First Criminal Case on Behalf of CFPB, Charges Ex-lawyer Operated Firm On Tuesday, federal authorities unsealed indictments in the first criminal case based on work done by CFPB since its formation in 2010. The indictment charged four people in a debt settlement company with mail and wire fraud including a former lawyer, Michael Levitis, who has been alleged of controlling and operating the company. (3 views)
Bulgarian Man Married to U.S. Man Gets Green Card The federal administration seems fully focused on carrying out the intent of the recent decision on DOMA by the U.S. Supreme Court. Last Friday, Traian Popov, a Bulgarian immigrant who married Julian Marsh, a U.S. citizen, and lives with him, received the notice of approval of his green card as spouse of a bona fide U.S. citizen. Probably, this is the first couple to have... (3 views)
What happens to a man's digital world access after his death As more of our personal lives go digital, family members, estate attorneys and online service providers are increasingly grappling with what happens to those information bits when their owners die. (3 views)
Cook County Attorney Charged with Criminal Sexual Conduct Cook County Attorney Tim Scannell was charged on Thursday with two counts of fourth degree criminal sexual conduct over an alleged relationship with a 17-year-old. The case is tricky, because even though the age of sexual consent in Minnesota is 16, Scannell has been charged due to him being in a position of authority and being more than four years older than her. The... (3 views)
Conservation Group Files Lawsuit against Montana Attorney General The Montana Environmental Information Center has filed a lawsuit, in the state District Court in Helena, against Attorney General Tim Fox. The lawsuit seeks documents concerning Attorney General Tim Fox’s protest against the plans of the Bureau of Land Management to regulate hydraulic fracturing taking place on federal land. Fox had joined other states in lodging the... (3 views)
Attorney General Eric Holder Readying the DOJ to Free More People under the Fair Sentencing Act It is clear that the U.S. Attorney General regards many of those in prison as victims of systems with bias initiated by former governments. He said as much on Monday in a video posted on the US Department of Justice website indicating that the Department would soon be broadening the criteria of clemency applications for review by the President. (3 views)
Federal Court Upholds New Legislative District Maps for Arizona A federal court in Arizona refused to accept that the remapping of the state’s 30 legislative districts had been done with sufficient political motive or inequity as to declare them unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. (3 views)
Using Public Access for Private Interests: How Private Action Impacts Public Use The Supreme Court heard argument on Tuesday in the most significant case it will hear this term. The case is Kelo v. City of New London. By the time the court's term ends in June, we may have a better picture of what has become of the concept of private property in the United States. (3 views)
U.S. Forfeits Nigerian Dictator’s Illegal Wealth through Kleptocracy Action In the largest action of its kind brought under the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative the U.S. government has forfeited more than $480 million in corruption proceeds that had been hidden in bank accounts around the world by former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha and his co-conspirators. (3 views)
Legal Visionaries and Democracy Advocates: 2023 MacArthur Foundation Fellows The MacArthur Foundation, renowned for its prestigious "genius grants," has celebrated and honored a cohort of 2023 fellows, totaling 20 remarkable individuals from diverse fields. These exceptional recipients span poetry, art, culture preservation, environmental expertise, and anthropology. Among the laureates are legal scholars and dedicated democracy advocates, each... (3 views)
American Companies Exploiting Federal Labor Law to Avoid $4 Billion in Overtimes Wages According to a study by researchers from the University of Texas at Dallas and Harvard Business School, American companies are avoiding paying approximately $4 billion annually in overtime wages by exploiting a federal labor law. The companies achieve this by artificially increasing job titles so that workers can be classified as salaried managers instead of hourly... (3 views)
CILEX Acquires Institute of Paralegals, Strengthening its Position as Leading Legal Body The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) has recently acquired the Institute of Paralegals (IoP) and its Professional Paralegal Register (PPR) to solidify its position as the leading body for specialist legal professionals. The move will increase CILEX's membership by incorporating the IOP's 1000 members into its community of 20,000 lawyers, chartered legal... (3 views)
Surviving Job Cuts: How to Protect Your Job and Prepare for the Worst The recent job cuts at major companies like Facebook, Google, NBC News, Gannett, 3M, Disney, and FedEx, are cause for concern. The widespread layoffs affecting tens of thousands of employees from various industries have raised two important questions: "Am I next?" and "What should I do to prepare?" (3 views)
Don't Let These Myths About Law School Application Deadlines Derail Your Dreams In law school and legal practice, deadlines are absolute and crucial. Even documents filed just minutes late can impact the outcome of a legal case. Bar exams and bar admission rules have strict and inflexible timing requirements. (3 views)
Wisconsin Republican-Sponsored Bill Seeks to Increase Parole Commission Transparency Wisconsin lawmakers are considering a Republican-sponsored bill that would require the state's parole commission to adhere to open meetings laws and publish its decisions online. Additionally, the Department of Corrections would need to post any guidance documents used by the commission and provide the names of individuals granted or denied parole, along with those... (3 views)
Dominion's $1.6B Lawsuit Against Fox News Proceeds with Jury Selection The $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox Corp (FOXA.O) and Fox News will proceed with jury selection resuming on Tuesday, a day later than previously scheduled, according to Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis. The trial is based on false claims aired by Fox that Dominion's machines were used to rig the 2020 U.S. presidential election... (3 views)
Biden Administration's New Student Debt Relief Strategy Emerges The Biden administration has revealed its revised plan for addressing the issue of student debt in the wake of the Supreme Court's rejection of its earlier proposal in June. The U.S. Department of Education has outlined its preliminary agenda for a second attempt to relieve American student loan borrowers. Additionally, they've introduced the "Student Loan Debt Relief... (3 views)
Rethinking Diversity Programs: A Legal Perspective Businesses have reevaluated their eligibility criteria for racial diversity and inclusion programs to shield themselves from legal challenges. Recently, this strategic maneuver yielded success when the American Alliance for Equal Rights, led by conservative activist Edward Blum, withdrew its discrimination lawsuit against Morrison & Foerster LLP. This noteworthy... (3 views)
Navigating the Transformative Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Legal System: Insights from Chief Justice John Roberts In his year-end report, Chief Justice John Roberts of the U.S. Supreme Court explored how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the legal landscape. Stressing the importance of "caution and humility," Roberts provided a nuanced perspective on the potential advantages and challenges that come with the integration of AI into the traditional workings of judges and... (3 views)
Hogan Lovells: Setting New Records in 2023 Hogan Lovells achieved extraordinary success in 2023, reporting unprecedented global revenue and equity partner profits. The firm's gross revenue surged to $2.68 billion, representing a remarkable 10.3% increase. Profits per equity partner experienced a substantial 20% boost, reaching an impressive $2.7 million. Additionally, the revenue-per-lawyer metric hit an all-time... (3 views)
U.S. Supreme Court Declines Appeal Challenging Admissions Policy at Elite Virginia Public School In a significant decision on Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal challenging the admissions policy at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, a renowned Virginia public school. The appeal, led by a coalition of parents and students, contended that the school's revised admissions policy unfairly discriminated against Asian Americans. This... (3 views)
Ryan's Hope: The Future of Medicare? Arguably, the topic of Medicare, the U.S. government administered social insurance program that provides health insurance coverage to those 65 and over, is one of the most hotly debated in the nation. (2 views)
Jumpers Wanted. No, Seriously. JUMPERS WANTED Work Schedule: one hour per lifetime. Requirements: None. Pay: Thousands of dollars. Job Scope: Jump into highly radioactive area, perform task, and get out. Apply in person. (2 views)
Utah Attorney Pleads Guilty to Sex with Teenager Utah attorney Steven Kuhnhausen pleaded guilty in the 3rd District Court to two felony counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a 16-17 year old. Following a plea deal, 12 additional counts – six felonies and six misdemeanors – were dropped by the prosecutors. Kuhnhausen had been accused of having a relationship with a teenage girl and that he paid the teenager for sex... (2 views)
Maine Bar Allows Lawyer Who Called Bomb Threats to Continue Practice On Monday, the Board of Overseers of the Maine Bar found that a Rumford attorney who called in bomb threats to two schools last year can continue to practice law, but under conditions. The detailed opinion of the board mentioned how Ron Hoffman committed the crimes and lied to the police. Hoffman later accepted responsibility but attributed his misconduct to medical... (2 views)
Real Estate Lawyer Disbarred for Forging Plan Acceptance Letters A Brooklyn real estate lawyer, Eduard Fridman, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to forging condominium plan acceptance letters from the office of the New York Attorney General’s Real Estate Finance Bureau, and later filing some of them with the New York City Department of Finance. His acts allowed his clients (who were in the dark about his conduct) to illegally convert... (2 views)
End of Life Decisions - Have You Empowered Yourself? Making any kind of end of life health care decisions for loved ones is heart wrenching. Being forced into the situation when the loved one has been incapacitated at a young age, often unexpectedly, is doubly agonizing. Having to make the decisions without the loved one's input often leaves those left behind feeling guilty, saddened and frustrated. (2 views)
True and Valued Customers Thank you for the late payment on your account. It's because of good customers like you that we at PlasticFantastic Credit Inc. are having one of the best years ever! We want you to know that the $39 late payment fee, plus additional accrued interest (thanks to our new punitive interest rate — our highest ever!) has had positive ramifications throughout PlasticFantastic... (2 views)
Attention, Desperate V-Day Shoppers! Let's face it — if you're reading this, then you're doing one of three things: (2 views)
Fill in the blanks : The legal way Dear Valued Customer, Over these past several years we at [Company Name] have enjoyed providing [service description] to you. As you might have seen on [local, regional, prime time news program] or read in [local, regional, national ... well, everywhere], recently our private database was compromised, and your personal information (including your name, Social Security... (2 views)