A new judge has been sworn into office in the First Circuit this week. The Associated Press reports that the investiture ceremony for U.S. District Judge John James McConnell (Jack McConnell) occurred earlier this week as he was sworn in to the Federal Circuit as a District Court Judge. The ceremony was a tearful one, reports the AP, and it took place at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, RI....
If you work as a solo attorney, you probably already have a blog and know the reasons why it’s so important to your business. But let’s be honest: Your law firm blog could be better. How? Well, just posting regularly is a great first step. But to really leverage your writing to get new clients, you need to strategize a bit. Keep in mind that a blog is more than just a publicity tool: It’s a way to connect with people on a regular basis and gain their trust so when they need a lawyer, they know where to look....
So you’ve decided to take your appellate practice to the next level. Assuming you got the practice off the ground in the first place, and you’ve mastered the skills it takes to win a federal appeal, you might be thinking it’s time to take the big SCOTUS plunge. But, even getting a case picked up by SCOTUS is a real trick, particularly for private attorneys. The U.S. Supreme Court bar has no shortage of members, but only a select few of the most active members of that bar handle a majority of the cases....
Most people who use the Internet for social networking realize that their information may not always be private. But is Facebook’s tracking of user data illegal? Is it an invasion of privacy? That’s certainly the question on the minds of many consumer advocates. And it’s why they’ve fired off a letter to the FTC demanding an investigation. The groups say that the social networking site tracked user data after they’ve logged off....
California dreams are often more like nightmares for many in-house counsel. In-house counsel have a largely negative view of the state’s litigation and regulatory climate, according to a new survey by the law firm Archer Norris. In-house lawyers perceive litigation as a greater risk in California than other states. The state’s legal environment is “hella burdensome,” they claim. California is America’s most populous state. California’s economy, the largest of any state, represents more than 13 percent of national economic production....
Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari. There is plenty of competition these days in the Internet browser war. But despite the feature-rich options available on the other web platforms, Internet Explorer continues to dominate the market, for better or for worse. But now there is a new weapon in Microsoft’s web browser artillery: Internet Explorer 9, which was released in public beta last Wednesday. The final version is expected to be released sometime next year....
The Alabama Board of Dental Examiners is entitled to qualified immunity according to a recent Alabama Supreme Court decision. That means that the Eleventh Circuit’s ruling last August — holding that the Board shouldn’t receive sovereign immunity — created a bit of awkwardness between the federal appellate court and the state’s highest court. But everything’s better now. The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals vacated its prior finding in Versiglio v. Board of Dental Examiners of Alabama last week, and entered a new opinion....
If you want to understand why a federal district court in Oregon ruled that kids could sue over global warming, you’ve got to look all the way back to shellfish gathering under Emperor Justinian, among other things. Which is to say, to understand the law and how the law works takes a lot of referencing. And the legal system has developed a host of ways to make sure references are cited and explained, from “The Bluebook” tables, to local rules, to Westlaw Next....
FindLaw columnist Eric Sinrod writes regularly in this section on legal developments surrounding technology and the internet. Microsoft previously released a security bulletin that addressed various vulnerabilities with respect to the parsing of office file formats by Microsoft Office. And, according to the Microsoft Malware Protection Center, just a few days before the Christmas holiday, the Center came upon a “sample” that takes advantage of a specific vulnerability such that it then can execute malicious shell code that can download other malware....
The New York Attorney General (“NYAG”) originally filed a complaint against Fed Ex in December, and on Sunday, filed an amended complaint against the shipping giant. The controversy surrounds FedEx’s alleged untaxed shipments of cigarettes, that according to the NYAG, results in a “‘direct tax loss’ of more than $10 million, reports InsideCounsel. The Complaint In the complaint, the NYAG alleges that FedEx shipped over 140 tons of contraband, untaxed cigarettes between 2005 and 2012....
As you may recall, Nina Pham, a critical care nurse from Texas, contracted Ebola in October. She’s fine now, but at the time, she wasn’t doing so well, in spite of public statements that her employer, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, made about her ordeal. These statements form the crux of Pham’s lawsuit against Texas Health Presbyterian, in which she claims the hospital acted negligently, given the risk of Ebola. The suit also claims that Pham was a “PR pawn” used to make the hospital look better....
Law firms are now finding ways to make use of the 3D printer – a technology that was once considered gimmicky. Then it became the centerpiece of the gun debate and organ growing. A number of enterprising law firms have utilized 3D technology in their products liability practice. These machines bring a new twist to the term “manufacturing evidence.” Products Liability 101 In the world of products liability law, it’s bad news for companies to manufacture products that are “unreasonably dangerous....
What happens if a self-driving car cuts you off? It’s not like you can flip-off the driver. Yelling won’t do any good either, except perhaps to release some road rage. It’s a question that lawyers broached at the American Bar Association’s midyear meeting in Florida. The program, broadcast through Legal Talk Network, focused on the challenge of road rage in the age of self-driving cars. According to panelists, driverless cars are not the problem....
Yes. That’s the anwer to the headline’s question. Next question: How do you negotiate the job offer? That answer will take a few more words because it’s not what you were thinking. It’s not just about the money. Dominate the Boilerplate If you’ve heard some of this before, maybe that’s because FindLaw’s Casey Sullivan nailed it with tips for mastering the in-house interview. Basically, he says you should come prepared with answers to the standard questions, like:...
A recent New York Times Magazine article followed up on a piece published 10 years ago entitled “The Opt-Out Revolution.” The first article was about a new phenomenon: high-powered women in great careers “opting out” of the workplace to focus on motherhood. In the follow-up article, “The Opt-Out Generation Wants Back In,” the author got in touch with some of the women profiled to see how their decision had fared. Though the three women profiled enjoyed their time with their children, 10 years later they were all trying to find work, and were facing very real challenges....
US v. Gagnon, 09-1047, concerned a challenge to a defendant’s conviction under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). In affirming the conviction, the court held that US v. DiTomasso is dispositive of the issue of the effective date of SORNA’s registration requirements, and the Congress acted within the scope of its authority under the Commerce Clause. Further, given the unambiguous meaning of section 16913(d), defendant’s attempt to invoke the rule of lenity must fail....
Starting a law firm is one thing; building a legacy is another. It’s not about adding lawyers to the roster. It’s about establishing a practice that will survive over time. Large or small, a multi-generational law firm should provide for lifetimes. Here are reasons to do it for your family. More Perspective Each generation offers perspective. The older generation has hindsight; the younger generation looks forward. Together, experience and innovation have the potential to evolve....
The New York Stock Exchanges Governance Services publication, Corporate Board Member, and executive recruitment agency BarkerGilmore, conducted a study to examine the role of general counsel in the boardroom. The study, entitled “GCs in the Boardroom and Beyond,” (free download with registration) surveyed 275 directors and CEOs from Corporate Board Member’s database. The results? They are in line with the overall trend of the evolving role of general counsel, and there is recognition that general counsel have more to contribute than just being the fearless leader of the law department....
In our connected times, both serious news and gossip travel at the speed of social media. When tragedy or scandal strikes a company, if that company isn’t prepared to manage its reputation, there could be severe consequences. Think Steve Wynn and the $2 billion bad day. And though a company can’t predict if or when it will face the wrath of scorned social media users, it can certainly be prepared to take action....
Unmanned Predator drones aren’t just for killing Al Qaeda terrorists on foreign soil anymore. Domestic aerial drone surveillance is on the rise, and it’s already being questioned in court. Rodney Brossart of Lakota, N.D., the first U.S. citizen to be arrested with the help of an unmanned aerial drone, tried to get his criminal charges dismissed because of the alleged “warrantless” use of a drone by police. But a judge rejected his argument, finding “there was no improper use of an unmanned aerial vehicle” in his arrest, according to U....
