COVID-19

How lawyers can manage stress and cortisol levels during the COVID-19 crisis

It is not the practice of law that is unhealthy; it is how we respond to the day-to-day stressors that are inherent in the profession that makes the difference, says lawyer James Gray Robinson.

Apr 22, 2020 8:00 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Congress asked for COVID-19 lawsuit curbs; law school cuts pay for staff and faculty

Lobbyists seek COVID-19 lawsuit curbs Lobbying groups for U.S. businesses are asking Congress to curb liability for companies that could face lawsuits in connection with COVID-19. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is suggesting safe harbor from privacy laws for employers who inquire about health status, safe harbor from age and…

Apr 21, 2020 4:09 PM CDT

What will change when SCOTUS hears oral arguments by phone?

The U.S. Supreme Court has a message for the nation: Please listen carefully, as our telephone options have recently changed. The high court announced that it will hold arguments by telephone conference in 10 cases in early May because of the novel coronavirus.

Apr 21, 2020 2:02 PM CDT

In new opinion, 5th Circuit halts medication abortions in Texas under nonessential surgery ban

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at New Orleans reinstated a ban Monday on medication abortions in Texas under the governor’s order banning nonessential surgeries during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Apr 21, 2020 10:18 AM CDT

Bar exam does little to ensure attorney competence, say lawyers in diploma privilege state

In his 60 years of law practice, Milwaukee attorney Franklyn M. Gimbel has known good and bad attorneys. And, according to him, whether they passed a bar exam, which in Wisconsin is not required for most in-state law school graduates, has no bearing on their lawyering abilities or character.

Apr 21, 2020 9:08 AM CDT

Advocacy organizations call for compassionate release of elderly, sick prisoners

The rapid spread of the novel coronavirus has renewed the focus on conditions inside the nation’s jails and prisons, many of which are struggling to implement proper cleaning and social distancing practices and protect their prisoners and staff. Elderly and sick prisoners have moved to the forefront of the conversation.

Apr 21, 2020 8:30 AM CDT

Pandemic power plays: Civil liberties in the time of COVID-19

The power to respond to a public health crisis exists in the U.S. Constitution, state constitutions, regulations and case law. But the way they fit together is not always clear, especially in the wake of a modern-day global crisis.

Apr 21, 2020 8:00 AM CDT

Federal judge, 76, takes lawyers on skid row tour

A federal judge in Santa Ana, California, recently took lawyers in his courtroom on a skid row tour, so they could see for themselves whether new hand-washing stations were in working condition.

Apr 20, 2020 4:49 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Sick lawyer is back at work after speakerphone mistrial; judge tosses Twitter suit

Lawyer who tried to question witness by speakerphone recovers from COVID-19 An ill lawyer who tried to continue with a trial via a courthouse speakerphone, despite a fever and cough, has fully recovered and is working from home. New York lawyer Donald Vogelman told the ABA Journal that the March…

Apr 20, 2020 3:51 PM CDT

Lawsuit claims sheriff threatened to arrest teen if she didn’t delete COVID-19 social media posts

The parents of a 16-year-old Wisconsin girl have filed a lawsuit claiming that the Marquette County sheriff threatened to arrest the teen and her parents if she didn’t delete social media posts that read that she had COVID-19.

Apr 20, 2020 10:15 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Michael Cohen will be released from prison; environmental lawyer gets celebs’ support

Ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen will be released from prison because of COVID-19 concerns President Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, will be released from prison to home confinement. He is among several prisoners being released from a minimum security prison camp in New York because of concerns about COVID-19. He…

Apr 17, 2020 3:08 PM CDT

State supreme court bars judge from having in-person hearings in most cases because of coronavirus

The Ohio Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a domestic relations judge in Medina County can’t have routine hearings in person because of COVID-19 concerns.

Apr 17, 2020 10:52 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Public defender group bypasses judge; top state court upholds COVID-19 business shutdown

Public defender group bypasses judge who rejected all release bids The Defender Association of Philadelphia has withdrawn all its petitions for inmate release before Judge Anne Marie Coyle, after she rejected every detainee’s request over a two-day period. Coyle even increased bail for four inmates during the release hearings and…

Apr 16, 2020 4:33 PM CDT

At least 19 more law firms cut pay and furlough employees; will partners ultimately benefit?

More and more law firms are cutting salaries, reducing partner compensation, and furloughing or laying off employees because of the novel coronavirus. Since the ABA Journal’s story last Thursday on the trend, at least 19 additional large and midsized law firms have taken temporary measures to reduce costs because of financial uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Apr 16, 2020 3:48 PM CDT

COVID-19 checkpoints at state and local borders bring lawsuit, ACLU warning

Some states and local communities are instituting checkpoints at their borders, either to warn drivers that they must quarantine or to keep out nonresidents. The checkpoints are raising constitutional questions.

Apr 16, 2020 11:47 AM CDT