The U.S. Supreme Court term ended last week with a dramatic day for opinions in two cases that encapsulated several broader trends for the institution. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. was the author of both, symbolizing his new role as the court’s median justice after Justice Anthony M. Kennedy retired a year ago.
Reform-minded prosecutors throughout the country, particularly ones who promised to reduce imprisonment rates, are turning to diversion to resolve criminal charges.
Home movies are dominated by Netflix. And Amazon Prime’s subscription-based free shipping model has shaken up online commerce. Are law firms ready to move to a subscription-based model, too?
“One of the things that I’m most proud of is having a minority firm survive for 44 years, and with a sense of values, sense of principles,” says personal injury lawyer Dale Minami. “Over the years, I think, on balance, we’ve been able both to do good and do well.” Minami will be presented with the ABA Medal, the ABA’s highest honor, at the 2019 annual meeting in San Francisco.
On Tuesday, the ABA’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility released Formal Opinion 487, which addresses fee splitting arrangements when a lawyer in a separate firm replaces the first counsel rather than works together on a contingency-fee case.
In a self-imposed Sisyphean task, the team at Measures for Justice travels the U.S. unearthing, collecting and publishing criminal justice data. Today, Christian Gossett, district attorney for Winnebago County, Wisconsin, says more people are being released quicker pretrial, and he’s working with researchers to improve equity in diversion, thanks to the initial data made available by Measures for Justice.