Home Daily News Lawyer pasted more than 1,000 words into… Trials & Litigation By Debra Cassens Weiss Posted June 13, 2018, 7:05 am CDT Alzay/Shutterstock.com. An Illinois lawyer takes umbrage at the suggestion he lifted more than 1,000 words from two articles for his brief opposing dismissal of a lawsuit. “Go pound sand,” lawyer Robert Hanlon of Woodstock, Illinois, told the Northwest Herald when asked for comment. “I’m not dignifying that.” The newspaper reports that opposing lawyers suspected something was amiss when they noticed that Hanlon’s writing style changed on the fourth page of the brief. A Google search revealed copy was lifted from two articles. One of the articles, written by three Foley & Lardner lawyers in 2011, is about the standard for injunctive relief in Illinois. The other article, written by Jenner & Block, is from a “Practice Series” primer on temporary restraining orders. The Herald published … [Read more...] about Lawyer pasted more than 1,000 words into his legal brief without attribution, opposing lawyers say
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How was your legal education paid for?
Home Daily News How was your legal education paid for? Question of the Week By Sarah Mui Posted February 7, 2018, 12:45 pm CST The possible factors behind the skyrocketing cost of attending law school and the large sums borrowed by many law students in pursuit of a JD are constantly in the spotlight. Out of the spotlight are thousands of law students, all of whom either borrowed money to pay for law school, received scholarships or need-based financial aid, had family who paid for their law school—or through some combination of those means financed their legal educations. A while back on Above the Law, New York lawyer Jordan Rothman, who has paid off his law school debts (but also had some scholarships) wrote about the complicated emotions he felt after making that last payment. At first he felt euphoric—later, he felt resentful of those whose parents paid for law school; and eventually, seeing the value of his financial sacrifices. “All told, being burdened with … [Read more...] about How was your legal education paid for?
Trade Secrets, Tech Innovations and the Changing Legal Landscape
Introduction2018 is already proving to be a busy year for trade secret owners, for attorneys that prosecute trade secrets misappropriation cases and for the judges who have to interpret and apply relevant laws. On January 24, 2018, a Wisconsin court convicted Chinese wind turbine maker Sinovel Wind Group Co. (Sinovel) of stealing trade secrets from U.S. company American Superconductor Corp. (AMSC). In a lawsuit filed on January 29, 2018, intelligent electric car company Faraday Future claims its two former executives, CFO Stephan Krause and CTO Ulrich Kranz, stole its trade secrets when they left to form Evelozcity, Inc. Jury selection in the Waymo-Uber trade secret trial concluded on January 31, 2018; trial was set to start on February 5. What these three cases have in common are breakthrough technological innovations worth millions of dollars, cutthroat competition for global dominance in new and emerging sectors, and highly ambitious and very mobile tech employees. Against the … [Read more...] about Trade Secrets, Tech Innovations and the Changing Legal Landscape
Vermont governor says he will sign bill legalizing marijuana possession
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott says he will sign a bill legalizing possession of recreational marijuana that received final approval by state lawmakers on Wednesday.Scott spoke at a news conference on Thursday, the Burlington Free Press reports. When Scott signs the bill, Vermont will be the first state to legalize marijuana through the state legislature.The bill eliminates state penalties for adults who possess up to an ounce of marijuana, or those who own two mature or four immature marijuana plants. Retail sales are still barred.“I still firmly believe what you do in your own home should be your business as long as it doesn’t affect someone else,” Scott said at the news conference.State lawmakers passed the bill despite Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ announcement that he will give U.S. attorneys discretion on to enforce federal marijuana laws. The U.S. attorney in Vermont, Christina E. Nolan, has previously said her office would prioritize finite resources in … [Read more...] about Vermont governor says he will sign bill legalizing marijuana possession
Judge orders settlement talks in opioid suits, says public isn’t interested in legal questions
An Ohio federal judge is urging a settlement that goes beyond “moving money around” in about 200 federal lawsuits targeting the opioid epidemic.U.S. District Judge Dan Polster of Cleveland ordered lawyers on Tuesday to discuss a settlement that will “dramatically reduce” the number of opioids prescribed and make sure the medication is being used properly, report the National Law Journal (sub. req.), the Associated Press, Cleveland.com, the Wall Street Journal (sub. rec.) and Bloomberg News. Cleveland.com published a transcript here.“What ‘m interested in doing is not just moving money around, because this is an ongoing crisis,” Polster said to more than 100 lawyers gathered in his courtroom.The lawsuits, filed by state and local governments, accuse opioid makers of downplaying addiction risks and opioid distributors of failing to monitor suspicious orders. The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation assigned the cases to Polster last … [Read more...] about Judge orders settlement talks in opioid suits, says public isn’t interested in legal questions