ABA Journal

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Judge won't oust opioid special master for bungled email that 'should have been protected, rather than exploited'

A federal judge in Ohio has rejected a motion to disqualify a special master overseeing opioid litigation over a mistaken “reply all” email that claimed two defendants had a goal “to complicate and delay.”



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Generative AI creates fake images that bring to life real stories from Australia's offshore detention camp

While a project, “Exhibit A-i: The Refugee Account,” has already gained media attention in Australia and has been shown to the country’s minister for immigration and members of Parliament, it also has led to a discussion about the ethical use of generative artificial intelligence. The technology has evolved to a point where it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s fake.



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Labor activist Dolores Huerta urges attorneys to 'get involved in civic life'

Labor rights icon Dolores Huerta has simple but sage advice for attorneys: Get engaged in your community. “We need more attorneys to get involved in civic life and be out there with the rest of us, doing the work that we need to get people elected and to change the laws, do the advocacy that we need.”



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Wrongfully convicted man urges criminal justice reform at final day of Clio Cloud Conference

More than 20 years ago, Brian Banks was wrongfully convicted of rape, delaying his dream of becoming a professional football player. At his keynote address at the Clio Cloud Conference on Tuesday morning, Banks urged the audience of lawyers and legal professionals to embrace reforms to create a fairer and more just system for people entangled in the criminal justice system.



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Racist remarks about Obamas didn't constitute workplace harassment, appeals court rules

A Black nurse who heard her white co-workers make racist statements about the Obamas and about their patients did not establish a hostile-work-environment claim, a federal appeals court has ruled.



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Clients more optimistic about AI than legal professionals, says Clio's 2023 Legal Trends Report

While generative artificial intelligence will transform legal work, there are key differences in how legal professionals and clients are thinking about AI, with clients more optimistic about the tech, according to Clio’s eighth annual Legal Trends Report, which Clio founder and CEO Jack Newton introduced Monday.



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A lawyer looks at 100

It’s rare to meet a 100-year-old lawyer. It’s perhaps even rarer to sit with that lawyer and listen as they reflect on their life and career. Alexander Forger, who joined the centenarian club in February, recently gave the ABA Journal that opportunity.



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5th Circuit takings ruling that breaks ‘Pottery Barn rule’ will be reviewed by US Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to decide whether Texas landowners can sue the state under the takings clause for flooding caused by highway reconstruction. “If there is one basic principle in property law, it’s the Pottery Barn rule: You break it, you buy it,” said Robert McNamara of the Institute for Justice, which is representing the plaintiff.



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Keeping Up Appearances: Slow-to-evolve dress codes often burden female and minority lawyers

Dress code expectations for lawyers are evoked in the name of professionalism and steeped in tradition. But advocates say that centuries-old grooming dictates have negatively impacted people of color, women, those with disabilities and LGBTQ folks and need to evolve. Many question their necessity.



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Vet Detectives: Forensic veterinarians help examine beastly crimes

Forensic veterinary investigations are a growing force in animal law, with vets working at the intersection of law and veterinary medicine. On any given case, the scope of the vet’s work runs from crime scene investigations, lab work, animal autopsies and report writing to serving as an expert witness in court.



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