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It was easy in law school. Meeting fellow students involved quaffing a pint of the cheapest Bud Light the host could afford, then slurring some comment about how much Property Law stank. “Rule against perpetuities? Whatever bro. I ain’t got no property anyway.” Now, networking involves a little more effort. Bar events are full of pompous and/or supposedly mature adults and the drinks are bit pricier. Plus, you don’t have the fallback “law school stinks” small talk....

February 20 is “Love Your Pet Day.” Don’t believe us? Check Google. Lawyers everywhere have hearts not as black as coal, but sentimental cavities full of pink, fluffy wuvs which they often share with their pets. In celebration of the furry and scaly friends which lawyers love, we present seven sensational pets to lavish your unrequited love on: These tiny rexes were first openly pimped by fictional lawyer Elle Woods in “Legally Blonde....

No one likes a lewd act conviction. With that in mind, we bring you FindLaw’s Dating Tips for Avoiding Criminal Convictions. Tip 1: Despite the unrelenting popularity of the Twilight series, you should not troll VampireFreaks.com for dates if you are over the age of 18. It’s not worth the risk of picking up a tween-age Twi-hard. Tip 2: If you insist upon ignoring Tip 1, avoid potential dates that take place at the library....

BigLaw firms are courting partners like they were Hollywood celebrities and professional athletes, according to reports. It’s basically the money, says the New York Times. Firms like Kirkland & Ellis are wooing away star partners with seven figure salaries – sometimes three times more than their prior firms paid them. Of course, there are other perks that come with big money. As it happens in celebrity world, however, it doesn’t always work out so well for the supporting cast....

The internet is not really forever, but it can change your life forever. Judge Laurie Booras, a Colorado appeals court judge, knows that now. She sent some email messages with demeaning, ethnic references that basically ended her career. Perhaps Booras thought her email was a private joke between friends. But she should have known it was no excuse for racism on the bench. Removed From Office The Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline recommended Booras be removed from office based on the email....

Are you craving some recognition, but you can’t find anyone to give it to you? If so, you could: go back to school, work your tail off, climb up the ladder, obtain success and receive well deserved recognition for your hard work and achievement. Or you could just pose as a nurse and throw a phony award party honoring your own greatness. This being Legally Weird, of course our subject opted for the latter....

It’s expensive to be a bridesmaid between the dress, the shoes, and the DUI charges. It’s a toss up about which is more expensive but in most cases it’s the criminal charge. Lesley Falcone learned that one the hard way when she was pulled over on Friday night. The Florida woman allegedly told police “this is what I get for being a bridesmaid,” after they stopped her for speeding and swerving....

The first Friday of November marks Love Your Lawyer Day, a day to show a little appreciation for the attorneys of the world. Actually, a little appreciation might be asking a bit too much. When Love Your Lawyer Day was founded 15 years ago, by the legal marketer Nader Anise, the goal was for people to simply refrain from lawyer bashing and anti-esquire jokes for one day. We’d like to propose something a bit more meaningful....

FORD: Fix or Repair Daily. Fails on Rainy Days. Found on Roadside Dead. Or FORD backwards: Driver Returns on Foot. Apologies, but apparently, I’m not the only disillusioned former Ford owner. Greg Donlen was the former proud owner of a brand-new Ford F-450 Super Duty, equipped with a TorqShift transmission, which in addition to sounding badass, had the unfortunate habits of burning out seals, shifting erratically, and popping into neutral....

It’s not easy living in the age of social media. Everything we do is documented. Everything we say is easily reproduced and published for mass consumption. Everyone is a spy, and our peers are prone to ratting us out for our indiscretions. It’s even worse for college students and law students. Can you imagine being the idiot that you were in your younger years now? If you’ve been online in the last two weeks, you’re probably read the Maryland Sorority Girl Email....

Are you a teenager who reads news online? In the eyes of the Justice Department, you may technically be a criminal. The Department of Justice (DOJ) under both the Bush and Obama administrations have interpreted the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act very broadly. So broadly, in fact, that it can be considered a crime for many kids to access news websites, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). Basically, a violation of a website’s Terms of Service or Terms of Use policy can potentially be treated as a criminal act under the DOJ’s interpretation....

We’ve all seen those Safe Haven signs at Walmart and police stations, making it legal for parents to unburden themselves by dropping off their infants and giving up all parental rights and responsibilities without legal ramification. But is there a parallel for wildlife? Last week, a three foot long alligator was dropped off at the doorstep of a San Diego pet store. Game officials are coming to fetch the alligator, since the San Diego Zoo had no room left in the ol’ manger....

A judge has banned a Wisconsin man from the Internet after he used his neighbor’s likeness in a prank involving Craigslist personal ads. Jason Willis, 31, of Waterford, pleaded guilty to posting ads that solicited people to have sex with his neighbor, a woman whom Milwaukee’s WTMJ-TV is calling “Dawn” to protect her true identity. Unfortunately for Willis, his Craigslist prank went very wrong, taking a turn for the creepy and criminal....

Some lawyers went to law school to avoid math, but you can’t ignore the math if you are thinking about law school now. Many schools have begun giving deep discounts to students who score high on their law school admission tests. According to reports, top LSAT scorers could see “as much as $100,000 tuition discounts.” It’s part of the law school economy, as educators look for ways to boost dwindling enrollments....

It’s a Sexually Explicit Day in the Neighborhood On the Neighborhood Curmudgeon Growth Chart, there’s a clear pattern: the older they are, the less subtle their displays of intolerance. Michael Buck of Pennsylvania is only 27 years old, but that added up to about 135 in Neighborhood Curmudgeon Years, after he was arrested for using loud porn to keep his neighbors’ kids away from his house. Buck didn’t like all the rampant playing and bike-riding taking place on his “cul-de-sac”, which is actually French for “bottom of the bag”, a term that best describes the depths Buck lowered himself to in finally driving the kids away....

In plaintiff’s mandamus proceeding seeking to compel defendant California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board to set aside its reassessment decision that plaintiff’s workers were employees and not independent contractors, superior court’s judgment is affirmed where: 1) the California Constitution has granted to the Legislature the power to prescribe the manner of proceeding in an action to recover a tax paid; 2) plaintiff has failed to exhaust its administrative remedies by waiting for a decision from the Appeals Board regarding the petition for review of the denial of the claim for refund; 3) case law and statutory law do not establish the right to judicial review of the Appeal Board’s reassessment decision; and 4) the ability to petition for refund in the courts is an adequate remedy at law....

In plaintiffs’ action against the defendants on behalf of a decedent who died of mesothelioma, trial court’s grant of defendants’ motion for nonsuit is reversed where: 1) the component parts defense does not apply in this case where defendants made separate products with a specific purpose and use; and 2) defendants can be held strictly liable for injury caused by dust emanating from replacement asbestos. Finally, Taylor v. Elliot Turbomachinery Co....

Court of Appeals judgment is affirmed where evidence about partition ratio variability is relevant in generic DUI cases to rebut the presumption of intoxication in Vehicle Code sec. 23610 and support an inference that the defendant was not under the influence, but may not be used to negate the basic fact triggering the Vehicle Code sec. 23610 presumption and thereby defeat operation of the presumption itself. Conviction for driving under the influence is affirmed where: 1) although defendant was prevented from introducing evidence about partition ratio variability, the error was harmless, as there was significant evidence of his intoxication; and 2) the jury’s verdict indicated that the admission of partition ratio evidence was not reasonably likely to have produced a more favorable result....

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Da’Quan Bowers was arrested for having a gun at an airport. He now faces a criminal charge. Bowers is accused of possessing a 0.40-caliber semiautomatic handgun in his suitcase at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, reports CNN. There were no bullets in the gun, but the ammunition was found in a separate location near the gun. The 22-year-old Bowers was charged with second-degree criminal possession. Bowers could have used a primer on the rules for traveling with a firearm....

Many legal news stories deal with gravely serious, important issues. Not all of them, though. This year certainly had its fair share of crudely humorous, laughably oddball, and head-scratching legal stories, from massively popular naked bike rides to significantly less popular farting cops. There were also quite a few unorthodox legal questions that needed answering this year. For the best of both, here are the 10 most popular Legal Grounds blog posts of 2014:...