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In addition to death and taxes, one of the other certainties of modern life, and the practice of law, is bills. But thanks to modern medicine and lawyers, death and taxes (respectively) are negotiable (sometimes); so why shouldn’t your bills be too? You might be surprised that, at least sometimes, some bills you didn’t think would be, might actually be negotiable. Below, you can read more about how to negotiate your bills down to put more cash in your pocket....

One has to wonder whether Christopher Anspach, 28, of Newton, Iowa is a really slow reader, or just incapable of meeting deadlines. The Pizza Hut employee has been sentenced to serve 10 days in jail for overdue library books and videos he failed to return for seven months, despite repeated phone calls and certified letters sent by the Newton Public Library. Unfortunately, the court has not released a list of Anspach’s library contraband....

Here’s something that would have you questioning your roommate: coming home to find that your alcohol bottles are drained and finding puddles of urine on the floor. This is exactly what happened to a couple living in an apartment in Half Moon Bay. For months, Paul Arihara and Leina Sarafina would notice their alcohol bottles getting lower and would smell urine. At first, Arihara blamed Sarafina for secretly drinking the liquor and her dogs for the smell of urine....

A programmer in San Francisco got some justice after posting a viral video that showed her smartphone and laptop being swiped from a neighborhood cafe. Police arrested Paul Raynal, 32, on Monday, after a tweeting tipster who’d seen the viral video spotted the alleged perpetrator at a nearby Starbucks – wearing the same outfit seen in the video from three days earlier. Can social media and stupidity combine to fight crime?...

As if general counsel didn’t have enough hats to wear already, the stock market cap is coming out for Walmart’s in-house attorneys. Walmart shares fell as much as 2.45 percent after news of a whistleblower suit, alleging the company “issued misleading e-commerce results.” A wage dispute by warehouse workers might have been better because this lawsuit comes from the former director of business development. Tri Huynh said he was wrongfully fired for raising concerns about the company’s “overly aggressive push to show meteoric growth in its e-commerce business by any means possible – even, illegitimate ones....

As the first black president, who is also a lawyer, exits the White House, another leader is working to ensure that minorities continue to move up the ranks in law firms across the nation. Microsoft, which created a program to increase diversity in the law firms it retains, has announced measurable success at the end of the program’s inaugural year. According to the company, its law firms have increased diversity representation in management committees by more than three percent and partnership composition by more than one percent....

Major League Baseball has filed a lawsuit against Florida clinic Biogenesis and “Dr.” Anthony Bosch, accusing them of providing banned performance-enhancing drugs to its players. In the lawsuit, MLB accuses the defendants of soliciting pro baseball players to purchase banned drugs and otherwise making these drugs available to players. As a result, MLB says that it suffered economic damages such as the loss of goodwill and damage to its reputation, reports The Post Game....

Conviction for first degree murder and other crimes and sentence to death is affirmed where: 1) the trial court did not err in denying defendant’s motions for a change of venue and in its rulings on various challenges to the makeup of the jury; 2) the court did not err in denying several motions to suppress and in its evidentiary rulings, in various instructions it made to the jury, and in denying requested defense instructions; 3) the court did not err denying defendant access to data concerning his past employment and in prohibiting him from introducing evidence on that subject, and did not err in refusing to give proposed instructions on aggravating and mitigating circumstances; and 4) there is no merit to defendant’s argument that the death penalty statute violates the United States Constitution....

Law school finals week is a time filled with stress, tensions, and of course, prescription drugs. It seems students everywhere are ingesting Adderall. Adderall is meant to alleviate the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s a stimulant, which means it also allows students to stay awake for long stretches of time. Honestly, staying awake is something all law students struggle with. It’s rare that students are positively enthralled with contract or property law....

New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis had access to an electronic eavesdropping device that tapped into opposing coaches’ communications at the Superdome, sources told ESPN. If Loomis used such a device, his actions may have been criminal under federal and state wiretapping laws. But it may be too late to file charges. Loomis could face discipline by the NFL – in addition to his current eight-game suspension for the Saints’ bounty scandal....

Assault with a sex toy. Now that’s just weird. A suburban Chicago woman is facing misdemeanor aggravated assault charges after allegedly assaulting a police officer, as well of theft of labor or services. What did Carolee Bildsten allegedly use to assault the police officer with, and why? That’s going to be a tricky one to answer tastefully. Is this a family audience? The near victim/police officer said Bildsten’s alleged weapon was “a rigid feminine pleasure device,” but who are we kidding?...

What exactly are your constitutional rights when it comes to renting out your home? That’s a key question in the tourist city of South Lake Tahoe, California, where a controversial vacation rental law was passed in the recent November election, by just 54 votes. Certain aspects of the law went into affect at the start of the key Holiday Break ski season, but a judge took just minutes to issue a temporary injunction, granting a small reprieve during the holiday season....

A Walmart near St. Louis was evacuated after workers allegedly caught a shoplifting suspect cooking meth while waiting for police in a detention room. Walmart security detained a 32-year-old woman on suspicion of shoplifting Thursday night, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. The woman allegedly tried to walk out of the store with cosmetics and a purse that she didn’t pay for. Security officers took the woman to the store’s loss-prevention office, where she was to wait for police....

A Maserati Gran Turismo is the kind of car that’s guaranteed to get attention. A Maserati Gran Turismo painted to look like one of the robots from the ‘Transformers’ movie series is guaranteed to get even more attention. Unfortunately, for one Massachusetts residents, this attention included being cited for impersonating a police officer, reports The Patriot Ledger. Why is the man’s lawyer calling the charges against his client “silly?” Car Was Temporarily ‘Dipped’ To Resemble Movie Robot According to the man’s attorney, the owner of the car is a man in his late twenties who is a fan of Transformers, a movie series featuring alien robots who disguise themselves as everyday machines....

California Courts are still trying to cope with budget cuts. Under this year’s budget plan, the courts will be dipping into their reserves for $300 million that used to come from the state, and a separate $240-million cut will delay 38 construction projects, the Los Angeles Times reports. When the money isn’t there, courthouses have to be consolidated. Consolidation not only imposes a burden on court staff, but on people appearing before the court....

If it pushes an industry underground, is it still a good idea? That is the dilemma Californians will soon find out. AB 485 went into effect at the beginning of this year, and makes California the first state to require pet stores to only sell rescues when it comes to dogs, cats, and rabbits. Sale of newborn animals is a big business in all parts of the country. Demand drives up supply, and as of today, there are about 10,000 puppy mills active in the U....

Have you ever looked at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals electronic devices policy? If you’re a member of the bar or the media, everything’s A-O-K. If you’re Joe Schmo trying to get a glimpse of the appellate court at work, you’re S-O-L. The general policy states, “Visitors may keep an electronic device (e.g., cell phone, laptop, iPhone, iPod, MP3 player, etc.) in the courthouse and annex if the device does not have a camera (still or video) or is not capable of recording audio....

Otaku: a Japanese term for a person who stays at home all day, playing video games and surfing the net. Essentially, a hermit, who’s only association with the outside world is through online communication. Ever wanted to be a law firm otaku? You could, if you worked for Clearspire, a new D.C. firm that has an unconventional business strategy that includes virtual home offices and no billable hours. That’s right - Clearspire offers an upfront estimate of the cost of whatever service you request of them, and also gives people the exact details of who will be working on their case....

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled this week that Arkansas and Mississippi Entergy companies don’t have to pay exit fees for opting out of a decades-old Entergy agreement, reports The Associated Press. The Entergy System Agreement establishes the operating framework for the six Entergy companies servicing Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas (the Operating Companies). Each party to the agreement must also make any excess capacity available “to its sister companies as a backstop for when demand exceeds self-generated supply....

A Florida woman is facing aggravated battery charges for allegedly stabbing her boyfriend to protect her pet turtle. Marie Seymour, 53, was taken into police custody on Tuesday, while her boyfriend was taken to a Palm Beach Gardens hospital. According to the Palm Beach Post, Seymour is accused of stabbing her boyfriend after a drunken threat that he was going to “harm her turtle.” Is there a legal defense available for this reptile lover?...