MetaFilter posts tagged with lawyer

RTF Print

the man of twists and turns — Wed, 01 May 2013 10:37:57 -0800

Imagine you’ve clicked on your computer screen to accept a contract to purchase a good or service—a contract, you only realize later, that’s straight out of Kafka. The widget you’ve bought turns out to be a nightmare. You take to Yelp.com to complain about your experience—but lo, according to the contract you have given up your free speech rights to criticize the product. Let’s also say, in a fit of responsibility, (a bit fantastic, I know) you happened to have printed out this contract before you “signed” it, though you certainly hadn’t read through the thing, which is written, literally, on a “twenty-seventh grade” reading level. Well, you read it now (perhaps with the help of a friend who’s completed the twenty-seventh grade). And you see that there was nothing in the contract limiting your right to free speech at the moment you signed it. That part was added later. Your friend with the twenty-seventh-grade education points to the clause in the contract in which you’ve granted this vendor-from-hell the right to modify the terms of the contract, unilaterally, at any time into the vast limitless future.

Small Print, Big Problem (part II) fair contracts.org asks "what have you agreed to today?" The Guardian: Not reading the small print can mean big problems. Do users read license agreements? - "The short answer is no." Adobe demands 7,000 man-years a day from humankind in time to read the EULA. Do Lawyers Actually Read Boilerplate Contracts? Looks like some Circuit Court judges and one Supreme Court Justice do not. You should always Read The Fine Print.

Referred to hereinafter as 'Burglar'

Wordshore — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 10:50:28 -0800

A lawyer provides a detailed analysis of the contract between Bilbo Baggins and the dwarves in The Hobbit. Contract may not be legally binding. Contract may not be real, may instead be commercial product officially licensed from 'THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY'. The value of your pipe-weed portfolio may go down as well as up. Your hole in the ground may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. IANAL. IANAH.

Caveat Emptor?

reenum — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 18:52:30 -0800

After several failed attempts against other schools, a lawsuit against Thomas Jefferson School of Law for providing misleading employment data to prospective students is moving forward.

28 seconds. Living to write about it.

kneecapped — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 17:15:21 -0800

Ex Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant (previously previously previously) reveals struggle with alcoholism, and his thoughts on cyclist's death in new memoir, 28 Seconds. CBC radio "The Current" interview, and CTV tv interview. Allan Sheppard, the deceased's father, asks people to scrutinize Bryant's story.

The New York state bar is introducing a pro bono requirement for admission.

hypotheticole — Tue, 29 May 2012 22:44:29 -0800

Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman of the New York Court of Appeals announced that beginning next year, prospective lawyers must show that they have performed at least 50 hours of law-related pro bono service before being admitted to the New York state bar. Arguments in support of the measure include that it will help to provide legal services to the many people who cannot afford attorneys, that it will instill the value of pro bono work in lawyers from the beginnings of their careers, and that it will provide practical work experience for law students. Arguments against the measure include that the pro bono work will be done by people not yet licensed to practice law, that this measure imposes a financial burden on already financially-struggling law students, and that there are no provisions to ensure the pro bono work's quality in addition to quantity.

Pop! Goes the Law School Bubble

reenum — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 18:41:23 -0800

With the number of LSAT test takers in sharp decline, has the law school tuition bubble finally burst?

Pie In the Sky

reenum — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 10:37:54 -0800

Tom Monaghan had a dream: To create a law school and surrounding community that would adhere strictly to Catholic values. Things have not gone according to plan. Previously.

Guantanamo: An Oral History

reenum — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:26:45 -0800

Guantanamo: An Oral History

The Law School Bubble

reenum — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 11:56:13 -0800

There has been an increasing outcry over the bleak job prospects facing law school graduates. Paul Campos, author of the "Inside The Law School Scam" blog, argues that continued high enrollment at law schools may be due to "lemming psychology".

The Price To Play Its Way

reenum — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 13:35:02 -0800

Want your new law school to get accredited by the American Bar Association? Be prepared to jump through some hoops.

Lawyer Wants Someone Who Will Go "Above And Beyond"

reenum — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:08:21 -0800

Samir Zia Chowhan, sensing a prime opportunity in this down economy, set out to hire a secretary who could not only do the typing and filing, but could also engage in group sex with Chowhan and his law partner. The Illinois Supreme Court found that this is conduct unbecoming of an attorney and suspended Chowhan's law license.

Is a Law Degree a Good Investment Today?

reenum — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 12:38:23 -0800

Professor Herwig Schlunk of Vanderbilt University explores whether a law degree is a good investment today. (SSRN link) Paul Caron of TaxProfBlog summarizes Schlunk's findings here.

F*ck You! Pay Me!

Jasper Friendly Bear — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 08:08:46 -0800

F*ck You! Pay Me! Customers not wanting to pay for work done (or pay less than what was originally agreed to) is a common problem that many business owners run into. In this 40 minute video, Mike Monteiro, a web designer, and his lawyer offer advice on how to get clients to pay up. The talk is aimed at freelancers and small firms that provide creative services. Note: There is some swearing in this video. [via Ask Mefi]

Law Schools Found Misrepresenting Jobs Data

reenum — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 09:27:20 -0800

Over the past couple of months, there have been a series of scandals that have rocked the legal education community. First, there were tandem lawsuits against Thomas M. Cooley School of Law and New York Law School for misrepresenting jobs data. Then, Villanova University and the University of Illinois were found to be fudging their employment numbers. A legal team is now preparing to sue 15 different law schools because of misrepresentations made to students regarding job and salary data.

Many rights groups withdraw from the Pickton inquiry

jeather — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:47:06 -0800

An inquiry has been set up in BC in response to the poor response by the police to missing women from the Robert Pickton case. (Previously 1, 2, 3, 4.) Many smaller groups, such a drop-in centre for sex workers in East Vancouver and First Nations groups have withdrawn amidst allegations that the inquiry is fundamentally biased towards protecting the police, and larger groups such as Amnesty International and the BC Civil Liberties Association have also withdrawn in support. CBC's The Current did a segment on this, featuring BC's attorney general, someone from the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre and the sister of a missing woman whose DNA was found in Pickton's farm, although he was not prosecuted for her murder.) Thirteen groups who were granted standing at the inquiry have been denied funding to participate. Funding for lawyers has been given only to the victims' families, despite the commissioner suggesting funding 13 groups. The government claims it does not have enough money to fund more lawyers. Fourteen lawyers have been given unlimited funding to protect the interests of the government and the police, and two lawyers for the families of the missing women.

Addressing the Justice Gap

reenum — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 08:09:13 -0800

Several commentators are advocating the deregulation of the practice of law.

Seoul's Intellectual Pressure Cooker

reenum — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 08:00:26 -0800

Welcome to Exam Village, a neighborhood in Seoul where people live while studying for various professional entrance exams.

What if law schools opened their own law firms?

reenum — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 08:29:08 -0800

The job market is saturated and graduates are unable to get hired anywhere to get proper training. Law professors Richard Rhee and Bradley Borden have a solution: law schools should open their own law firms.

It's not the one Elvis sang about...

Unicorn on the cob — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:59:28 -0800

The Dutch Heartbreak Hotel offers separating couples throughout the Netherlands and Belgium a unique service: a complete, finalized divorce in just 48 hours. After paying the 2500 Euro fee, each partner checks into a five-star hotel (separately, of course!), he or she is given access to everything from lawyers to financial consultants and child psychologists in order to make the transition easier. English-language video explaining how the service works; it also mentions that seven couples have already used the service.

"When someone starts winning unwinnable cases, you notice."

zarq — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 13:29:54 -0800

The Baddest Lawyer in the History of New Jersey (and that's saying something.) Paul Bergrin, "advocate to killers, whorehouse proprietors, bum-check-passing beauty queens, Lil’ Kim, and a thousand forgotten street hoodlums" is now in jail and awaiting trial for allegedly setting up witnesses to be murdered before they could testify against his clients, operating a real-estate scam that defrauded lenders of over $1 million, and running a high-volume drug dealership. Single page link

Now You See It, Now You Don't

reenum — Mon, 09 May 2011 16:02:58 -0800

Homeowners are using a little known loophole in the bankruptcy laws to shed their second mortgages.

Unfit counsel

escabeche — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 09:33:48 -0800

"This conflict of interest hits at the heart of the attorney-client relationship." Robert Caulley has served 14 years of a life sentence for the murder of his parents, a crime he says he didn't commit. Some hope that unknown DNA found on a gun at the crime scene will prove his innocence, citing similar exonerations in other high-profile Ohio cases, but so far Caulley's attempts to revisit his case with further DNA testing have failed. But look, Caulley already had his day in court with his lawyer by his side, doing everything possible to clear him, right? So he thought -- until he learned that his defense attorney was sleeping with his wife during his trial.

Conviction

reenum — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 17:06:27 -0800

Betty Anne Waters's brother Kenny was sent to prison for first degree murder and armed robbery in 1982. Over the next 16 years, Betty Anne got her GED, college degree, and law degree, all in an effort to prove Kenny was innocent. With the assistance of the Innocence Project, Betty Anne was able to use DNA evidence to show Kenny was innocent. While the movie has a happy ending, real life isn't so simple. A few months after his release, Kenny died, and one of Betty Anne's sisters is accusing Betty Anne of overstating her role in freeing Kenny.

See? She thought I was a lawyer.

shakespeherian — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 06:51:17 -0800

Over the years, he's become so well versed in restaurant labor law that his attorneys don't even charge him for filing lawsuits anymore. 'They take them on spec,' he boasts. 'By now, they know that if I file something, it's legit.' Eddie Santana, restaurant rebel, has filed 30 lawsuits against companies — nearly all restaurants and bars — for everything from illegal tip pools to excessive uniform costs. He's netted $144,924.79 after attorney fees from 20 separate settlements. And from the nine suits still pending, he hopes to make another $100,000, if not more.

Interesting profile of a unique person who somehow negotiated a life that fitted them in this world.

maiamaia — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 10:25:40 -0800

Transgender lawyer killed under tube train in London last year bravely created her own life.