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Ticks on a snake:

For years defendants in tort cases have said that Philadelphia's courts are biased, but little in the way of empirical data was available to substantiate the claims. But, a new study - by Professor Joshua D. Wright for the International Center of Law and Economics (ICLE), Portland, Ore. - indicates that the accusations of structural biases in favor of plaintiffs are justified. Wright is a law professor at George Mason University School of Law School in Arlington, Va. The study, originally published in October 2011, has updated information as of February 2012 that ...

Obama Outlines New Housing Refinance PlanBy Mary Bruce Feb 1, 2012 12:56pm **SNIP** While the proposal faces an uphill battle in Congress, Obama said he is not waiting to take action. Announcing a new homeowners’ Bill of Rights and streamlined mortgage form, the president explained that he understands what it’s like to be stumped by all the paperwork. “I remember when Michelle and I bought our first condo, and we were both lawyers. And we’re looking through the forms, and we’re kind of holding it out reading it again: What does this phrase mean? And that’s, you know, for two...

Lawyers Harry and Charles Binder began representing applicants for Social Security disability benefits in the 1970s, when the field was a professional backwater. Last year, their firm collected $88 million in fees for guiding clients through the system, government data indicate, making it the nation's largest Social Security disability advocate by far. "We'll deal with the government," a cowboy-hatted Charles Binder proclaims in his firm's ubiquitous television ads. "You have enough to worry about."

Lawyers, courts see weaknesses in defense of Obama’s healthcare lawBy Sam Baker - 01/05/12 12:59 PM ET The Obama administration is headed into a Supreme Court case over healthcare reform without a clear answer to significant questions about Congress’s power. The Justice Department will file its first brief on the merits of the case Friday — the beginning of a long process that will almost surely culminate in a ruling this summer. The first briefs will focus on the core question of whether it is constitutional to make almost every American buy health insurance. The Obama administration has a winning...

A federal judge in Washington has awarded attorneys who represented Dick Heller in the landmark Supreme Court case that recognized an individual right to posses arms just over $1.1 million in fees — about one-third of what they had requested.

ORLANDO, Fla (Reuters) - The man who found 2-year-old Caylee Anthony's body in 2008 is suing her mother for damages, saying Casey Anthony defamed him during her murder trial earlier this year. Former meter reader Roy Kronk said in a lawsuit filed in Florida on Wednesday that 25-year-old Anthony and her lawyers tried to shift suspicion away from the young mother and on to him. Kronk testified he found Caylee's body in the woods near Anthony's home and called police. Casey Anthony was charged with killing her daughter, but a jury acquitted her in July. In the suit, Kronk claims...

..... ....In at least one case, that of Migron, the Arabs who claimed the land is theirs withdrew their lawsuit when they were unable to present proof of ownership. There may be good news for the Jewish residents, however: Two of Israel’s leading lawyers, Attorney Dr. Yaakov Weinroth and attorney Dr. Harel Arnon, published a legal opinion on Tuesday, according to which there is already a legal solution to prevent the demolition of the outposts. Weinroth and Arnon found that the solutions are legal under the law which currently applies in Judea and Samaria. In their opinion, the two lawyers...

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Friday that attorneys fees in a class action lawsuit against Kia Motors America were inappropriate. Kia Motors America, an automobile manufacturer, lost a class action lawsuit for breach of express warranty. The Pennsylvania Superior Court affirmed the ...

...Bodies were strewn everywhere. Those who were unharmed scrambled in panic as the public address announcer attempted to calm them. That’s when Apfelbaum’s natural instinct kicked in. As an E.R. doc, Apfelbaum has seen his share of carnage. He has been among the first responders to air disasters that left no survivors. However, the aftermath of the Reno crash was unlike anything he had ever seen. Knowing that the available EMS crews would be overwhelmed, he hugged Julia, leapt over a fence and hitched a ride on a cart to get to the scene faster...

A settlement amount of $1.875 million was reached between the Miami-Dade County School Board and the family of a teen who was stabbed to death while at Coral Gables High School, according to the law firm representing the family. Andy Rodriguez, 19, faces life in prison after being found guilty on Aug. 2 of second-degree murder in the September 2009 death of 17-year-old Juan Carlos Rivera.

A settlement amount of $1.875 million was reached between the Miami-Dade County School Board and the family of a teen who was stabbed to death while at Coral Gables High School, according to the law firm representing the family. Andy Rodriguez, 19, faces life in prison after being found guilty on Aug. 2 of second-degree murder in the September 2009 death of 17-year-old Juan Carlos Rivera.

Independent scientific research institutes whose work influences the policies of the U.S. government as well as governments abroad, also impact litigation in the states. "The information from these think tanks does bubble up," said Professor Alex Tabarrok, chair of the Economics Department at George Mason University in Virginia. And, James Copland, director of the Center for Legal Reform at the Manhattan Institute in New York, said organizations that host "research" conferences affect trial outcomes. "A lot of lawyers pay top dollar to attend these conferences," Copland said. One such organization is the Collegium Ramazzini (CR), an independent, international ...

Does anybody know of a Second Amendment lawyer who takes cases involved with restoration of gun rights to previously convicted felons?

Sharon Bialek has had an unfortunate history of mismanaged finances and multiple bankruptcies. Allred never wants her clients challenged for their sins and omissions. Sometimes, it is surreal and it borders upon the equivalent of the pot calling the kettle black. After stirring the pot, Allred frequently does not go so far as to file an actual lawsuit. On numerous other occasions, the celebrity lawyer’s lawsuits filed on behalf of her clients end up being dismissed or voluntarily withdrawn. How does Allred meet her expenses and earn legal fees in these instances? In terms of her behavior, Gloria Allred is...

Occupy lawyers sue to bar arrestsPublished: Nov. 8, 2011 at 7:15 AM WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Lawyers representing Occupy protesters in Tucson said they filed a civil rights suit in federal court, seeking a temporary ban on arrests of demonstrators. Meanwhile police and local officials across the United States and Canada grappled with potential violence as they sought to evict Occupy protesters in their cities. While Occupy protesters in Tucson solicited materials online Monday to help winterize their camp at Viente De Agosto Park, volunteer attorneys calling themselves Occupy Tucson Legal Working Group said a civil rights suit was...

Gilles Doré, a criminal defense lawyer who in the past has represented alleged organized crime defendants including Hells Angels bikers, was viciously assaulted outside his home last Friday in Montreal, QB Canada as reported by Paul Cherry for The Gazette: "investigators have no description of the person, or people, who attacked the victim" but they "hope to be able to talk to the victim when he recovers." Representing accused criminals can be a risky business. In July 1987 legal eagle Barry Slotnick physically was attacked on a New York City sidewalk, and some speculated that it was ordered by John...

The liberal media is all aflame as it torches Republican presidential contender Herman Cain over allegations he engaged in sexual harassment while he headed the National Restaurant Association (NRA). Cain evidently made some sort of comment – not a sexual one, just saying an NRA employee was a short as Cain’s wife – which the NRA employee found “offensive.” She and another NRA employee sued, or threatened to sue the NRA for sexual harassment, and the NRA settled, apparently because it was cheaper to throw a few bucks at the plaintiffs rather than pay hefty legal fees to defend itself....

So the law firm that represents huge mortgage lenders like Bank of America and Citigroup decided to throw a Halloween party. And, like many an awkward office Halloween bash, the employees were encouraged to dress up. Costumes! Fun! Except not. At the offices of Steven J. Baum, things got ugly. Because apparently someone at this firm, the biggest “foreclosure mill” in the state of New York, decided it would be fun to dress up as some of the delinquent mortgage holders whom they’ve thrown out of their homes. And the Baum crew spared no stereotype. This is according to New...

The U.S. government spends who knows how many billions via its own lawyers suing everybody under the sun over its own insane gazillions of regulations. And it probably spends a similar huge amount defending challenges to its huge pile of regulations. I suggest aside from saving businesses a lot of wasted money and time, we could dramatically cut the cost of government by: 1)Eliminate most of the govt. depts. and their regulations 2)Eliminate most of the govt. lawyers who enforce them

Anyone who has met me knows I'm totally like, no fan of 26-year-old woman Meghan McCain. I found her latest threat to sue Erick Erickson at RedState.com for "illegally using her byline" on Leon Wolf's "Totally Meghan McCain" parody columns absolutely hilarious. Even better, McCain claimed the parodies, which were poorly written on purpose, could be confused with her real columns at The Daily Best. The buxom blogette tweeted: Sexist? Really? Here is part of the parody post that triggered McCain's lawsuit threat: Firstly in the first place, some people had a question about my very obvious statement, “I don’t...

The Obama administration has the worst employment record in modern history, but it is pressing forward boldly to create a raft of new jobs — for trial lawyers. To the existing menu of protected classes in job-discrimination cases — race, sex, physical handicap, etc. — President Obama proposes to add a new one protecting the unemployed. Which is to say, being unemployed would put one in the same position as being black or being a woman when it comes to making claims of discrimination in hiring practices. This is a bad decision for a raft of reasons, but one that...

A Rochester man has been sentenced to six years in prison for violating the Clean Air Act and making false statements to a federal inspector. Keith Gordon-Smith, 54, was also sentenced to serve three years of probation following his prison term and ordered to pay a $1,100 fine. U.S. District Court Judge Charles J. Siragusa pronounced sentence on Gordon-Smith in federal court in Rochester on Wednesday. His sentence comes less than two weeks after ...

A top restaurateur is throwing in the apron, saying he’s done with New York City because a wave of vicious lawsuits, coupled with draconian state regulations, threatens to cripple the industry. Eateries have paid out close to $30 million in settlements over wage and tip complaints in the past few years -- and that’s just from suits filed by one Manhattan lawyer, Daniel Maimon Kirschenbaum. The city’s biggest names, including Nobu, Jean Georges, Sparks and Mesa Grill, have forked over millions, and more restaurants are on the hook. The ‘21’ Club reached a tentative $2 million settlement last week in...

A lawsuit filed against Washington D.C. lawyer Lanny Davis accuses the former Clinton Administration adviser and others of conspiring to unlawfully coerce 3M into paying tens of millions of dollars in a United Kingdom breach of contract case. The action against Davis was filed Aug. 24 in the U.S. District Court for Washington D.C. Besides Davis, the defendants are his firm Lanny Davis & Associates; as well as an affiliated public relations firm, Davis & Block; Harvey Boulter of London, England, the CEO of Porton Capital; Porton Capital of England and Porton Capital Technologies, a subsidiary based in the Cayman...

Delaware Superior Court Judge Peggy L. Ableman ordered two opposing lawyers in asbestos litigation to attend a mandatory civility course over the Labor Day weekend. A letter addressed to attorneys Loreta P. Rufo and David W. deBruin suggested they needed a refresher course in civility. In the Sept. 1 letter, which was posted in Abovethelaw.com, Ableman wrote, "In view of the recent correspondence regarding the Anderson and Morgan trials, the Court has decided that it is necessary to ...

A female lawyer got into a sticky situation when she attempted a U-turn and drove straight onto a bed of freshly laid wet cement in Houston, Texas. Road workers stationed in the city couldn't believe there eyes as the driver totally ignored the bright orange markers and planted all four-wheels of her £70,000 luxury Lexus square on the concrete.

If you can judge a political candidate by the enemies he makes, Texas Gov. Rick Perry stands pretty tall. For example, the national tort-lawyer lobby is set to spend millions to try to stop the GOP presidential hopeful in his tracks. snip “among litigators, there is no presidential candidate who inspires the same level of hatred — and fear — as Perry.”

America’s trial lawyers are getting ready to make the case against one of their biggest targets in years: Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Among litigators, there is no presidential candidate who inspires the same level of hatred – and fear – as Perry, an avowed opponent of the plaintiffs’ bar who has presided over several rounds of tort reform as governor. And if Perry ends up as the Republican nominee for president, deep-pocketed trial lawyers intend to play a central role in the campaign to defeat him.

Prosecutors are reportedly set to ask a judge to abandon the case against Dominique Strauss Kahn. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance is preparing to ask that all charges against the former head of the IMF accused of attempting to rape hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo are dropped Tuesday. Such requests from the DA 'are never denied', an expert told the New York Post meaning Strauss-Kahn could finally return to his home country after being forced to remian in the U.S for months.

The prosecutors in the Dominique Strauss-Kahn scandal will meet the hotel maid accusing the former IMF chief of sexual assault on Monday, in a sign the case may be headed for dismissal. Douglas Wigdor, a lawyer for the maid, Nafissatou Diallo, said the Manhattan district attorney's office requested in a letter that Diallo meet with them at 3 p.m. The letter also said that, if she failed to appear, prosecutors would assume she was not interested in discussing the case, Wigdor said. 'This is just another piece of evidence demonstrating what may be the ultimate outcome of this case,' Wigdor...

Dr. Jackelinne Pilar Villalobos was one of Brooklyn’s few female English and Spanish-speaking obstetricians. She loved the city and her patients, and never wanted to leave -- but 18 months ago, she moved to Houston, where we’re delighted to have her. Villalobos’ journey to Texas began in 2003, when our Legislature reformed Texas’ legal system -- including sweeping medical-malpractice reforms. Back then, doctors in New York and Texas were paying about the same for medical-liability insurance. In Villalobos’ case, it was more than $100,000. But under the Texas reforms, rates immediately began to fall -- 15 percent in the first...

American Bar Association urges Congress to reject birthright lawBy: The Associated Press 9/08/2011 11:02 AM TORONTO - The American Bar Association passed a resolution urging the U.S. Congress to reject any changes to the constitution that would eliminate automatic citizenship for anyone born in the United States. **SNIP** Some Republican legislators have called for legislation to repeal birthright citizenship and have proposed a constitutional amendment. Outgoing American Bar Association president Stephen Zack says racism is underlying the call to change the constitution. Zack, the first ABA president of Hispanic origin, says it was important statement by the American Bar Association...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rcg_-8hB4E

Defense attorney Cheney Mason told everyone how he felt about the Casey Anthony coverage. Then he gestured to show his disapproval. I think the gesture will probably last longer than his lecture about the media. Mason later told TMZ.com the middle-finger salute was for “a guy from a radio station who has been stalking my team for months.” What was behind Mason’s anger after Anthony’s acquittal? I gained insights from Geraldo Rivera of Fox News Channel. Rivera, a friend of defense attorney Jose Baez, complained about how Baez had been treated by local attorneys on television. “There’s a big difference...

An NALP study finds Law School Class of 2010 Starting Pay Fell 20% as Jobs ErodedStarting salaries for last year’s U.S. law school graduates plummeted 20 percent as private practice jobs eroded, according to a report by the National Association for Law Placement. The national median starting salary at law firms dropped to $104,000 from $130,000 in 2009, reflecting a shift in the distribution of jobs and salary adjustments at some firms, the NALP said today. The report cited information submitted by 192 laws schools and covering 93 percent of 2010 graduates. Aggregate starting salaries fell because graduates found fewer jobs...

Trial attorneys use obscure labor law that sees retailers facing millions in damages. Retail store operators may want to sit down for this one — if they can find a chair. Nearly every national chain is under legal attack in California for failing to provide “suitable seating” for cashiers and other employees who are expected to spend most of their work day on their feet. Enterprising trial attorneys by the dozen are using an obscure California labor law requiring retailers such as Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Target to have enough seats on hand for their workers.

<p>NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A traveling evangelist who has sometimes aligned with Westboro Baptist Church has been jailed in Tennessee on charges of assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest.</p> <p>Nashville police Sgt. Robert Haught told WSMV-TV in Nashville that 48-year-old Glynis Bethel, who is associated with Twenty-First Century House of God in Loxley, Ala., pepper sprayed him in the face as he tried to stop her from leaving a scene Saturday.</p>

How the mighty have fallen. We read that somewhere. And right here in our midst an example: John Edwards, the lawyer who made a fortune playing a good guy fighting big bad guys. He wanted to be president and tried twice. He wanted to be a husband and father – then cheated on his wife even as she suffered from cancer and got his girl friend pregnant, then said it was someone else’s child. Whatta guy . . .

The American Civil Liberties Union have filed a lawsuit so that prisoners at a South Carolina jail can have access to pornographic-type material. Lawyers defending the religious freedom lawsuit against the Berkeley County Jail in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, said that the inmates were not allowed to have any reading materials apart from the bible.

When a fully clothed, apparently suicidal man walked into the San Francisco Bay from Shoreline Drive, in Alamdea County, all the would-be rescuers could do was watch. For about an hour. Why their boots stayed dry is a matter of debate Wednesday, the day after 57-year-old Raymond Zack was pronounced dead at an Alameda County hospital. The water's depth and temperature may have played a role. As did budget cuts. The Alameda Fire Department's water rescue program was discontinued in 2009 because of budget cuts. "(The) Alameda Fire Department does not currently have, and is not certified, in land-based water...

Church members plan to protest when President Obama visits tornado victimsThe controversial Westboro Baptist Church is planning to protest President Obama's visit to Joplin, Missouri Sunday. On its website, the church writes, "Thank God for 125 dead in Joplin." Church members claim Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has attacked them by promoting laws banning them from protesting at soldiers' funerals.

Peshawar 8 May 2011, more then 85 senior lawyer of Peshawar high court rise voice against us operation in abboat abad and they called for general body meeting of Peshawar high court bar association. According to the General Secretary of Peshawar high court Amin Ur Rehman khan he received the application of member’s lawyers of Peshawar high court, which signed more then 85 member’s lawyer. In which they demand that US operation in Pakistani area with out Pakistani recommendations is illegal and lawyer want to discuss the issue in Peshawar High Court Bar general body meeting. In application lawyer has...

Nearly 20 years ago, I asked the late William Kunstler about his philosophy of lawyering. A flamboyant leftist who proudly represented jihadists just as he proudly represented many other anti-American radicals, Bill succinctly replied, “Everybody’s entitled to a lawyer, but nobody’s entitled to me!” When speaking with him outside the lines of litigation, I was always beguiled by the aging rogue’s lack of pretense. Kunstler maintained that attorneys are under no obligation to take on every client who walks in the door. Once you took a case, though, it was your duty to give it your all. And because giving...

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli dropped the state’s business with King & Spaulding after the Atlanta-based law firm dropped the U.S. House of Representatives’ case defending the Defense of Marriage Act earlier this week. Cuccinelli told the firm in a biting letter Wednesday that he did not object to working with law firms who defend objectionable people or causes, like the firm’s work defending terrorist suspects. But he said the firm’s unprofessional behavior—taking the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) case and then dropping it after coming under pressure from gay rights groups—was the cause for his decision to terminate its...

He specialises in DUI offences and boasts in a TV advert that he was going to traffic court when rival lawyers were 'still in diapers'. But Mark Gold's sense of judgement seems to have deserted him when he spent $18,930 in one night at a strip joint in Miami. Now the 56-year-old attorney is taking the Gold Rush club to court, saying he was so drunk staff should have stopped serving him. The lawsuit, filed at Miami-Dade County Court, makes no mention of how the enormous bill was racked up - or how many lap dances he may have bought....

I need links of stories about this issue. Or any proof. I haven't been confronted by anyone YET. But, I honestly can't remember actually reading about Obama spending loads of money trying to hide his birth certificate, from a reliable source.

Suhir Ayoub, an Arab-Israeli attorney in Akko, was indicted by the Jerusalem District Attorney's office for serving as a go-between for members of the Mahajat El Quds terror organization incarcerated in Israel's prisons and their leader, Abu Hamza, in Gaza. The Mahajat El Quds organization is closely linked to the Islamic Jihad. According to the indictment Ayoub was retained by A’amar A’ashur Abu Hamza, a Mahajat El Quds member, to pass on information to the group’s members serving sentences in Israeli prisons. According to the indictment Suhir gained access to the prisoners on two occasions in February and April under...

The butcher. The baker. The Candlestick maker. They are not just three guys in a tub. They're probably tax cheats. Tax day comes three days late in 2011 on Monday, April 18th, instead of April 15th. But even after the deadline to file your taxes comes and goes, there will be hundreds of thousand of Americans who haven't fully paid what they owe to Uncle Sam. The annual tax gap is estimated at about $350 billion. That's the difference between what is owed in taxes every year and what gets paid on time. So who isn't paying? Scientists, it appears....

WASHINGTON — Christine Kwapnoski hasn't done too badly in nearly 25 years in the Wal-Mart family, making more than $60,000 a year in a job she enjoys most days. But Kwapnoski said she faced obstacles at Wal-Mart-owned Sam's Club stores in both Missouri and California: Men making more than women and getting promoted faster. [SNIP] The 46-year-old single mother of two is one of the named plaintiffs in a suit that will be argued at the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday. At stake is whether the suit can go forward as a class action that could involve 500,000 to 1.6...