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A former University of Texas football player who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease has filed a proposed class action lawsuit against the NCAA. In a lawsuit filed Monday in a Texas federal court, former UT player Julius Whittier, now 64, claims the NCAA failed to protect student athletes from suffering long-term damage related to head injuries. Whittier is seeking at least $5 million in damages in the lawsuit, which was filed on his behalf by his sister Mildred Whittier....

When does a federal agency have “inherent authority”? Not in this case, according to the D.C. Circuit Court in Ivy Sports Medicine v. Burwell. ReGen Biologics made a device called a Collagen Scaffold for use in knee surgery. ReGen began the process of obtaining FDA approval for the device in 2004. In 2006, several members of Congress from New Jersey, where ReGen is based, expressed concern about the review process. In 2008, the FDA ultimately classified the Collagen Scaffold as a Class II device, which requires less regulation....

Burning Man is almost upon us, and eager Burners may not know a few very important legal facts about partying on the Playa. For many, Burning Man is a symbol of freedom from authoritarian rule, social restrictions on dress, and inhibitions regarding drug use. But while it may feel like a pocket universe, it’s actually still in Nevada… in the United States. And it’s still subject to many laws. So don’t be a legal sparkle pony, know these five Burning Man legal facts before you hit the Playa:...

Omelets, pancakes waffles, yogurt, juice. Sounds like a good breakfast. But is it worth hundreds of thousands of dollars? Probably not. Don’t try telling that to Richard Katz, a Manhattan attorney who sued the Setai Wall Street Club and Spa in November 2011 after it stopped providing a full breakfast spread. He believes that, at $5,000 a year, the club owed him his morning coffee and yogurt. Too bad a judge disagreed....

If you didn’t see “Leadership for Lawyers” in your law school curriculum, that’s probably because it wasn’t there. But it should be, according to some educators. In a time when fewer people consider law school as an option, says one scholar, more law students and law schools should develop leadership skills. “It is a moment of transformational change, calling for leadership in many nonprofit, government and business communities,” says David G....

In an dispute involving an employment contract, trial court judgment is affirmed where the trial court properly denied defendant’s motion to strike under the anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) statute as plaintiff’s retaliation and wrongful termination claims did not arise from defendant’s protected First Amendment activity. Read McConnell v. Innovative Artists Talent and Literary Agency, Inc., No. B205533 in PDF Read McConnell v. Innovative Artists Talent and Literary Agency, Inc....

The California Highway Patrol received a call from a concerned citizen. That person had just been run off the road by a silver Ford F-150 pickup truck, license plate number 8D94925. Dispatchers passed the message to two CHP officers who were in the area. Each located the truck, followed it to verify the details relayed in the tip, and pulled it over. When the officers approached the truck, they smelled marijuana, and after a search of the truck bed, found four large bags....

Now that the NFL lockout is over, the labor woes of the NBA have now taken center stage. Yes, now the NBA lockout has set off a series of legal actions. For one, the NBA has sued the player’s union, the National Basketball Player’s Association (NBPA). Plus the NBA has filed an unfair labor practice charge against the union with the National Labor Relations Board. In its lawsuit, NBA is seeking a declaration that the NBA lockout is not illegal and does not violate antitrust laws, according to the filed complaint....

So much for Cravath being the high-water mark in the 2010-2011 associate bonus season. Quinn Emanuel will be paying its hard-working associates a bonus of up to $82,500. And there’s more. Other firms kept pace with Quinn, including Susman Godfrey and Cahill Gordon & Reindel, which the ABA Law Journal reports announced associate bonuses topping out at $75,000. However, reportedly, Boies Schiller & Flexner bonuses this year take the proverbial cake reaching over $200,000 for a few chosen associates and with an average of $75,000 for those at the firm more than a year....

The Sochi Olympics begin Friday, and Americans will be cheering on Team USA to bring home the gold (and the silver, and the bronze). But lest Olympic athletes forget, they’re still responsible for paying income taxes after winning their medals. Sure Uncle Sam is patriotic, but he won’t let members of the U.S. Olympic Team keep their winnings tax-free. Champions will generally still have to report their income – i.e., the value of their medal and the cash prize that comes with it – and pay taxes to the IRS....

A napping toddler was discovered in a shopping cart in the Walmart on Liberty Highway in Anderson, South Carolina at around 8:30 in the morning last Thursday. The only problem? The child’s parents were nowhere to be found. According to the Independent Mail, however, police who responded to the scene did notice a woman lurking around, who attempted to walk away as officers approached her. The woman turned out to be Ashley Spivey, the young boy’s mother, who was quickly arrested and charged with child neglect....

In the story Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert turns to a palm reader in Bali for guidance in her life. It’s really about self-discovery, and the palm reader can only tell her so much. And that’s the beauty of the story. Law school is like that – a path to career discovery. With a bow to palm readers everywhere, here are three words of advice for law students: Question Law school is famous for employing the Socratic method, which involves teachers asking students to question their assumptions about the law....

You took out loans for law school knowing that they’d come due someday, but not anytime soon. Then you graduated, found a decent job, and suddenly your lenders came knocking. And if you maxed out on loans when studying the law, the amount you owe every month can be staggering, even if you’re making a Cravath-level salary. For those of us making much less, even modest (by law school standards) student debt can seem completely insurmountable....

Here at FindLaw, we understand the pressures of being a legal professional - most of us are recovering lawyers - so we want to help by tossing you that preferred life preserver of the legal profession, the short list. Today’s offering: Top five things to know about D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals nominee Caitlin Halligan. In late October, Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid indicated that he would soon push for a floor vote on Halligan’s nomination....

The bar exam isn’t about your ability to charm potential clients, to craft a finely written legal document, or to persuade a fact finder. That is, it’s not about many of the skills that make a great lawyer. Instead, mastering the bar is about rote, brute memorization. Get that black letter law down, learn how to apply it, and you should do alright. Given the vast amount of law you need to retain to pass the bar, memorization can be daunting task....

This week in #DearFindLaw, it’s almost time for the first major break of the school year. For a blessed week at the end of November, there will be no classes – but that doesn’t mean there isn’t work to be done. Whether you’re a 1L freaking out about final exams (what’s the Rule against Perpetuities again?) or a 2L struggling to finish the draft of your law review note (and praying the Supreme Court doesn’t rule on your case until after you’ve published), you’re a long way from free to do what you please....

Going to jail isn’t usually an occupational hazard for lawyers. At worst, lawyers in the U.S. only face the threat of being disbarred. In 2013, human rights advocate Beatrice Mtetwa was arrested in the home of Thabani Mpofu, an official with the Office of the Prime Minister when police descended on the scene to conduct a search. When Ms. Mtetwa demanded to see a search warrant, the police denied her request ....

America romanticizes the Southern trial lawyer, thanks, in no small part, to literature. From Atticus Finch to the Grisham-imagined protagonist du jour, we cheer for these characters. We want to be them. There’s a definite archetype for the Southern literary lawyer: He comes from humble beginnings, and finds success by fighting for the little guy. (And yes, I intentionally used the masculine pronoun in that description because most of these fictionalized attorneys are men....

The last charge you’d expect in an Arby’s lawsuit is a claim for loss of consortium (i.e.; loss of sexual relations). But that’s what happened in a Monument, Colorado incident involving an Arby’s urinal, reports NBC. Kenneth DeJoie claims that he went to the restroom at the neighborhood Arby’s when a jet of steam shot out of the urinals and into his genitals. The steamed man then complained to an Arby’s employee who allegedly responded “we have that bathroom problem again....

Twenty-one year old Arizona mom Jessica Callaway is accused of blowing marijuana smoke into her baby’s mouth. She also kicked and slapped her 10-month-old daughter. Some of Callaway’s actions were recorded on video by a friend, according to the Phoenix New Times. And, it comes as little surprise that she was arrested on charges of child abuse. Callaway had several (poor) excuses for her behavior. First, Callaway told police after she was arrested that she was having a bad day after having trouble finding an appropriate outfit for a night out....