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For many small firm and solo practitioners, if a good case walks through the door, oftentimes, the motivation to bring dollars through the door results in taking that case regardless of whether the practice has an attorney well versed in that area of law. And though this might be a necessary evil of small firm practice, it might also be what’s holding back your firm. While there are too few “general practitioners” in this world, there’s a pretty good reason why: Specializing enables law firms and lawyers to make more money....

Do you like making money? Then unless there’s a law in your jurisdiction that says you cannot deduct attorney fees before deducting costs, you need to make sure you are, especially if you were fronting those costs as well. If you don’t know, go check your retainer agreements now! For lawyers that typically work on a contingency, this may be simply obvious advice. However, for new lawyers, or those that are really no good at math, it might need to be repeated a few times....

After 41 days of marriage, Evelyn Lozada filed for divorce from her allegedly cheating husband Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson. The couple reportedly starting arguing earlier this week after Lozada discovered a receipt for a box of condoms in the trunk of their Smart car, reports ABC. It’s not clear why, but Lozada immediately became suspicious and confronted Johnson. The confrontation quickly became violent, and Johnson was charged with head-butting his wife. Instead of trying to save their short marriage, Lozada decided to file for divorce....

Civil litigators know that asking a question during a trial that you don’t know the answer to is a big risk, even when it’s your own witness. A civil trial is not the time to be exploring new testimony. Discovery’s done. Trial is about presenting the evidence you discovered via interrogatories, document requests, and of course, during depositions. To win at trial, you need to present exact and specific evidence that addresses the elements of your legal arguments....

Cheez-Its make great weapons. No really, they do. Think about it – they’re small and sharp, and if the salt gets in your enemy’s eyes, it’s going to burn. Having said that, you should probably refrain from engaging in a Cheez-It attack. “A small square cracker apparently went into her right eye and caused her injury,” per the department spokeswoman. Ouch. Regardless, it’s sort of irrelevant – he wasn’t even supposed to be near her in the first place....

One would think that if a parent were to file a federal lawsuit over a child failing to make a school sports team, they would at least try to get them varsity status. After all, Rudy Giuliani’s son sued Duke University for a spot on their varsity golf team. But it’s actually the absence from a JV squad that had a St. Louis mother up in legal arms last week....

Ideally, a round of golf is a good long walk, spoiled by intermittent swings of a club at a small, stationary ball, producing more or less attractive and effective arcs of flight. The more sinister golf courses impede this walk and the ball’s trajectory towards a hole with various hazards of trees, water, hills, and sand, tormenting players of various skill to corresponding various degrees. What no golfer expects, while making the leisurely rounds of nine or eighteen holes, however, is to find himself chest deep in quicksand....

United Airlines lost the case when Ellen Degeneres, Esq., took the stand. Commenting on how the airlines forcibly removed one of its passengers, the comedienne told her television audience that it upset everyone on the flight. Chicago airport police literally dragged 69-year-old David Dao off the plane. “It’s crazy, they charged him a $50 removal fee,” Degeneres joked. “That’s not true, that’s not true. No, your first forcible removal is free....

Defendant’s sentence to an indeterminate term of 25 years to life to run consecutive to a determinate term of four years for child endangerment, evading a police officer, and hit and run causing property damage, is reversed and remanded for resentencing where the trial court’s determination that defendant maintained multiple criminal objectives with regard to his conviction for evading a police officer was not supported by sufficient evidence. Also, on resentencing, the court may reconsider its ruling on a one-year prior enhancement pursuant to Penal Code section 1385....

Following defendant’s conviction for multiple crimes committed on different dates, decision of the Court of Appeals reversing trial court’s imposition of separate restitution fines is reversed as defendants who commit multiple crimes, and are consequently before the court in multiple cases when their pleas are taken, are properly subject to multiple fines. Read People v. Soria, No. S164796 [HTML] Read People v. Soria, No. S164796 [PDF] Appellate Information Filed February 11, 2010...

The Los Angeles medical marijuana dispensary is facing a fight from medical marijuana advocates. In July, the Los Angeles City Council adopted Ordinance 182190. The ordinance prohibits “medical marijuana businesses, while preserving the limited state law medical marijuana criminal immunities, until such time as the California Supreme Court rules regarding what cities can and cannot regulate and the City enacts new medical marijuana legislation consistent with that judicial guidance.” The ordinance is set to become effective on September 6....

Tax changes affecting divorce settlements are set to take effect January 1, 2019, and some divorcees may be singing a modification of an old country tune, “My spouse got the gold mine, and I got the shaft.” For those high income earners who are contemplating divorce, knowing they will owe alimony, you might want to get that divorce finalized before New Year’s Eve. The 2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) made numerous changes to the tax laws, and one of them deals with alimony....

Some angry residents are suing the City of San Diego for a buildup of sea lion poop and the noxious odors caused by it. The Citizens for Odor Nuisance Abatements (CFONA) have filed suit in state court, demanding that the city clean up the sea lion droppings from La Jolla Cove as well as remove a fence that keeps the public from accessing the area, reports Courthouse News Service. Is this sea lion plop really something worth suing over?...

Judge Joseph J. Bruzzese Jr. was walking to the courthouse when a man ran up and started shooting at him. Bruzzese was carrying a gun and returned fire. A probation officer joined the shoot-out, which killed the attacker and injured the judge. At a time when so many people turn to violence in the guise of seeking justice, it is a solemn reminder that judges and lawyers need more than cybersecurity....

The economy’s down, and your firm may be scaling back. Or, you may just be sick and tired of billable hours. If so, you might want to consider joining the growing ranks of attorney turned entrepreneurs. Why quit your relatively cushy firm job - if you have one - to start a business? Working at a firm borders on slave labor. You put in thousands of billable hours a year. And, unless you’re enamored with motions to show cause, you may be living an incredibly unsatisfying life....

Is skydiving sex legal? Believe it or not, some high school students’ porn viewing has thrust issue onto the desks of Federal Aviation Administration officials. Local police in Taft, Calif. were called to the high school last week after an interesting video made its way onto campus. A horrifying look at the video mostly shows the pair going at it mid-flight. As the flight continues over California air space, the over-the-top Howell saddles up....

A Texas cop wound up in handcuffs after he allegedly hit a fellow officer and farted in his face. How’s that for organic tear gas? Lago Vista Police Det. Lawrence Michael Jonap, 45, was charged with assault by causing bodily injury, the Austin American-Statesman reports. But where does the alleged fart figure in to the charges? In the first incident, according to the report, Jonap walked by police dispatcher Donald Varner and kicked him in the back, laughing while he did it....

In the eyewear business, the newest big player may only have 1 percent of the four-eyed market share, but if the pre-IPO investors are right, they could be in for a big post-IPO payday. Warby Parker, the ecommerce-first, and affordable, eyewear retailer, is making headlines after its most recent round of funding raised $75 million at a valuation of $1.75 billion. For eyewear with nerdiness as the defining characteristic, the incredibly popular brand is expected to continue growing until its IPO, at least so long as Millennials keep buying those oversized frames....

Terminating an employee is rarely easy. Whether it is for cause, or just due to business needs, not only are there potential morale problems that can surface, a terminated employee can cause all sorts of legal headaches. Offering a severance can really go a long way towards avoiding both a disgruntled former employee, as well as keeping morale high for those who remain. Generally, there’s no legal requirement to provide one, unless it was contracted for, or state law requires it for layoffs....

Being the neurotic law student you are, you’ve probably already started thinking about OCI even though it is still July. Considering the state of the legal market in the past few years, that’s a good thing. Also given the market, we OCI starts up, we would suggest applying to as many law firms as the OCI process will allow. Then, after you have all your offers (and hopefully you will have at least one, and even better, a few to choose from), you’ll need to decide which firm is right for you....