Home Daily News 9th Circuit denies inmate new trial because… Trials & Litigation By Debra Cassens Weiss Posted June 13, 2018, 7:10 am CDT The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals/vincenzo_mancuso (Shutterstock.com). A federal appeals court refused to grant a new trial to a California inmate serving a life sentence for murder because he was unable to show racism by his appointed lawyer caused a deficient trial performance. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Ezzard Ellis, but did so reluctantly, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The panel said in a June 7 per curiam opinion that it was bound by 9th Circuit precedent involving the same lawyer, Donald Ames, who is deceased. But all three panel members agreed in a concurrence that the decision makes “a mockery” of the right to counsel. Ellis was convicted of murder, attempted murder and robbery in his fifth trial in 1991 for a fatal shooting outside a … [Read more...] about 9th Circuit denies inmate new trial because he can’t show lawyer’s racism affected trial performance
Trials litigation
US intends to call Akin Gump lawyer in Manafort trial; lawyers seek to block storage unit evidence
Home Daily News US intends to call Akin Gump lawyer in Manafort… Trials & Litigation By Debra Cassens Weiss Posted May 24, 2018, 10:42 am CDT Lawyers for President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manaoft learned Wednesday that the government plans to call a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld to testify in the trial. The name of the partner, Melissa Laurenza, had been redacted in court documents, Law360 reports. She reportedly helped Manafort submit forms in which he registered as a foreign agent. Laurenza is not accused of any wrongdoing. Government lawyers revealed the lawyer’s name during a federal court hearing in Washington, D.C. During the hearing, Manafort’s lawyers sought to exclude evidence seized from Manafort’s storage unit in Alexandria, Virginia. According to Courthouse News Service and Politico, Manafort’s lawyers faced “an uphill battle” as they pressed the argument during the hearing before U.S. … [Read more...] about US intends to call Akin Gump lawyer in Manafort trial; lawyers seek to block storage unit evidence
Punk rock drummer-turned-doctor performs CPR on potential juror in his med-mal trial
Home Daily News Punk rock drummer-turned-doctor performs… Trials & Litigation By Debra Cassens Weiss Posted April 2, 2018, 12:51 pm CDT A California judge declared a mistrial in a medical malpractice case last week after the doctor defendant performed CPR on a potential juror. The doctor, gynecological oncologist James Lilja, was the former drummer for the punk rock band the Offspring, report the San Francisco Chronicle and San Jose Mercury News in stories that cite information reported by Law360. A potential juror in the Alameda County trial collapsed and lost consciousness. Lilja and his nurse assistant rushed to help, administering CPR and shocking the man with a defibrillator. The man had a pulse but was still unconscious when paramedics arrived. The man’s current condition is unknown. Lawyers for the plaintiff asked for a mistrial. Lilja is accused of negligent treatment of Stephenie Sargiotto. Lilja’s new trial is scheduled to begin today. … [Read more...] about Punk rock drummer-turned-doctor performs CPR on potential juror in his med-mal trial
Women litigators should be given equal opportunities to gain trial experience, ABA House urges
In a measure prompted by a New York State Bar Association report revealing that women participate in court at lower rates than men, Resolution 10A was passed overwhelmingly in a voice vote at the ABA Midyear Meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia.The resolution, which was proposed by the New York State Bar Association, calls for law firms to develop initiatives to provide female lawyers with opportunities to gain trial and courtroom experience; for judges to “take steps to ensure that women lawyers have equal opportunities to participate in the courtroom;” and for corporate clients to ensure that women have equal participation opportunities in litigation and in alternate dispute-resolution practices. Follow along with our full coverage of the 2018 ABA Midyear Meeting Previous:Discovery of chemical on legal papers leads to inmate strip searches after lawyer visits Next:Alito denies GOP request to stay Pennsylvania … [Read more...] about Women litigators should be given equal opportunities to gain trial experience, ABA House urges
Baylor Law to offer LLM program in litigation management
Baylor Law School will be launching what they say is the nation’s first executive LLM in litigation management program for experienced lawyers this coming fall.Texas Lawyer had the story.Many law schools have LLM programs that focus on litigation or trial advocacy. Baylor’s new LLM program, on the other hand, will address the rise of litigation costs by showing lawyers the nuances of managing large cases through the latest technology and strategies.“We are not teaching you how to try the lawsuit,” Baylor law professor Liz Fraley, who co-created the LLM program, told Texas Lawyer. “This is: Samsung calls you and says, we’ve been sued by Apple, or we’re suing Apple and it’s hundreds of millions of dollars at issue. How do you design a plan that makes it cost-effective, outcome effective, and where you discover the case in a way that doesn’t take five years and billions of dollars? That’s what this program is … [Read more...] about Baylor Law to offer LLM program in litigation management