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Notable Dallas attorney Charles W. “Trey” Branham III is delighted to express the opening up of Branham Law Group, LLP, a client-focused law firm handling complex commercial litigation and catastrophic personal injury lawsuits exclusively.

Mr. Branham, 41, is a veteran of nearly 50 courtroom trials and arbitrations, including more than 30 lawsuits submitted to juries. His impressive track record has earned him selection to the 2011 Texas Super Lawyers list in addition to multiple appearances in the annual Texas Rising Stars listing. He has tried cases in state and federal courts throughout the country, including California, Massachusetts, Missouri, South Carolina, Florida and Illinois.

Formerly of Dallas’ Goldfarb Branham, LLP, Mr. Branham says he is anticipating fresh potentials at Branham Law Group.

“I am incredibly proud of the accomplishments of my former firm, and I am equally excited about the opportunity to forge a new path of quality and aggressive legal representation for both my corporate and individual clients,” Mr. Branham says. “I will continue to represent corporate clients with creative and aggressive litigation strategies, in addition to assisting homeowners associations with significant litigation issues, individuals whose employers have failed to comply with federal and state wage-and-hour laws, and individuals suffering from catastrophic injuries.”

Mr. Branham’s latest triumphant representations encompass:

* A settlement on behalf of a Fortune 500 company in a breach of contract dispute with a former customer;
* An arbitration award in favor of a Dallas homeowners association against a homebuilder for allegations of breach of contract, breach warranties, fraud, violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, and fraudulent concealment;
* A Fair Labor Standards Act Collective Action Settlement on behalf of oilfield workers who were not paid for overtime, and;
* Significant settlements on behalf of clients diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, a universally fatal disease caused by exposure to asbestos.
* Positive resolutions for shareholders and investors who suffered financial damages as a result of fraudulent and/or oppressive conduct by corporate officers and directors.

Dallas-based Branham Law Group is composed not simply of mesothelioma attorneys, but also represents corporate clients in a variety of commercial litigation matters, as well as helping individuals in catastrophic personal injury claims. Led by noted courtroom lawyer Trey Branham, the organization supplies intensive legal experience and fantastic value for every single customer.

MidSouth Bancorp, Inc. recently declared net income provided to common stakeholders of $879,000 for the fourth quarter of ’11, in contrast to net earnings available to common investors of $1.6 million recorded for the last quarter of the year 2010. Diluted earnings for the fourth quarter of 2011 were $0.09 per common share, down from the $0.16 per common share for the fourth quarter of 2010.

C.R. “Rusty” Cloutier, President and Chief Executive Officer, commenting on fourth quarter results, remarked “In December, we completed the acquisition and systems conversion of the Beacon Federal branch in Tyler, Texas and First Louisiana National Bank in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. As a result, the fourth quarter included $0.08 per share of merger related expenses. Excluding these non-operating expenses, we had strong operating earnings per share in the quarter of $0.17 versus $0.14 in the third quarter. We are very excited to expand our market presence in Texas and Louisiana and look forward to the positive impact of these acquisitions on our franchise and to future earnings.”

Profits handed over for the Series B Preferred Stock totaled $400,000 for the fourth quarter of the year 2011 based on a dividend rate of 5%. In August 2011, the Company issued $32.0 million in Series B Preferred Stock to the Treasury in connection with the Small Business Lending Fund (“SBLF”). The dividend rate on the Series B Preferred Stock going forward will be between 1% and 5% based on the level of qualified small business loans. Linked-quarter net earnings available to common shareholders were impacted by the repayment of $20.0 million in Series A Preferred Stock issued to the Treasury under the Capital Purchase Plan with funds from the U.S. Treasury that were authorized by Congress under the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010.

Jones Walker is glad to announce that Michael W. Magner has joined up with the company’s New Orleans agency of criminal law attorneys as special counsel. Mr. Magner practices in the firm’s Business & Commercial Litigation Practice Group. His training focuses on preventative and litigation services for businesses and individuals in corporate and white collar criminal law matters. He also represents people and firms associated with grand jury and additional investigations.

Mr. Magner’s particular competence is in anti-corruption conformity and Litigation matters on both a domestic and international level. He served as a federal prosecutor in New Orleans for 20 years where he was a key member of the team that successfully prosecuted former Louisiana Governor, Edwin Edwards, following a 5 month trial. He was also the lead prosecutor in the Department of Justice‘s long term investigation and prosecution of judicial and related public corruption in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana known as “Operation Wrinkled Robe.” In recognition of his work, Mike was awarded the Department of Justice‘s highest award for Litigation, the John Marshall Award, as well as the Director’s Award for Superior Performance by a Litigative Team.

Mr. Magner stated, “Joining Jones Walker and being able to work with the Jones Walker white collar team is an exciting opportunity. Their law firm has a number of former U.S. Attorneys and Assistant U.S. Attorneys, all of whom have a stellar reputation in representing clients in the defense of government investigations and prosecutions.”

Mr. Magner has additionally served as a director of the U.S. Attorney’s Office‘s Anti-Terrorism/Crisis Response Unit, Organized Crime Strike Force, and Violent Crime Unit, and has tried over 40 jury trials to verdict, in virtually all sections of the United States District Court for the Eastern and Middle Districts of Louisiana. He specialized in long term, complex white collar investigations and trials, including export control, mail and wire fraud, government contract fraud, bribery, money laundering, police misconduct, civil rights violations, and RICO. In 2011, he served as the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Advisor to the Kenyan Anti-Corruption Commission (“KACC”) in Nairobi, Kenya, where he was embedded in the KACC’s principal headquarters for nearly two months, and provided training to KACC’s investigators, auditors, and attorneys on corruption compliance, investigative, and prosecution matters. He has also trained foreign judges and prosecutors in Central Asia and Africa and has regularly trained federal prosecutors through the Attorney General’s Advocacy Institute.

Right before practicing with the KACC, Mr. Magner was with the Department of Justice‘s first Counsel for Emergency Management and Crisis Response in the Office of Director, Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys in Washington, D.C. for 18 months, where he represented the DOJ at various White House level emergency exercises and planning meetings relating to the federal government’s response to major criminal events, natural disasters, and pandemics. While with DOJ, Mike was also selected as a trained evaluator of other U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country on various substantive legal areas as well as ethics and professionalism.

Mr. Magner acquired his juris doctor qualification from Tulane University School of Law, cum laude; and was Managing Editor of The Maritime Lawyer. His Bachelor of Arts in Political Science/International Relations was earned from The George Washington University.

The U.S. Small Business Administration is telling small businesses proprietors that Feb. twenty four will be the submitting deadline for federal business injury disaster loans available in Lee and Scott counties in Virginia. The SBA declared a disaster as a consequence of extreme storms, tornadoes, straight-line wind gusts in addition to water damage that developed on April 23, 2011.

In addition, the Small Business Administration reported this week that federal government economic damage catastrophe loans are available to smaller businesses, small farm cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private non-profit establishments of all sizes found in the counties of Dillon and also Horry in South Carolina as a consequence of Hurricane Irene which came about in August.

“When the Secretary of Agriculture issues a disaster declaration to help farmers recover from damages and losses to crops, the Small Business Administration issues a declaration to assist eligible entities affected by the same disaster,” stated Frank Skaggs, director of SBA’s Field Operations Center East in Atlanta.

Under this declaration, the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program is available to qualified farm-related and also nonfarm-related entities that experienced economic losses being a direct result of this disaster. With the exception of aquacultural organizations, agricultural companies, farmers along with ranchers are not eligible to apply to SBA.

Financing for small business can be up to $2 million, with interest rates of 3 percent for non-profit organizations and 4 percent for small businesses. Terms can be up to 30 years. The SBA ascertains eligibility in line with the size of the prospect, form of activity along with its financial assets. The agency establishes loan levels in addition to terms dependent upon each candidate’s fiscal affliction. The may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills that could have been paid had the disaster not occurred. These particular small business loans are not designed to supplant missed sales or earnings.

The U.S. Small Business Administration declared in the week that federal economic injury catastrophe financial loans are offered to smaller businesses, small farming cooperatives, small companies engaged in aquaculture and most private non-profit firms of any size found in the counties of Dillon and Horry in South Carolina as a consequence of Hurricane Irene which came about in August.

“These counties are eligible because they are contiguous to one or more primary counties in North Carolina. The Small Business Administration recognizes that disasters do not usually stop at county or state lines. For that reason, counties adjacent to primary counties named in the declaration are included,” announced Frank Skaggs, director of SBA’s Field Operations Center East in Atlanta.

“When the Secretary of Agriculture issues a disaster declaration to help farmers recover from damages and losses to crops, the Small Business Administration issues a declaration to assist eligible entities affected by the same disaster,” explained Skaggs.

Under this declaration, the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program is accessible to qualified farm-related and also nonfarm-related companies that suffered monetary losses being a direct result of this calamity. Aside from aquacultural enterprises, agricultural companies, farmers and also ranchers are definitely not eligible to apply to SBA.

Loan options for small business can be up to $2 million, with interest rates of 3 percent for non-profit organizations and 4 percent for small businesses. Terms can be up to 30 years. The SBA determines eligibility dependant upon the size of the prospect, form of endeavor as well as financial means. The agency identifies loan levels and terms dependent upon every applicant’s financial affliction. SBA small business loan may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills that could have been paid had the disaster not occurred. The small business financing loan is not intended to replace lost sales or profits.

{Yung Joc could well be going over a court challenge as a result of Master Mind Music Corporation., an Atlanta-based pop music enterprise, filed suit in opposition to the artist and his old label Block Enterprises. In the lawsuit which was filed in the United States District Court in Georgia, Master Mind Music affirms that they closed the rap artist into a production commitment and distinct recording arrangement during 2005. The Atlanta-music organization has released an index of allegations opposed to Block and Yung Joc which include copyright infringement, break of contract, torturous disturbance with contractual relations, fraudulent misrepresentation, as well as fraud.

Andrew Hurwitz, a designate principle partner in the Manhattan law firm Schreck Rose Dapello Adams & Hurwitz, has moved into the rivalling entertainment law firm Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz as a partner within its entertainment organization. The self-sufficient movie dealmaker is a 1988 college graduate of Georgetown’s law university had recently been with Schreck Rose since ’07. Hurwitz’s Schreck Rose associate Alan Sacks likewise joined up with Frankfurt Kumit.

American Honda Motor Corporation received a legal triumph as a split U.S. appeals court on Thurs said a national suit over the brake system found in a number of Acura RL vehicles shouldn’t have been authorized to be a class-action. The 2-1 decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena, California, is a raw setback with regard to folks, who definitely have personally seen their ability to file a lawsuit as a group restricted after a U.S. Top Court ruling last June in favor of Wal-Mart Stores Incorporated that narrowed class-action litigation.

With a dispute with Exxon Mobil headed to an international court, the Venezuelan petrol minister said there isn’t anything remaining to give. The International Chamber of Commerce a while back ordered Venezuela’s state-controlled petrol producer Petroleos de Venezuela to pay Exxon about $747 million for the 07 seizure of oil wells in the land. That’s only close to 10 percent of what the business sought, however, and Exxon said it would take the situation up with the World Bank the following month.

The trustee overseeing the entire liquidation of MF Global Holdings Ltd.’s brokerage is researching ways to recoup additional customer assets, which includes litigation, although stated the magnitude of the shortcoming will definitely “substantially affect” the cabability to make clients whole. MF Global filed for insolvency protective cover on Oct. 31, leaving a shortcoming in customer cash that the trustee guesses as being around $1.2 billion. The complete scope of the shortfall won’t be determined until the actual client claim activity is finished, stated James Kobak, main attorney for trustee James Giddens.

Within Vicksburg, Mississippi, Warren County Tax Assessor Angela Brown would like to pull in some external help to work on property reappraisal. The Vicksburg Post states that Brown, who was elected in November, advised supervisors that she needed the assistance to reappraise one-fourth of Warren County’s real property the following 4 years. Brown requested supervisors Monday to hire Louisville, Miss.-based appraiser Wes Kight and Associates LLC to perform state-mandated land roll up-dates for $135,000 each year through budgetary 2015.

A South Texas man continued in custody Wednesday after authorities found a coat along with a gun with blood on them in his vehicle 10 blocks from the state welfare office exactly where his common-law partner was discovered bloodied in the bathroom. She subsequently passed away at a medical facility. Vidal Ben Garcia III, twenty five, was remaining kept on a homicide offense in the passing away of 26-year-old Kimberly Lee Gonzalez, reported by Alice Police Chief Daniel Bueno.