Law Students

Book Review of Starving the Artist by William Aicher

Posted on June 11, 2010
As copyright becomes more and more of a hot-button issue on the Web, inevitably more and more authors are releasing books on the topic. The notable books (and controversial) books on the topic released in the past few years have included Digital Barbarism: A Writer’s Manifesto by Mark Helprin, The Cult of the Amateur: How [...

eBay Powersellers Now Threatened By Possible Tax Audits

Posted on May 20, 2010
Based on the (thankfully) limited time I have spent in and around prison, there is a clearly defined pecking order amongst inmates, with child molesters occupying the nadir and (failed) bank robbers at the zenith. Illegal immigrants and petty crooks generally fall comfortably in the middle...

Columbia Law Commencement 2010: Attorney General Eric Holder

Posted on May 15, 2010
Dean Schizer, distinguished faculty, proud parents, family members, friends, and, most importantly, the Class of 2010. Thank you for inviting me to share in this moment and to join you in celebrating all of your accomplishments that have been, and most assuredly will be, achieved...

Canada?s ADISQ Calls For a Stop to Copying CDs at Libraries

Posted on May 10, 2010
Those who argue for balanced copyright policies are often characterized as anti-copyright. Yet in my research I’ve seen at least two examples that suggest that the characterization (which I would prefer not be used at all) might be appropriately applied to the collectives, at least with respect to how the Supreme Court of Canada interprets copyright...

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Religious Tolerance in the Courtroom: Law & Religion Collide

Posted on May 05, 2010
Unless you’re from Mars, a distinct possibility since it’s so close, you’ve probably heard about Judge Moore. Regardless of where your beliefs stand, here are some additional observations to consider. Tuesday’s Los Angeles Daily Journal (you may need a subscription to view) featured an article that a statue of Moses, holding the ten commandments, is immediately above the entrance [...

Froot Loops Not Made of Real Fruit: The Cereal Lawsuits

Posted on May 01, 2010
There are days every now and then when my actual legal work directly intersects with my blog work.  This was one of those days. On May 21, a judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California dismissed a complaint filed by a woman who said she had purchased “Cap’n Crunch with Crunch Berries” [...

Doral Financial Scandal: Sammy Levis Guilty of Wire Fraud

Posted on April 30, 2010
Mario S. Levis, aka “Sammy Levis,” was found guilty on securities and wire fraud charges after a five-week jury trial before U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Griesa for his role in a scheme to defraud investors and potential investors in the stock of Puerto Rico-based Doral Financial Corporation (Doral) that took place while he was [...

2 Crimes for the Price of 1: Woman Scams Man Who Gets Shot

Posted on April 29, 2010
Sometimes even the best of plans go awry. Almost right out of a movie, Brandi Bradley enticed a casino customer to leave the casino to “party.” The plan was simple. Once Brandi got the victim, – in the words of the Court, “a Mr...

Might Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement Affect Libraries?

Posted on April 28, 2010
With the release of leaked versions of the proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA),  opposition to the drafting process continues to grow.  Recently IFLA issued a statement arguing that while it is appropriate for governments to act to stop commercial counterfeiting, the copyright and patent issues at stake in ACTA would be better addressed through the World International [...

Fighting Debt Collectors: Knowing Whether a Debt is Valid

Posted on April 27, 2010
Many people aren?t surprised when a debt collector calls. After all, they know they owe an overdue debt. But what happens when you?re taken by surprise because you didn?t realize that you owe a debt or had forgotten that you owed money? Bill collectors often spring this kind of surprise on unsuspecting people, and make [...

Challenges of Sovereign Wealth Funds on Politics & Economy

Posted on April 26, 2010
Amidst a global economic ?credit crunch,? world economies are desperately seeking dependable sources of investment into their financial institutions, in an effort to regain liquidity into their markets, enabling lending institutions to continue their day-to-day activities...

News Corp Plans to Block Google From Wall Street Journal

Posted on April 25, 2010
Rupert Murdoch, chief executive of News Corp, recently landed on headlines when he said in an online interview that News Corp is planning to block Google from crawling into its web sites. The interview, conducted by David Speer of major network Sky News Australia, discussed a wide range of topics, from the debate between free [...

Google Reporting on Which Countries Ask For Data About Users

Posted on April 24, 2010
Citizens have long wondered how often their governments ask online service providers for data about users, and how often governments ask providers to take down content. Today Google took a significant step on this issue, unveiling a site reporting numbers on a country-by-country basis...

Bona Fide Office Rule in New Jersey: No Virtual Law Firms

Posted on April 13, 2010
New Jersey is one of the few states that has what is known as a “bona fide office” rule. A NJ Bar Committee recently endorsed the role and this has created a lively debate within the legal blogosphere. [ See ABA Journal Article ]. ?Virtual law offices? violate the state requirement for a bona fide office, [...

Law School Summer Programs: U.S. Attorney?s Office

Posted on April 12, 2010
This past summer, I had the fantastic opportunity to spend ten weeks working for the U.S. Attorney?s Office in Florida. I had tremendous opportunities to gain hands-on experience and take on substantial responsibility even with only one year of law school experience...

Markus Prostidude: Male Prostitution at the Shady Lady Ranch

Posted on March 28, 2010
A brothel club in Nevada has broken the ground for males who want to work as prostitutes. The Shady Lady Ranch hired Nevada?s first-ever legal male prostate in the person of ?Markus,? a fit and trim college dropout who briefly worked for porn movies in Los Angeles...

Career Services Office: Truth About How Big Law Firms Hire

Posted on March 24, 2010
During the first few weeks and months of law school, 1Ls are blissfully unaware of the realities of the legal world. All that matters at that point is getting to class and being prepared. There are no worries about improving grades or maintaining grades, because there are no grades to improve upon or maintain...

Neutrogena & Coppertone in Lawsuit: Sunscreen Advertising

Posted on March 23, 2010
Earlier ruling. Plaintiff (Coppertone for convenience) makes Coppertone Sport sunscreen, introduced in 1992, and defendant makes Neutrogena Ultimate Sport sunscreen, introduced in late 2008 and first advertised in 2009. There were false advertising claims and counterclaims; both prevailed in part...

Lawyer Fee Charging Methods: Hourly, Fixed & Contingency

Posted on March 22, 2010
There are three ways to charge for legal services: hourly, fixed fee or contingency. I typically charge for work on an hourly basis. Even when I offer clients a “fixed fee”, I have to estimate the amount of time it would take and base the estimate on some equivalent amount of time...

What to Do When Divorcing But You Can?t Afford a Lawyer

Posted on March 18, 2010
My name is Linda. I am 40 years old. I have been married to my current husband for 15 years now, but we have recently agreed to separate and file for divorce. I intend to make sure that my interests are adequately represented in the proceedings so that I can get my just share of [...

The Many Faces of iPad: Fujitsu & STMicro Take on Apple

Posted on March 03, 2010
Apple is in danger of being made subject of a lawsuit by Japan?s Fujitsu and European chipmaker STMicroelectronics, in the wake of Apple?s adoption of the name ?iPad? for its latest tablet PC eye candy. ?iPad? has been a registered trademark by STMicro since 2000 for its semiconductor technology...

Dave Matthews Band Gives Instructions on Beating Music DRM

Posted on March 02, 2010
The CD version of Stand Up, the release from the Dave Matthews Band, contains copy control technology that is ostensibly designed to limit or prevent copying. The technology doesn’t do a particularly good job at stopping copying, however, though it is very good at annoying consumers...

The Best Way to Hire a Lawyer: How It Feels to Be a Judge

Posted on March 01, 2010
Should you wait until you?re sued to hire a lawyer? At that point, the answer is obviously yes – but what if you haven?t been sued? Do you still need a lawyer? How do you find one? The best way to hire a lawyer is like everything else – by referral...

Scott Rothstein: Ponzi Schemes, Morocco, & Golden Toilets

Posted on February 27, 2010
It seems like only yesterday that many thousands of people were being scammed by Ponzi schemers with elaborate stories and fake investment schemes.  I guess that’s because it was yesterday, and every other day, except now it is mostly done with federal bailout money...

Beetenson & Gibbon Acquires Martin & Haigh of Scunthorpe

Posted on February 26, 2010
Grimsby legal force Beetenson & Gibbon has now acquired Martin & Haigh of Scunthorpe. This is the second solicitors merger in as many months, as this move follows Wilkin Chapman and Grange Wintringham’s announcement three weeks ago. This move comes as a result of the ambitious expansion plans of Grimsby-based Beetenson & Gibbon following their acquisition [...

Detroit Sex City: Zoning Out Adult Exotic Dancing Clubs

Posted on February 25, 2010
Detroit has been working hard to revive the city and bring residential growth to the downtown area. Millions of dollars have gone into renovating historic buildings, creating new public transportation, reviving the riverfront and building residential lofts in the Central Business District area...

Russian Blog Justice: Internet Influencing Politics & Law

Posted on February 25, 2010
The Russian blogosphere became a place of public outcry against the lack of adequate punishment for corrupt government officials and their relatives violating the law. A simple blog search reveals numerous posts criticizing Russian police, senators and governors who disregard any notion of the law and easily avoid any consequences for taking bribes, pursuing illegal [...

Identifying Anonymous Forum Posters is a Real Possibility

Posted on February 22, 2010
Imagine that you want to sue someone for what they wrote, anonymously, in a web-based online forum. To succeed, you’ll first have to figure out who they really are. How hard is that task? It’s a question that Harlan Yu, Ed Felten, and I have been kicking around for several months...

LegalZoom Sued for Unlawful Practice of Law in Missouri

Posted on February 21, 2010
LegalZoom is being sued in Missouri on the grounds of unauthorized practice of law and the plaintiff’s are requesting class certification. To give an example of how popular LegalZoom’s services have become, LegalZoom in its petition for removal to Federal court claims that it has served over 14,000 Missouri residents in a five year period, [...

Go to Lunch With Your Law Professor: Get Personal

Posted on February 20, 2010
I always find my professors a little intimidating the first couple of weeks of class before I get to know them a little better. I?m especially afraid of them when they use the Socratic method?but this semester I got a head start. My secured transactions professor offered to take us out to lunch in small [...

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