Atlanta | Charlotte
Our firm handles legal matters in the following practice areas: Business Law, Corporate Law, Commercial Real Estate, International Law, Immigration, Dual Citizenship, Corporate law and Start-up consultation, Incorporation and Formation of LLC's and other entities, Securities, Commercial Litigation, Tax Law, Probate and Estate Planning Law, and Bankruptcy Law.
We have offices in Atlanta, Georgia and in Charlotte, North Carolina and cooperate with other law firms all over the world to serve our clients. One principal also offers legal services through his German office in Berlin.
BACKGROUND
Established in 1994, Byrne, Davis & Hicks, P.C. is headquartered in the Buckhead business district of Atlanta, Georgia. Recognizing our clients' growing legal needs, the firm expanded its operations in 2003 with an office in Berlin, Germany and again in 2005 with the addition of a North Carolina office in the heart of Uptown Charlotte.
Byrne, Davis & Hicks, P.C. has received an AV-rating, the highest rating issued by Martindale-Hubbell, an attorney-based peer review.
The firm's principals have strong general and legal educations; solid experience in excellent larger firms; and recognized expertise in particular fields. They bring to the firm a wide range of contacts in the business and legal communities, international experience, as well as personal and professional contracts in many countries, loyal clients, and good business sense.
We recognize our business clients are often dealing with more than just a legal issue, therefore we strive to provide our clients with advice to make sound business decisions; to maximize the value of our clients' assets while minimizing costs, including legal fees; and to document transactions in order to reduce the likelihood of unplanned adversities in the future.
Our Vision: To provide our clients with sound legal advice, creative research, prompt response and personal service by experienced professionals at a fair price.
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The North Carolina Bar Association International Law & Practice Section
in cooperation with
The Charlotte School of Law
Invites all Members of the International Law & Practice Section to attend
on Friday, August 26, 2011 10:45 AM – 1:30 PM
a Presentation and Luncheon*
"Politics and Precedents in Germany"
by
Prof. Dr. Thomas Lundmark
Professor of Common Law & Comparative Jurisprudence
at University of Münster, Germany
10:45 AM – 12:10 PM Lecture (Rm. 402)
12:20 PM – 1:30 PM Luncheon (Rm. 408)
at
Charlotte School of Law 2145 Suttle Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28208
RSVP:
Thursday, August 25, 2011 by 3 PM (limited space available – first-come, first-served)
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
or 704.333.5230
_______________________
*You may attend both or either parts of the program, as your schedules permit.
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Four of the five largest tobacco producing companies of the USA, R.J.
Reynolds, Lorillard, Commonwealth Brands, Liggett Group and Santa Fe
Natural Tobacco Company are suing the U.S. federal government over a law
which will require them to print government created warning labels on
the package of their tobacco products.
The free speech
complaint is directed towards a law created by the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) which requires larger and more prominent health
warnings on the labels of tobacco products starting in September 2012.
The
nine graphic images show among other things organs before and after the
regular use of tobacco products as well an image of a dead body after a
post mortem examination. Alongside the images, phrases are printed
informing the reader that smoking can be deadly or that smoking harms
children. Also posted on the labels is the number of a hotline that is
meant to assist tobacco consumers in quitting. The warning label will
take up 50% of the entire packaging and will cover the front, top and
back.
The FDA argues that the images are the first change in
cigarette marketing in 25 years and are therefore more than necessary to
inform the modern consumer of the dangers of smoking. The images are to
serve as a reminder of the great danger and health problems smoking
causes. They are also a tool of the public policy of reducing the costs
which smoke related diseases cause in the public health care system, as
well as avoiding unnecessary smoking related deaths and prevent young
people from starting to smoke. The FDA therefore believes the warnings
will have a positive effect on public health.
The tobacco
companies on the other side claim that the law violates their right to
free speech, which according to them protects their freedom of deciding
what to print on their labels. They also argue that the warnings do not
simply convey the message of informing the consumer. Instead, the
companies believe the labels are designed to evoke an emotional reaction
and therefore are meant to “scare” consumers away from the tobacco
products. Additionally, the tobacco companies claim that the organs and
body on the pictures are made to look worse by sanitizing them and using
actors. Furthermore, the companies complain that they will have to
spent millions on altering their brand logos and change the layout of
their packaging as well as invest in equipment to match the requirements
of the FDA law.
Printing warning images on tobacco product
packaging is already a part of public health strategies in Great
Britain, Romania, Belgium and Lithuania. It remains to be seen what
effect the new FDA law will have on consumers in the United States.
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Did you know? You can receive our free monthly NewsLetter from Reinhard von Hennigs, written in German and English. Tons of useful information each month about German and American law.