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When was the last time you raised your hourly rates? If it’s been more than a year, you might want to consider evaluating the local legal market, and then raising your rates. Just like in any other industry, as you gain experience and your skills improve, you can command higher pay. For current clients, you’ll need to send out a notice of a rate increase, and unless your retainer agreement allows for rate increases upon reasonable notice, you may need to get permission from your clients, or have them sign an amendment....

Want to take a break between college and law school to travel? How about a stint in the Peace Corps? Chase a dream in Hollywood? All of these opportunities are available – and encouraged – through Harvard Law School’s new junior deferral program. No, the law school will not pay for your travel plans or land you a role in the movies. But it will admit you early with the understanding that you take two years to pursue other goals....

In habeas proceeding of a defendant convicted of second-degree murder of his girlfriend, superior court’s conclusion that the matter should be remanded to the Parole Board for a new hearing to be conducted in conformance with the standard set by Lawrence is reversed as there is some evidence to support the Board’s conclusion that defendant is currently dangerous. Read In re Criscione, No. H033781 [HTML] Read In re Criscione, No. H033781 [PDF]...

Every once in awhile, some low level employee’s distasteful description of his customers will blow up in the media. There’s the racist slur on a pizza box, or the use of “fatty” as a name on a customer receipt. We knew this sort of behavior was not exclusive to sales clerks, but we can’t help but be a little hurt when we learned that a Social Security administrative law judge in Wisconsin had made similarly intemperate remarks – at least for his position....

The scene: two friends, Steve and Jim, are watching TV at Steve’s house on a Thursday evening. Steve: The Senate passed a bill to lower the volume of television commercials. Jim: What?!? Jim: (points at commercial blaring on TV) Can you turn down the TV? Make the commercials quieter!!! Steve: I just turned down the TV a minute ago. That’s what I’m talking about. When the commercials come on, it gets louder....

Yesterday, we introduced you to “Sharon Underbridge,” a self-described “patent troll.” Today, we have five more confessions from Troll Underbridge. (Yes, she chose that name intentionally.) Let’s jump right into it, so you can debate whether patent trolls are evil, or just misunderstood. Confession 1: The targeted technologies for trolling have shifted. The fact that these are not competitor suits creates unique challenges with respect to developing a robust Rule 11 basis and an understanding of the potential licensing value of the patent, Sharon explains....

You did your time in job search land, and maybe you even worked with a recruiter, and you’ve finally landed a gig as an associate at BigLaw. Before you start and get overwhelmed with all there is to do, there are certain tasks that you should do up front to set the tone of your employment, and establish a foundation for success. We recently read some great tips for things to do at a new job, and we thought we’d tweak them for the law firm context....

Last Friday, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that reporting violations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act could only be brought within a six-month period. The appeals court decision reversed the decision of an administrative panel that gave a five-year statute of limitations on reporting OSHA violations. Why the drastic difference in the administrative panel decision and the holding of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals? The statute in question, Section 9(c) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, states that citations may not be issued after “the expiration of six months following the occurrence of any violation....

One of Jerry Sandusky’s child sex abuse victims has settled a lawsuit against Penn State, ending one avenue of potential liability following the former football coach’s conviction. The plaintiff, referred to as Victim 5 in court, was raped by Sandusky in 2001 – months after then-graduate assistant Michael McQueary told university officials he saw Sandusky rape another boy in a Penn State locker room, reports Reuters. Victim 5’s case may be settled, but Penn State is not out of the woods from future suits....

Detroit Piston center Ben Wallace was arrested last weekend in Michigan for drunk driving and carrying a concealed weapon. Wallace, famous for his role in the 2004 Pacers-Pistons “Basketbrawl” fight, was arraigned on Saturday. And guess who’s presiding over Wallace’s case? Judge Kimberly Small, the same judge who sentenced former NBA player Jalen Rose to 20 days in jail over a drunken driving charge in July. That sentence was view as particularly harsh....

Perez v. VAS S.p.A., B219080, concerned a challenge to the trial court’s judgment in favor of defendant, in plaintiff’s strict products liability and negligence suit for sustaining injuries by a paper rewinding machine designed and manufactured by defendant. People v. Fenderson, A123984, concerned a challenge to a conviction of defendant for grand theft and second-degree commercial burglary for removing over $300,000 from an elderly woman’s bank account shortly after the woman’s death....

A video-shooting, bike-riding protestor’s ’throttling’ of traffic outside FCC headquarters is once-again drawing attention to the FCC’s decision to roll-back so-called net neutrality rules. Creative protests are an American tradition, as is increasingly slow-moving traffic in major cities. Put the two together and you get a potent and, depending on your point of view, humorous or annoyingly aggravating protest. Rob Bliss, a digital video producer, recently took his protest to the streets of Washington....

Cultural performances get a tax exemption in New York, but in case you’re wondering, that doesn’t include lap dances. An ‘adult club’ in Albany, New York thought they might be onto something when they filed a lawsuit over state sales tax. The club claimed that its admission fee and the cost of private dances should be exempt as a cultural endeavor. The state’s high court wasn’t convinced that lap dances have the same cultural value as ballet....

Another adventure in the ongoing saga of legalized marijuana: today’s episode comes straight from Happy — too happy? — Valley, Oregon, where 18-year-old Alan Alcantara, who could not look any more stoned in his mugshot, drove himself and a friend to the Stumptown Cannabis dispensary at 1:05 a.m. Sunday morning. Sorry, no, he drove himself and a friend into the Stumptown Cannabis dispensary at 1:05 a.m. Sunday morning. The most shocking part of Alcantara’s tale?...

Teeth are important. No, this isn’t just some silly thing your dentist tells you. It’s the truth. Think about all those deliciously crunchy foods you eat. You think you could chow down with only gums? Think again. This week’s edition of T.G.I.FindLaw! delves deep into the human psyche. It will make you wonder: how far would you go for a set of teeth? How much are your pearly whites really worth?...

Blasphemous. An art grad has better job prospects than a law grad? According to a survey, someone holding a Masters in Art is 86% likely to be employed. In contrast, a law grad is only 55% likely to be employed in a law-related field, as indicated in a law grads employment survey. Is it too late to trade the gavel for a paint brush? The law grads employment survey is interesting as it’s one of the first employment studies that actually looks at whether law grads enter the legal field, reports Forbes....

Forget Bird Law; Weed Law is one of the hottest legal fields right now. As more states turn slowly towards legalization – 23 states and D.C. allow medical marijuana, while four have fully legalized it – many lawyers are looking to specialize in this growing (no pun intended) market. So, do you have a future representing Mary Jane? It’s no surprise that there’s a lot of interesting legal developments around marijuana these days....

Pet alligators are nothing new over here on Legally Weird. They have a tendency to pop up from time to time. But this one? Well, it’s a doozy. Police in Des Moines, Iowa are currently investigating Colby Karaidos, a man accused of housing a 3-foot long alligator. Officers found the pet – along with a dog and infant – after being called to his home on an unrelated matter. Could that matter have been Karaidos’ recent drug arrest?...

It’s December, and attorneys everywhere are scurrying to buy presents – so they don’t seem like a louse. But who’s on their list? There are many to flatter – such as anyone who helped them with their legal matters. Not just clients, associates, or legal assistants – there are lots of others to thank, so you’d best be persistent. Here are five people to add to your holiday list. We suggest finding presents they’ll find hard to resist....

A threesome ended in a beating for one South Carolina woman, after her boyfriend punched and kicked her for continuing the lovemaking without him after he’d finished. Terry Antone Jenkins, 25, was arrested on domestic violence-related charges for beating his girlfriend after a menage-a-trois between Jenkins, his girlfriend, and her cousin turned sour, Myrtle Beach’s WMBF-TV reports. No one likes being the third wheel in a threesome, right? Jenkins’ alleged post-coital beat-down of his girlfriend more than qualifies as domestic violence, but technically the 25-year-old was only charged with simple assault… the first time around....