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Following a discharge from an appeals court, a shoot-out over permits to carry guns in public appears headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia rejected a request to reconsider its previous decision, which upheld a local permit law. The law gives wide discretion to law enforcement to grant permits to applicants who show “good reason” to carry guns. Opponents believe the Supreme Court will take up the case, but for now they have lost at every level of the judicial system....

In People v. Castillo, No. C061806, the Third District faced a challenge to a court order imposed upon a defendant convicted of carjacking to pay a $30 criminal conviction assessment. In rejecting defendant’s contention that the statute providing for the assessment does not apply to crimes committed before its effective date of January 1, 2009, the court held that the assessment was properly imposed as the statute was enacted as part of the budgeting process, and the legislative wording in section 70373 shows that the Legislature intended the new assessment to apply to convictions occurring after the new statute’s effective date....

The recession has meant many things to many people. Your MBA friends may have faced expansive layoffs or their looming threat. In parallel with a winter that has meant snow in 49 states, hiring freezes have been a norm in companies, firms, and government positions across the spectrum. And then there are the attorneys who scored coveted BigLaw positions to be deferred employment for a year to wait out the recession....

Marla Osorio was a secretary at workplace-discrimination law firm. The last thing she probably expected was to be terminated – for serving on a jury. Oh, the irony. The California Labor Commission has now sued Martin & Martin, based in Los Angeles. They claim that the firm violated state labor laws when they dismissed Osorio. The complaint outlines the facts. In April 2006 Osorio received a letter that all Americans love getting: a jury summons....

To settle a class action lawsuit alleging privacy violations, Facebook has agreed to change its method of sharing information that the company gleans from users’ messages. Facebook agreed to stop using data from links sent in messages to target advertising, and it will not share user data with third parties, or boost “likes” on third-party websites with that information, according to the proposed settlement. In their complaint, the plaintiffs had alleged that “private” Facebook messages are systematically intercepted by the Company in an effort to learn the contents of the users’ communications....

An arbitration panel in Texas has ordered Lance Armstrong to pay SCA Promotions $10 million based largely on his 2013 confession to doping. SCA had sued Armstrong to recoup bonuses it paid the cyclist for his multiple Tour de France victories. While Armstrong and his lawyers intend to fight the ruling, SCA has asked a Texas state court to confirm the arbitration decision, giving it the status of a legal judgment....

Over the past year that the Greedy Associates blog has been around we have endeavored to include posts with helpful advice from those who have been in you pre-law flip-flops, “L” sized sneakers, or new associate stilettos. It seemed like a good opportunity to recall advice and reflections that have we have shared in the past. Whether tips for landing a job or what you may wish you had known at law school graduation, these posts can provide fodder for your own commencement thought process....

Ejected NFL fans now must take an online course to get back in the stadium. As an extension of the NFL’s Fan Code of Conduct, any fan who is thrown out of a game will be required to take a four-hour online course before they are permitted to reenter. To boot, ejected NFL fans may have to pay up to $100 just to take the online course. The course will focus on topics like alcohol abuse, anger management, and crude behavior, reports ESPN....

You can say a lot of things about Silicon Valley … people bring their dogs to work, they get free M&Ms and they play games to get their creative juices flowing. Think what you may, but you can’t argue with statistics. So why, oh why, are plans for opening up the permanent Patent Office in Silicon Valley on hold yet again? The short answer: Your guess is as good as ours....

Declan Sullivan was filming a Notre Dame football practice from the lift in high winds that eventually toppled the structure. Sullivan, 20, died in the accident. Winds were reported at the time in the neighborhood of 51 miles per hour, and practice had been moved indoors the day before due to the heavy winds. Indiana’s Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OHSA) has concluded its investigation into the death of Declan Sullivan, a Notre Dame student videographer who was filming a football practice when the hydraulic lift he was standing on collapsed....

When you walk into a business meeting at Bed Bath and Beyond (BB&B), you expect fluorescent lighting and comfortable home goods. Maybe a set of slippers. A soft throw casually tossed over the side of the conference table. You don’t expect the retailer to steal your design for the Towel Tote. But that occasionally happens. At least, it allegedly happened to Roger Hall. Prior to receiving the patent, Hall met with BB&B execs about selling his towels in their stores....

Two months before his death in 2005, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs awarded 100 percent disability benefits to Lee Richardson, a veteran. The benefits award was retroactive to March 10, 1986, and included approximately $350,000 in accrued benefits. Richardson never received payment from the VA. Sharon Youngman, Richardson’s fiduciary and curator, attempted to collect his benefits for distribution to his cousins, his only survivors. Last week, the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals denied Youngman’s request, concluding that Richardson’s claim to the benefits was extinguished upon his death....

Figures don’t lie, but lawyers figure. Apologies to the author of the original phrase, but we’re lawyers here so just go with it. We’re talking about a report that shows – by the numbers – how many “excess attorneys” there are throughout the country. “Excess attorneys,” in the statistical report, means lawyers who are not employed as attorneys. Here’s how it breaks down: Most Non-Practicing Attorneys New York has the most “excess attorneys” –78,926 – according to Matt Leichter, who compiled the numbers from the American Bar Association, U....

It can sometimes feel a bit strange that the bosses of organized crime syndicates get glorified in the media and popular culture. And while the movies might have you believe that the mafiosos are an evil, murderous bunch, interestingly, they seem to go down for tax evasion more often than whacking their rivals. One might expect that after Al Capone got busted for tax evasion, others involved in organized crime would’ve wised up and hired the best accountants money could buy....

It’s bar results season, and the the news seems to be bad nationwide. July 2014 seems to hold the distinction as the biggest bloodbath in recent memory. California, for example, saw its lowest bar passage rate in nearly 10 years. The National Conference of Bar Examiners blamed “less able” test-takers; deans are pointing the finger at the NCBE and demanding a recount (or a “thorough investigation of the administration and scoring of the July 2014 bar exam,” if you want to be technical about it)....

Welcome, folks, to another exciting edition of #DearFindLaw Fridays. Today’s topic? Attack outlines. We know. Contain yourself. We promise: This won’t be too exciting. And for those of you (lawyers, law students, pre-law folks) with questions about anything (law school, finances, student loans, tech choices for firms, Syria and ISIS), you can tweet us @FindLawLP and we’ll try to give you a hand in our next weekly column. My dear brother, a 1L at Louisiana State University, has a professor that keeps mentioning attack outlines....

You’ve just landed a fancy pants associate position in a big downtown law firm. Pay is great, hours suck. The only problem now is how to become a law partner? That’s where all the real money (and vacation time) is after all. But the competition is tough. Much like in law school, every associate at your firm is probably gunning for the same goal. Fortunately, if you keep these tips in mind, you might just edge out the pack before you hit the Big 4-Oh....

Cue the eye roll that says, “Only In California…” Pets, long viewed by most divorce courts as property, have historically been divided up according to ownership rather than custody. But there is a growing interest to use custodial analysis in determining who should get the family pets in a divorce. California has now codified the concept of “Best Interest of the Pet” in Assembly Bill 2274, which goes into effect January 1, 2019....

California joins a growing number states in lawsuits against Navient, the largest student loan company in America. The complaints allege the lender steered borrowers to payment options that cost them more money. With the forbearance option, for example, loan balances get larger. Navient says it has done nothing illegal. But it doesn’t look good for the company, students, or the economy. Harmful Debt Collection It’s not just that students got into bad loan options....

In plaintiff’s petition for writ of mandamus seeking to apply the exclusionary rule in a civil disciplinary proceeding to bar introduction of a firearm and ammunition seized from his car and his pockets by the California Highway Patrol resulting in termination of his employment with Caltrans, judgment of the trial court is affirmed as, although an illegal search took place, the exclusionary rule does not apply because the search occurred during a criminal investigation, and was not conducted by the agency that employs the worker being disciplined....