COVID-19

Insurers rack up early wins in lawsuits over COVID-19 ‘business interruption’ coverage

Court decisions on "business interruption" coverage are so far favoring insurers as they fight claims for lost income during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sep 2, 2020 1:11 PM CDT

Chemerinsky: Will SCOTUS rulings help decide the 2020 presidential election?

There now have been six instances in which the U.S. Supreme Court has dealt with issues concerning COVID-19 and the election process. The court repeatedly has made clear that it does not want the federal courts changing the rules of an election, even when necessary to protect the right to vote in a pandemic.

Sep 2, 2020 10:18 AM CDT

Layoffs hit furloughed staffers at 2 BigLaw firms, lawyers and staffers at another

Updated: Layoffs are hitting workers at Baker McKenzie, Davis Wright Tremaine and Venable.

Sep 2, 2020 9:33 AM CDT

A flood of age discrimination lawsuits is expected from COVID-19 and the economic downturn

The novel coronavirus pandemic has raised unprecedented legal questions for U.S. employers and employees who are older than 40 or who have a medical disability. Labor and employment attorneys say they are receiving a flood of complaints and questions about layoffs, firings and recalls to the workplace.

Sep 1, 2020 1:12 PM CDT

How are things working out for 3 Utah law grads seeking diploma privilege?

Prior to this summer, Chase Wilde didn’t know how to file a court appearance. Thanks to the supervised practice requirement in the Utah Supreme Court’s temporary order for diploma privilege, he does now.

Sep 1, 2020 9:08 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: State files 100th lawsuit challenging Trump policies; 2 more firms reverse pay cuts

California files 100th suit against Trump administration California and 21 other states have filed a lawsuit challenging a Trump administration rule that curtails the scope of environmental reviews conducted to assess the impact of actions by federal agencies. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said it is the 100th suit filed…

Aug 31, 2020 4:45 PM CDT

Potential juror says he was put in COVID-19 ‘petri dish’ at jail for refusing to wear mask in court

A visiting judge in Great Falls, Montana, held a juror in contempt and sent him to jail last week for refusing to wear a face shield or a mask for a trial.

Aug 31, 2020 10:54 AM CDT

This law prof has been fighting off Twitter trolls during the coronavirus crisis

While Veena Dubal was adapting to working at home with three young children during the COVID-19 pandemic, the “reply guys” came after the California law professor on Twitter for her support of a 2020 state law that extends employee classification status to gig workers.

Aug 31, 2020 8:00 AM CDT

Lawsuit claims process server frightened family and failed to wear mask or social distance

Lawyers are asking a court to toss a lawsuit claiming that their process server startled a family and failed to take measures to protect against an infection with COVID-19.

Aug 27, 2020 12:36 PM CDT

Growing number of law firms at least partly roll back salary cuts

Salary cuts are easing for lawyers and staffers at many law firms that adopted austerity measures to controls costs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aug 26, 2020 3:54 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: 3 online law schools get state accreditation; cop immobilization maneuver can be fatal

3 fully online law schools get California accreditation On Friday, California accreditation was given to three online law schools—the Concord Law School at Purdue University Global, the Northwestern California University School of Law and the St. Francis Law School. Two other online schools, the California School of Law and the…

Aug 25, 2020 4:13 PM CDT

Stay on track with these time-tracking software tools for law firms

For most lawyers, capturing all of your billable time is a top priority. After all, many lawyers still charge by the billable hour, and if you won’t get paid for billable time if you fail to track it. This is even more important now that we’re in the midst of a pandemic, since cash flow is less predictable due to the impact of COVID-19.

Aug 24, 2020 9:25 AM CDT

General counsel of Fortune 500 company talks gratitude, empathy and a decade of lessons he learned

Ari Kaplan recently spoke with Matt Fawcett, the general counsel of NetApp, a Fortune 500 cloud data services and data management company headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.

Aug 21, 2020 8:00 AM CDT

Law prof talks quarantine, war powers and second grade constitutional law

Teach what you know. That piece of wisdom came to mind when schools closed due to the coronavirus global pandemic in mid-March, and I suddenly had a new job: second grade home-schooler.

Aug 20, 2020 10:54 AM CDT

The Supreme Court’s ‘shadow docket’ is drawing increasing scrutiny

The U.S. Supreme Court’s “shadow docket” is coming in from the dark. The shadow docket has attracted growing scrutiny recently as President Donald Trump’s administration has repeatedly filed applications with the high court seeking emergency relief on a range of matters.

Aug 20, 2020 9:20 AM CDT