Year in Review
Dive into our favorite long reads of 2024
The end of the year will hopefully bring you some downtime for leisure reading. We’ve curated a list of some of our favorite web and print long reads from 2024. (Image from Shutterstock)
The end of the year will hopefully bring you some downtime for leisure reading. We've curated a list of some of our favorite web and print long reads from 2024. There's a mix of popular features and some under-the-radar stories that you may have missed. In keeping with the theme, it's a long list.
Satan Goes to Court: Lawyers recall bizarre medical malpractice case
In 1991, personal injury lawyers Zachary Bravos and Todd Smith took on the strangest medical malpractice case of their careers—a case that led them to tales of satanic cults, child abuse and cannibalism.
Swift Justice: Students learn about the law through Taylor Swift cases
As anyone who pays attention to current events knows all too well, Taylor Swift has become ubiquitous. And in at least two law schools, she’s the subject of a class available to students wanting to gain practical knowledge about the law by studying her various legal entanglements and how she emerged stronger.
BigLaw firm introduces coaching and support for lawyers who have ADHD
There are law firms in which Carrie Garber Siegrist, a senior associate in the Washington, D.C., office of Goodwin Procter, might have had to be secretive about her diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, also known as ADHD. But at Goodwin Procter, Garber Siegrist says, she feels embraced and supported.
You can’t litigate your way into Kentucky Derby, says Churchill Downs’ general counsel
The Kentucky Derby has long been known as “the fastest two minutes in sports,” but the 150th Run for the Roses on Saturday will take place without Muth, a horse some say may have been the fastest in the field this year.
Resting Your Cases: Thinking about retirement? Lawyers give advice about money, goals and happiness
Pete Pontzer’s story is a reminder that lawyers can have meaningful and fulfilling lives after retirement. However, as Pontzer quickly admonishes, there are some important steps to take long before leaving a full-time legal career.
Vanderbilt’s goal post teardown follows a football tradition that’s led to litigation from injured fans
Serious injuries have occurred when exuberant football fans engaged in the time-honored revelry of making goal posts a trophy of a significant or improbable win. Some of those harmed have sought to lay blame and seek compensation. In several such cases, it took referees in black robes to sort it out.
Chicago lawyer writes about being GOAT at New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest
Now in its 25th year, the esteemed literary magazine’s weekly competition features a wordless single panel cartoon. Contestants submit a caption for the image. The publication’s editors choose their three favorites from the 5,000 to 10,000 entries. Online public voting—with generally more than a half million votes cast—determines the winner. There is no cash prize for winning, but the bragging rights are priceless. Wood is the contest’s most successful participant—by a lot.
Budding cannabis law courses are growing—but not fast enough
An increasing number of law schools around the country are offering cannabis law courses, but some professors think that even more are needed. “We’re still playing catch-up.”
These Public Service Loan Forgiveness applicants have seen their student debt erased
Many public service attorneys had an overwhelming feeling that massive student loan debt would travel through life with them. But many of those attorneys got relief in the past year, thanks to recent changes to the federal government’s Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
Doctors question use of ‘excited delirium’ to explain deaths of suspects in police custody
Critics argue that “excited delirium” has no medical foundation, and that its origins are plagued with racism. The term’s role in high-profile police misconduct cases has prompted major medical organizations to repudiate its use.
AI-generated music is everywhere; is any of it legal?
There has been an explosion of AI-generated music featuring the living or resurrecting the dead. But as artists push the limits of parody, fair use, right of publicity, infringement and authorship, there is one overarching question: Is any of this stuff legal?
We the Immigration Lawyers: 9 attorneys share what drives them
Immigrants coming to the U.S. face legal uncertainties along with difficult living conditions and the pain of family separations. Yet a hope that opportunities will outweigh the travails is strong with many new arrivals. That’s something lawyers who help immigrants understand well—including those who are immigrants themselves.
From behind bars, to passing the bar: These lawyers began their career paths in prison
Each state sets its own rules for formerly incarcerated people who want to practice law. In Kansas, Mississippi and Texas, for example, no one with a felony can practice law. But even for those who live in less restrictive states, there are other hurdles to overcome.
Stand-up Student: One attorney’s journey from the classroom to the comedy club
“People are like, ‘Why did you go to law school?’ I tell them, ‘I’m setting up a joke that I’m going to tell in 14 years. I’m a planner,’” Liz Glazer says.
Missing Benchmarks: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are still underrepresented in the judiciary
While progress has been made in the past 25 years, members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities continue to be underrepresented at the highest levels of the legal profession.
Taking Care of Your ‘Good Boy’: Pet trusts ensure animals live a good life after owner dies
Most dog moms and cat dads accept the hard truth that they will likely outlive their beloved animals. But what happens when pets outlive their humans?
Moms in Law: Millennials demand work-life balance more than their predecessors, but challenges persist
Millennials are more willing than prior generations to switch jobs to achieve a work environment that fits their needs. However, they can “run up against a wall” with billable hours.
No Small Matter: Even a wrongful misdemeanor conviction can change someone’s life forever
Innocence clinics usually don’t work with clients convicted of minor offenses. They focus on more serious crimes where the stakes are much higher: people on death row or those serving life sentences for murder or sexual assault.
When trying to discipline teens, how much is too much?
Netflix’s Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare, released in December 2023, sounds like a cheesy 1980s slaughter-fest horror film. Sadly, the events relayed by the documentary are far from fiction.
Solicitors general, past and present, reflect on ups and downs of job and arguing before SCOTUS
It isn’t often that a bipartisan group of U.S. solicitors general gather in public to discuss their unique role in the legal system and even gripe a little about the U.S. Supreme Court. But that’s what happened recently in a packed hotel ballroom before the ABA 2024 Litigation Section Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.
