ABA Journal

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The job is killing them: Family lawyers experience threats, violence

A series of surveys on violence against lawyers shows that family lawyers face disproportionate amounts of threats and violence compared to other lawyers. Almost all lawyers in the 27 states surveyed said they’d received some kind of threat or experienced violence. But the rate for family lawyers was higher.



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Should BigLaw firms worry about increasing competition from the Big Four accounting firms?

The Big Four accounting firms have added legal services, moving beyond tax law and integrating their legal services into a multidisciplinary approach.



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2018 Legal Rebels: Knocking down the barriers of convention and building the profession anew

This year’s 11 ABA Journal Legal Rebels innovators are building roads to justice, efficiency, technology and knowledge.



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Youth tackle football faces litigation over head injuries, along with proposals to ban the sport altogether

A class action suit against the Pop Warner youth football league on safety concerns stands to be the first lawsuit to go to trial.



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Split over hair: Proponents of deregulation seek to untangle laws on hair braiding



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Contemporary legal films shift away from lawyers as righteous heroes

Hollywood, for instance, has always had a crush on crusading lawyers. But tropes that once dominated legal dramas have given way to an entirely new twist on the genre. Cinema has developed a newfound cynicism about the once-righteous trial attorney. Nowadays, perhaps consistent with our diminished faith in public institutions, the legal system and its practitioners, as depicted in movies, have been found wanting and guilty



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25 more great movies: Honorable mentions

Our panel had its work cut out to name the 25 greatest legal movies. But why stop there? Here are 25 more screenworthy choices.



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Justice, mercy and redemption: Bryan Stevenson's death row advocacy

Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, will be awarded the American Bar Association’s highest honor, the ABA Medal, given to lawyers who have “rendered conspicuous service to the cause of American jurisprudence.”



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Q&A with Bryan Stevenson

What keeps you going in the toughest times?

“I’ve had the great privilege of representing people whose lives and value and humanity are so clear to me that I’m very motivated. Winning their freedom is enormously energizing.”



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The 25 greatest legal movies

A panel of law practitioners recommends their favorite legal-themed films, including those released in the decade since our last top-25 list. The judges voted for many of the classics from our 2008 list, along with some newer films we hope will get you thinking about the reach of the law in new ways.



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