Posts

Haben Girma, the first deaf-blind student to graduate from Harvard Law School, received international acclaim when she began her career in the law. President Barack Obama greeted her at the White House, where she gave the opening address for the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. She has devoted her career to inspiring people through public speaking and non-litigation advocacy, and now she’s writing a memoir about her experiences....

There may be no holiday season quite like Christmas to remind you just how lonely you are. And with the Internet seemingly providing a solution for everything, some desperate (and digitally savvy) singles are now turning to Craigslist to hire a holiday boyfriend or girlfriend. Using Craigslist to find a temporary partner for the holidays may seem strange at first, but upon reflection, the two seem to go hand in hand....

In a petition for review of a determination of the Copyright Royalty Judges setting rates and terms relating to webcasting, the petition is granted in part, where the Judges failed to explain their minimum fee provision for commercial webcasters; but denied in part, where nothing in the Judges’ interpretation of the Copyright Act established unreasonableness. Read Intercollegiate Sys., Inc. v. Copyright Royalty Bd., No. 07-1123 Appellate Information Argued March 19, 2009...

In plaintiff’s case against defendant claiming breach of contract in refusing to pay for legal representation, among others, trial court’s denial of defendant’s anti-SLAPP motion is vacated and remanded as the trial court lacked the jurisdiction to rule on the merits of the motion because, prior to the ruling, plaintiff had voluntarily dismissed the case before trial had commenced. Read Law Offices of Andrew L. Ellis v. Yang, No. B205452 [PDF]...

The debate over compensating college athletes has raged for decades. And while the idea of paying student athletes a wage for playing a sport (or even allowing them to receive anything of value beyond a scholarship) remains dead on arrival, the notion that players should be compensated for their likeness has been gaining traction recently. Last year, the Ninth Circuit ruled that the NCAA can’t deny student athletes “the monetary value of their names, images and likenesses when used for commercial purposes....

Public assistance programs lead to increased abortion rates, rampant disease, and chronic wasting … among elk and bison. In 2007, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service developed a plan to stop the outbreak of disease and manage the elk and bison populations in Wyoming. Part of this plan included ending a longstanding agency practice of feeding these animals during the winter. The Defenders of Wildlife challenged the plan in federal court under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) claiming that the plan’s failure to commit to a deadline for ending supplemental feeding was arbitrary and capricious....

The Senate Judiciary Committee is primed to vote Thursday on Nina Pillard’s prospective nomination to one of three seats left vacant on the D.C. Circuit bench. Pillard has already been subjected to a good deal of examination by the Committee in the months since her nomination, and according to The Hoya, her views on sex education and reproductive rights have conservatives worried. As Pillard prepares to face the Committee for its final vote, will her political views be her undoing?...

It’s almost the end of the year. This means one thing: everybody’s trying to get their eat on. Diets be damned, as there are only a few more days until the popular New Year’s resolution to lose weight kicks in. This edition of T.G.I.FindLaw! highlights some of the weird food-related happenings that occurred this week. Ready to have your curiosity sated, your appetite piqued, and your faith in mankind questioned? Read on!...

Ten days after his teammate pleaded guilty to felony gun possession, Washington Wizards guard Javaris Crittenton faces gun charges. According to the Washington Post, Crittenton, 22, was charged with weapons violations in an apparent plea deal. He was charged on two counts: possession of a firearm attempting to carry a pistol without a license, both misdemeanors. Each charge carries a maximum year in jail. Crittenton’s lawyer, Peter H. White, says prosecutors plan to drop the second charge....

Allergan, a specialty pharmaceutical company, has been battling it out in court with fellow pharmaceutical maker Sandoz over the right to sell a generic version of Allergan’s popular glaucoma drug, Combigan. Last week, the Federal Circuit reversed a district court’s ruling that many of Allergan’s patent claims were nonobvious under 35 U.S.C. §103. The most interesting part of the case, however, may be Judge Dyk’s dissent, in which he argues that the method claim is invalid because it’s merely a “discovered result of an existing method or use....

Yesterday, we wrote about a former Squire Patton Boggs associate who took to the Internet to decry the gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and “a very clear glass ceiling” found at major law firms. At many firms, the mother of two claimed, “having a baby apparently makes you worth less as a lawyer.” Her complaints line up with what many others have said: the male-dominated legal industry can be a horrible place for mothers....

Almost every parent has faced the logistical horror of receiving a jury summons. Whether you are a stay-at-home parent of infants or a double-income parent of middle school children, the thought of getting to the courthouse by 8:30 a.m., potentially for weeks on end, is enough to give you an ulcer. Can a parent get out of jury duty to take care of children? The answer depends on your local jurisdiction, and some are more lenient than others....

You’re one month deep in the quest to attain an inhuman amount of billable hours; if you want a change, the time is now. You recently received your end-of-year bonus for 2013 – before you add more hours to tally for you 2014 bonus, if you want to make a lateral career move, the earlier you do it, the better. Here are some different career changes you can make, and some tips on how to make them....

West Virginia’s Supreme Court is a tangled mess, and it’s getting worse. One justice has been charged with misusing government resources. Another pleaded guilty to a felony, and the state legislature impeached the entire court over a $3 million spending scandal. How could it get worse? Ask former chief justice Menis Ketchum; he just lost his license to practice law. Annulment/Disbarment In West Virginia, they call Ketchum’s case an “annulment.” Like a marriage annulment rather than a divorce, it basically means it never happened....

Almost every lawyer has been down the rabbit hole of researching free legal research tools. And almost every one of those lawyers comes to the same conclusion: free legal research tools are often lacking in several ways (except, ironically, in cost). Whether it’s questionable accuracy, abysmal formatting, or the annoyance of having to scour multiple free sources, there’s always something when it comes to free research sources. In the end, even bothering with free research sources can just be a waste of time, and hence a waste of resources (and ironically, a waste of money)....

In the days of the frontier, men settled their arguments like men; by shooting each other. Those days are not entirely gone in Alaska, but happily dispute resolution, while not always entirely civilized, has been taken down a notch. At least in the case at hand. Two roommates have recently made the national news for a fight that ended in a stabbing. With antlers. According to KTVA11 News, Anchorage police were called to the scene of a dispute last Thursday July 1, after shots were allegedly heard in the 2400 block of Douglas St....

A gambler is suing a Las Vegas casino to recover the $500,000 he lost over Super Bowl weekend, claiming he was too drunk. Mark Johnston, a retiree from Ventura, California, is suing the Downtown Grand for loaning him money when he was allegedly completely blacked out, The Associated Press reports. But are his legal claims going to hit the jackpot in court? (har har) In Nevada, the home of Sin City, casinos cannot allow “visibly intoxicated” patrons to gamble and cannot serve visbly drunk patrons with complimentary drinks....

Gabriel Reed has been telling investors that he can organize World Wrestling Entertainment events and hard rock concerts for years. And now those false claims have earned him years behind bars. Reed, who had been operating as Gabe Reed Productions was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison on wire fraud charges, after promising investors big name events and then using their money for personal expenses like rent and travel....

The father of one of the victims who fell in the Paris attacks in late 2015 is suing Twitter and other social media platforms for their role in bringing the attacks about. Specifically, he has accused the defending parties of “providing material support for terrorism.” The defendants have responded by claiming that the Communications Decency Act shields them from liability associated with user posts. But in this delicate case, who will – or should – win?...

Recent reports revealed the best cities for women in tech jobs and new opportunities for women lawyers in the tech industry. According to an annual report, Washington, D.C. is the best city in the country for women in tech jobs for the third year in a row. Forbes reported that 41 percent of the tech jobs are held by women. There is a pay gap – with women earning 94 percent of what mean earn on average – but the pay is higher than the national average of 84 percent....