Trials
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Federal Judges, Gay Marriage, Technology, Trials, Videos
Cameras in the Prop 8 Courtroom: Why Not?
A disclaimer: we’re not sure how we feel about Perry v. Schwarzenegger, the federal constitutional challenge brought by superlawyers Ted Olson and David Boies to Proposition 8, California’s voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage. We are somewhat sympathetic to Jonathan Adler’s position: gay marriage makes perfect sense as a policy matter, but the constitutional case is […] -
Gay, Gay Marriage, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Technology, Trials, Videos
Prop 8 Blackout
Because when you want to argue against average Americans having access to a basic civil right, you want to make sure nobody sees you doing it. From the Associated Press: The Supreme Court is blocking a broadcast of the trial on California’s same-sex marriage ban, at least for the first few days. The federal trial […] - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Blogging, Crime, Trials
Don't Mess With Texas Blokes
An ATL reader sent along this motion, asking us: Can you get to the bottom of whether this is a hoax? I assume it is, given how ridiculous the motion and response are. On the other hand, it’s Texas. It’s a challenge to be an out-of-state attorney in some courts. It may be even more […]
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Bear Stearns, Trials, Wall Street, White-Collar Crime
Acquittals for Two Bear Stearns Hedge Fund Managers
Congratulations to Williams & Connolly and Hughes Hubbard & Reed, the firms that represented Ralph Cioffi, and Brune & Richard, the litigation boutique that represented Matthew Tannin. Ed. note: This post has been corrected; an earlier version switched the defendants around. Thanks for pointing out the mistake, commenters. Not Guilty! [Dealbreaker] Breaking News: Bear Defendants […] -
Crime, Herman Thomas, Sex, State Judges, Trials
The Spanking Judge Gets Off
Remember Judge Herman Thomas? He’s the former Alabama state court judge who was accused of spanking male prisoners, trading favorable treatment for sexual favors, and improperly interfering on behalf of a cousin in legal trouble. Judge Thomas challenged the charges at trial, and this afternoon the jury returned its verdict. From the Mobile Press-Register: Herman […] -
Health Care / Medicine, Labor / Employment, Lawsuit of the Day, Tort Reform, Trials
Lawsuit of the Day: Don't Lie About Brain Tumors
The Connecticut Employment Law Blog reports on the kind of plaintiff that gives other plaintiffs a bad name: In the middle of trial, a plaintiff (who is claiming his employment was terminated, among other reasons, in retaliation of his exercise of FMLA rights) drops a bombshell: “[In the prior October], I learned that I had […] -
Celebrities, Federal Judges, Paris Hilton, Trials
More Paris Hilton Awesomeness from Florida
Down in Miami, celebrity heiress Paris Hilton is charming the robes off of Chief Judge Federico Moreno (S.D. Fla.), who is hearing a film contract dispute in which she’s the defendant. Reports Davis Markus: Paris Hilton is on the stand. And Judge Moreno is getting in the act. In one exchange, Moreno was puzzled by […] -
Fashion, Plaintiffs Firms, Ridiculousness, Shoes, Trials
'Holier' Than Thou: Motion to Compel Defense Counsel to Wear Appropriate Shoes at Trial
Our colleagues over at sister site Fashionista aren’t alone. Lawyers also get worked up over shoes. Some, like former Enron prosecutor Kathryn Ruemmler, show up to court in four-inch pink stiletto spikes. Others hate on commuter shoes and Crocs. Attorneys have strong opinions about attire, and that extends to footwear. So we can’t say we’re […] - Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so… -
Crime, Gerald Shargel, Trials
Brooklyn Law School: Where Else Can You Learn From a 'MobFellas' Attorney?
The Village Voice had a great piece last week on the developing trial of Robert Simels, a New York attorney who has attracted a fair amount of fame from defending alleged mobsters and other assorted “kingpins.” Legendary local attorney Robert Simels is only being punished for representing some of New York’s most unredeemable gangsters, say […] -
Intellectual Property, Music, Technology, Trials
Will The Pirate Bay Walk the Plank?
Ed. note: This is a guest post by Keith Chapman, a lawyer with more knowledge of BitTorrent and all things tech than the regular crew on the ATL ship. Avast ye hearties! Especially if you’re one of those hearties using a BitTorrent client to purloin copyrighted materials. Today marks the fourth day in the highly […] -
Politics, Trials
Breaking News: Ted Stevens Guilty
Breaking from CNBC, CNN, and NYT, Alaska Senator Ted Stevens has been found guilty on all seven counts of making false statements on Senate disclosure forms. More to come. Update (4:24): The jury started to deliberate Wednesday. On Monday jurors noted a discrepancy between the indictment and the evidence. According to CNN: The indictment accuses […] -
Crime, Minority Issues, O.J. Simpson, Racism, Trials
While You Were Sleeping: O.J. Simpson Convicted
This news came in overnight. Via the AP (story filed at 2:33 AM Eastern time): O.J. Simpson, who went from American sports idol to celebrity-in-exile after he was acquitted of murder in 1995, was found guilty Friday of robbing two sports-memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a Las Vegas hotel room. Simpson, 61, could spend the […] -
Celebrities, Crime, O.J. Simpson, Trials
Do I Smell A Fuhrman? Or Is That Just What Bacon Normally Smells Like?
Just to give you fair warning, O.J. Simpson could get off again. The Juice is on trial for storming into the Palace Station hotel in Las Vegas and “liberating” some sports memorabilia at gunpoint. The prosecution would like to make the case about the largely inescapable facts that O.J. and his friends stole the goods […]
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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…
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Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so…
Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use.
Sponsored
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The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms.
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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.
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Anthony Pellicano, Crime, Entertainment Law, Trials
Lawyer of the Day: Terry Christensen
Along with his colorful co-defendant, private investigator Anthony Pellicano, prominent entertainment attorney Terry Christensen is now a convicted felon. Earlier today, a federal jury convicted the pair on conspiracy charges relating to illegal wiretapping. Not a great way to kick off a holiday weekend. And not good news for the 110-lawyer firm that Christensen founded […] -
Elizabeth Halverson, Fat People, Health Care / Medicine, Ridiculousness, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns, Trials
Breaking: Judge Halverson Passes Out; Hearing Postponed
This just in, from a West Coast tipster who has been following L’Affaire Halverson obsessively: Halverson passes out at hearing; adjourned due to medical reasons. Based on live observations… Update: More details from the AP: A disciplinary hearing for a suspended Nevada state judge has been postponed, after she reported she felt ill. The Nevada […] -
9th Circuit, Alex Kozinski, Federal Judges, Legal Ethics, Pornography, Trials
Chief Judge Kozinski Calls for Investigation... of Himself?
Apologies for the downtime. We were off being interviewed by CNN Headline News about the controversy surrounding Chief Judge Alex Kozinski of the Ninth Circuit. We’ll post a link to the interview if and when it becomes available. Speaking of Chief Judge Kozinski, here’s the latest news: The 9th Circuit judge, who posted sexually explicit […] -
Crime, Gary Zerola, Gay, Kids, Lawyer of the Day, Oral Sex / Blow Jobs, Perverts, Politics, Rape, Sex, Sex Scandals, Trials
Update: Massachusetts Lawyers Getting Off
For the record, here’s some follow-up on two Bay State lawyers previously discussed in these pages, who have been cleared of the charges against them. At least to some extent. First, remember Carl Stanley McGee (right), who was arrested after being accused of going down on a 15-year-old boy? Earlier this week, Florida prosecutors decided […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Benchslaps, Biglaw, Federal Judges, Intellectual Property, Lawyer of the Day, Legal Ethics, Perks / Fringe Benefits, Trials
Lawyers of the Day: McDermott Will & Emery(And they just canceled their associate retreat, too.)
Pity the poor partners of McDermott Will & Emery. Sure, their firm is highly regarded and highly profitable. But when they head off to try cases in far-off places, they often get benchslapped silly. You may recall the case of bankruptcy partner William Smith, who found himself in the deep-fat fryer after telling a judge […] -
Crime, Death Penalty, Jeffrey Toobin, Judge of the Day, Media and Journalism, Screw-Ups, State Judges, Trials
Judge of the Day: Hilton Fuller
This has been all over the news. We like the ABA Journal’s version, ’cause it’s the crispest: The Atlanta judge overseeing the prosecution of alleged courthouse shooter Brian Nichols has stepped aside from the case after he was quoted [in a New Yorker article] as saying, “Everyone in the world knows he did it.” The […] -
Bad Ideas, Dubious Defenses, Kids, Murder, Trials
From the Department of Dubious Defenses
Defendants in deep doo-doo come up with all sorts of innovative defenses. Last week, we learned that fashion mogul Dov Charney, accused of sexually harassing a former employee, claimed in a deposition that when he appeared before the plaintiff wearing nothing but a strategically placed sock, he was merely testing a new line of underwear. […]