistrate Di Fingleton was jailed and then legally vindicated on appeal.  This fascinating interview tells us what she's learned from the experience.    . . . .    An Australian newspaper is slamming judges for attending conferences in posh environs.  I can't speak to the Australian particulars, but I think we should encourage judges to attend conferences.  It's one of the few places where lawyers and society can offer broader education to the judiciary and where the judiciary can speak more broadly to the rest of us.    . . . .    Malaysian students now have more routes to becoming a lawyer.  I'd like to see some experimentation here in the US with bringing back the undergraduate law degree.    . . . .    We're seeing more and more news stories about international trade that mention legal services alongside textiles and other commodities.  (In the US, the major international law firms would like to see free trade include legal services.)    . . . .    Now that UK law firms can become limited liability organizations, more firms will do what this leading Liverpool firm did: opt out of general liability rules.    . . . .    A major conference for litigation support technologies is being held in Switzerland.    . . . .    Nigerian Olusegun Obasanjo urges the legal profession to create a brighter future for the country.