Public Interest
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American Bar Association / ABA, Technology
This Week In Legal Tech: ABA Future Panel Calls For Broad Changes In Legal Services
Significant change is not just an option, but a necessity, and it will require innovative delivery models and technologies. -
Holy Crap, Politics, Public Interest
After Repeated Budget Cuts, Pissed-Off Public Defender Appoints State Governor As Defense Counsel
Properly fund your public defender offices -- or else. - Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The rise of remote work has dramatically reshaped the relationship between Lawyers and Law Firms, see how Scale LLP has taken the steps to get… -
Pro Bono, Public Interest
Spend Your Pay Raise... To Support A Good Cause!
How about spending part of your pay raise on helping a good cause?
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Public Interest
When Filing An Ethics Complaint Against A Judge Is The Right Call
No, you can't handcuff a lawyer for doing her job. -
Death Penalty, Public Interest
Connecticut Supreme Court Reaffirms Death Penalty’s Demise
Which state court of last resort will be the first to follow the Connecticut Supreme Court’s lead on the death penalty? -
Pro Bono, Public Interest
Test Case: Let's Get Physical — Can I Be Useful As A 'Non-Lawyer' Volunteer?
As busy lawyers, our time is valuable; is it worth it to volunteer in a non-legal capacity? -
Law Schools, Public Interest
The 20 Best Law Schools For Getting Government And Public Interest Jobs
If you want to save the world as a lawyer, you better hope your law school is on this list. - Sponsored
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
In this CLE-eligible webinar, we’ll explore the most common accounting pitfalls and how to avoid them for your firm. -
Public Interest
Louisiana Legislature Attempting To Cure What Ails Public Defenders
This bill may restore basic public-defender services in Louisiana while increasing support for abolishing the death penalty. -
Public Interest
Is Sharper Scrutiny Of Qualified Immunity On The Horizon?
Even conservative jurists are starting to question police tactics. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 05.17.16
* Tiger-blooded warlock Charlie Sheen sued by American Express over $287,879 in debt. #Winning. [Courthouse News Service]
* It’s really happening, folks! Get ready for ASSLaw. [Washington Post]
* Morgan Lewis knows how to play both sides — the firm is handling Donald Trump’s tax returns and accompanying controversy while simultaneously vetting Hillary Clinton’s possible running mates. [Law.com]
* Law school announces a technological innovation concentration… because programming the next LawyerBot is probably the only hope these students have for jobs in 10 years. [Northwestern Pritzker School of Law]
* Cuneo Gilbert attorneys said that they felt threatened when former colleague Preetpal Grewal emailed another former colleague stating she wanted “to kill” them in connection with her national origin discrimination suit. Someone’s overreacting here. [Law360]
* The SEC targets a patent troll and a former Fulbright & Jaworski and Bracewell associate in an unrelated securities fraud case. [The Am Law Daily]
* Neil Sedaka may have thought “Breakin’ Up Is Hard To Do” but for law firms, mergers are the tough part. [National Law Journal]
* The justice gap for poor civil litigants keeps on growing. [The Nation]
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Public Interest
National Reentry Week: Another Nice Thing From DOJ
The Department of Justice is taking post-incarceration life seriously.
Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
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Public Interest
Novel Climate Lawsuit Survives Dismissal (For Now)
The legal challenge to climate change survives an early obstacle. -
Public Interest
Are Law Schools Just Liberal Indoctrination Factories?
Do schools spend too much on public interest, or is it just a meager effort to balance the scales? -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 04.14.16
* “You’re not getting out of jail today.” Affluenza teen Ethan Couch has been sentenced as an affluenza adult to serve four consecutive 180-day terms for each person who was killed in a fatal drunken-driving car crash he caused in 2013. The judge may reconsider Couch’s sentence in two weeks. [NBC News]
* Who will be the next chair of Baker & McKenzie? Four prominent partners have put their names forward to compete for the title. This would be much more entertaining if it were a Biglaw ladder match where we could watch Paul Rawlinson, Gary Senior, Claudia Prado, and Eric Lasry fight for the shiniest brass ring of them all. [Big Law Business]
* If only law schools had more clinical opportunities for future corporate drones: Law schools have offered students more chances to perform public interest work, but this law professor worries schools are “inculcat[ing] law students with a responsibility of social justice that reflects the morality of the faculty and administration.” [WSJ Law Blog]
* “It doesn’t cry out as a triable case.” Andrew Caspersen, the high-flying Harvard Law grad charged with a $95 million fraud scheme, likely won’t face trial. His lawyer says that he thinks his client’s criminal case will be resolved within the next 60 days. He thinks the case will end in a settlement with the SEC. [DealBook / New York Times]
* Sources say that Donald Trump’s campaign manager Corey Lewandowski will not be prosecuted for battery after an incident with former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields following a press conference in March. Apparently the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office has a “higher standard to go forward with a prosecution.” [POLITICO]
Staci Zaretsky is an editor at Above the Law. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. Follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.
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Public Interest, White-Collar Crime
A CEO Was Actually Sentenced To Prison Time
It's exceedingly rare, but sometimes corporate conduct is so egregious that an executive actually gets put behind bars. -
Department of Justice, Public Interest
The Feds Are Taking On Debtors' Prisons
Some say bail is "income-based incarceration." The Department of Justice wants to change that. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 03.31.16
* William Shatner has found himself at the center of a $170 million paternity lawsuit that was filed by a radio DJ who claims the actor had a fling with his biological mother. If we’d been able to reach him for comment, we imagine Shatner would’ve said something like this for himself: “Oh my… God I am… not… the father.” [People Magazine]
* Judge Rosemary Collyer of the D.C. District Court may not have the name recognition some of her colleagues do, but she’s had a hand in some of the most newsworthy cases we’ve seen in recent years. The “systemically important” judge just added another notch to her high-profile belt by stripping MetLife of its “too big to fail” label. [WSJ Law Blog]
* “When your basic human needs are at stake, you should have a lawyer to protect those needs. The consequences are too great.” Eighteen states are considering bills that would ensure legal representation for low-income people in certain civil cases, such as matters involving eviction, foreclosure, child custody, and involuntary commitment. [ABC News]
* Earlier this week, Debevoise & Plimpton launched the Debevoise Women’s Review, a site that will aim to focus on the achievements of women lawyers and business professionals. The site will concentrate on “the development, retention and promotion of female professionals.” Way to go, Debevoise! [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA]
* More and more law schools are completely overhauling their coursework in an effort to put more butts in seats, and make sure those butts are prepared for law practice after graduation. Some schools have even significantly reduced tuition costs. For example, students can now attend Elon Law for the low, low flat rate of $100K. [U.S. News]
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Deaths, Public Interest
Young Public Interest Lawyer Killed During Brussels Attacks
She was only four years out of law school.