International

‘Magic spell hypothesis’ may explain legalese, researchers say

Researchers studying the origins of legalese say lawmakers and lawyers may write laws and legal documents in a convoluted manner to confer a “ritualistic, spell-like element” signaling authority.

Aug 20, 2024 3:12 PM CDT

Justice Department sues TikTok, alleging it broke child privacy law

The Justice Department on Friday sued TikTok and its China-based owner ByteDance, saying the popular video app had violated a children’s privacy law by collecting data on millions of Americans younger than 13.

Aug 2, 2024 3:20 PM CDT

Inside the deal that led to a blockbuster prisoner swap with Russia

“Not since the Cold War has there been a similar number of individuals exchanged in this way and there has never, so far as we know, been an exchange involving so many countries,” Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, told reporters as planes converged in Turkey.

Aug 2, 2024 11:00 AM CDT

She made an artwork that excluded men; a man sued for discrimination

At the Ladies Lounge of Australia’s Museum of Old and New Art on the island of Tasmania, only one man is allowed inside: a butler, who serves the women, according to Kirsha Kaechele, the American artist who designed the lounge. On Tuesday, one of those excluded men argued before an Australian tribunal that the lounge violated anti-discrimination laws by keeping him and the rest of his gender out.

Jul 19, 2024 7:50 AM CDT

Motley Rice has filed ‘barrage of claims’ for drug cartel victims; is there an endgame?

The Motley Rice law firm has filed a “barrage of claims” in federal courts for families of people killed by the Juarez cartel, arguing that their clients are entitled to a share of assets seized from drug dealers, Bloomberg Law reports.

May 22, 2024 10:47 AM CDT

Amal Clooney was among the experts who advised on the International Criminal Court arrest warrants

Amal Clooney on Monday said she helped weigh the evidence that led to the International Criminal Court’s decision to seek arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

May 21, 2024 11:55 AM CDT

Lawyer writes children’s book based on her childhood in Nigeria

In March, Bunmi Emenanjo, an ethics and compliance lawyer, released her debut children’s book, I’ll See You in Ijebu. The book tells the story of a Catholic girl growing up in Lagos, Nigeria, who takes a trip to the rural town of Ijebu to celebrate Eid al-Adha with her Muslim extended family.

May 16, 2024 9:32 AM CDT

Suit accuses BigLaw partner of ‘regurgitating’ claims of con artist who claimed to be CIA agent

A Swiss oil trading company alleges in a lawsuit that a Baker & Hostetler partner was either fooled by a con artist claiming to be a secret CIA operative or was a conspirator in the man’s scheme.

May 14, 2024 10:24 AM CDT

Pro-Palestinian groups are Hamas propagandists, BigLaw firm’s suit alleges; is First Amendment an issue?

Updated: A May 1 lawsuit alleges that two pro-Palestinian groups are Hamas propagandists that are involved in campus protests in an effort to justify violence against Israel and Zionists.

May 6, 2024 2:06 PM CDT

Dentons and Boies Schiller face $300M racketeering suit after client loses international arbitration

A Massachusetts businessman has filed a $300 million racketeering lawsuit against Dentons and Boies Schiller Flexner alleging that the law firms failed to inform him that his contract to develop a power plant in Senegal, a country in West Africa, was invalid.

May 2, 2024 2:12 PM CDT

New US citizens sworn in 100 feet underground

Twenty-nine immigrants from 12 countries were sworn in as U.S. citizens Thursday in an underground ceremony at the Mammoth Cave National Park.

Apr 30, 2024 8:55 AM CDT

TikTok and the U.S. government dig in for legal war

A defiant TikTok is preparing to fight for its life in court after President Biden signed a law calling for its forced sale or ban in the United States, a legal battle that could reshape American speech freedoms in the internet age.

Apr 25, 2024 1:00 PM CDT

Law dean Chemerinsky condemns ‘blatant antisemitism’ of caricature, confronts ‘rude’ protester with law prof wife

Erwin Chemerinsky, the dean of the University of California at Berkeley School of Law, is viewing a disrupted law student dinner in his backyard Tuesday through a First Amendment lens.

Apr 11, 2024 10:29 AM CDT

Lewis Brisbois accused of failing to recognize ‘draconian lending terms,’ conspiring to cover up mistakes

A lawsuit accuses Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith of conspiring to deflect blame for its failure to protect 185 Chinese investors who lost $92.5 million that they invested in a hotel and condominium project through an investment group called CMB Export.

Mar 26, 2024 1:08 PM CDT

Should lawyers always practice ‘by the book’?

I recall as a kid growing up in Montreal, we had difficulties with a next-door neighbor. Among other things, Madame Poirier owned a large mut, Roger, which she allowed the run of the land. This included Roger doing his business on our land. It often led to confrontations with my mother, as Madame Poirier insisted that Roger was just doing what dogs do.

Mar 21, 2024 10:19 AM CDT