Invitation to the holiday office party? Check. Perfect outfit for said holiday office party? Check. Awesome gifts for your coworkers? Uh-oh, haven’t gotten that far. Don’t worry, we’ve taken all the thinking out of gift giving for you coworkers – just follow these three easy tips. 1. Who Is on the Gift List? If you actually go to court (which is doubtful if you are a newbie, but let’s just dream for a moment, shall we?...
In plaintiffs’ case involving claims that defendant-federal government failed to provide the quantities of water that it agreed to make available under contract, trial court’s judgment is affirmed in part, reversed in part, vacated in part, and remanded where: 1) trial court’s determination with regard to the government’s defense that Reclamation had implicit authority to reallocate the water in response to a change in law and policy is reversed as this was not a valid defense on the record; 2) trial court’s determination with regard to the Government’s defense that the shortages were the result of causes beyond the control of the United States such as to absolve it under the contract provisions is reversed as this was not a valid defense; 3) with regard to the sovereign acts doctrine defense, the trial court was correct in determining that defense unavailing; 4) trial court’s dismissal of the takings claim is vacated as plaintiffs are free to pursue their takings claim if they so choose with regard to the years for which the government has been found not liable as a matter of contract law; and 5) regarding the breach of contract claim, the case is remanded for a determination of damages for the years for which the government was liable....
A struggling freelance model filed a lawsuit seeking an exorbitant amount of money over a scratch that occurred during a haircut. The NYC hair stylist, Martino Cartier, gave the model a haircut as part of a public demonstration. The model claims that Cartier made a mistake and scratched her neck because he was rushing, and the scratch has now become a scar. Despite the fact that a Facebook post from the model talks about how much she loves the haircut, the model is seeking $5 million....
Romance means different things to different people. Some people propose marriage on one knee at the beach with a diamond ring in hand, others pop the question in sky writing, or deliver it in a singing telegram. For Vidal Valladares of Houston, Texas a romantic engagement means a freeway full of furiously honking cars. He now faces criminal charges for his marriage proposal to Michelle Wycoff on Interstate 25 last Sunday, according to The Associated Press....
The new semester has just started, and if you haven’t bought or rented your casebooks by now … well, what’s wrong with you? (Except 3Ls: Everyone knows that you’ve totally checked out at this point.) In the year 2015, we have plenty of e-books (some available even from our sister company, West Publishing!), but are e-textbooks really the way to go? Sure, they save precious space in your backpack, meaning you won’t look like Richard III by the end of law school, but is the trade-off really worth it?...
Enjoy your last summer of freedom. When fall comes and you start law school as a 1L, you can kiss fun-loving summers goodbye once and for all. As you spend most of your time enjoying the sun, or backpacking, or whatever it is college grads do these days, one of the things on your list should involve preparing for your first day of law school. Here are the five things you’ll need for law school....
Got a BigLaw gig lined up, soon-to-be-employed-one? Or, maybe you’re working on securing that offer soon enough. Regardless of whether or not you’ve actually managed to secure what is a pipe dream for many, these days, it’s best to always be prepared for what you’re getting yourself into. 1. Prepare to be flexible and open. A lot is going to be expected of you, and this will span several different arenas....
The California Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether the names of police officers involved in shootings in the line of duty are exempt from disclosure under the California Public Records Act (CPRA), reports Metropolitan News-Enterprise. A California appellate court ruled in February that the officers’ names were not exempt from the CPRA. The California Supreme Court judges unanimously agreed to hear the police identity disclosure case this week. The case arose from a 2010 police shooting....
It’s like a scene out of an after-school special: Police are called to the scene of a raucous house party, and finding illegal activity going on, they arrest everyone – including the party’s host, who, as it turns out, doesn’t even live there. That’s more or less what the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police wanted the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to see. But the court saw quite the opposite: a party that wasn’t in violation of any ordinances, admittedly no illegal activity going on, and a party host whose residency at the house wasn’t so cut-and-dry....
When Charles-Guillaume Étienne wrote (in French) “If you want something done right, do it yourself,” he was not talking about delegating legal work. While most of us could probably admit to stating this phrase at least once (no law school study group horror stories? no failed group science experiments?), we know it doesn’t make sense in the business world. Delegating is important, and should be an integral part of your work strategy....
Disbarment spells the end of (former) Florida public defender Linda Dawn Hadad who allegedly descended into a bit of midlife crisis over the last couple of years. Although people may still claim to be a little fuzzy on attorney ethics and professional responsibility, almost anyone can tell you that sex with your clients and taking payments in illicit drugs falls far beyond that line, no matter how fuzzy you think it may be....
FSU Quarterback Jameis Winston is under investigation for sexual assault by the Tallahassee police, and he’s not talking. According to ESPN, the investigation stems from a “sexual assault complaint filed nearly a years ago,” but no criminal charges have yet been filed. Winston’s status as a player hasn’t changed as of yet, but what does the player’s silence mean? In the United States, the Fifth Amendment protects persons from incriminating themselves by allowing an individual to remain silent, even while on trial for a crime....
Cracking open a 24-oz can of Heineken and noting ‘a foul taste’ is not an uncommon occurrence. Experiencing ‘severe abdominal pain followed by vomiting,’ on the other hand, only happens to some of us. It also happened to California resident George Toubbeh back in August 2015. And when his daughter examined the tall can she discovered two small intruders – juvenile leopard geckos, who, due to their un-decomposed nature, were probably alive and kicking when the beer was poured and sealed into the can....
In a recent speech this past week at the dedication of the new University of South Carolina School of Law in Columbia, South Carolina, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito may have expressed a rather unpopular opinion. After comparing law schools to mosquito breeding pools, the jurist said that he believed it would be good for society if more people thought about issues like lawyers do. Justice Alito explained that thinking like a lawyer involves looking at all sides of an issue in order to arrive at the truth....
Wouldn’t you be ecstatic if the cops took down 30 drug dealers in your neighborhood? If they arrested known gang members who possessed half a kilo of cocaine, 20 lbs. of marijuana 8 oz. of crack and a number of firearms? One would think elation would be the normal reaction, but it seems this is not always the case. Some residents in Ferriday, Louisiana are enraged that law enforcement carried out the above arrests....
A Hastings law student is now facing two felony charges after an alleged hit-and-run occurred over the weekend in Oakland. Meghan Anne Zato, according to the police, struck an innocent man after fleeing an attack from a group of vandals, reports the Contra Costa Times. The 25-year-old man from Oakland, James Roda, who was struck was apparently not a part of the initial attack. What happened, exactly? Zato had left a bar accompanied by a man late on Saturday night around 12:45 a....
For lawyers, especially small firm lawyers, going viral can be a really big deal and a boon for business. Unfortunately, for the lucky few, going viral will only happen either when they let it go, or embrace the fact that internet people like lawyer dog memes more than lawyers. Take for example Jonathan Triplett, the Kirkland and Ellis attorney, who is now experiencing that viral fame after hiking up his dress and pushing a police van out of a slippery and snowy situation in Boston, while dressed up as Elsa from the Disney movie Frozen....
A Pennsylvania man frantically dialed 911 after someone at work allegedly stole his Jell-O from the work refrigerator. The furious (and apparently famished) 39-year-old called the cops to report the theft of his beloved artificially flavored gelatinous snack. But can the colleague actually face criminal charges for stealing the man’s Strawberry-flavored Jell-O? Even if it’s Jell-O – the lowest hanging (artificial) fruit of the snack tree – lunch theft is theft....
Americans are great at passive aggressive protest. We’ve all heard of those people who think they’re so cool sticking it to the establishment and paying their bills or fines in pennies. A Utah man paid his $25 doctor’s bill with 2,500 pennies. But, one man got a bit more creative. A Houston man was very unhappy when police gave him a $137 ticket for an expired inspection ticket. So to show his dissatisfaction, he folded 137 dollar bills into origami pigs, put them into two Dunkin’ Donuts boxes, and went to pay his fine....
Being a professional cheerleader ain’t easy. Most are ludicrously underpaid, constantly body-shamed, and a federal appeals court even ruled that cheerleading is not a sport. Cheerleaders are overworked, underpaid, and held to physical appearance standards that are either impossible to meet or leave many of them with eating disorders. But lately, professional cheerleaders are turning to the courts for protection, suing teams and even leagues for wage suppression and other employment law violations....
