How much is a lifetime (or more) of shoe sales worth? $500 million sound about right? That’s the reported figure, on the low end, of LeBron James’ lifetime contract with Nike. The world’s largest sporting goods company had the chance to lock up the second-best player in the NBA for life and they jumped at it. So does this really mean that King James and the Swoosh are stuck with each other forever?...
In plaintiff’s action against defendant-attorneys claiming that a lis pendens on property was wrongfully recorded, denial of attorneys’ anti-SLAPP motion is reversed where it is proper to record a notice of pendency of action, commonly called a lis pendens, on a dominant tenement when the litigation is an easement dispute. Read Park 100 Inv. Group II v. Ryan, No. B208189 [HTML] Read Park 100 Inv. Group II v. Ryan, No. B208189 [PDF]...
Jennifer Marie Patterson graduated from the Univ. of Richmond School of Law last month. She also pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute over a pound of methamphetamine, reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Patterson, 33, of Chester, Virginia, admitted to U.S. Magistrate M. Hannah Lauck that Patterson had distributed methamphetamine with a business partner from 2007 to 2009. The DEA alleged in 2010 that Patterson and a male partner were “longtime methamphetamine and cocaine traffickers,” as corroborated by four “cooperating sources,” reports the Times-Dispatch....
Some of the greatest agreements are celebrated with a toast. But when has a party gotten out of control? When the bride passes out drunk? When a signer spills his drink on the document? It’s not much of a defense to say you were drunk at the time, especially in DUI court, but it could be a defense to enforcing an agreement if a signer loses capacity. So here’s to drinking responsibly!...
The American Beverage Association is suing the city of San Francisco over a law requiring warning labels on sugary beverages. The lawsuit relies on a unique argument: the First Amendment. This raises the question: can you use free speech principles to shut somebody up? Anti-Sugar Speech The ABA is saying that San Francisco’s bans on sugary soda ads on city property and mandatory warning labels are an attempt “to ensure that there is no free marketplace of ideas, but instead only a government-imposed, one-sided public ‘dialogue’ on the topic – in violation of the First Amendment....
Wisconsin authorities have shut down one of the most popular nude beaches in the country. The nude beach shutdown follows years of efforts to stop public sex and drug use on the beach. Nudists have been making pilgrimages to the public beach located on the Wisconsin River for years, reports The Christian Science Monitor. While authorities in the liberal Dane County largely ignored the public nudity, they could not turn a blind eye to the public sex and drug use that followed....
Working at a law firm can be miserable. You often deal with unreasonable partners, unreasonable hours, and unreasonable demands. But while you may be contemplating leaving your firm job, you should also be aware of some reasons to stick it out. Before I put law firms behind me, my mother told me that it is really easy to quit a job, but a lot more difficult and rewarding to stick through one....
Well, law school is over. The bar exam is over. And yet you still have a pile of casebooks from 3L year – as well as a smaller pile from previous years you couldn’t get rid of because the federal rules advisory committees have to change the rules every single year! Sure, you could sell these books and make about 18 cents on the dollar, but that takes time and it’s no fun at all....
You can master your opening statements, shine during direct-examination, and give an Oscar-worthy closing arguments – but you may still struggle with cross-examination. Many litigators, even seasoned trial attorneys, labor to master cross-examination. If you’re just starting out, here are seven tips to help make sure you do your first cross-examination right. Prepare, prepare, prepare, then prepare some more. A good cross-examination is three quarters preparation, one quarter execution. You should master every relevant detail about a witness, from employment history to prior statements....
What is the inevitable outcome of a botched vasectomy? That is right, a beautiful but unexpected baby. So, who should be on the hook for the food, clothing, shelter, care and college education of that bouncing baby? Scott and Donnita Bassinger of Eugene, Oregon, say the doctor who performed the not-so-effective vasectomy should, and they are suing. Don’t think the Bassingers are suing because they are sorry to be the parents of their new baby boy....
The week of October 25-31 has been designated National Celebration of Pro Bono week by the ABA; and this years’ marks the seventh such celebration. Throughout the past few days, the ABA has been taking the time to recognize pro bono achievements by lawyers but has decided to push especially hard today. The ABA will judge the most outstanding contributions by considering creativity and community impact. Participants are urged to share information about their pro bono events and activities using the hashtag #ABAdayofservice....
You upload photos to Facebook and the social media website gives you suggestions on who to tag. Is that your old roommate Javier on the fishing trip? Or maybe it’s Craig, from accounting? And this photo in your feed, you weren’t there when it was taken, but would you like to tag Lijuan anyway? All that’s possible through Facebook’s fairly sophisticated biometric technology, which uses facial recognition software to scan members’ faces and identify them in photos posted to the site....
While law school professors are not known for being underpaid, Lucy Marsh, a full professor at the University of Denver law school, was certain something wasn’t right. So she, and six others, sued the school alleging unequal pay and gender discrimination. At first, the law school said she was paid less because of “substandard scholarship, teaching and service.” But now theuniversity has agreed to pay $2.66 million to settle the case....
There are two types of trial lawyers. Good ones and others. And just because an attorney may not make any technical errors during a trial, that doesn’t mean they’re good, or even that they know what they’re doing. Trial is about so much more, and only so much trial and error is going to be helpful in making a trial lawyer good at their job. Plain and simple, if you want to be a good trial lawyer, you need training, and you need to keep up on your training....
The ongoing saga of the State of New York and its attorney general Eric Schneiderman versus DraftKings and FanDuel has been an entertaining one. Schneiderman declared the daily fantasy sites “constitute illegal gambling under New York law,” ordered them to stop taking bets in the state, and then asked for New Yorkers’ money back. In December, a New York Supreme Court judge issued an injunction against the companies that was later suspended by another court....
That was fun, wasn’t it? Say what you will about 1L year, but for me, bar study and California’s three days of pain trumps a little bit of Socratic hazing. When I walked out of the exam, my friends and fellow test-takers bee-lined for the bar across the street, drank a single beer, and then headed home and slept … for a long time. You’ll also probably feel like celebrating. The problem is, after three months of studying, and thousands of dollars sunk into the prep course and the exam, and the legal job market, you’re probably a little short on cash....
A Florida pothead’s broken bong led to his arrest for allegedly pulling a gun on his girlfriend and choking her, The Gainesville Sun reports. Officers arrested Brandon Chviek, 20, of Gainesville, after his live-in girlfriend walked into the local sheriff’s office showing off bruises and scratches. Investigators found Chviek at the couple’s apartment. Chviek also had scratches on his face and neck, and told police he’d been goofing around with friends....
In petitions for review of an NLRB finding that Petitioner engaged in an unfair labor practice by disciplining an employee for sending three union-related e-mails to her fellow employees, Petitioner-Union’s petition is granted, where Petitioner-Employer acted unlawfully in disciplining the employee for certain e-mails; and Petitioner Employer’s petition is denied, where the Board’s findings were supported by substantial evidence. Read Guard Pub. Co. v. NLRB, No. 07-1528 Appellate Information Argued December 8, 2008...
In case you missed it, vandals redecorated the Lambda Law Students Association’s office at Boston College Law School (BCLS) over the weekend with a wall full of hate. Above the Law has a photo of the hooligans’ handiwork here. BCLS Dean Vincent D. Rougeau condemned the act. Jason Triplett, co-chair of the school’s Lambda Law chapter, told Above the Law that the graffiti was shocking because the both students and faculty at the school are inclusive and supportive of the organization....
A 19-year-old man’s alleged burglary of a Florida bakery came to crashing halt when he fell through the ceiling of the business, landing on a rack of potato chips. Chacarion Avant was arrested after being discovered by the bakery’s owner, who told WKMG-TV he initially thought Avant was a customer before noticing the hole in the ceiling. Avant was injured in the fall and was taken to the hospital, but not before being charged with armed burglary and giving false information to police....
