This is why you go to law school!

http://www.dorfonlaw.org/2014/12/an-ebola-based-constitutional-law-exam.html

And, sometimes, lawyers should just keep their mouths shut . . .

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/florida-states-fisher-relieved-winston-ruling-185502940--ncaaf.html

hum-m-m-m

http://tmz.vo.llnwd.net/o28/newsdesk/tmz_documents/1222-bill-cosby-cnn-tmz-document.pdf

Even though it is David Boies, are you frightened?

http://www.scribd.com/doc/250124033/Sony-Letter-to-Re-code

Ah, vanity! Take this as a lesson:

http://nypost.com/2014/11/05/tourist-plunges-to-her-death-while-taking-selfie/

Once again, it is who you know:

http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/scotus/

And you wonder why I make fun of my old state:

We waste a lot of judicial time:

http://www.courthousenews.com/2014/12/04/chimp.pdf

O, Florida, I love you so . . .

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/04/for-profit-college-strippers-fasttrain_n_6270712.html?ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000056

As you prepare to file your law school applications . . .

Remember to make contacts - it really is who you know:

http://qz.com/299923/why-job-referrals-matter/

And speaking of defamation:

http://images.politico.com/global/2014/12/02/alharbidismord.pdf

Time to hone your negotiation skills . . .

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/12/01/law-school-becomes-buyers-market-as-competition-for-best-students-increases/?_r=1

See, each and every word really does matter!

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/03/us/supreme-court-called-on-to-decipher-one-word.html?mabReward=RI%3A9&action=click&contentCollection=College%20Football&region=Footer&module=Recommendation&src=recg&pgtype=article

There IS a reason I teach English:

http://happyplace.someecards.com/america/former-high-school-teacher-congressman-irks-gop-by-marking-their-memos-with-a-red-pen/

While I think the Jack Daniels letter is more appropriate,

I cannot let this one go by:

file:///Users/jbrecher/Downloads/246989403-Randazza-v-Rsd-Asshats.pdf

Duh!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/20/technology/college-applicants-sanitize-online-profiles-as-college-pry.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=1

Why we need zealous advocates on BOTH sides:

http://www.courthousenews.com/2014/11/13/nsldoj.pdf

If you have wondered why I am so opposed to legal advertisements:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSUUpV_oLmU

For old 440-ers, class action rules and, for everyone else, even tho I hated RICO as a criminal lawyer . . .

http://www.courthousenews.com/2014/10/29/Trump%20Cert.pdf

Duh-h-h (and for the current 340s: pay attention)

http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-manuel-noriega-activision-call-of-duty-20141028-story.html

Now that my 340 class is about to reach "Lindsay land" . . .

it's time to play, read the complaint and see if you can find a NY cause of action!


http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/lindsay-lohan-bulks-up-lawsuit-739538

Case or no case?

https://music.yahoo.com/news/don-henley-sues-maker-henley-t-shirt-over-185600686-rolling-stone.html

O how I love being an English teacher teaching law!

http://chronicle.com/blogs/linguafranca/2014/10/10/how-about-that/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

sound familiar?

http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-texas-upskirt-law-overturned-20140919-story.html

Is following rules that hard?? -- "Counsel’s tactic would not be appropriate for a college term paper"

http://www.laed.uscourts.gov/OilSpill/Orders/9152014Order(OPATestMotToStrike).pdf

see the bottom of page 2

Arguing in my old home court (always know what you are doing!):

listen to 7:00 to 10:30

http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/OralArgRecordings/14/14-30053_9-5-2014.mp3

Have I not always said wording counts:

and I am certain they do often!

And you think I mention dressing in court too much . . .

http://abovethelaw.com/2014/09/judge-to-attorney-put-on-some-damn-socks/#more-339333

Maybe facts do not really matter . . .

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/02/us/politics/the-dubious-sources-of-some-supreme-court-facts.html?_r=1

What does this say about police officers you might meet in court?

http://abcnews.go.com/US/court-oks-barring-high-iqs-cops/story?id=95836

Where does Lohan get her legal advice?

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140702/11374927761/lindsay-lohan-moves-forward-with-lawsuit-against-gtav.shtml

Ah, Florida, yet again

http://news.yahoo.com/watch-florida-judge-beat-lawyer-middle-trial-155017957.html

Realize how few people get the issues correctly; that's the skill you need the most:

Notice the argument on pages 13-15;
Exactly what would the warrant application have needed to say to be proper in a case such as this?
(see the problem no one followed up on?)

http://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/13-132_2co3.pdf

Have I not said from the beginning to always make certain you read the case correctly?

Justice Scalia did not:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/scalia-gets-facts-wrong-epa-dissent-190933498--finance.html

For all you fans of statutory construction:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/04/28/when-fish-are-informational-items-and-part-of-a-record/

Why it is so hard to be a criminal defense attorney:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/man-charged-with-murder-wants-murder-tattoo-removed-from-neck-before-trial-9278200.html

Don't quite know what to do with this, but

how could I pass by a lawsuit about a duck attack:

http://www.katu.com/news/local/250000-lawsuit-for-duck-attack-256273651.html

Commercial appropriation appears everywhere, doesn't it, class?

http://www.tmz.com/2014/04/18/mase-lawsuit-why-cant-we-model-photo/

He may be a Supreme Court Justice, but he is an idiot . . .

My class is dealing with defamation right now:

Scalia criticizes historic Supreme Court ruling on freedom of the press - 

http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-scalia-ginsburg-supreme-court-libel-20140418,0,3941111.story#ixzz2zHPNpE5l

I have ranted against "shotgun" pleadings in class for years:

and now my former next door neighbor has written an opinion supporting me (remember the sign in my office - thank you, Sally Handmaker):

http://www.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/ops/201312696.pdf

For those of you who struggled with sections 50 and 51:

(I know I may be late to this party, thank Google and HeartBleed for that:)

http://pagesix.com/2014/04/09/heigl-slaps-duane-reade-with-6m-suit-for-using-photo-online/

and here's the complaint:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/217334096/Heigl-vs-Duane-Reade-Inc

But I could not pass this by - is there any cause of action in the complaint?

ah, Florida, again, times 3:

http://gawker.com/florida-man-runs-for-congress-embraces-his-cosplay-rap-1556185389

http://members.jacksonville.com/news/crime/2014-04-03/story/federal-jury-returns-puzzling-verdict-civil-rights-case-career-criminal

http://www.3dca.flcourts.org/Opinions/3D13-1294.pdf​

Bad legal writing is everywhere!

This opening paragraph would not pass my class; learn from its failure (hint: can you tell what the thesis/why is or even who won and why?):


JUSTICE ALITO delivered the opinion of the Court.

We must decide in this case whether the Airline Deregu­lation Act pre-empts a state-law claim for breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. Following our interpretation of the Act in American Airlines, Inc. v. Wolens, 513 U. S. 219 (1995), we hold that such a claim is pre-empted if it seeks to enlarge the contractual obligations that the parties voluntarily adopt. And because the doctrine is invoked in the present case in an attempt to expand those obligations, we reverse the judgment of the Court of Appeals.

For you very "old" students who had covenant of good faith and fair dealing with poor Charlotte:

http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/13pdf/12-462_p8k0.pdf

And, current classes, speaking of defamation: case or no case?

http://www.scribd.com/doc/215481385/Complaint-4837-8616-1945-v-1

For you "Office Space" fans, a little commercial appropriation discussion:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/215756725/Duffey-v-20th-Century-Fox

There is a difference between television fantasy law and reality law:

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2014/mar/24/shelby-county-district-attorney-candidate-joe-brow/

As much as I (justifiably) pick on my old state of Florida:

In the modern world of no dialogue based on facts (just consider the press talking head frenzy on the missing Malaysian airliner), it's awfully nice to see a Court which understands how the actual facts really matter (read pages 18-40):

http://www.floridasupremecourt.org/decisions/2014/sc11-1148.pdf

Let's play the commercial appropriation game (esp. current students):

Assuming this is in New York (as it appears to be), case or no case (and how do you grade the letters):

http://www.naughtyjewishboys.com/Naughty_c_d_letter.pdf

http://www.naughtyjewishboys.com/njgresponseletter-1.pdf

From Forbes, law salaries to start (some interesting choices 11-25):

Here are the top 25 schools whose grads earn the highest median starting salaries:

1. Columbia Law School
Starting pay: $146,900
Mid-career pay: $176,200

2. Harvard Law School
Starting pay: $125,400
Mid-career pay: $201,400

3. Northwestern University School of Law
Starting pay: $110,800
Mid-career pay: $210,000

4. University of Chicago Law SchoolStarting pay: $105,100
Mid-caeer pay: $177,500

5. Stanford Law School
Starting pay: $104,000
Mid-career pay: $217,300

6. Yale Law School
Starting pay: $101,800
Mid-career pay: $165,000

7. University of Virginia School of LawStarting pay: $97,400
Mid-career pay: $153,900

8. University of Michigan Law School
Starting pay: $95,500
Mid-career pay: $198,700

9. Cornell University Law School
Starting pay: $93,500
Mid-career pay: $180,000

10. Duke University School of Law
Starting pay: $87,700
Mid-career pay: $206,900

11. University of California at Los Angeles School of Law
Starting pay: $84,200
Mid-career pay: $184,500

12. University of California Hastings College of the LawStarting pay: $83,900
Mid-career pay: $130,100

13. Georgetown University Law SchoolStarting pay: $83,700
Mid-career pay: $180,900

14. University of California at Berkeley School of LawStarting pay: $82,700
Mid-career pay: $160,400

15. University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of LawStarting pay: $82,000
Mid-career pay: $114,300

16. University of Southern California Gould School of LawStarting pay: $80,300
Mid-career pay: $192,800

17. University of Houston Law CenterStarting pay: $79,400
Mid-career pay: $136,100

18. University of San Francisco School of LawStarting pay: $79,300
Mid-career pay: $126,000

19. University of Colorado Law SchoolStarting pay: $77,400
Mid-career pay: $125,700

20. University of Texas at Austin School of LawStarting pay: $76,700
Mid-career pay: $158,000

21. New York University School of LawStarting pay: $76,300
Mid-career pay: $177,800

22. Fordham University School of LawStarting pay: $76,200
Mid-career pay: $155,300

23. Catholic University of America Columbus School of LawStarting pay: $75,600
Mid-career pay: $146,400

24. University of San Diego School of Law
Starting pay: $75,300
Mid-career pay: $114,700

25. Santa Clara University School of Law
Starting pay: $75,100
Mid-career pay: $192,200

Ah, the return of Glas

http://weblinks.westlaw.com/result/default.aspx?action=Search&cnt=DOC&db=MA%2DORSLIP&eq=search&fmqv=c&fn=%5Ftop&method=TNC&mt=Westlaw&n=4&origin=Search&query=TO%28ALLSCT+ALLSCTRS+ALLSCTOJ%29&rlt=CLID%5FQRYRLT657915157073&rltdb=CLID%5FDB232165057073&rlti=1&rp=%2Fsearch%2Fdefault%2Ewl&rs=MAOR1%2E0&service=Search&sp=MassOF%2D1001&srch=TRUE&ss=CNT&sskey=CLID%5FSSSA363405057073&sv=Split&vr=1%2E0

Why I am opposed to lawyer advertising #73

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KfACTAOPa0

Speaking of commercial appropriation (as my 340 classes are about to do):

http://it-lex.org/star-of-attractive-convict-meme-sues-website-over-commercial-use-of-her-mugshot/

And they say there are no new areas of law practice

I found this through Above the Law - what do you think?

http://www.vaselfdefenselaw.com/

She have a cause of action?

http://it-lex.org/wi-man-receives-30-month-internet-ban-after-sending-random-craigslist-users-to-neighbors-house/

I have avoided this because it is so obvious:

But so many of my past students have e-mailed me:

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-dumb-starbucks-corporation-20140210,0,6899826.story#axzz2sxhJHZTq

PS - This is one reason your commercial appropriation was in New York and not federal - even if this were "parody" and one word does not parody make, there is a serious trademark problem here.

If you have not seen this lawyer ad on Deadspin:

http://deadspin.com/georgia-lawyers-local-super-bowl-ad-is-batshit-amazing-1514869904

I am speechless.

But, at least, it has production values better than this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nwt1rHo1P_M

Knowing how I feel about lawyers advertising . . .

how does this strike you?

http://southfloridalawyers.blogspot.com/2014/01/breaking-mike-grieco-has-opinions-about.html

Once again, let's play find the cause of action:

http://www-deadline-com.vimg.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Complaint_-_Tarantino_v_Gawker_Media_et_al__140127161659.pdf

P.S. - Notice line 19, page 2 - I guess the Addams family cousin wrote the screenplay.

Remember when I always say that WHERE you want to end up living matters:

not that I buy into the whole "superlawyers" idea at all, but notice how the local schools make the local "stars" (and how few real national law schools there are):


http://www.online-paralegal-programs.com/superlawyers/