Is Pendulum Swinging Other Way on Tough Illegal Immigration Laws? Amid the ongoing, seeming ‘war’ on illegal immigrants in the nation, marked most notably by Arizona’s and Alabama’s passage of the some of the strictest legislation on the books addressing the issue, GOP presidential front-runner Newt Gingrich’s recent announcement that he advocates a more ‘humane’ approach to illegal immigration seemingly could be a welcome... (3 views)
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan: Something's Rotten in the State of Denmark According to the December 7th freep.com article, ''Legal challenges mounting for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan'', the question is being posed to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan: has the company in fact played a role in increasing health care costs in Michigan by forcing hospitals to give them the best prices? (3 views)
Don't Text While You Drive – Enough is Enough, Says NTSB I've done it. You've done it. And most of us know we shouldn't. It's a no brainer. And one that's far over due. (3 views)
Is Ruling Regarding Confidentiality of Belfast Project Interviews Setting a Frightening Precedent? The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states: ''Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.'' (3 views)
Arizona Attorney Named as LCA Fellow Earlier this month Snell & Wilmer partner James Condo was selected as a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America™ (LCA), a trial lawyer honorary society committed to advancing exemplary advocacy, professionalism, community service, and honor among its members. LCA Fellows consist primarily of those at the partner or shareholder level or independent practitioners with... (3 views)
Jesus Navarro is a Human Being Jesus Navarro faces a dire and ironic set of circumstances: in spite of the fact that his wife is able to donate one of her kidneys to him, and he can pay for the transplant operation via private insurance, he still may not be able to receive the organ, just because he is an illegal immigrant. (3 views)
Former Aide to Run For Giffords' Seat Just a month after US Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) stepped down, the race for her seat is already heating up. Last week her former aide, Ron Barber, announced that he will seek to replace her and fulfill the final six months of her term in an upcoming special election. The first Democratic candidate to enter the race, State Representative Matt Heinz,... (3 views)
Dongguk's Suit Against Yale Still Stands This week, Yale University lost its second bid, following the decision of U.S. District Judge Tucker Melancon, to toss out the allegations by Dongguk, a South Korean university, that it lost millions of dollars after Yale damaged its reputation. (3 views)
Maryland's 'Dream Act' Ruled Fit for Referendum On Friday, Anne Arundel Circuit Court Judge Ronald A. Silkworth ruled that the 'Dream Act' of Maryland - meant for undocumented immigrants to pay in-state rates at Maryland colleges - is fit for referendum and could face the ballots in November. (3 views)
U.S. Supreme Court: Understatement Can Be Aggravated Felony Regardless of Restitution While the recent judgment of the U.S. Supreme Court that ordered deportation for a Japanese legal immigrant couple upon finding tax felony can be disregarded by most as if not applicable to citizens, such assumption would lead to living in a fool’s paradise. (3 views)
One Word for Law Students: Think According to the recent examiner.com article, ''UC Denver study says law students not being taught to ask the right questions'', a recent study within the state's university reveals that, in essence, law students may be memorizing too much, and not thinking enough. In other words, students can regurgitate for essays, but cannot apply skills in real life situations. (3 views)
Social Media Paying Off For 25% Law Firms – Says Report The acceptance of social media in the legal arena has become a subject of interest in recent weeks with a court in UK allowing the serving of legal notices through Facebook, and another court in US ordering the accused may post apologies on Facebook in lieu of fine or imprisonment. On top of this comes a new report by ALM Legal Intelligence claiming that 49 percent of U.S.... (3 views)
Study: Law Firms Spending Millions in Online Advertisements A new report by the by the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform reveals that Law firms are using and spending online on “some of the most sophisticated, high dollar tactics of any commercial industry.” The report issued in January and named “The Plaintiff’s Bar Goes Digital” found the annual spending of the plaintiff’s bar on Google keyword advertising to be... (3 views)
NY Court Upholds Ban on Non-Lawyer Investment in Law Firms New York State ethic rules hold that if investment is not from legal circles, then it is illegal, as far as law firms are concerned. A federal judge in Manhattan upheld the law this week and held the plaintiffs who challenged the law lacked locus standi in as much as their cause of action lacked merit. The case is Jacoby & Meyers v. Presiding Justice, U.S. District Court,... (3 views)
Catholic College Sued by Student over Roommate’s Sexual Behavior Now this might seem ludicrous, but it’s not, and the fact that a court in Massachusetts allowed the case to be filed shows prima facie causes of action are present. And if one goes through the story, there are elements that require explanation and strongly stink of bias, or at the very least lack of concern for the welfare of the complaining student. (3 views)
February 4 2008 Legal Blog Roundup Much to the horror of Jewish mothers everywhere (mine included), a recent report concluded that doctors and lawyers are no longer held as highly in professional esteem as they were in years past. But worry not, denizens of the legalese, because what lawyers may have lost in luster they continue to accrue in power, specifically the legal designation known as ''power of... (3 views)
Supreme Court: Private Attorney Hired by a City Can Claim Legal Immunity On Tuesday, The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that private attorneys and other experts temporarily hired by a city to aid in investigations can assert immunity from lawsuits alleging constitutional violations and seeking damages. The lawyer who benefited from the judgment was backed on the issue by the Obama administration, 27 states, the American Bar Association and many other... (3 views)
9th Circuit: Independent Contractors within Ambit of ‘Honest Services’ Law On Tuesday, the San Francisco-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled that being a state or federal employee is not a perquisite to being prosecuted for depriving the government of ‘honest services’. Adopting a broad interpretation of the hones-services fraud statute, the court found that the federal criminal law applies to anyone in a fiduciary... (3 views)
Supreme Court Agrees to Consider Question of Law Regarding Class-action On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to consider the constitutionality of a legal tactic that can influence the capacity of companies to defend against class-action lawsuits. The question of law raised in Standard Fire Insurance Co v. Knowles, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 11-1450 is as follows: (3 views)
Egypt to Allow Law Legalizing Sex with Dead Wives? It seems preposterous, but the internet and media is abuzz with rumors that two laws targeting women may be tabled in the Egyptian parliament, though there is still no concrete information about any member of the parliament tabling such bills. However, the issues are there. In May 2011, a Moroccan cleric publicly opined that the sexual relation between husband and wife... (3 views)
Judge Training Other Judges Removed for Ticket -Fixing On Thursday, Diane Schilling resigned from her position as director of the Office of Justice Court Support, where she was in charge of mandatory training programs for local judges. Diane has admitted to fixing speeding tickets, and we just hope it was not something she taught her students. Diane, who before Thursday, was in charge of training New York’s town and village... (3 views)
Lawyers Set to Defend $35,000 per Hour Fee Award before Delaware Supreme Court On Thursday, the Delaware Supreme Court would hear a case of lawyer fees where the Delaware Chancery Court awarded a $304 million sum as fees to two law firm teams. Together, the two firms of logged 8597 hours of work, which boiled down to $35,000 per hour for work done on the case. (3 views)
State Human Rights Division Cannot Deal Complaints against Public Schools In an opinion that saw the panel sharply divided and judicial logic backed by terse comments, the Court of Appeals, New York, overruled lower court decisions and found that the Division of Human Rights lacked authority to investigate complaints against public schools. The ruling came in the process of dismissing two racial discrimination suits against school districts. (3 views)
San Diego Wildfires Force Attorneys to Leave Their Firms The San Diego wildfires have caused several law firms to close down temporarily. Many attorneys have been displaced, and some, including Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps' chief operating officer and one of the firm's partners, have even lost their homes. (3 views)
Appeals Court: Negligence but No Legal Malpractice on Part of Real Estate Attorney On Tuesday, the Appellate Division, First Department, found that in case of a real estate attorney, Howard Stern, there was “strong evidence” that he had acted with negligence but he cannot be sued for malpractice. The court found on facts and evidence produced that the lawyer’s clients were unable to prove his actions caused their losses. (3 views)
Ex-Lawmaker “Asleep at the Switch” while Aides Faked Vote Petitions On Thursday, four staff members of former U.S. Representative Thaddeus McCotter were charged with forgery and election fraud for creating fake nominating petitions in his 2012 campaign. The five-term congressional representative’s brief quixotic campaign for president had to be ruled off the ballot due to problems with signatures from his election petitions.... (3 views)
New York Objects to Plaintiffs' Lawyers Seeking $8 Million Fees in FDNY Discrimination Case According to papers filed in the Brooklyn federal court on Thursday, the attorneys from Levy Ratner and Scott & Scott, and those from the nonprofit Center for Constitutional Rights, have submitted a fee application to the U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis. (3 views)
''Sandusky'' Cover-up Charges: Schultz Wants a Separate Trial from Curley On Monday, one of the two Pennsylvania State University administrators charged with failing to report suspected child abuse and for perjury in the Sandusky scandal, filed a motion to have separate trials for the pair. The rationale for wanting a separate trial is interesting and may be of use to some. (3 views)
Lawyer Wants Hush Money Back from Man Told to Have Sex with Judge On Tuesday, Alex Chapman appeared before Canada’s Manitoba Court of Appeal to fight a court order requiring him to return the $25,000 he received as hush money from his former lawyer, Jack King, to have sex with the lawyer’s wife, Associate Chief Justice Lori Douglas. However, both King and Douglas have said that Douglas was unaware of King’s involvement. (3 views)
Court Prevents California Ban on Gay Therapy from Immediate Implementation The California ban on controversial gay conversion therapy that was scheduled to come into effect from January 1, 2013, has hit a roadblock. The law was signed by California’s Democrat Governor Jerry Brown in September. However, the constitutionality of the law was challenged, and even though the lower court had sided with the state, on appeal, on Friday, the 9th U.S.... (3 views)