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While many science fiction fantasies may posit that when AI takes over the world, the type of discrimination we know today will no longer exist because the robot overlords just won’t care about color, gender, or origin … or, will have just killed us all off indiscriminately. Even though AI and data science are advancing rapidly, systemic discrimination permeates everything. Implicit bias is real, and is being passed on to the algorithms and artificially intelligent machines that may soon dictate and predict our very lives....

Running your own law firm can be a financial drain. You’ve got to shell out for malpractice and health insurance; pay rent and overhead; and keep up with a salary or two. And then you’ve got the clients who want you to reduce your bill. It’s a lot to think about and everyone has their own suggestions for reducing costs. But there’s really only one option that can improve everyone’s bottom line: free legal research....

The relentless march of technology advances onward with virtual reality not only changing how we recreate, but also how we dispense justice. Researchers from Staffordshire University in England have been handed a $200,000 grant to develop methods of presenting crime-scene evidence to jurors and other courtroom participants through the use of virtual reality technology, according to the Wall Street Journal. But are there drawbacks to entering the Grid? For a number of years, litigators and science fiction junkies alike have often wondered and marveled at the prospect of outfitting the courtroom with virtual reality capabilities....

Conviction of eleven defendants, who were employees of the Puerto Rico Aqueducts and Sewer authority, arising from a scheme to embezzle and launder funds for a union health plan, is affirmed for the most part where: 1) based on the evidence, the Health Plan had sufficient supervision and control over the Health Plan contributions to establish that the funds embezzled were funds of a health care benefit program; 2) there was sufficient evidence to prove that the defendants acted without authority to receive the Health Plan funds; 3) evidence of defendants’ knowledge and willfulness with respect to the embezzlement convictions was more than sufficient for the jury to conclude by proof beyond a reasonable doubt the element of criminal intent; 4) with respect to the Top Four defendants, the evidence was more than sufficient to support the money laundering convictions; 5) defendants’ challenge to the district court’s jury instructions are rejected, and any error was harmless; 6) district court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to sever mid-trial; 7) district court did not abuse its discretion when it declined to grant defendants a new trial based on an alleged misstatement made during the prosecution’s closing argument; 8) district court did not abuse its discretion in declining to grant defendants a new trial based on their post-trial allegations of threats and harassment from testifying by other defendants; 9) district court did not err in assessing against each of the Top Four defendants an 18-level enhancement under the Sentencing Guidelines based on loss calculation as their extensive knowledge and control of the embezzlement scheme as a whole made the total amount each received foreseeable; 10) two of the defendants’ challenges to their sentences are rejected as the sentences were reasonable; and 11) with respect to the Chapter President defendants, the money laundering convictions are reversed and remanded as conceded by the government....

Defendant’s conviction and sentence for oxycodone related offenses affirmed US v. Kinsella, 09-1201, concerned a challenge to a conviction of defendant for conspiring to possess and distribute oxycodone, possessing oxycodone with intent to distribute, and willfully failing to appear in court as required, and a 97-month sentence. In affirming both the conviction and the sentence, the court held rejected defendant’s claim of multiple instances of prosecutorial misconduct, and held that the district judge did not clearly err in his drug-quantity calculations....

In US v. Sneed, No. 09-13195, the court of appeals vacated defendant’s drug and firearm possession sentence, holding that sentencing courts may not use police reports to determine whether predicate offenses under 18 U.S.C. section 924(e)(1) were committed on “occasions different from another.” As the court wrote: “Kevin Earl Sneed appeals his 180-month sentence for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of marijuana. On appeal, Sneed argues that his sentence was improperly enhanced under the Armed Career Criminal Act, 18 U....

When it comes to practicing law, who’s better: extroverts or introverts? (Don’t all speak up at once – though we also understand if you’re too shy to say.) “It depends,” may be the lawyerly answer. After all, it makes sense that extroverts would be attracted to “in-your-face” trial work, while introverts would prefer the quiet anonymity of the transactional department. But results from a well-known personality test seem to defy the stereotype of lawyers as outspoken litigators....

In an action against an insurer claiming that the insurer was estopped from contesting that a judgment against plaintiff was covered by the policy, the court of appeals certified the following questions to the Georgia Supreme Court: 1) does an insurer effectively reserve its right to deny coverage if it informs the insured that it does “not see coverage,” after the insured had received a written reservation of rights from the insurer’s sister company in a similar lawsuit in another jurisdiction, or is a written or more unequivocal reservation of rights required?...

There are plenty of stories of lawyers leaving firm life. In fact, the attrition rates for associates are huge. That many lawyers will eventually move on is a given and it’s no secret that many lawyers fleeing firm life would love to become in-house counsel or even GC’s. But, once the migration has been made, would a GC ever go back? Could she? For many lawyers, in-house work is the promised land, a Nirvana of decent pay, better work-life balance, predictable hours and substantive work....

It hasn’t been a good few months for ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council, the organization that brings together (often conservative) state legislators and corporate interests to write model legislation. Several major corporations have been jumping ship as the organization has faced increasing criticism. What’s the best way to deal with critics? Sue them! At least that’s increasingly become ALEC’s strategy. The group has sued critics in the past and has will probably continue to – the group has started to send out cease and desist letters to MVNO Credo after the small telecom claimed ALEC’s policies keep broadband uncompetitive....

Now, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) may not be looking to become the next viral video sensation, or be pining to find itself the subject of a social media campaign, or even long to be the most-queried term on search engines…but it definitely wants a place at the broadband table. And it may have solidified its spot this week. The FCC recently approved a notice of proposed rule making on net neutrality....

An alien may only file one motion to reopen, and must do so no later than 90 days after the final order of removal. The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) takes that restriction pretty seriously. Technically, there’s an exception to the one-and-done filing rule: The time and number limitations on motions to reopen do not apply if the motion is based upon changed country conditions. To qualify, the alien must demonstrate that conditions within the relevant country have changed....

FindLaw columnist Eric Sinrod writes regularly in this section on legal developments surrounding technology and the Internet. In some of my prior blogs, I have noted that we tend to live our lives through technology and not in the real world. I have advised that at least once in a while, we need to put down our gadgets and take time to smell the roses. But hey, it’s almost Thanksgiving, and in giving thanks, we certainly can praise technology....

So you plan on going into the Fifth Circuit for the first time, and you’re psyched. It may be an exciting moment for new attorneys or even veteran litigators, but you need to take care of some business before you arrive. Show up at the Fifth Circuit prepared by completing these three to-do’s. If you’re not from Texas, Louisiana, or Mississippi, the thought of applying to the Fifth Circuit bar may have never come up....

Earlier this fall, we brought you the tale of a lawyer filing a copyright lawsuit to prevent a disciplinary board from including text from her blog in a disciplinary complaint. Needless to say, the lawsuit failed. Joanne Denison is back, and this time, the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (IARDC) is recommending a three-year suspension (“and until further order of the court”) because of the allegedly false statements she published on her blog about the Probate Court of Cook County, as well as local judges and lawyers....

If you’ve ever sat down to a WordPress blog and started typing out your thoughts on tort reform, legal tech, or the trials of starting your own firm, you’ve probably wondered: At what point does my attorney blogging become advertising? Sure, you’re not posting “10 Reasons to Hire Me Today – Number 7 Will Shock You!” But you are, perhaps, subtly selling yourself, showing your personality, experience, insight. Does that mean your blog is subject to the same rules as, say, an actual commercial?...

Casino dealers can sue their employer for unpaid, mandatory dealer training, the Fourth Circuit ruled on Monday. The ruling revives a class action against PPE Casino Resorts Maryland, the owner of Maryland Live!, a $500 million casino complex in Hanover, Maryland. Maryland Live! opened for business in 2012, after the state legalized gambling. A year later, when Maryland began to allow table games like blackjack and poker, the casino started a major expansion....

FindLaw columnist Eric Sinrod writes regularly in this section on legal developments surrounding technology and the internet. We tend to think of censorship happening in other countries, and not so much in the United States. Just like the government can’t violate the First Amendment, we like to think that private companies would be equally generous in allowing freedom of expression, unless something is truly troublesome in nature. Well … As it turns out, Facebook recently censored a post that displayed a very small 30,000-year-old statuette carved in the image of a naked woman and referred to as the “Venus of Willendorf,” according to USAToday....

Atlanta, the city best known for its “Real Housewives” cast and streets with peachy names, could soon have a new claim to fame as the city with the most legal battles involving water rights. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court refused to hear the tri-state battle between Florida, Alabama, and Georgia over Atlanta’s dependence on Lake Lanier as its primary water source. This week, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Atlanta in a separate aquatic dispute over the southern mega-city’s water contract with its neighbor, Sandy Springs....

Personal injury attorneys may want to pay attention to a First Circuit ruling issued last month on products liability claims against CROCS shoes. FindLaw favorite Judge Bruce Selya opens with an amusing observation about the clogs’ fashion faux pas: “CROCS are odd looking shoes, known for their comfort.” Odd looking yes, but dangerous around escalators? It’s not clear, the surprisingly fashion conscious panel ruled. The plaintiff’s 9-year-old daughter allegedly sustained an injury to her right foot when her CROCS resin sandal became stuck in the side of an escalator....