COVID-19

ABA is on a ‘promising path forward,’ President Patricia Lee Refo says

Since taking office, ABA President Patricia Lee Refo has maintained a schedule of events that would've once been unimaginable.

Feb 22, 2021 3:46 PM CST

Citing a consumer need, ABA Legal Ed keeps March law school employment reporting deadline

The council of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar will not be granting a request to push the employment data deadline from March to June.

Feb 22, 2021 10:17 AM CST

Public defender with Patreon for FOIA lawsuits shares her thoughts on lawyers and social media

Lawyer Beth Bourdon is willing to go places where other attorneys may be hesitant, including this summer when she joined Parler—to see how long she could post potentially offensive materials without getting kicked off the conservative social media site.

Feb 22, 2021 8:33 AM CST

A conversation about food insecurity, pursuing charitable endeavors in the legal industry

Ari Kaplan recently spoke with Tyrone Thomas, a vice president and deputy general counsel at Invenergy and the founder of Conversation for Six, a nonprofit organization focused on expanding ongoing discussions about food insecurity.

Feb 19, 2021 9:02 AM CST

As some jury trials resume, juror shortages create problems; one court sees a 5% yield on summonses

As jury trials resume in several states and continue in others, finding jurors willing to show up is a problem.

Feb 18, 2021 12:19 PM CST

Harvard Law student frustrated by quest for interview suit creates her own clothing company

Searching for an interview suit was frustrating for Harvard Law School student Logan Brown. Last year, she visited several shops in her quest for proper and comfortable attire for a career fair and found nothing.

Feb 18, 2021 11:33 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: BigLaw firm partners with startup in pipeline program; Trump lawyer’s home vandalized

BigLaw firm partners with Legal Innovators in pipeline program Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe is partnering on a pipeline program with Legal Innovators, a startup alternative legal services provider that hires and trains law grads who can be competitive in BigLaw, despite graduating from outside the nation’s top 25 law schools.…

Feb 16, 2021 4:50 PM CST

Lawyers smoke cigars, drink wine during Zoom hearings; litigants appear from hair salon or while driving

What happened to decorum? Clients and some lawyers are appearing in Zoom hearings doing things that wouldn’t happen in court, the Louisville Courier Journal reports. Dress becomes more informal. Lawyers or litigants have a drink. The setting is a bed or even a hair salon. The background gives too much away. The mute button isn’t on.

Feb 16, 2021 10:35 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Law deans want to delay employment reporting; Edelson parody videos tout untraditional mold

Law school deans want more time for reporting employment outcomes Citing the COVID-19 pandemic, law school deans have asked the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar to push back its law graduate employment data deadline from March to June. The data, which comprises the ABA’s annual…

Feb 12, 2021 4:27 PM CST

State supreme court allows defendants to challenge prolonged detention caused by pandemic trial delays

Defendants in New Jersey who face prolonged incarceration because of the suspension of jury trials can apply to reopen their detention hearings, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

Feb 12, 2021 9:36 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: DOJ changes stance on health care law; Scabby the Rat gets NLRB lawyer’s support

DOJ withdraws opposition to health care law The U.S. Department of Justice has notified the U.S. Supreme Court that it no longer supports overturning the Affordable Care Act. The Trump administration had argued that the health care law is no longer constitutional after Congress eliminated the tax penalty for failure…

Feb 10, 2021 4:36 PM CST

Virtual onboarding has provided some unexpected benefits, firm shareholder says

John Van Amsterdam, a shareholder at Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks, says events hosted via video conferencing platforms because of COVID-19 have provided a surprisingly effective avenue for building personal connections at the firm.

Feb 10, 2021 12:22 PM CST

Florida lawyer is arrested after refusing to put mask back on at city meeting

A lawyer in Gainesville, Florida, was arrested Thursday when he refused to put his face mask back on while addressing the city commission.

Feb 8, 2021 11:01 AM CST

Barrett’s first SCOTUS opinion concurs in opening California churches with some restrictions

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett has written her first opinion, a concurrence in a decision Friday that allowed California churches to host indoor religious services with some restrictions. The court allowed the church services during an appeal.

Feb 8, 2021 9:42 AM CST

Perkins Coie associate advances to ‘Jeopardy!’ tournament of champions

Perkins Coie associate Zachary Newkirk will appear in Jeopardy!’s tournament of champions later this year after winning six games.

Feb 5, 2021 2:13 PM CST