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ABA to Debate Attorney Mental Health Disclosure

According to a July 30, 2015 article in The National Law Journal, the ABA will debate next week over how much a bar applicant should be required to reveal about their mental health history during the character-and-fitness review process.

This is a topic near and dear to me, and not just in the legal world.  I have family members and friends who suffer from depression, bi-polar disorderand…

Licensing Paralegals in California

I just read a great blog at The Estrin Report, written by fellow paralegal, Chere Estrin, called “Still Thinking about Licensing Paralegals? Hogwash.  Old School Thinking.”

I am still on the fence about licensing paralegals.  There are many good reasons to do so but there are almost as many bad reasons.  In Ms. Estrin’s blog, (you can read the entire blog here) she makes the point that:…

California Supreme Court Corrects 125 Year Old Ruling and Grants License to Chinese Immigrant

As reported in the California Bar Journal this month, the California Supreme Court made history last month when it granted posthumous State Bar admission to Hong Yen Chang, who was denied a law license 125 years ago due to federal and state laws denying citizenship and employment to Chinese Americans. Hong Yen Chang – Courtesy of the Ah Tye Family

Chang overcame numerous obstacles to…

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In case you haven’t heard, a New York judge ordered that a Wife could serve her Husband on Facebook with her divorce documents.  This was only done after the Wife could show that she had no other way to serve Husband, as he had no physical address, did not work, and even though Wife hired several private investigators, they were all unable to locate Husband for service.

It might just be a matter…

OREGON COUPLE CHARGED WITH MURDER IN INFANT’S STARVATION DEATH

As reported by NBC News and the Associated Press, an Oregon couple has been charged with murder after their infant son starved to death, police said.

Amanda Hancock, 22, and Stephen Williams Jr., 27, of Glendale, Oregon, were arrested Tuesday and charged with murder by abuse. Authorities found seven-week-old Data Toria Hancock unresponsive while responding to a distress call at a home on Jan. 22,…

Cockatoo mimics Fighting Divorcing Couple

In an article in Today Pets, Elaine Sigmon, of Maiden, North Carolina, adopted the melodramatic bird about a month and a half ago. In the market for a new pet, she and her husband, Don, had visited a German shepherd breeder named Neil Ebling, but instead set their eyes on his bird, Peaches.

Beware, even your pets are affected by the…

According to an article in the ABA Journal, see the full article here, “among pet owners, ‘re-homing’ an unwanted dog or cat is a relatively straightforward process. The owner who seeks an alternative home often places an ad on the Internet, and a private transaction occurs that moves the pet to a new family. But with the rise of foreign adoptions of children and the inability of some parents to…

The California Bar Journal reported that due to budget cuts, the state’s trial courts have been devastated. To see where the closures have occurred in your county and which parts of the state have been hit the hardest, click on this link.  On the Interactive Map, if you run your mouse over the counties, it will show you how many courtrooms were closed.  Also, you can take a pollon how you and…

Prominent Virginia Attorney and his Wife Stabbed by Husband and Wife Lawyers

What is this world coming too?  I know attorneys get upset, disgusted and irritated with another attorney at times, but stabbing them?  Come on!!!

Alecia and Andrew Schmuhl

I read an article in the ABA Journal that the suspects Alecia Schmuhl, 30, and Andrew Schmuhl, 31, of Springfield, Virginia, knocked on the door of the home of the victims, Leo and and Sue Fisher, both 61 years of age and…

New Court Holiday in California for 2015

As reported in an article by Julie A. Goren, Esq., there is a new Court holiday coming in 2015.  Ms. Goren’s article states:

“AB 1973 “an act to amend Section 6700 of the Government Code, relating to holidays” jumped out at me. What changed? As of January 1, 2015, the fourth Friday in September, known as “Native American Day,” is added to the list of “holidays in this state.”

This will mean those…

Two California Judges Draw Censures

Orange County Superior Court Judge Scott Steiner and Kern County Superior Court Judge Cory Woodward exhibited the “height of irresponsible and improper behavior” with their “intimate relationship[s],” the Commission on Judicial Performance said.

“It reflects an utter disrespect for the dignity and decorum of the court and is seriously at odds with a judge’s duty to avoid conduct that tarnishes…

Shoot, Misfired Emails are Possible Legal Malpractice Claims

Paralegals and attorneys beware!  According to a recent article in The Recorder, sending that email to the wrong person can be a possible legal malpractice claim in the future.

“Emails sent in certain practices, such as commercial or residential real estate and other commercial transactions, are at a higher risk of being forwarded to third parties without the attorney’s consent. Clients in these…

Lawyer’s suspension includes lifetime ban on representing women

According to the ABA Journal, a Connecticut lawyer has been suspended for four months and barred from representing female clients for the rest of his career after he was accused of representing women in family law and domestic-violence cases in violation of a 2010 court order.

The disciplinary counsel had initially sought disbarment for lawyer Ira Mayo, alleging he had violated the court order…

Former Law Student Sues Over a D Grade in Contracts

In an article in the ABA Journal, it is reported that a former law student at the Massachusetts School of Law claims in a lawsuit that he received an unfair D grade in contracts.

The suit by Martin Odemena says the D grade resulted in a suspension and made it impossible for him to transfer to another law school, the National Law Journal reports. He is seeking more than $100,000 in damages for the…

Violence Against Attorneys Continues to Occur Throughout our Nation

As I was looking through my news feed on Facebook today, a video of attorney Gerald Curry popped up.  Many of you probably don’t even know who Gerald Curry was, but he became headline news about 11 years ago when he was chased down and shot by a man who was fighting a court-appointed trustee over money that he claimed the trustee was withholding from his injury settlement trust fund.  Mr. Curry…