Afternoon Briefs: Legal professionals stressed, surveys say; disbarred lawyer pleads guilty in 9/11 theft
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Legal professionals are stressed and depressed, surveys say
More than 85% of legal professionals surveyed by Law.com said the upcoming election has affected their mental health, leading to symptoms that include stress, irritability and depression. Law.com surveyed 150 legal professionals. Another survey found the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened stress among law firm marketers and business development professionals. Asked to rate their stress on a level of one to 10, 80% of the respondents said their stress was a seven or higher. The survey of more than 400 legal professionals was conducted by Consultancy fSquared Marketing and the Legal Marketing Association (Law.com here and here)
10th Circuit allows ADA suits absent firing or demotion
An en banc federal appeals court has ruled that workers can sue their employers for failure to accommodate a disability, even if they suffered no adverse employment action such as firing or demotion. The Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 7-6 for Laurie Exby-Stolle, a former health inspector in Weld County, Colorado, who said the county failed to accommodate her broken arm. (Law360, Colorado Politics via How Appealing, the 10th Circuit opinion)
Disbarred lawyer pleads in Ground Zero payout theft
Disbarred New York lawyer Gustavo Vila, 62, pleaded guilty on Thursday to stealing more than $900,000 in Sept. 11 compensation money that was intended for a former New York police officer. Vila will be sentenced in February 2021. (Newsday, Lohud.com, Justice Department press release)
