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Simply put, greed is a motivating factor for many attorneys out there. So many lawyers out there don’t have to put in those extra hours every day, or every now and again, but they do, because, hey, extra money is a good thing. Though for those lawyers who are still paying off insurmountable debt, the concept of extra money is unfathomable and every dollar helps. But as it stands, greed is pretty much an instinct that we have, and one that the mental health industry seems to shy away from....

Typically, patients that are prescribed emotional support animals purchase domesticated pets. A dog, maybe a rabbit. Christie Carr of Oklahoma has decided to break that mold and has acquired herself a ’therapy kangaroo.' Unfortunately, the city isn’t exactly fond of the kangaroo, who may no longer be a Broken Arrow, Okla. resident after May 3. Irwin is a 25-pound disabled red kangaroo. He and Christie Carr met at a local animal sanctuary after her therapist suggested she volunteer as a means to treat her depression, reports the Associated Press....

In an action to overturn an arbitral award in a dispute over which union was entitled to perform certain work at a U.S. Postal Service facility, summary judgment for defendant is affirmed where, in light of the deference courts must afford to a labor arbitrator’s contract interpretation (including an arbitrator’s decision on arbitrability where, as here, the parties agreed to present that issue to the arbitrator) the court was required to uphold the arbitrator’s decision in this case....

Could Ohio State’s Jim Tressel era be coming to a close? The NCAA has delivered a 13-page notice of allegations to Ohio State and head coach Jim Tressel accusing Tressel of dishonesty and failing to report possible infractions when he learned that players were selling memorabilia and clothing to a tattoo parlor. The report goes on to mention that despite the penalties, Ohio State will not be cited for ‘failure to monitor’ or ‘failure of institutional control’ violations which could have resulted in the harshest penalties handed down for the university, The Dispatch reports....

A federal appeals court said a patent plaintiff must pay its opponent’s attorneys’ fees because the plaintiff willfully ignored pre-existing descriptions of its claimed invention. In Rothschild Connected Devices Innovations v. Guardian Protection Services, the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals said the plaintiff and its attorney did not prove the basis for the claim before filing the infringement case. In addition, the court considered evidence that the plaintiff was a vexatious litigant who had filed 58 similar cases only to settle most of them before trial for the cost of defense....

Conviction of defendant for threatening a victim or witness who provided assistance to law enforcement in a criminal proceeding where defendant was prosecuted for stealing $250,000 in cash from an 88-year old is affirmed as defendant’s overbreadth challenge to Penal Code section 140(a) is rejected as it does not regulate speech protected by the First Amendment and does not violate the First Amendment as applied in defendant’s case. Read People v....

In a patent infringement action involving a technology relating to screen recognition and terminal emulation processes that download a screen of information from a remote mainframe computer onto a local personal computer, the decision of the district court is affirmed in part, reversed in part, vacated and remanded where: 1) district court’s judgment that plaintiff’s patent is valid and is infringed by defendant is affirmed; 2) district court’s ruling that another of plaintiff’s patents is not infringed is affirmed; 3) district court’s imposition of sanctions under Rule 11 against plaintiff and its counsel is reversed; and 4) district court’s award of damages of $506,305 for past infringement based on a hypothetical royalty of 12....

“Serial hugger” doesn’t sound too dangerous but an unidentified man in St. Louis may make it a crime. The man, dubbed “Jack the Gripper” by a local paper, approaches women in the supermarket pretending they used to be neighbors. He asks for a birthday hug and the victim is usually too surprised and confused to tell him to get lost. In at least one circumstance, he actually kissed a victim on the lips....

When it comes to leading a company, c-level executives have quite a bit of power and discretion. Apart from the legal liabilities executives and officers can incur on behalf of a company, poor decision making can lead to financial losses. As such, it makes sense for corporations to heavily vet and screen potential c-level hires. However, a question that sometimes arises when discussing how to ensure a top executive is fit for duty is whether a company can (and should) subject top executives to mental health evaluations....

In Mean Girls – you know, the Heathers of the early aughts – Janis warns the protagonist about the meanest girl in school, Regina George. “She’s a life ruiner. She ruins people’s lives.” The same could be said of the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBEX). This week, the NCBEX warned law school deans that the long-rumored MBE civil procedure section will become a reality in February 2015, according to Above the Law....

It’s mid-December. You’ve received your glowing performance review, and you’ve already spent your bonus. Your workload may have slowed (just a tad – let’s not get crazy, this is still BigLaw we’re talking about), and this is a great time to start thinking about wrapping up 2013 and getting ready for 2014. Here are the top five things you should do for year-end preparation. 1. Set Goals Take some time to reflect on your work for 2013, and take into consideration the feedback you received during your performance review....

Paige Parkerson stabbed her fiance, Clifton Barkin. Or so says his mother, Evetta Wright. Wright says she dropped her son off at home around 11:30 p.m. Sunday night after she took him to the local Walmart to pick up flowers and a card for Parkerson. She’s the mother of his two small children. But just after midnight, she received a call from her future daughter-in-law. Wright claims the 20-year-old mother of two confessed to stabbing her son....

Defendant’s drug possession sentence is affirmed where: 1) the district court did not err in imposing an obstruction of justice enhancement because defendant failed to appear at his arraignment hearing; and 2) the district court did not plainly err in concluding that defendant’s acceptance of responsibility, which did not occur until after he was re-arrested for another crime, was insufficiently timely to warrant a reduction for acceptance of responsibility. Read US v....

A dollar here, a quarter there – it all adds up. Which may be why Andrea Chavez, 65, attacked an ice cream truck driver selling too-expensive treats. The assault occurred at Chavez’ apartment complex in Taylorsville, Utah. She approached the ice cream truck driver and told the driver to leave. But when she didn’t, Chavez got violent. She sprayed the driver in the face with an industrial-strength cleaner called Mean Green....

Though the legal job market still isn’t looking too promising, it appears as though, for female attorneys at medium-sized and large law firms, things are looking up. After a short hiatus, the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE) and Flex-Time Lawyers has released the 2011 list of the 50 Best Law Firms for Women, which demonstrates a small, yet significant, trend towards the increasing implementation of parent- and female-friendly programs in the legal industry....

Hi, I’m Mark Wilson! You may remember me from such Greedy Associates blog posts as “What’s for Lunch? 5 Foods That Won’t Put You to Sleep” and “Post-Bar Blues? Join a Bar Committee!” With so many great lawyer characters in “The Simpsons” (Lionel Hutz, the Blue-Haired Lawyer, and Judge Snyder, just to name a few), we thought we’d cash in on cable TV network FXX’s “#EverySimpsonsEver” marathon to remember some of the Best....

Nearly all associates have questions they’re afraid to ask the partners or supervising attorneys. Perhaps it’s our law school culture based on the Socractic method that leaves you in constant fear of being humiliated for not knowing the answer. But as attorneys, it’s important to ask questions – even if you’re afraid you may look stupid. So what are three questions new associates should never be afraid to ask? Associates should never be afraid to ask questions about billing....

Forget what Hollywood says; law school (and legal practice) isn’t full of betrayal and mystery, romance and revenge. This isn’t ‘How to Get Away With Murder,’ after all. It isn’t even ‘The Paper Chase.’ Except, of course, when it is. For, while the vast majority of us spent law school stressed-out, studying, and trying to land the best internship, others were busy with prostitution, murder, and (of course) litigation. Just in time for finals, here are FindLaw’s nine favorite law school scandals from the recent past....

July is over, and so is another Bar exam. For those who participated in the 1 to 3 day marathon, our congratulations to you for crossing the finish line. With so much anticipation leading up to the exam, its logistics—including but not limited to laptop registration, identifying what you can and can’t bring, and remembering which seat you’re assigned to in the sea of desks of chairs–and any follow-up, now that the Bar is a past-tense situation you may find yourself wondering, what next....

The next time you’re on an airplane, and the person in the seat next to you looks a little squirrely, rest assured, it is not a squirrel. Unfortunately for one recent Frontier Airlines passengers in Florida, just because you receive clearance to take your pet squirrel in the aircraft cabin as a emotional support companion pet, doesn’t mean you can. All passengers were aboard Frontier Airlines Flight 1612 from Orlando to Cleveland, when an airline attendant announced there was a “situation,” and everyone needed to deboard....