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People v. Laufasa, A127159, concerned a challenge to a conviction of defendant for drug related crimes after he was caught at an international airport concealing about two pounds of methamphetamine. In affirming the conviction, the court held that defendant’s argument, that the trial court lacked authority to impose a condition that he not reenter the country illegally if he is ever deported, is without merit. Related Resources: Full text of Chicago Title Ins....

My dog ate my homework! It’s the classic defense for not turning in homework. Most criminal defendants plead guilty to get a shorter sentence. However, some attorneys really earn their money when they come up with crazy farfetched defenses for their clients. Sometimes, those defenses even work! Here are our picks for the top three weirdest defenses presented in court: 1. I’m Not a Terrorist, I Just Wanted Girls. In the Netherlands, Mohamed B....

The University of Southern California has filed an appeal with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, arguing that the sanctions placed on the university football program be reduced. The appeal did not contest all aspects of the sanctions, but argued that much of the punishment was overly severe and “inconsistent with precedent.” The NCAA punishment included four years of probation, a two-year post season bowl ban, removal of championships and a loss of multiple scholarships....

When you’re part of a sports team, you expect your teammates and coaches to have your back. And coaches, even though they have to push and challenge you to realize your full potential, should always have your best interests at heart. But in a case out of Cincinnati, one college athlete is suing her volleyball coach, claiming the coach body shamed her, harassed her about what she wore and posted online, and eventually kicked her off the team....

Attention attorneys: Want to know where you should move to stretch your dollar? NALP has the best cities for attorney salaries. Just take a look at the “buying power index” for the class of 2010. The buying power index illustrates the difference in purchasing power between two cities. Apparently, Texas is at the top of the charts. Dallas leads the way, as an associate who makes $67,870 per year would have the same relative buying power as their New York City counterpart making $150,000 a year....

Imputed income is a fancy was of saying “earning potential.” In a divorce proceeding, when determining child support, courts will look to see how much each of the parent’s can pay to support their children, based on a variety of factors. If the judge feels that a parent isn’t earning their true potential, the judge will impute income on to that parent in order to manipulate the child support calculations and final amounts owed....

‘There is no spoon.’ So said the bald kid in The Matrix explaining that traditional rules do not apply, but so also said attorney Tracey Lesetar-Smith in describing the rules for getting an in-house job. “The conventional rule is that one must toil away in law firms for eight-plus years before earning the right to jump in-house,” she said. But is it really a rule? Writing for the ABA Young Lawyers Division, Lesetar-Smith said there are no rules when it comes to landing in-house jobs....

Conducting science experiments at home is a dying practice among Americans young and old. Over the past few decades, at-home science kits have faced increasing scrutiny and regulation as a result of incidents involving homemade drugs and explosives. While at-home science kits still exist, they frequently lack many of the most basic chemicals that interested individuals actually need to conduct experiments. This is due not only to the manufacturer’s fear of legal liability over individuals using the chemicals to make explosives or cause others harm, but also as a result of laws prohibiting the distribution of certain chemicals and lab equipment....

In what is being heralded as major win for those that want to eat healthier, but not too much healthier, nearly two dozen Dunkin’ Donuts locations in Massachusetts will stop giving customers margarine, or butter substitute, when those customers order buttered bagels. Unfortunately, it took a lawsuit filed by one disappointed Dunkies devotee to get the chain to stop churning out bagels with fake butter. While many might be surprised to learn that Dunkin’ Donuts even sells bagels (we’ve all seen them, but never knew anyone actually bought ’em), those customers that ordered their bagels buttered have been tricked....

Summer draws to a close, calling students from their interim routines back to the lecture halls of law school. And for the associates on the block, the end of summer signals, well…no wearing white to work after Labor Day? Anyway, September may sound the gong on carefree days of summer, but it also holds the promise of stimulating law events across the country. Symposia to conferences, legal employment to nutritional law–there is no shortage of subject topics or types of gatherings spanning coast to coast...

If you’re one of the lucky, employed lawyers making a good salary, congratulations. Now it’s time to spread the wealth. We’re not talking about donations to charities or handouts to the poor. Both are admirable, but this blog is called Greedy Associates. Altruism has a place, just not here. Or at least, not in this post. No, we’re talking about hiring help to make your life easier. So without further adieu, here are the five tasks you should outsource when you start making money....

Argumentation is part of any lawyer’s DNA. It’s essential to the profession and it’s often something lawyers deeply enjoy. But good argumentation means avoiding – or at least recognizing – the hundreds of logical fallacies that can work their way into an exchange. Of course, one man’s sophistry is another’s effective argument. But errors in logic can undermine the force of an otherwise strong position. Whether you want to avoid relying on fallacies, or simply want to call other attorneys out on their BS, here are seven logical fallacies attorneys use much too often:...

Scores of bar exam takers in Georgia were told that they had failed when they actually passed. According to the Georgia Supreme Court, 90 bar exam takers were told that they had failed the July 2015 or February 2016 tests when they had in fact passed. That means that some of the test takers had to wait more than a year to find out that, whoopsie, they hadn’t failed the bar after all....

A Monday morning bank heist has left Chicago police and federal investigators scratching their heads. And a robber with little to show for his crimes. The man in question entered a Michigan Avenue bank, claiming to be carrying a bomb. He then handed his bag to the teller and demanded that she fill it with cash. Before she could finish (and hand it back), he abruptly turned around and left....

The title of this post sounds like something out of Betty White’s newly reinvigorated career. It’s not. Helen Staudinger, 92, just wanted one kiss from her handsome (and way younger) neighbor. She was clearly lonely. But when he refused, the ensuing disappointment turned to rage. Grandma got a gun and shot up his house. Helen Staudinger, who is a widow, was arrested Tuesday near Ocala, Florida on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and shooting into a dwelling....

A federal judge in California barred the state from moving forward with cleaner fuel requirements last week. U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence O’Neill in Fresno ruled on Friday that the low-carbon fuel rule violates the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution because it favors California-produced biofuels over crude oil and biofuels produced outside California, reports The Washington Post. Judge O’Neill granted ethanol producers’ request for a preliminary injunction against the rule because it “unconstitutionally discriminates against out-of-state producers and tries to regulate activities that take place entirely outside state boundaries, from producers’ choice of farming methods to refiners’ use of coal-fired electricity,” according to The New York Times....

We love fresh fish. Ideally, we would purchase all of our fish from an ocean-side fishmonger, but most of the time that’s not in the cards. Instead, we have to go to restaurants. While the restaurant arguably involves less hassle, it presents a financial obstacle: the market price. We feel awkward asking waiters about the market price, and we usually either choose a lesser fish with a noted price, or cross our fingers that we haven’t blown our rent on a single meal....

Finally, there’s something free for prospective law students. Well, it should be free next year anyway. Khan Academy, an online provider of interactive educational materials, announced it will post free practice materials for students to prepare for the Law School Admission Test in 2018. The non-profit organization said it will work with the Law School Admissions Council, which administers the test. “We’re always looking for ways to help get information out there to test takers so they can prepare on their own, and they don’t need to invest a lot of money to do this,” Lily Knezevich, the LSAC’s senior director of test development, told the ABA Journal....

Frederick J. Hanna & Associates, a Georgia-based ’lawsuit mill,’ resolved a lawsuit brought against it by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The CFPB’s complaint alleged that the law firm and its three principal partners relied on faulty, questionable evidence and misleading court filings in order to continue operating a lawsuit factory. The settlement number is $3.1 million in penalties payable by Hanna without the firm admitting any wrongdoing. The CFPB sued Hanna last year for alleged violations of federal consumer protection laws....

On the spectrum of lies, maybe lying on your law school application is somewhere between lying to your kids about Santa Claus and lying to your spouse about where you were last night. One lie could result in disappointment and the other could get you killed. Actually, lying on your law school application could do a little of both. It’ll be disappointing when the law school withdraws its acceptance letter, and it could kill your chances of becoming a lawyer in the future....