Federal Contracting Institute Granted DAU Equivalency
February 3, 2012

 Centre Consulting, Inc.'s Federal Contracting Institute..."/>
 

Download image

TYSONS CORNER, Va., Feb. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Centre Consulting, Inc.'s Federal Contracting Institute (FCI), the leading training provider focused on the federal government acquisition space, has officially been recognized as a DAU equivalent course provider.   In order to be accepted for this acknowledgment the proposed courses must correspond to the courses offered by the DAU.  FCI now offers CON 100: Shaping Smart Business Arrangements, CON 120: Contracting for Mission Support, and CON 215: Intermediate Contracting for Mission Support to help acquisition professionals obtain FAC-C certification. 

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111212/PH20968LOGO )

"With several of these courses scheduled to be retired in the near future, the Federal Contracting Institute is pleased to become an equivalent provider to help FAC-C candidates fulfill their mandatory training requirements within the time remaining," says Debbie Hoffman, FCI's Manager of Training Development and Certification. "FCI augments the DAU-approved curriculum with our decade of legal and contracting expertise, to offer students a unique and interesting classroom learning experience. Highly-rated instructors have been selected for these courses based on their plain-English, interactive teaching styles. Overall, we are excited to provide these new resources to our students," adds Hoffman. 

Seats are now available in the following sessions in our Tysons Corner training center:

  • CON 100: Shaping Smart Business Arrangements – December 10-14, 2012
  • CON 120: Contracting for Mission Support – November 26 - December 7, 2012
  • CON 215: Intermediate Contracting for Missions Support – February 27- March 7, 2012

To register or to inquire about onsite presentation, please contact Nicole Snyder at nsnyder@centreconsult.com or Amy Woodward at awoodward@centreconsult.com.

About Centre Consulting, Inc.

Centre Consulting, Inc. with its sister company Centre Law Group and the Federal Contracting Institute (FCI), is the only company that provides integrated legal, training and consulting services to both government and industry clients. Centre's attorneys and consultants offer expert services in acquisition support services, GSA/VA Schedules, federal market analysis, legal services, and training.  Our trainers and courseware are consistently rated the best in the industry.  Centre is a small, woman owned business located in Tysons Corner, VA. For more information visit: www.centreconsult.com.

SOURCE Centre Consulting, Inc.

Back to top

RELATED LINKS
http://www.centreconsult.com

Next in Publishing & Information Services News

Custom Packages

Browse our custom packages or build your own to meet your unique communications needs.

Start today.

 

PR Newswire Membership

Fill out a PR Newswire membership form or contact us at (888) 776-0942.

Learn about PR Newswire services

Request more information about PR Newswire products and services or call us at (888) 776-0942.

Hagens Berman Announces Investigation of Hecla Mining Company - Notifies Investors of April 2, 2012 Deadline
February 3, 2012

 Hagens Berman today announced it is investigating Hecla Mining..."/>
 

BERKELEY, Calif., Feb. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Hagens Berman today announced it is investigating Hecla Mining Company (NYSE: HL) following the filing of a class-action securities lawsuit on behalf of shareholders.

The lawsuit, filed on Feb. 1, 2012, in the United States District Court for the District of Idaho, alleges that Hecla and its directors issued materially false and misleading statements to investors in violation of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

All investors who purchased or otherwise acquired shares of Hecla's common stock between Oct. 26, 2010, and Jan. 11, 2012 (the "class period") are encouraged to contact Hagens Berman Partner Reed Kathrein by calling (510) 725-3000. Mr. Kathrein is leading Hagens Berman's investigation. Investors may also contact the firm via email at HMA@hbsslaw.com or by visiting www.hbsslaw.com/HL. Investors who wish to move the court for lead plaintiff must do so by April 2, 2012.

Hecla mines precious minerals, including gold, silver, lead and zinc which are sold to smelters, consumers and precious metals traders.

The complaint alleges that Hecla failed to disclose operational problems at its Lucky Friday unit, including safety concerns which ultimately prompted the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to fine the company and issue a closure order for the Lucky Friday mine.

Specifically, MSHA claimed that safety concerns contributed to the death of one miner in an April, 2011 accident. MSHA conducted a full inspection of the mine and on Jan. 5, 2012, ordered that it be closed so that unsafe material could be removed.

Then, on Jan. 11, 2012, Hecla announced that it would close the Lucky Friday mine for up to a year to address safety issues. As a result of the closure, Hecla estimated that its silver production in 2012 would be reduced from 9 million ounces to 7 million ounces.

Following this news, Hecla's stock fell $1.23 per share, closing at $4.61 per share on Jan. 11, 2012, a more than 20 percent decline.

The lawsuit alleges that Hecla was obligated to disclose to the public and to investors that the Lucky Friday mine was unsafe and the extent of any safety violations.

"The crucial question here is what did Hecla executives know and when did they know it," said Mr. Kathrein. "If they knew the mine was unsafe, they had an obligation to let investors know."

About Hagens Berman

Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP is an investor-rights class-action law firm with offices in 10 cities.  The firm represents whistleblowers, workers and consumers in complex litigation. More about the law firm and its successes can be found at www.hbsslaw.com. The firm's securities law blog is at www.meaningfuldisclosure.com.

Media Contact: Mark Firmani, Firmani + Associates, (206) 443 9357, Mark@firmani.com

 

SOURCE Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP

Back to top

RELATED LINKS
http://www.hbsslaw.com

Next in Banking & Financial Services News

Custom Packages

Browse our custom packages or build your own to meet your unique communications needs.

Start today.

 

PR Newswire Membership

Fill out a PR Newswire membership form or contact us at (888) 776-0942.

Learn about PR Newswire services

Request more information about PR Newswire products and services or call us at (888) 776-0942.

Amazon Defense Coalition_ Facing Devastating Setbacks, Chevron Now Seeks Taxpayer Bailout from _18 Billion Ecuador Judgment
February 3, 2012

Facing..."/>
 

Oil Giant's Legal Options Continue to Narrow

QUITO, Ecuador, Feb. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Facing devastating setbacks in the courts of two countries over its $18 billion Ecuador liability, Chevron is now seeking a taxpayer-funded bailout for the clean-up costs of its environmental catastrophe in the Amazon rainforest, said a lawyer for the Ecuadorians today.

Chevron's annual revenues (roughly $240 billion in 2011) are five times the GDP of Ecuador, but that has not stopped the oil giant from seeking a private arbitration to force Ecuadorian taxpayers to foot the bill for the clean-up costs of the environmental disaster that the oil giant created in the South American nation, said Pablo Fajardo, the lead lawyer for the Ecuadorian plaintiffs.

"We now have a situation where Chevron, one of the wealthiest corporations in the world, is seeking the same type of taxpayer-funded bailout in Ecuador that distressed companies like AIG and General Motors secured in the United States during the financial crisis," said Fajardo.

"This would be grossly unfair," he added.

Given that the per capita income in Ecuador is only $4,000 per year, the cost of clean-up for each adult Ecuadorian would amount to a one-time $1,200 tax, according to the plaintiffs.

After having lost at the trial and appellate levels in Ecuador and after suffering a stunning setback just last week in a U.S. federal appeals court (see here and here), Chevron is now trying to use the U.S.-Ecuador Bilateral Investment Treaty ("BIT") to shift the cost of clean-up to Ecuador's government. Such a move violates international law and Ecuador's separation of powers doctrine, Fajardo wrote in a letter to Ecuador's Attorney General Diego Garcia Carrion.

See this backgrounder on how Chevron's attempt to use the arbitration tribunal to evade the Ecuador court decision is illegal.

On February 11, Chevron will ask a panel of three private lawyers named as "arbitrators" under the BIT to nullify the entire nine-year Ecuadorian court process that recently found the company liable for $18 billion in clean-up costs. Chevron is hoping the panel, which meets in secret and refuses to let the Ecuadorian plaintiffs appear, will grant an "order" requiring Ecuador's government to violate its own laws and quash the case. See letter from Government of Ecuador.

Citing a wide body of scientific evidence -- much of it provided by Chevron's paid technical experts – the Ecuador trial court in February 2011 found the oil giant liable for deliberately discharging more than 16 billion gallons of toxic "water of formation" into Amazon waterways when it operated in the country under the Texaco brand from 1964 to 1992.  The dumping poisoned rivers and streams relied on by local inhabitants for drinking water, decimated indigenous groups and caused a dramatic increase in cancer rates, according to the court's findings.

Fajardo emphasized in his letter that the remedy sought by Chevron before the arbitral panel is illegal.

"The remedy that Chevron is seeking -- essentially a total nullification of the decision of a judicial system of a sovereign nation -- would be unenforceable in any country that observes the rule of law," said Fajardo, who represents the 30,000 rainforest dwellers who sued the oil giant for clean-up costs.

The panel of arbitrators has come under criticism for its conflicts of interest and for attempting to influence the underlying Ecuador litigation. (An academic article critical of the investor arbitration system can be found here.) Last February, without as much as an evidentiary hearing or access to the complete Ecuador trial record, the panel issued an order requiring Ecuador's government to take all measures "at its disposal" to prevent enforcement of any judgment in the environmental case until the panel itself could rule.

The arbitrators, who often work as practitioners in the same arbitration system where they sit on panels, stand to reap millions of dollars in fees from hearing the case. Further, the arbitrators seem to believe they have the authority to override decisions by the highest courts of functioning public judicial systems around the world, according to legal commentators.

Fajardo said in his letter that the BIT investor arbitration mechanism could be used appropriately by responsible investors to correct legitimate instances of unfair treatment, but that Chevron's conduct in this particular case denied the fundamental human rights of the claimants and went well beyond the scope of what the BIT permits. 

Chevron, which has admitted using at least 39 law firms to fight the rainforest communities, had the environmental case moved from U.S. federal court to Ecuador in 2002 by submitting 14 affidavits heaping praise on Ecuador's judicial system.  The company reversed course and started attacking Ecuador's courts once the evidence in the subsequent trial pointed to its culpability, said Fajardo.

Chevron's problem always has been its inability to come to grips with the overwhelming scientific evidence proving the claims of the rainforest communities, which has been confirmed not only by several firsthand news reports (here, here and here) but also by the Ecuador trial and appellate courts based on a 220,000-page trial record. The trial court cited ample evidence that Chevron provided that helped to prove the claims of the rainforest communities. 

Chevron's legal position in the case has weakened considerably in the last year as the company has lost multiple decisions in both the U.S. and Ecuador. Its main American law firm on the matter, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, has been sanctioned repeatedly by judges for engaging in unethical litigation practices on behalf of the oil giant.

Out of court, Chevron has fared no better with a series of disastrous revelations suggesting it tried to corrupt the Ecuador court process.

Evidence has surfaced that Chevron offered Ecuador's government $1 billion to quash the case, potentially violating anti-bribery statutes in the U.S.; that Chevron paid $2.2 million in hush money to a man who threatened to blow the whistle on the company's corrupt activities in Ecuador; that another witness to Chevron's corruption suddenly vanished from the U.S after being subpoenaed for a deposition under federal court order; that Chevron used a secret laboratory to hide "dirty" soil samples from the Ecuador court, while its "clean" samples were sent to a court-approved laboratory; that Chevron falsified lab results during a sham remediation in the 1990s; and that the company defrauded Ecuador's trial court by using U.S. experts to submit misleading testimony about field sampling practices designed to hide the existence of contamination.

Diplomatic cables also came to light that demonstrate Chevron tried desperately to enlist officials at the U.S. Embassy in Ecuador to try to undermine the lawsuit. Separately, a company executive ordered the destruction of all documents related to oil spills.

"Chevron has lost this case in every legitimate public court for almost twenty years because the science does not lie and the facts speak for themselves," said Karen Hinton, the U.S. spokesperson for the Ecuadorians.  "Now it wants another bite at the apple in a private proceeding court where it will have no opposition and where the outcome will have no legitimacy."

Contact: Karen Hinton, 703-798-3109, Karen@hintoncommunications.com

SOURCE Amazon Defense Coalition

Back to top

Next in Oil & Energy News

Custom Packages

Browse our custom packages or build your own to meet your unique communications needs.

Start today.

 

PR Newswire Membership

Fill out a PR Newswire membership form or contact us at (888) 776-0942.

Learn about PR Newswire services

Request more information about PR Newswire products and services or call us at (888) 776-0942.

Fine Point Group Files Motion to Enforce Tribal Court Judgment Against Pojoaque Officials in Buffalo Thunder Casino Dispute
February 3, 2012

The Fine Point Group yesterday filed a motion in Pojoaque Tribal Court..."/>
 

SANTA FE, N.M., Feb. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Fine Point Group yesterday filed a motion in Pojoaque Tribal Court to enforce the decision of that same court in the face of continued interference by the Pueblo of Pojoaque Gaming Commission, whose conduct was previously ruled illegal by the Tribal Court. 

On December 9, 2011, Pojoaque Tribal Court Judge Pro-Tem June Lorenzo found that the Gaming Commission, as directed by Pueblo Governor/Gaming Commission Chairman George Rivera and General Counsel Frank Demolli, acted illegally in March 2011, and found that the purported termination of The Fine Point Group's consulting agreement was void.

"In the six weeks since Judge Lorenzo's ruling, the Gaming Commission has refused to honor the Court's clear decision and has not directed the Casino Enterprises to permit The Fine Point Group to continue to provide consulting services," said  Kerry Kiernan, a partner at Sutin, Thayer, and Browne, Fine Point's New Mexico-based law firm.  "Rather than comply with Judge Lorenzo's Decision, the Gaming Commission simply chose to ignore it in an effort to insulate the Pueblo from its financial responsibilities to Mr. Fine and The Fine Point Group.  This is exactly why Mr. Fine and The Fine Point Group were forced to file the Motion to Enforce the Court's decision."

Earlier this month, Fine Point filed federal litigation against Rivera, Demolli, and three other individuals personally for tortious interference, and that lawsuit is moving forward.  That lawsuit names as defendants the following: Pojoaque Governor/Pojoaque Gaming Company President/Pojoaque Gaming Commission Chairman George Rivera; former Gaming Company CEO Allen Moseley; Pojoaque Tribal Court Judge Frank Demolli; Gaming Commission Executive Director Stuart Zucker; and Gaming Commission Member Eddie Lopez.  The federal complaint alleges approximately 40 examples of conduct -- all of which are documented by internal emails -- that violated various federal, state, or tribal laws, regulations and policies which led to and include the illegal termination of the Fine Point contract.

The Fine Point Group is represented by Paul Bardacke, Kerry Kiernan, and Travis R. Steele of the New Mexico law firm of Sutin, Thayer & Browne, a firm with extensive litigation and Indian Gaming expertise.  Bardacke, a former New Mexico Attorney General, served as the state's Chief Negotiator in developing gaming compacts with 16 New Mexican tribes and pueblos.   It is also represented by Dennis Whittlesey of Dickinson Wright, who is one of the nation's leading Indian Gaming attorneys.

In late 2010, The Fine Point Group entered into a consulting agreement with Buffalo Thunder, Inc. and Pojoaque Gaming, Inc., subsidiaries of Buffalo Thunder Development Authority, which is a wholly-owned tribal corporation.  The firm was hired as part of the proposed restructuring of more than $250 million in casino development bonds that the Pueblo was unable to repay.  These now-heavily discounted bonds are owned by a variety of banks, hedge funds and other institutional investors.  

The motion filed today can be found at the following site: 
www.thefinepointgroup.com/buffalothunder.aspx

Contact:  Kerry Kiernan, (505) 883-2500

About Dickinson Wright

Dickinson Wright is a full service law firm, employing more than 270 attorneys in offices located in Detroit, Nashville, Washington, DC, Toronto, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Troy (MI), Lansing (MI), Grand Rapids (MI) and Ann Arbor (MI).  The firm also has affiliate relationships with law firms in Malta and Lima, Peru.  The firm's Gaming Law Practice Group is recognized as preeminent both nationally and internationally, and two of its partners are Past Presidents of the International Masters of Gaming Law.  Mr. Whittlesey chairs the firm's Indian Gaming Group and represents Indian Tribes throughout the country, as well as local governments and developers in their relationships with tribes.  He has negotiated Tribal-State Gaming Compacts in various states, as well as comprehensive agreements for municipal services for tribal gaming and entertainment facilities throughout the country.  He recently was named Best Lawyers' "2012 Washington, DC Gaming Law Lawyer of the Year."

About Sutin, Thayer & Browne

Sutin, Thayer & Browne is one of New Mexico's largest law firms, with offices in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, providing exceptional service to a wide range of clients for 65 years.  Sutin counsels tribes, tribal entities and companies doing business in Indian country. Its Indian Law team has special expertise and background in Indian law, especially regarding Indian gaming and state compacts. Sutin also handles issues of tribal sovereignty and jurisdiction, government relations, civil litigation, commercial transactions, mortgage and commercial finance, real estate, land disputes, tribal probates, bond issues, taxation, statutory drafting, natural resource law, environmental law and water law.  Sutin lawyers are licensed to practice in the state courts of New Mexico and Colorado, the federal courts of the District of New Mexico and the Tenth Circuit, and the tribal courts of Acoma Pueblo, Hopi Tribe, Isleta Pueblo, Jicarilla Apache Tribe, Laguna Pueblo, Navajo Nation, Santa Clara Pueblo, Southern Ute Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Ysleta del Sur Tribe, and Zuni Pueblo.

About The Fine Point Group

Headquartered in Las Vegas, and with offices in Florida, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, and New Jersey, The Fine Point Group is one of the gaming industry's leading full-service management and consulting firms. In six years from its founding, the firm has completed engagements in 20 U.S. states and eight countries, and has more than a dozen, full-time, gaming experts – all of whom had years of property-level gaming expertise prior to joining the firm.  FPG is an Associate Member of the National Indian Gaming Association, and works with tribal clients in Washington, Oregon, California, Michigan, Minnesota, and Florida.  Named "one of the most sought-after consultants in the industry" by Global Gaming Business magazine, the firm specializes in asset optimization of gaming assets around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.thefinepointgroup.com.

SOURCE Fine Point Group

Back to top

Next in Banking & Financial Services News

Custom Packages

Browse our custom packages or build your own to meet your unique communications needs.

Start today.

 

PR Newswire Membership

Fill out a PR Newswire membership form or contact us at (888) 776-0942.

Learn about PR Newswire services

Request more information about PR Newswire products and services or call us at (888) 776-0942.

Bull _ Lifshitz, LLP Announces Investigation of Venoco, Inc.
February 2, 2012

 Bull & Lifshitz, LLP announces an investigation into possible..."/>
 

Download image

NEW YORK, Jan. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Bull & Lifshitz, LLP announces an investigation into possible breaches of fiduciary duty in connection with the proposed sale of Venoco, Inc. (NYSE: VQ) (referred to as "Venoco" or the "Company") to Timothy M. Marquez, Venoco's Chairman and CEO, through a wholly owned entity, Denver Parent Corporation.  The transaction implies a total enterprise value of approximately $1.5 billion.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120119/MM38805LOGO )

Under the terms of the definitive agreement, Venoco shareholders, excluding Mr. Marquez and his affiliated entities, will receive $12.50 per share in cash upon completion of the transaction.  Mr. Marquez, together with affiliated trusts and foundations, holds 50.3% of Venoco's common stock.

Bull & Lifshitz, LLP's investigation is focused on whether the proposed deal provides adequate value to the Company's shareholders.

If you are a holder of Venoco common stock and want to discuss your legal rights, you may e-mail or call Bull & Lifshitz, LLP who will, without obligation or cost to you, attempt to answer your questions.  

If you are a shareholder of Venoco and would like more information about our investigation, please contact Peter D. Bull, Esq. by telephone at (866) 313-6222 or by sending an e-mail including your contact information to: counsel@nyclasslaw.com.  All e-mail correspondence should make reference to Venoco.

Bull & Lifshitz, LLP is a New York City-based law firm with significant experience representing investors in merger-related shareholder class actions, shareholder derivative actions, and securities fraud class actions.  For more information about the firm, please visit our website at www.nyclasslaw.com.

ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. © 2012 Bull & Lifshitz, LLP.  The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bull & Lifshitz, LLP, 18 East 41st Street, New York, New York 10017, (212) 213-6222.  Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

Contact:
Peter D. Bull, Esq.
Bull & Lifshitz, LLP
Phone:   212-213-6222
Fax:      212-213-9405
Email: counsel@nyclasslaw.com

SOURCE Bull & Lifshitz, LLP

Back to top

RELATED LINKS
http://www.nyclasslaw.com

Next in Banking & Financial Services News

Custom Packages

Browse our custom packages or build your own to meet your unique communications needs.

Start today.

 

PR Newswire Membership

Fill out a PR Newswire membership form or contact us at (888) 776-0942.

Learn about PR Newswire services

Request more information about PR Newswire products and services or call us at (888) 776-0942.

1 2 3 4 5 >>

Sponsors

Blogs

Patent Dependant
Patentize
Patent Says
Vote for the One