FindLaw News for Legal Professionals

How to Kill Email and Save Time

2017-07-14T13:00:18Z

Email can be a time-killer, so why not fight back? When junk mail starts to outnumber legit mail, it's time to put them to sleep with the fishes. And what about those old emails that keep hanging around like cheap friends? You don't have time for this! But you......

When Is It Safe to Use Keyloggers?

2017-07-13T18:00:10Z

Keyloggers are like knives. They can be very useful, but also very dangerous. It depends on who is using them. When anyone can get a keylogger for $10, it's a good idea to know how to use one. Even if you don't want to use keyloggers, at least you......

Some Law Schools Using More Legal Tech Than Many Law Firms

2017-07-13T12:57:45Z

According to recent reports, law schools are using legal tech more than many law firms. In one survey, nearly 62 percent of the respondents said they are already using or intend to use new technologies in their classrooms. Meanwhile, another survey revealed a mere 7.5 percent of law firms......

Should You Ever Sign Agreements Over Drinks?

2017-07-12T22:07:04Z

Some of the greatest agreements are celebrated with a toast. But when has a party gotten out of control? When the bride passes out drunk? When a signer spills his drink on the document? It's not much of a defense to say you were drunk at the time, especially......

What to Do When a Client Puts a Gun to Your Head

2017-07-12T22:05:03Z

"But for the grace of God, goes John Bradford." It's a quote attributed to the religious reformer, commenting as prisoners were led to execution. He was later burned at the stake. It's also apropos for lawyers who have advocated for clients, only to have them threaten them. Like Jack......

Article of Impeachment Filed Against President Donald Trump

2017-07-12T20:41:49Z

On Wednesday, July 12, 2017, the first Article of Impeachment was filed against President Donald Trump. Representative Brad Sherman, a democrat from California, along with Texas Representative Al Green, filed the article based on President Trump committing high crimes and misdemeanors. While some pundits and media outlets are calling this......

Foot Locker Loses Appeal of $180 Million Verdict for ERISA Violations

2017-07-12T16:15:30Z

Foot Locker stepped on its employees, but didn't expect them to kick back. In Osberg v. Foot Locker, Inc., the plaintiffs won a $180 million judgment against the company for misleading them about their pension plan. The company appealed, saying it was an unfair windfall to more than 10,000......

California Bar Test-Takers May Get a Break

2017-07-12T19:11:50Z

Christmas may come early for those preparing to take the California bar exam. According to reports, the California Supreme Court may lower the passing score as early as September. Its decision could be retroactive to the exam set for July 25, 2017. The court has been reviewing whether California's......

Academics Can't Explain 'Astonishing' Decline in Plaintiffs' Win Rate

2017-07-12T13:00:10Z

Plaintiffs mysteriously lost twice as many federal cases in 2009 than they had 24 years earlier, according to a new study. Two University of Connecticut law professors said the plaintiffs' win rate declined about 50 percent from 1985 to 2009. It was a trend the professors cannot explain. "I'm......

How Can Your Law Firm Use Facial Recognition Technology?

2017-07-12T12:58:21Z

Maybe you can pick a face out of a crowd -- but how about a crowd of 10,000 faces? Didn't think so. Neither did the lawyers who were trying to prove that a plaintiff was not at certain corporate events over a span of years. They had 10 terabytes......

Family's Claim Revived Against Spanish Museum With Nazi-Looted Painting

2017-07-11T23:53:36Z

How often does a U.S. trial judge get to decide a Spanish case over artwork painted by the French impressionist Camille Pissarro in 1897? Once, unless of course the case is remanded. That's what is happening in the case of Cassirer v. Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection Foundation. The U.S. Ninth Circuit......

Who Is Saul Bellow and Why Should Lawyers Care?

2017-07-11T22:05:40Z

Saul Bellow is dead, but he still matters if you want to get a law job. A prominent intellectual property firm recently screened applicants based on their essays about Bellow, a 20th Century author who won numerous prizes for his work. The firm posted a job for a lawyer......

After a Data Breach: What Not to Do

2017-07-11T19:13:23Z

What should you do immediately after a data breach? 1) Erase your browser history. 2) Go out for a few drinks. 3) Look for a new job. Just kidding. But seriously, there are some common mistakes people make after discovering a data breach. Here are a few things not......

Indiana Burglary Includes Fenced Area, 7th Cir. Rules

2017-07-11T16:56:52Z

Can justice be blind when there is an elephant in the room? It hardly seems possible in a case from Indiana, where an appeals court affirmed a burglary conviction as a "violent felony." An Indiana burglary includes "outdoor, fenced in areas," the court said in United States of America......

Are Law Firms Embracing AI? Not So Much, Survey Concludes

2017-07-11T13:00:54Z

In a profession reluctant to leave black robes and white wigs to history, it's not surprising that lawyers have not kept up with technology. Even the most progressive law firms have a long way to go before a robot takes over the scrivener's job. While all attorneys have smart......

Tight Budgets Put Squeeze on IP Firms

2017-07-11T13:00:40Z

When a sandstorm is coming, it's good to be a camel. In the story, the camel inched its way into an Arab's tent for protection. First its nose, then the front feet, and finally its whole body pushed the Arab out. Likewise, as intellectual property budgets have shrunk, companies......

Fight for Your Right to Party, or How Lawyers Can Take Vacations

2017-07-11T13:00:18Z

Move to France. That's the short answer to how lawyers can demand vacation days. In France, employees are entitled to five weeks of paid vacation each year by law. Unlike most countries, however, the United States has no right to paid vacation or paid holidays. So if you are......

Top 10 Legal Dramas to Binge Watch This Summer

2017-07-11T12:58:53Z

For some reason, people are hard-wired to be unable to turn away from a garbage fire. And since it's no secret that lawyers hate legal dramas for their wild inaccuracies, for some reason, a good number of us just can't turn away. Our more experienced TV watching companions know......

How to Answer That Bar Exam Question You Didn't See Coming

2017-07-10T19:04:00Z

There's this nightmare, where you are crossing a bridge and it suddenly runs out. There you are, looking at the vast below and the bridge starts to crumble behind you. You have no place to go but down. That's what it feels like when you face a question on......

Court Affirms Kidnapping Convictions of Rabbis Who Did It for Religious Purposes

2017-07-10T15:57:51Z

Divorce is painful enough, but beating a man to sign divorce papers? Oy vey! Yet that's what three Jewish rabbis were doing. They kidnapped husbands, then beat and tortured them to finalize their religious divorces. And you thought circumcision was painful!......