What’s Wrong With Getting a Little Free Legal Advice?

State laws prohibiting the “unauthorized practice of law” hurt those who cannot afford a lawyer.

#appeals-courts-us, #bronx-nyc, #civil-rights-and-liberties, #debt-collection, #decisions-and-verdicts, #freedom-of-speech-and-expression, #james-letitia, #legal-aid-for-the-poor-civil, #legal-profession, #states-us, #suits-and-litigation-civil, #united-states, #upsolve-inc

Boris Epshteyn Helps Trump Navigate Legal Peril While Under Scrutiny Himself

Boris Epshteyn is the latest aide to take on the role of slashing defender of the former president, even as the Justice Department seeks information about him in the Jan. 6 and documents inquiries.

#classified-information-and-state-secrets, #epshteyn-boris, #hiring-and-promotion, #justice-department, #legal-profession, #midterm-elections-2022, #presidential-election-of-2016, #presidential-election-of-2020, #suits-and-litigation-civil, #trump-donald-j, #united-states-politics-and-government

With Alex Murdaugh’s Murder Conviction, a Century of Influence Unravels

When Alex Murdaugh was convicted of murdering his wife and son, some South Carolinians saw the verdict as a step toward dismantling a system of power “based on who you know.”

#colleton-county-sc, #legal-profession, #murdaugh-alex-1968, #murdaugh-paul-d-2021, #murders-attempted-murders-and-homicides, #sanford-mark, #south-carolina, #suits-and-litigation-civil

Abbe Lowell Had Trump World Ties. Now He’s One of Hunter Biden’s Lawyers.

The shift by Mr. Lowell, one of Washington’s best-known scandal lawyers, highlights the blurry lines between self-promotion, access to power and the right to legal representation.

#amnesties-commutations-and-pardons, #biden-hunter, #bribery-and-kickbacks, #broidy-elliott, #content-type-personal-profile, #ethics-and-official-misconduct, #foreign-agents-registration-act, #justice-department, #kushner-jared, #legal-profession, #lobbying-and-lobbyists, #lowell-abbe-d, #morris-kevin-1963, #trump-donald-j, #trump-ivanka, #united-states-politics-and-government

Do Law Schools Need the LSAT? Here’s How to Understand the Debate.

One part of the American Bar Association is trying to drop the test requirement for law schools, while another has voted to retain it — and both sides say diversity is the reason.

#accreditation, #admissions-standards, #affirmative-action, #american-bar-assn, #graduate-schools-and-students, #law-school-admission-council, #law-school-admission-test-lsat, #law-schools, #legal-profession, #minorities, #tests-and-examinations

The Road to a Supreme Court Clerkship Starts at Three Ivy League Colleges

The chances of obtaining a coveted clerkship, a new study found, increase sharply with undergraduate degrees from Harvard, Yale or Princeton.

#colleges-and-universities, #harvard-university, #ivy-league, #law-schools, #legal-profession, #princeton-university, #roberts-john-g-jr, #supreme-court-us, #yale-university

Corporate Lawyer’s Unlikely Mission: Defend and ‘Humanize’ a Hated Terrorist

Stanislas Eskenazi volunteered with Brussels’ legal aid service, typically helping petty criminals. But now he is representing Belgium’s most-wanted man.

#abrini-mohamed-1984, #belgium, #brussels-belgium, #brussels-attacks-march-2016, #content-type-personal-profile, #eskenazi-stanislas, #islamic-state-in-iraq-and-syria-isis, #legal-profession, #muslims-and-islam, #paris-france, #paris-attacks-november-2015

At the Supreme Court, Ethics Questions Over a Spouse’s Business Ties

The chief justice’s wife, Jane Sullivan Roberts, has made millions in her career recruiting lawyers to prominent law firms, some of which have business before the court. Now, a letter sent to Congress claims that may present a conflict of interest.

#conflicts-of-interest, #legal-profession, #roberts-jane-sullivan, #roberts-john-g-jr, #supreme-court-us, #united-states-politics-and-government

Trump’s Well-Worn Legal Playbook Starts to Look Frayed

The former president’s familiar tactics of defiance, counterattacks and delays appear less successful than ever as investigations and court proceedings against him grind on.

#federal-courts-us, #legal-profession, #new-york-city, #suits-and-litigation-civil, #trump-donald-j, #united-states-politics-and-government

Lawyers Who Investigated Trump Start Firm to Combat Threats to Democracy

Mark F. Pomerantz, Carey R. Dunne and Michele Roberts, the former head of the N.B.A. players union, will launch a pro bono law firm, the Free and Fair Litigation Group.

#legal-profession, #presidential-election-of-2020, #project-democracy, #roberts-michele-a, #storming-of-the-us-capitol-jan-2021, #suits-and-litigation-civil, #supreme-court-us, #united-states-politics-and-government, #voting-rights-registration-and-requirements

After Boycott from Law Schools, U.S. News & World Report Changes Ranking System

The magazine, which has been rating top schools for decades, said in a letter to deans that it is altering its methods to address their concerns.

#boycotts, #colleges-and-universities, #education, #education-k-12, #law-schools, #legal-profession, #united-states, #us-newsworld-report

Madison Square Garden Uses Facial Recognition to Ban Its Owner’s Enemies

MSG Entertainment, the owner of the arena and Radio City Music Hall, has put lawyers who represent people suing it on an “exclusion list” to keep them out of concerts and sporting events.

#civil-rights-and-liberties, #corporations, #facial-recognition-software, #legal-profession, #madison-square-garden, #manhattan-nyc, #new-york-city, #suits-and-litigation-civil, #surveillance-of-citizens-by-government

Trump Hired Team to Search His Properties for Classified Material

The searches, conducted after a federal judge directed the former president’s lawyers to look for any documents still in his possession, are said to have found no additional sensitive material.

#archives-and-records, #classified-information-and-state-secrets, #justice-department, #legal-profession, #mar-a-lago-palm-beach-fla, #national-archives-and-records-administration, #search-and-seizure, #trump-donald-j, #united-states-politics-and-government

Georgetown and Columbia Law Schools Withdraw From U.S. News Rankings

Three schools joined Yale and Harvard’s rebellion against U.S. News. And the bar association will no longer require schools to mandate the LSAT or GRE. But rankings still matter.

#admissions-standards, #chemerinsky-erwin, #education, #gerken-heather-k, #harvard-university, #law-schools, #legal-profession, #tests-and-examinations, #university-of-california-los-angeles, #yale-university

Meet the ‘Closer’ Who Finds the Right Words When Climate Talks Hit a Wall

Sue Biniaz is considered one of the most innovative American legal minds when it comes to climate negotiations. She once rescued a collapsing deal by using quotation marks.

#global-warming, #greenhouse-gas-emissions, #kerry-john, #legal-profession, #sue-biniaz, #united-nations, #united-nations-framework-convention-on-climate-change, #united-states-international-relations, #yale-university

NY Immigration Court Backlogs May Grow With New Migrant Influx

Immigration courts in New York State already had a backlog of 180,000 cases, before 21,000 new migrants arrived this summer.

#asylum-right-of, #border-patrol-us, #catholic-charities, #courts-and-the-judiciary, #customs-and-border-protection-us, #deportation, #homeland-security-department, #illegal-immigration, #immigration-and-customs-enforcement-us, #immigration-and-emigration, #immigration-detention, #legal-profession, #new-york-city, #new-york-legal-assistance-group, #venezuela

Where Red and Blue Make Green

Part of the resistance or part of the problem? It doesn’t matter: These lawyers are part of the gang.

#conflicts-of-interest, #covingtonburling, #haspel-gina, #high-net-worth-individuals, #kingspalding, #legal-profession, #lobbying-and-lobbyists, #politics-and-government, #regulation-and-deregulation-of-industry, #rosenstein-rod-j, #skadden-arps-slate-meagherflom-llp, #white-mary-jo, #yates-sally-q-1960

Jasmine Guillory Finds Her Happily-Ever-After as a Romance Writer

After leaving a law career to focus on fiction full-time, Jasmine Guillory is publishing her eighth novel, “Drunk on Love.”

#black-people, #books-and-literature, #content-type-personal-profile, #drunk-on-love-book, #guillory-jasmine, #legal-profession, #writing-and-writers

Jennifer Bonjean, the Lawyer Who Defended R. Kelly and Bill Cosby

Jennifer Bonjean has become known for her aggressive approach as she has defended men accused of sexual misconduct in several of the highest profile cases of the #MeToo era.

#metoo-movement, #bernard-lili-actor, #chicago-ill, #child-abuse-and-neglect, #content-type-personal-profile, #cosby-bill, #jennifer-bonjean, #kelly-r, #legal-profession, #raniere-keith, #rhythm-and-blues-music, #sex-crimes, #sexual-harassment, #television, #women-and-girls

Trump’s Lawyers Could Face Legal Troubles of Their Own

Several of the former president’s lawyers are under scrutiny by federal investigators amid squabbling over competence.

#bobb-christina, #classified-information-and-state-secrets, #corcoran-m-evan, #epshteyn-boris, #executive-privilege-doctrine-of, #federal-bureau-of-investigation, #herschmann-eric-d, #house-select-committee-to-investigate-the-january-6th-attack, #justice-department, #kise-christopher-m, #legal-profession, #presidential-election-of-2020, #search-and-seizure, #storming-of-the-us-capitol-jan-2021, #trump-donald-j, #united-states-politics-and-government

For Trump’s Lawyers, Legal Exposure Comes With the Job

The many lawyers who have helped the former president avoid removal from office and indictment have drawn legal problems of their own.

#cipollone-pat-a, #cohen-michael-d-1966, #cohn-roy-marcus, #corcoran-m-evan, #eastman-john-c, #ellis-jenna-attorney, #ethics-and-official-misconduct, #giuliani-rudolph-w, #legal-profession, #philbin-patrick, #powell-sidney-attorney, #presidential-election-of-2020, #suits-and-litigation-civil, #trump-donald-j, #united-states-politics-and-government

How Abbott Kept Sick Babies From Becoming a Scandal

Abbott’s lawyers at Jones Day negotiated secret settlements and used scorched earth tactics with families whose infants fell ill after consuming powdered formula.

#abbott-laboratories, #babies-and-infants, #bacteria, #compensation-for-damages-law, #decisions-and-verdicts, #food-contamination-and-poisoning, #infant-formulas, #jones-day, #legal-profession, #meningitis, #suits-and-litigation-civil

New York Is Pushed to Stop Asking Aspiring Lawyers About Long-Ago Crimes

To become a lawyer in New York, one must share details of sealed cases and juvenile records. Critics say that the requirement may be illegal, and that it harms racial diversity.

#courts-and-the-judiciary, #crime-and-criminals, #criminal-justice, #discrimination, #ethics-and-official-misconduct, #law-schools, #legal-profession, #new-york-state, #new-york-state-bar-assn, #race-and-ethnicity

Trump Lawyers May Become Witnesses or Targets in Documents Case

Two lawyers for former President Donald J. Trump are under increased scrutiny after new details emerged about a failure to fully comply with a subpoena for documents marked as classified.

#bobb-christina, #classified-information-and-state-secrets, #corcoran-m-evan, #federal-bureau-of-investigation, #fifth-amendment-us-constitution, #immunity-from-prosecution, #justice-department, #legal-profession, #mar-a-lago-palm-beach-fla, #self-incrimination, #subpoenas, #suits-and-litigation-civil, #trump-donald-j

A Who’s Who of Silicon Valley Lawyers Up for the Musk-Twitter Trial

More than 100 subpoenas have been issued to techies like Jack Dorsey and Marc Andreessen as Twitter tries to force Elon Musk to complete a $44 billion deal. Law firms are stoked.

#andreessen-horowitz, #andreessen-marc-l, #boards-of-directors, #computers-and-the-internet, #dorsey-jack, #ellison-lawrence-j, #goldman-sachs-group-inc, #legal-profession, #mergers-acquisitions-and-divestitures, #musk-elon, #sacks-david-o, #social-media, #subpoenas, #suits-and-litigation-civil, #twitter, #venture-capital

Bert Fields, Lawyer to the Hollywood Elite, Dies at 93

A master dealmaker, he had as clients Madonna, Michael Jackson, Tom Cruise, the Beatles and many others, becoming something of a celebrity himself.

#deaths-obituaries, #eisner-michael-d, #fields-bert, #katzenberg-jeffrey, #legal-profession, #movies, #pellicano-anthony, #suits-and-litigation-civil

Court Win Bolsters Push to Highlight Prosecutors’ Misconduct

A group of law professors have tried to strengthen the disciplinary process for prosecuting attorneys by making complaints public.

#civil-rights-corps, #courts-and-the-judiciary, #false-arrests-convictions-and-imprisonments, #fordham-university, #legal-profession, #st-johns-university

Hey, Is Anybody Watching the Interns?

School is out for the summer — but in some cases, so are the bosses.

#coronavirus-return-to-office, #internships, #labor-and-jobs, #legal-profession, #summer-season, #workplace-environment

Gerald Shargel, Criminal Defense Lawyer for the Mob, Dies at 77

He coupled legal scholarship with courtroom wit to decimate the prosecution’s cases against Mafia bosses.

#crime-and-criminals, #deaths-obituaries, #gleeson-john, #gotti-john-j, #legal-profession, #organized-crime, #shargel-gerald

How William Olson, Right-Wing Lawyer, Pitched Trump on a 2020 Election Plot

The role of William J. Olson in advising the president in late 2020, which has not previously been disclosed, shows how fringe figures were influencing him at a critical time.

#biden-joseph-r-jr, #conspiracy-theories, #house-select-committee-to-investigate-the-january-6th-attack, #justice-department, #legal-profession, #lindell-mike, #my-pillow-inc, #presidential-election-of-2020, #project-democracy, #trump-donald-j, #united-states-politics-and-government, #voter-fraud-election-fraud, #washington-dc, #william-j-olson

Book Review: “The Sewing Girl’s Tale,” by John Wood Sweet

John Wood Sweet’s “The Sewing Girl’s Tale” tells the story of an unusual prosecution in 18th-century New York — and its contemporary relevance.

#books-and-literature, #dobbs-v-jackson-womens-health-organization-supreme-court-decision, #hale-matthew-1609-76, #legal-profession, #sex-crimes, #supreme-court-us, #sweet-john-wood, #womens-rights

Alex Murdaugh Is Expected to Be Charged With Killing Wife and Son, Lawyer Says

Mr. Murdaugh, who comes from a powerful legal family in rural South Carolina, has already faced a wave of fraud and theft charges since the killings last summer.

#legal-profession, #murdaugh-alex-1968, #murders-attempted-murders-and-homicides, #south-carolina

Arthur Aidala: The Nice-Guy Lawyer for America’s Tabloid Villains

The sweet spot of Arthur Aidala’s law practice is a headline-grabbing defendant who is hated by many. Somehow, that doesn’t mean people hate him.

#aidala-arthur-l, #cancel-culture, #content-type-personal-profile, #legal-profession, #new-york-city, #weinstein-harvey

An Anti-Abortion Campaigner on the Movement’s Historic Win

James Bopp, chief lawyer for the National Right to Life Committee, says that overturning Roe v. Wade is only the halfway point.

#abortion, #audio-neutral-informative, #legal-profession, #national-right-to-life-committee, #roe-v-wade-supreme-court-decision, #supreme-court-us

An Abortion Rights Champion of the 1970s on Life Before and After Roe

Fifty years ago, Nancy Stearns, a lawyer, was on the front lines of the battle to secure legal access to terminations for American women.

#abortion, #law-and-legislation, #legal-profession, #new-york-state, #stearns-nancy, #womens-rights

Marked by the 2015 Paris Attacks, and Now Defending the Accused

Half the lawyers speaking for the 20 men charged with involvement in the massacre belong to a young generation in France scarred by a spate of terrorist acts.

#abdeslam-salah, #crime-and-criminals, #legal-profession, #paris-france, #paris-attacks-november-2015, #suits-and-litigation-civil, #terrorism

Trump Lawyers Are Focus of Inquiry Into Alternate Electors Scheme

In recent subpoenas, federal prosecutors investigating alternate slates of pro-Trump electors sought information about Rudolph W. Giuliani, John Eastman and others.

#biden-joseph-r-jr, #chesebro-kenneth, #eastman-john-c, #ellis-jenna-attorney, #ethics-and-official-misconduct, #giuliani-rudolph-w, #justice-department, #legal-profession, #presidential-election-of-2020, #project-democracy, #states-us, #storming-of-the-us-capitol-jan-2021, #trump-donald-j, #united-states-politics-and-government, #voter-fraud-election-fraud

Family Court Lawyers Flee Low-Paying Jobs. Parents and Children Suffer.

New York hasn’t raised the attorneys’ fees since 2004, creating a shortage that has denied the most vulnerable their constitutional right to a lawyer.

#courts-and-the-judiciary, #labor-and-jobs, #legal-aid-for-the-poor-civil, #legal-profession, #manhattan-nyc

Alan J. Hruska, a Founder of Soho Press, Dies at 88

A litigator for 44 years, he was also a novelist; a writer, director and producer of plays and films; and helped establish the independent publishing house Soho Press.

#book-trade-and-publishing, #books-and-literature, #cravath-swainemoore, #deaths-obituaries, #hruska-alan-playwright, #laugh-it-up-stare-it-down-play, #legal-profession, #soho-press, #theater, #writing-and-writers

Why Hundreds of New York City Prosecutors Are Leaving Their Jobs

New burdens, low pay and pandemic malaise prompted the resignations of a fifth of the legal work force in Manhattan, the Bronx and Brooklyn.

#bragg-alvin, #bronx-nyc, #brooklyn-nyc, #clark-darcel-d, #crime-and-criminals, #district-attorneys, #hochul-kathleen-c, #legal-aid-society, #legal-profession, #manhattan-nyc, #new-york-city, #staten-island-nyc, #work-life-balance

Do Russian Oligarchs Have a Secret Weapon in London’s Libel Lawyers?

How a group of attorneys worked to keep negative stories about President Vladimir Putin’s allies out of the British media for decades.

#abramovich-roman-a, #belton-catherine-journalist, #freedom-of-the-press, #johnson-boris, #legal-profession, #libel-and-slander, #london-england, #news-and-news-media, #politics-and-government, #putin-vladimir-v, #russian-invasion-of-ukraine-2022, #suits-and-litigation-civil

As Jackson Faces Senators, Her Criminal Defense Record Is a Target

Republicans have vilified Biden’s judicial nominees who have represented criminal suspects. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, for the Supreme Court, is the most prominent.

#appointments-and-executive-changes, #biden-joseph-r-jr, #jackson-ketanji-brown-1970, #legal-profession, #public-defenders-and-court-appointed-lawyers-criminal, #republican-party, #senate-committee-on-the-judiciary, #supreme-court-us, #united-states-politics-and-government

Client Charged in Fatal Stabbing of Lawyer, a Tiananmen Activist

Jim Li had fought for democracy in China and often worked pro bono. He died in his Queens office after an irate client stabbed him, the police said.

#beijing-university, #immigration-and-emigration, #legal-profession, #li-jim, #murders-attempted-murders-and-homicides, #queens-nyc, #tiananmen-square-beijing

How Western Firms Quietly Enabled Russian Oligarchs

Investment, law and lobbying firms have helped enmesh Kremlin-linked oligarchs into the Western financial and legal systems.

#abramovich-roman-a, #banking-and-financial-institutions, #concord-management-llc, #embargoes-and-sanctions, #legal-profession, #lobbying-and-lobbyists, #russia, #russian-invasion-of-ukraine-2022

How the Manhattan DA’s Investigation Into Donald Trump Unraveled

The criminal investigation into the former president crashed amid a disagreement about the merits of bringing a case. The debate pitted a new district attorney against two veteran prosecutors who had pursued a case against Mr. Trump for years.

#bragg-alvin, #cohen-michael-d-1966, #dunne-carey-r, #elections-district-attorneys, #frauds-and-swindling, #james-letitia, #legal-profession, #manhattan-nyc, #pomerantz-mark-f, #trump-organization, #trump-donald-j, #united-states-politics-and-government, #vance-cyrus-r-jr, #weisselberg-allen

As a Public Defender, Ketanji Brown Jackson Helped Clients Others Avoided

Ambitious lawyers usually become prosecutors. Ketanji Brown Jackson worked on behalf of criminal defendants and Guantánamo detainees.

#content-type-personal-profile, #guantanamo-bay-naval-base-cuba, #jackson-ketanji-brown-1970, #legal-profession, #public-defenders-and-court-appointed-lawyers-criminal, #supreme-court-us, #united-states-sentencing-commission

Walter Dellinger, Top Legal Official in Clinton White House, Dies at 80

He served as both the head of the Office of Legal Counsel and acting solicitor general, and he remained a leading figure in liberal legal battles.

#clinton-bill, #constitution-us, #deaths-obituaries, #dellinger-walter-e, #duke-university, #legal-profession, #office-of-legal-counsel-us, #solicitors-general, #united-states-politics-and-government

Biden Is Right to Nominate a Black Woman to the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court must be an representative institution in touch with all of American life.

#appointments-and-executive-changes, #arizona, #barrett-amy-coney, #biden-joseph-r-jr, #black-people, #bork-robert-h, #brennan-william-j, #conservatism-us-politics, #cruz-ted, #discrimination, #eisenhower-dwight-david, #ginsburg-ruth-bader, #law-schools, #legal-profession, #oconnor-sandra-day, #race-and-ethnicity, #reagan-ronald-wilson, #republican-party, #roman-catholic-church, #senate, #supreme-court-us, #texas, #women-and-girls

Black Women in Law Feel Pride and Frustration Ahead of Court Nominee

As Biden prepares to nominate the first Black woman to the nation’s highest court, members of this small, elite group are watching with complicated emotions.

#biden-joseph-r-jr, #black-people, #breyer-stephen-g, #courts-and-the-judiciary, #law-schools, #legal-profession, #race-and-ethnicity, #supreme-court-us, #united-states

‘Civil Rights Queen,’ the Story of a Brave and Brilliant Trailblazer

Tomiko Brown-Nagin’s book is the first major biography of Constance Baker Motley, the first Black woman to serve as a federal judge, among other achievements.

#black-people, #books-and-literature, #brown-nagin-tomiko, #civil-rights-and-liberties, #civil-rights-movement-1954-68, #civil-rights-queen-constance-baker-motley-and-the-struggle-for-equality-book, #content-type-personal-profile, #courts-and-the-judiciary, #legal-profession, #motley-constance-baker, #new-york-state, #women-and-girls