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Every June, the National Association for Law Placement releases its annual job report on employment trends for new graduates. And every year, at least for the past few years, it has been a time for muted optimism about the distant future and commiseration with the plight of others in the present. How did the Class of 2013 shake out? Despite having a larger than normal fleet of graduates flooding the workforce, the news was basically flat: some good, some bad, but mostly “meh....

Last year, North Carolina passed HB2, a law that prohibited cities within the state from passing anti-LGBT discrimination laws that exceed state protections and mandated that transgender people use public restrooms that correspond with the gender on their birth certificates. Among other corporations, artists, and sports leagues that boycotted the state in response, the NBA pulled its 2017 all-star game from Charlotte, the city whose LGBT protection law had spurred HB2 in the first place....

Conviction of defendant for drug related crimes is affirmed as a defendant who disposes of contraband not out of scruple, but because of the threat of bodily harm or police apprehension cannot invoke People v. Mijares, 6 Cal.3d 415 (1971) (standing for the proposition that under certain limited circumstances, momentary possession of contraband is not legally culpable). Read People v. Paz, No. G041327 [HTML] Read People v. Paz, No. G041327 [PDF]...

In re Taplett, C063460, concerned a defendant’s petition for habeas relief from the governor’s reversal of the Board of Parole Hearings’ (Board) decision finding her suitable for parole, after serving over 16 years of her indeterminate sentence of 16 years to life for second degree murder conviction. In denying the petition, the court held that there is some evidence to support the governor’s finding that defendant lacks proper insight into the circumstances of the commitment offense....

Budget cuts in California have affected every facet of life, especially education. Only 5 percent of schools have a full-time nurse, and 26 percent of schools have no nurse at all. This precarious situation has made it difficult for diabetic children – who may need insulin shots regularly or at any given time – to attend school regularly. Either kids would miss school, or parents would have to leave work to administer medication, The Sacramento Bee reports....

Ah, good old (alleged) bribery. When lawyers behave badly and someone gets hurt or killed, we kind of feel bad about it. But when lawyers get arrested for bribery? No one gets hurt, and we can bask in the awesomeness. New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver found himself on the pointy end of the law after he surrendered to the FBI Thursday morning, accused of using his office to get bribes and kickbacks....

In a handful of cities across the nation, The Satanic Temple, a religious political activist organization that does not actually advocate the worship of the devil, has set up afterschool programs for young children that attend schools where evangelical Christian groups also have afterschool programs. The program, called After School Satan Club (ASSC), is a direct response to the Good News Clubs, an afterschool program designed by the Child Evangelism Fellowship....

Four football players were amongst the 17 students at Texas Christian University arrested on Wednesday. The Fort Worth police carried out a 6-month investigation and caught the group selling marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy and prescription drugs to undercover officers. The TCU drug bust involved three defensive players – Tanner Brock, D.J. Yendre, Devin Johnson – and offensive lineman Ty Horn. It’s not yet known whether the four were selling to teammates, but investigators think it’s possible....

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, you should speed-click over to the ABA’s Annual Essay competition sponsored by the the American Bar Association and San Francisco law firm Long & Levit LLP. And though love may take time, this contest demands a February 19th submission or postmark, so think fast and act faster. Here are a few facts to get you started: 2010 Levit Essay Contest (ABANet....

Earlier this year we gave the guys some advice on business casual dress, so we thought it was only fair to share some tips for the ladies. Generally, you’ll want to follow your bosses’ lead, and always err on the side of over-dressing. As Oscar Wilde said, “You can never be overdressed or overeducated.” The most important thing to remember is the “business” in business casual. Here are more detailed tips on how to walk the fine line of business casual dress....

When you were a kid, what did you do after opening Christmas gifts that had your name on them? You looked at the rest of the presents to see what others got, right? It’s human nature, at least among siblings. Lawyers are like that when it comes to Christmas bonuses. We want to know what our brothers and sisters are getting. Bonus Money To be non-denominational, the “Christmas” bonus might actually be better called a “Hanukkah” bonus....

Alzheimer’s is a pretty terrible, debilitating disease. Those afflicted are often not in control of their actions. Recognizing this, California already has a rule that Alzheimer’s patients in institutional facilities like nursing homes aren’t responsible for injuries they inflict on caregivers. What about in-home caregivers? They had no special protection until Monday, when the California Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that, yes, the rule also applies to them under the doctrine of assumption of risk....

Federal district judge William Orrick trimmed a civil rights lawsuit down to size by dismissing charges against several defendants with prejudice. But the judge let stand claims against two Sonoma County Sheriff’s officers for some rather egregious conduct. So what got them in trouble? The suit involves complaints of an officer jumping out of a patrol car, pointing a gun at children, and telling them to “get [their] f***ing hands up now!...

A California appeals court just affirmed a substantial roadblock to the 2007 “microstamp” bullets law. The law was touted as the first of its kind to help law enforcement fight gun crimes with microstamp technology linking bullet casings to guns. However, the Fifth District Court of Appeal said the law wrongly required a technology that gun manufacturers could not produce. “It is unreasonable to require an individual to attempt what is impossible to accomplish,” the justices said in reversing and remanding the case....

Martin Shkreli’s recent arrest happened to nab at least one other body its wake, Kaye Scholer partner Evan Greebel. According to allegations contained in the formal indictment against both men, Greebel was instrumental in helping Shkreli carry out at least one major fraudulent transfer, including funneling stock out of his dubious biotech company Retrophin to clear off a number of unrelated debts. The Financial Times was perhaps more accurate that it knew when it recognized Greebel as a “U....

As the Super Bowl approaches, it is fitting to review a few lessons from Vince Lombardi, the greatest coach in NFL history. After his team lost the title one year, he took his players back to training camp to teach them the fundamentals. He held up a pigskin and said: “Gentlemen, this is a football.” Lombardi, who won five NFL championships in seven years, taught players how to win on the field and his teachings have inspired people in all walks of life....

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is being investigated by Miami police over an alleged incident involving a woman in a hotel room last month. Responding to rumors and some news reports about possible sexual assault “charges,” Kaepernick tweeted that TMZ and others “are completely wrong. They make things up about me that never happened.” In unpacking this Kaepernick police probe, let’s look at five important points: Speaking with USA Today, the Miami Police Department’s public information officer confirmed that “[t]here are no charges” but that “[t]here is an investigation....

The Copyright Royalty Board’s composition is unconstitutional, says the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. The D.C. Circuit’s opinion came out last Friday and found the board, which consists of three judges, to be in violation of the Appointments Clause of the Constitution, reports Thomson Reuters News & Insight. The case was brought by the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System Inc., an association of college Internet radio stations. The case challenged the rates set by the board and the structure of the board....

Kahn v. Dep’t of Justice, 09-3125, concerned a challenge to the Merit Systems Protection Board’s final decision that plaintiff did not make protected disclosures under the WPA, in a DEA agent’s suit under the Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA). In affirming, the court held that the administrative judge did not err in finding that plaintiff’s communications with an agent were not protected disclosures because they were made as part of normal duties through normal channels....

In the weird legal news department, last week an Australian lawyer made headlines as he won his lawsuit against Domino’s Pizza over a few pizzas, and a refund, that never showed up. In addition to the nearly $40 worth of food for which he was seeking a refund, he received an additional $1,100 for his legal costs in bringing the action. While $1,200 is a far cry from the $9,000 he was seeking for embarrassment, it was certainly enough to grab headlines and make Domino’s take note....