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Selections from National Law Journal Daily Headlines May 11, 2009

By David Badertscher, PLL

Source: NLJ.com, May 11, 2009.

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Souter's Tribe

The legacy of retiring U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter can be discovered, not only in his 140 majority opinions over 18 years, but at law schools, law firms and public service workplaces across the nation. That is where Souter's 72 former law clerks, a "notoriously loyal tribe" in the words of one, have fanned out after their intense and deeply affecting year with the justice.

 

The replacement rush

Like a Gold Rush town in California, the infrastructure of the U.S. Supreme Court confirmation industry went up almost overnight after Justice David Souter's May 1 announcement that he plans to retire in late June. It's all happening at cyberspeed, and by the end of this week at least the suspense may be over. While we wait, here is a collection of items dealing with the fallout from Souter's announcement.

 

With deferrals, a class collision

"Law firms are using a wide array of plans to keep incoming graduates at bay amid the plunge in business, but the idea that they will eventually hire those deferred recruits may be a case of wishful thinking."

 

Reports of suicides point to job stress

"As if long hours, high stakes and intense competition weren't enough, now lawyers are grappling with client cutbacks, lower pay and layoffs. And it appears some attorneys are cracking under the pressure. Reports of three suicides at major U.S. law firms during the past six months underscore the stress that lawyers are facing as the economic downturn raises the intensity for billable hours and big wins."

 

Defense counsel view report as new weapon

"For decades, police have been putting away criminals by matching bullets to guns, bite marks to teeth or fingerprints to suspected killers' hands. And for decades, defense lawyers have argued that such forensic evidence is unreliable. Now the defense side has a new weapon in its arsenal when it seeks to discredit forensic testimony or fight to overturn convictions that were based on such evidence."

Full post as published by New York Supreme Court Criminal Term Library on May 11, 2009 (boomark / email).