Few, if any, unions have as much power in bargaining for discipline, internal investigation stipulations and conditions of employment as police do, say labor lawyers interviewed by the ABA Journal. And although complaints about police union contracts are not new, the criticisms have amplified since May, following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Small businesses are struggling. It’s been more than three months since the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to shut down, send their employees home and get by on little-to-no income. “I think a lot of people, even as many big law firms and others put out webinars, still have questions that are personal to their organization and their business,” says Lana Kleiman.
In a normal June, the U.S. Supreme Court issues the last of the term’s opinions, many of which are in its most contentious and divided cases. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg once referred to people coming to the courtroom to “watch the show.” But the show has not gone on during the time of quarantine.
“For the most part, states and employers are doing the right thing,” says Mary Bonauto, who argued Obergefell v. Hodges before the U.S. Supreme Court. But she says there are still some attempts to “shrink marriage.”
Like most lawyers, you’ve probably been working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Between the quarantines and social distancing requirements, you didn’t have much of a choice. Obviously, you’re not alone, since remote working has become the new normal for most businesses during the pandemic, writes lawyer and author Nicole Black of MyCase.
As thousands of demonstrators have been arrested or jailed amid protests over the killing of George Floyd and police brutality, detention practices that increase the risk of spreading the novel coronavirus are back in the spotlight.
When asked about the importance of homeless courts, Jeff Yungman’s thoughts go to a sick man who was living in the woods and panhandling on the streets. He received several citations for blocking the sidewalk, which came with fines and fees he would never be able to pay. “Having people like him, we can see why the homeless court is needed and why he probably still would be in the woods if there hadn’t been some intervention for him,” Yungman says.
Most states planning remote bar exams because of the novel coronavirus pandemic have cut the dreaded multiple-choice multistate bar exam portion of the test. But that doesn’t mean that the test will be easier to pass, according to some academic support experts.
When the ABA in May released public notice that 10 law schools were out of compliance with a recently tightened up bar pass standard, there was some surprise as to which school didn’t make the list.
Dealing with a fractured marriage is never pleasant, but doing it in the middle of a pandemic is several levels more stressful—both for the spouses and for family law attorneys who’ve had to scramble to meet an unprecedented challenge.
