Schuster—who is also admitted to practice in the states of Wyoming and Utah—said that he was particularly honored to become a member of the New York Bar. “The New York Bar is one of the most respected bar associations in the United States.  Its members have included some of the finest lawyers and judges in the history of the nation.  I am also pleased to me a member because New York, specifically New York City, is at the very center of commercial and cultural innovation, both nationally and internationally.”

Schuster studied at New York University School of Law as an Urban Law Fellow of the Ford Foundation, a fellowship that also included his attendance at Harvard Law School from which he was awarded his LL.M degree.

Robert P. Schuster is also a member of the New York State Bar Association, a membership organization that is the oldest and largest voluntary state bar association in the United States.

The company was investigated by state and federal authorities, including the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Internal Revenue Service.  The investigated charges included claims that the conduct violated antitrust laws by destroying competition—and violated securities and tax laws.

Other companies have reached settlements with the government over similar allegations arising from bond market activities, according to the report, including UBS AG, JPMorgan Chase & Co., and Wachovia Bank NA.  Eighteen (18) individuals have been indicted or pled guilty in connection with the investigation, including three GE Funding traders.

Apple had filed the challenge with the International Trade Commission in October of 2010 against a number of Motorola’s smartphones, including the Droid, Backflip, and Cliq.  It claimed that the importation and sale of the phones with their underlying software would violate Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930—and sought an exclusion order preventing the importation of the phones.

The decision by the administrative law judge is subject to approval by the full six (6) member commission of the ITC.  The ITC action is just one part of the overall patent struggles between Apple and Motorola—and Apple and other companies.   Apple and Motorola are involved with the ITC complaint as well as actions in federal court and international arenas.  The U.S. International Trade Commission—a quasi-judicial federal agency—is located in Washington and is composed of six commissioners.  Its mission includes the fair administration of U.S. trade laws, and it retains the authority to ban the importation of goods manufactured outside the United States if the products violate intellectual property and other laws.  The ITC can be utilized strategically in intellectual property fights, where civil cases are filed but, in linked fashion, a complaint is also filed with the ITC seeking an embargo on the import of the product.  The threat of an embargo is considered by some to be an inducement to evaluate settlement prospects.

The explosions and the deaths were sad witness to the dangers associated with an aging pipeline infrastructure and the failure on the part of gas pipeline companies to properly maintain, repair, and update their pipeline facilities. In one five month period alone, there were more than fourteen (14) explosions, killing seventeen (17) people and critically injuring many more.  The explosions in that short span included the explosions of the natural gas pipeline owned by Pacific Gas & Electric in San Bruno, California on September 9, 2010, the gas pipeline owned by Consumers Energy in Wayne, Michigan on December 29, 2010, and the gas pipeline owned by UGI Utilities in Allentown, Pennsylvania on February 10, 2011.

The explosions represent fundamental failures to adopt safety programs of any appropriate magnitude.  The pipelines are constructed of metal and are typically buried underground.  As such, they have a natural susceptibility to corrode and fail, whether from internal or external corrosion, failure of welded seams, or failure at weakened points like wrinkle bends.  Until companies budget and spend the money to renovate their pipeline systems, the explosions and deaths will continue.

The Encana truck had maintained a steady speed of 67 miles per hour in the seconds before the collision and there was no effort made to brake or slow down prior to the point of impact.  It was reported that the flagger on the road construction crew saw that the approaching truck was not slowing down—and tried to gain the truck driver’s attention by waving his red flag and jumping up and down.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith were pronounced dead at the scene of the collision.  The Encana driver was charged with vehicular homicide.  The families of Mr. and Mrs. Smith are represented by Robert P. Schuster.

Mr. Rooke was an employee of Unit Drilling Company, an Oklahoma-based corporation.  In addition to Unit Drilling, the suit named QEP Energy Company, the owner of the well, and Lyle Huff, Inc, a Montana consulting company.  The suit alleges that a threaded connection failed because the threads were worn and obliterated to the point they could not withstand the drilling pressure.  The connection exploded under the pressure and drilling mud jetted from the exposed opening, according to the suit.  The drilling mud was primarily composed of diesel.  But, the suit stated, the drilling mud also contained volatile gases that had mixed with the mud as it circulated through the depths of the 12,000 foot well.  The gases and diesel ignited and Mr. Rooke was engulfed in the ensuing fire.  He had not been provided with flame retardant clothing, a safety measure that had been recommended the year before by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Wyoming’s workplace fatality rate has been a multiple of the national fatality rate and, for most of the past decade, Wyoming has been ranked as the least safe state for workers among all fifty (50) states in the nation.

Mr. Rooke was survived by his wife, Brenda, and  his son, James, of Drummond, Idaho, as well as  his grandmother, mother, and four siblings.  He was 42 years old at the time of his death.

According to a report in the Casper-Star Tribune, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Transportation stated “The regional director determined that the hazard has been basically taken care of.”  Simultaneously, a spokesman for TransCanada delivered his own uncertain remarks: “We aren’t at this time certain as to what happened when.  All we know is there was mechanical damage to the exterior pipe.”

The pipeline — known as the Bison Pipeline — can transport up to 407 million cubic feet of gas per day.  If additional compression is permitted, the transport could potentially increase to 1 billion cubic feet per day.  The pipeline crosses Montana, Wyoming, and North Dakota and ships coal bed methane gas drawn from wells in the Powder River Basin.  It connects with the Northern Border Pipeline in southwestern North Dakota.

In June of 2011, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued arrest warrants for Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi as well as for Colonel Qaddafi and Libya’s Chief of Intelligence.  The warrants charged crimes against humanity, including murder and persecution and were issued by the presiding judge of the International Criminal Court.

The discussions include the International Court’s Prosecutor, Louis Moreno-Ocampo.  Seif’s location has not been reported.

Bob Schuster and his firm appeared on the U.S. News Media Group 2011-2012 “Best Law Firms” rankings, marking the second edition of this highly anticipated annual analysis.

The tiered rankings put Schuster in Tier 1, the topmost tier for Commercial Litigation and for Plaintiff’s Personal Injury Litigation.

Schuster’s practice concentrates on complex commercial litigation, white collar criminal defense, and selected personal injury cases. Schuster has won the largest Wyoming jury verdict in the state’s history for personal injury damages: $17.5 million. He has obtained what is believed to be the largest personal injury settlement in the history of New Mexico and one of the largest in the United States, in excess of $100 million. His law office is based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, but his practice is nationwide.

The U.S. News “Best Law Firms” rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer review from leading attorneys in their field, and review of additional information provided by law firms as part of the formal submission process.

An unprecedented amount of data was collected in the project’s second year, and this combined data resulted in the 2011-2012 “Best Law Firms” rankings. To be eligible for a ranking, a law firm must have at least one lawyer who is included in Best Lawyers as part of the annual peer review assessment.

The national first-tier rankings will be featured in U.S.News & World Report’s Money issue, on newsstands November 15, 2011; the national and metropolitan first-tier rankings are featured in the “Best Law Firms” stand-alone publication, posted online at bestlawfirms.usnews.com.

Achieving a high ranking is a special distinction that signals a unique combination of excellence and breadth of expertise, U.S. News stated in its news release announcing the rankings.

Schuster also has consistently received the highest possible rating from his fellow lawyers as “AV Preeminent” in Martindale-Hubbell, the national and international encyclopedia of practicing lawyers. He is recognized by The Best Lawyers in America for his achievements in both Commercial Litigation and Personal Injury Litigation.  He is designated as a “Mountain States Super Lawyer” for Plaintiff’s Personal Injury Litigation and Business Litigation and is recognized in Super Lawyers Business Edition for his Business Litigation expertise.

According to a report in the New York Times, the proposed settlement would refund money to investors with interest and would also include a fine of $95 million dollars.  In the third quarter of 2011 alone, however, Citigroup reported that it earned profits of $3.8 billion on revenue of $20.8 billion.  The fine, therefore, would amount to approximately 2.5% of the earnings from one quarter of one year.

The amalgamation of investments was known as Class V Funding III.  Citigroup’s brokerage subsidiary earned $126 million dollars in profits and received an additional $34 million dollars in fees for putting the arrangement together according to the report in the New York Times.

No criminal charges were filed against Citigroup or any of its executives.