ABA Journal

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Under Pressure: Understanding alcohol addiction in the legal profession

It’s no secret that lawyers have a high rate of problem drinking. According to data from the ABA, “as many as one in five lawyers is a problem drinker—twice the national rate.” These drinkers are able to keep their jobs because they’re considered to be either gray area drinkers or functional alcoholics. The former display early signs of an alcohol use disorder, while the latter appear to be somewhat in control of their drinking.



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Law students are more diverse, face more debt than 20 years ago, new study says

Compared to 20 years ago, law students today are a more diverse group and more face student debt despite their career goals staying about the same, according to new research from Indiana University’s Center for Postsecondary Research.



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SCOTUS allows shareholder lawsuit against Facebook to go forward

The Supreme Court dismissed an appeal Friday by Meta’s Facebook, allowing a lawsuit to go forward that was brought by investors who claim they were misled by the social media giant about risks from a massive data breach.



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Senate Democrats drop 4 appeals court picks so they can confirm 12 judges

Senate Democrats have reached a deal with their Republican counterparts to confirm a dozen judges nominated by President Joe Biden while pulling four of his nominees from consideration, the latest step in a battle over who controls the nation’s federal courthouses on the eve of a second Donald Trump presidency.



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Pam Bondi, Trump's pick for attorney general, is a longtime loyalist

President-elect Donald Trump announced that he plans to nominate former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi to become the next U.S. attorney general. Bondi, 59, is a longtime Trump loyalist who served on the defense team during his first impeachment trial.



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DOJ seeks forced sale of Chrome, other big changes at Google in monopoly case

The Justice Department is seeking to force Google to sell off its Chrome browser and make other major changes to remedy its illegal search monopoly, prosecutors told a Washington court Wednesday, setting a marker in the landmark case before the incoming Trump administration makes its own determinations about how to proceed.



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Lawyer suspended for ‘predatory style of taking on client representation’

A Philadelphia lawyer has been suspended for five years after a state disciplinary board concluded that he lacked an “ethical compass” and provided no evidence of “genuine concern for his clients.”



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ABA Legal Ed council gives thumbs-up to Penn State plan to unify its law schools

Previously, each of its law schools were accredited separately. Penn State Law, based in University Park, is ranked 68th by US News & World Report, while Penn State Dickinson Law, based in Carlisle, Penn., is 75th, and will now serve as the law school’s primary location.



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Matt Gaetz attorney general confirmation was in doubt ahead of withdrawal

Former congressman Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) has withdrawn from consideration to become attorney general in a new Trump administration, he announced Thursday, after facing steep opposition from fellow Republicans.



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Illinois Supreme Court reverses actor Jussie Smollett's conviction

The Illinois Supreme Court announced Thursday that it had overturned the 2021 felony conviction of Jussie Smollett, a television actor who became even more of a household name five years ago after falsely reporting that he had been the victim of a violent hate crime.



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