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Polar bear trophies are still verboten after an opinion by the D.C. Circuit this past Tuesday upheld a federal Fish and Wildlife Service ban on importing items like polar bear rugs. This opinion comes on the heels of the D.C. Circuit’s ruling in March which upheld a 2008 decision to keep polar bears as a “threatened” species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, reports Natural Resources Defense Council. If you promised your spouse a new pair of real polar bear slippers after a trip to Canada, you may want to reconsider....

If you haven’t been watching ‘Making a Murderer,’ start catching up now. Netflix’s hit documentary tells the tale of Steven Avery, a Wisconsin man who spent 18 years behind bars for a sexual assault he didn’t commit, only to be (possibly) framed for murder by the local sheriff’s department after his release. But if the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Department comes out looking (possibly) criminal, it’s hard to watch ‘Making a Murderer’ and not wonder whether at least some of the lawyers have faced discipline for their inept or potentially corrupt handling of the case....

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman upped the ante in the state’s battle against daily fantasy sites DraftKings and FanDuel. The state filed an amended lawsuit against the companies, asking for restitution of all profits made from New York consumers as well as a $5,000 per case civil penalty. Schneiderman told Reuters the filing is based on “a determination by the State Supreme Court that DraftKings and FanDuel have been running illegal sports betting operations [and] seeks appropriate fines and restitution from the companies....

Purdum v. Holmes, B216493, involved a plaintiff’s action against a licensed notary for knowingly notarizing a third-party’s signature on a deed as if it were plaintiff’s, purporting to transfer plaintiff’s interest to the third-party. In affriming the trial court’s judgment in favor of the notary, the court held that the trial court did not abuse its discretion when it set aside defendant’s default. Further, the trial court correctly concluded that each of plaintiff’s causes of action against defendant was barred by the six-year maximum limitation period that is prescribed for an action against a notary in his official capacity by section 338(f)(3), regardless of delayed discovery....

When it comes to TV judges, it seems like everyone has an opinion. And while normally lawyers don’t like to hand out our opinions for free, when it comes to who the best judge on TV is (or was), most will be quick to explain that they’re all hacks. However, these days, who isn’t some sort of hack at something, and “reality” court television shows that pit untrained individuals against each other before a questionably trained “judge” can be pretty darn funny....

Lawyer advertising is both a ripe minefield for ethical issues and a bottomless pit where lawyers and law firms throw their money. However, every now and then, a billboard will go up that makes the world, and not just other lawyers, scratch their heads and say: “Huh?” Who Cares About Facts? Something About Lawyers With Dreadlocks … What’s That Number Again? When a Combover Just Won’t Do Want information on effective advertising?...

You’re a litigator. You like building and trying cases: the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat, and all that. You just might like litigating better if you were doing it somewhere new. We understand. That’s why this week, as part of our affiliate partnership with Indeed, we’re bringing you the three coolest litigation jobs we could find. So get your resumes ready. Today could be the day you find your next great job....

In a patent infringement action involving patents related to rapid-hardening, high-strength cement, district court’s grant of summary judgments of noninfringement and that no trade secret was violated is affirmed in part, dismissed in part, vacated in part, reversed in part, and remanded where: 1) district court’s finding of noninfringement is vacated and remanded as the court erred in claim construction of the the term “soluble CaSo4 anhydride”; 2) district court’s grant of summary judgment of laches is reversed and remanded relating to the ‘556 patent as it is not clear that plaintiff knew or should have known of defendant’s alleged infringement before it conducted discovery on the ‘684 patent in 2002; 3) district court erred in granting summary judgment that claim 17 of the ‘684 patent is indefinite; 4) plaintiffs’ appeal with respect to the ‘534 patent is dismissed as it waived the argument of its invalidity; 5) district court denial of plaintiffs’ motion to amend their complaint is affirmed; 6) district court’s grant of summary judgment of no trade secret violations is affirmed; 7) district court did not abuse its discretion in denying plaintiffs’ motion to disqualify defendants’ attorneys; and 8) although the district court did not abuse its discretion in declining to make the case exceptional and denying attorney fees, the decision is vacated in light of reversal and vacatur of certain of the court’s holdings on summary judgment....

Rhonda Crawford won election to become a judge, but died of an apparent suicide before she could take the bench. She had tried on the robes prior to her election, and that was the source of her problems. Crawford was accused of impersonating a judge and was about to go to trial before her death. Attorneys said she would have won the case, but apparently the pressure was too much for her....

Life for billionaire Steve Wynn has certainly taken a turn. After accusations of sexual misconduct surfaced against him, and $7.5 million paid out in related settlements, shares of Wynn’s company plummeted by 10 percent, or more than $2 billion. Wynn personally lost a quarter billion. And it gets worse from there. A settlement was reached in Wynn’s ongoing litigation with Universal Entertainment to the tune of $2.4 billion. Universal filed suit to force the redemption of shares in Wynn’s company after Wynn and Kazuo Okada, his former business partner, had a falling out....

After passing Initiative 502 to legalize marijuana in November, Washington is now stuck trying to learn about — and regulate — pot. It’s a challenge. So much so that the state is hiring a consultant to help draft its marijuana laws. It’s an unusual situation for the Liquor Control Board, which will oversee cannabis use and abuse. Think about it: It’s not every day that a state decides to legalize something that the federal government continues to criminalize....

SuccessfulMatch.com has its own network of niche dating sites, including Deafs.com, SeniorMatch.com, BikerKiss.com, EquestrianCupid.com, and the mother of all sites: PositiveMatch.com. That last one is for folks with incurable sexually transmitted diseases, such as herpes, HIV/AIDS, and HPV. That seems to be how the plaintiff’s user profile ended upon subsidiary sites catering to kink, Christians, black people, gay people, and HIV-positive people. And it also seems to be why a California jury just smacked SuccessfulMatch....

It’s been a busy 2010 at Tarnished Twenty. Their super hero physique might make you believe otherwise, but athletes are human like the rest of us. This year they have certainly given us a lot of repeat topics. Let’s look at some of the most recurring sports legal issues of the year. Contract Disputes “Show me the money!” Sure, they might love the game, but it’s still a job and pros want to get paid....

Aaron Hernandez’s legal team scored a victory Friday after a judge ruled that jurors at his upcoming murder trial will not hear evidence about prior killings or the victim’s final text messages. Judge E. Susan Garsh heard arguments from both sides about allowing this evidence to be admitted before siding with the defense. According to ESPN, Judge Garsh also prohibited prosecutors from introducing evidence of a Florida incident (and accompanying lawsuit) in which Hernandez allegedly shot a man in the face....

People v. Duff, S153917, concerned a challenge to the court of appeals’ affirmance of the trial court’s denial of defendant’s request for presentence conduct credit, claiming that because execution of sentence for the second degree murder conviction of his one year-old son was stayed pursuant to section 654, the prohibition against the earning of presentence conduct credit for persons convicted of murder that is established by section 2933.2(c) should not have been applied to the calculation of presentence conduct credit against his term of imprisonment for assault on a child....

Everybody knows that lawyers never lose – even in cases they lose – because they always get paid. Of course, that’s a generalization because every lawyer knows that clients also stiff them. There’s a different problem in Chicago’s bankruptcy court, however. In the Northern District of Illinois, attorney’s fees routinely have been paid first among creditors through so-called “step-up” payment plans. It’s become an issue, and now some lawyers are getting a courthouse haircut....

The trial court order issuing a writ of mandate invalidating an initiative measure amending a county’s general plan and zoning regulations to permit a mixed use development near a county airport and prohibiting its enforcement is reversed where: 1) the initiative is within the power of the electorate and is legislative in its nature; and 2) the initiative measure is not preempted by the State Aeronautics Act as the Act does not fully occupy the field of land use regulation near airports, and does not delegate exclusive authority to the board of supervisors to make land use decisions in an airport land use plan area....

There is something surprising about this story, and it is not that an adult film star passed the California bar exam. Women go into porn for many reasons: empowerment, desperation, enjoyment, and everything in between. There are intelligent women in the adult film industry just as there are intelligent women in every industry. No, what is surprising is that a for-profit, unranked law school has nearly the same bar passage rates as “superior” California state schools....

In a petition for review of an SEC order barring petitioner from practicing as an accountant before the SEC, the petition is denied where: 1) the SEC need not have received expert testimony to establish the standard of care or to determine whether petitioner’s conduct was unreasonable; and 2) ample evidence supported the SEC’s conclusion that petitioner engaged in repeated instances of unreasonable conduct. Read Dearlove v. SEC, No. 08-1132...

In a lawyerly-watched case, the California Supreme Court said dissolving law firms have no right to fees for unfinished hourly matters that partners take to new firms. Heller Ehrman v. Davis Wright Tremaine is a significant bankruptcy case because it involved a dispute between a bankrupt law firm and its departing partners. A bankruptcy administrator made claims for fees against more than a dozen other law firms in the case....