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When it comes to choosing the right computer for law school, many prospective and current students often succumb to decision paralysis. After all, lawyers are known for loving their laptops. Luckily, choosing the wrong laptop is easily avoidable. First and foremost, most law schools will provide some minimal guidance as to the requirements for student computers to work on their networks and be compatible with school specific software. For instance, Duke University School of Law warns students to not even bother bringing a Windows XP computer as these are no longer supported by the university, nor Microsoft....

Earlier this week, newly admitted, and jobless, Delaware attorney Brian Zulberti posted a nude selfie of himself on Facebook – asking for a legal job. I know, you’re re-reading that and asking yourself if you’re seeing straight. We did too. He even got a legal job interview. 1. Basically, Really, Usually, Nude Selfies Are Not a Good Idea Come on, everyone knows prospective employers look at Facebook. So even if you are not job hunting right this second, stop and think before taking naked pictures of yourself and posting them online....

Courts and law classes are in recess in South Florida, as Hurricane Irma makes landfall in the Caribbean and turns toward the North American continent. The hurricane, a Category 5 storm with winds reaching 185 miles per hour, is the second strongest Atlantic storm in recorded history. Hurricane Allen was the strongest, peaking at 190 miles per hour in 1980. Government officials, including court personnel, urged people living in the storm’s path to clear out on Wednesday....

Sometimes we all crave dessert - that need for sugar can be overwhelming. So when the urge for sweets overtook Irish tourist Robert McTernan, he stole two cannolis from a bakery in Boston’s North End. McTernan held up the store with a knife at 3 a.m. and took two ricotta-cheese cannolis with him when he left. The pastries were valued at $5 for the pair, apparently too rich for McTernan’s wallet....

When you think about ESPN highlights, you know you don’t want to be on the “defense” side of the highlight reel. A list of four stadiums ended up on that reel in an ESPN Outside The Lines report, showcasing the most unsafe food in sports stadiums. Among the highlights, a live mouse in a bag of Cracker Jacks, beef blood drippings on a shelf, employees wiping their faces with their hands and then handling food for customers, and five live roaches squirming on a roach strip....

They say that Angelinos are the ones obsessed with appearances. Look out L.A., New York is right on your high heels. In a tale soon to be the pride of all style obsessed New Yorkers, a couple was sued for their ugliness. To be more accurate an Icelandic couple, Jon Asgeir Johannesson and his wife designer Ingibjorg Palmadottir, was sued for their ugly kitchen, as reported by the AP. Many Manhattanites consider themselves fortunate if they have a kitchen, not just a fridge and hot plate adjacent to the bathroom....

Usually when a law firm’s phone starts ringing off the hook, it’s a good thing. But when those callers have no idea why you called them and you weren’t the one to actually call, naturally, things can get a little confusing. When that happens thousands of times, one can only assume it goes from confusing to infuriating. Luckily for the real life law firm that was plagued by this, they were able to dig deep enough to find the culprit causing the telephonic mess and just recently secured a $12 million default judgment against them....

For one personal injury law firm in Ohio, a recent federal court ruling is letting them off the hook for their jaw-dropping (and brilliant) advertising scheme. Apparently, the firm, or the agency they contracted with, would find the names and phone numbers of individuals who had recently been involved in car accidents from police reports, and send those individuals text message advertisements for personal injury legal services. The firm and the contracted ad agency were sued by two recipients of the messages claiming the firm was using an auto-dialer in violation of federal law....

The average entering 1L is a scant 24 years old. But not all of us are spring chickens when we begin studying the law. In almost every entering law school class, there are small contingents of students who come to law school with significant life experience. They’re known as OWLS, or older, wiser law students. While older law students may feel somewhat out of place when initially finding themselves a smidge older than their law school peers, there are plenty of advantages to being an older law student....

Trial court’s conviction of defendant for attempted criminal threats is reversed as the trial court’s instructions did not adequately apprise the jury of the factual elements required to support the lesser crime of attempted criminal threats, and in order for the jury to have found defendant guilty, it must have found that he specifically intended to make a threat that could reasonably cause the person to be in sustained fear for his or her safety or for his or her family’s safety....

The San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office has announced that it will not be charging Deshon Marman, despite being hauled in last month after a so-called saggy pants arrest. Accused of trespassing, battery of a police officer, and obstructing officers, the University of Mexico football player was arrested at San Francisco International Airport after he repeatedly refused a US Airways’ flight attendant’s request to pull up his pants, which were being worn in the ubiquitous underwear-baring style....

With some problems, you can just throw money at them and they will go away. But with an internal investigation, spending money is just the beginning of dealing with a problem. In the end, the company may well pay more after the investigation is done. In any case, there are no real shortcuts to the process. However, there are some tips: There is little “practical guidance on how to run an investigation in-house,” according to Charles Hastie, regulatory head at the Clutch Group....

Getting hired as an in-house attorney is not a simple task, especially for lawyers without any experience as an in-house attorney. But, with a little effort, and some artful wording on a resume, it is possible. For those with no experience, and even recent grads, the tips below can help put you in a better position to go in house. If you made it through law school and become a lawyer without ever holding any other jobs, then you’ll likely need to just skip to numbers 2 and 3 below....

In plaintiff’s challenge to a county’s assessment of ad valorem property taxes on certain areas leased in common by plaintiff within a rental car facility at San Francisco International Airport, judgment of the trial court is affirmed where: 1) plaintiff had the right to actual and physical occupation of the spaces areas pursuant to rights not granted to the general public, and therefore “possessed” or had a “right to possess” the spaces; 2) plaintiff retained sufficient authority and control over the spaces for its use to qualify as “independent”; and 3) plaintiff’s rights under the National and Alamo leases were sufficiently “exclusive” to establish its possessory interests and to permit taxation....

It is a good time of year to curl up with a book, movie, or just to turn on the tube. If those forms of entertainment not only chase away the cold, but inspire you in your chosen profession, so much the better. The ABA Law Journal compiled its list of the top 25 greatest fictional lawyers (who are not Atticus Finch) in August. Whether you are of a generation inspired to go to law school thanks to Atticus, Perry Mason, Jack McCoy, or even Arnie Becker, take a look at the list of good reading and viewing as a break from the weather, a doc review, or finals....

For law students, Twitter may not seem like the best use of your limited time, but you might be surprised to learn that there is a thriving #LawTwitter community. Legal issues and current events get discussed, shade gets thrown, and there are plenty of laughs to be had. What law students might not suspect, however, is that some of their own professors might be on Twitter, and law prof Twitter is rather spectacular....

The appellate process is expensive, but appeals paid off this week for generic drug manufacturer Apotex Corporation in its ongoing dispute with French pharmaceutical maker Sanofi-Aventis (Sanofi). The Federal Circuit Court of Appeals ruled this week that a New York federal judge erred in ordering Apotex to pay over $107 million in prejudgment interest, in addition to $442.2 million in actual damages, to Sanofi, reports The Wall Street Journal. The case was the third appeal in the Federal Circuit in a nearly decade old Hatch-Waxman dispute regarding clopidogrel bisulfate tablets, sold by Sanofi under the brand name Plavix....

A Louisiana man is facing criminal charges, likely due to technical difficulties related to text messaging. Namely, accidentally texting incriminating evidence directly to the police. Last week, a sheriff’s deputy received a text message from a wrong number offering to sell crystal meth. The deputy arranged a meet up with Dwayne Herbert, who arrived at the predetermined location carrying not just the drugs, but also two firearms. Herbert was promptly arrested, and now faces serious criminal charges for selling drugs and possession of firearms....

They look like pot brownies and they act like pot brownies, but they’re completely legal and they apparently taste better. Wondering what I’m talking about? Lazy Cakes, the world’s first relaxation brownies. And two Massachusetts mayors want to take the melatonin-laced treats off the market. Picturing a lounging cartoon brownie known as Lazy Larry and featuring “psychedelic colors,” Reuters reports that Lazy Cakes have been a huge hit with the youth demographic....

According to The Wall Street Journal, BarBri, the ubiquitous bar exam prep program that all law students have considered paying for, has been accused of employing questionable tactics in elbowing out competition. It’s yet another suit the bar prep company has had to contend with in recent years. LLM Bar Exam LLC has accused BarBri in a federal antitrust lawsuit alleging, among other things, a conspiracy between BarBri and certain law schools to restrict trade, fraud, tortious interference with economic advantage and a bevy of other potential causes of action....