ABA Journal

Latest Features

Foot Fight: Subway sandwich suit raises class action questions

Nine class action suits against Subway consolidated into one, and the sides reached a settlement in February 2015. But consumers shouldn’t get their hopes up about getting any money—or even a coupon. That’s because it’s all but impossible for people to prove that they ate a subnormal Subway sub. The plaintiffs and putative class members literally “ate the evidence.”



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Public officials can't evade public records laws through personal email accounts



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For more good: Law firms find other ways to provide service to society

Programs that combine financial donations, hands-on community volunteerism and coordinating good works with clients are emblematic of a shift in how lawyers are thinking about working for good.



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For sale: your personal data

Compared to the European Union, where personal data has significant privacy protections, much more information about Americans is available to buy from data brokers—companies that gather information from public records, social media posts, online searches and purchases, and other footprints from life carried out increasingly on the internet.



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Starved of money for too long, public defender offices are suing—and starting to win

Indigent defense advocates are increasingly suing regarding inadequate funding for public defenders. Although past efforts have yielded decidedly mixed results, at least five lawsuits have reached successful decisions or settlements over the past five years.



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When public defenders become plaintiffs

When Stephen Hanlon of the National Association for Public Defense challenged chronic funding problems at the Missouri State Public Defender Commission, public defenders themselves were the petitioners.



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Another Shot

In this winning short story, a defense attorney and a prosecutor work together to help a criminal defendant—a veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse issues—get treatment.



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Law students offer free legal services to help transgender people change their names

In July, John Marshall Law School’s Pro Bono Program & Clinic launched the Name & Gender Marker Change Project, through which students help transgender people navigate federal, state and local laws to obtain corrected passports, licenses and other documents.



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Lawmakers are strengthening animal cruelty measures

Lawmakers across the country are seeking to strengthen animal rights as the pet industry continues to grow. The American Pet Products Association estimated that Americans would spend $62.75 billion on furry and feathered friends in 2016.



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Erasing the News: Should some stories be forgotten?

The media and lawyers wrestle with the question: Should some stories be forgotten? An uptick in requests has followed EU support for removing access to online info.



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