Legal News

Being a Lawyer Justifies a Buying a Kindle

Posted on June 24, 2009
The ABA offers the following five reasons why lawyers should purchase a Kindle: 1. Read depositions on the go. 2. Secure private documents for travel. 3. Write your novel (about being a lawyer). 4. Read your law blogs. 5. Save cash on ink and paper. Source: ABA Journal

Fastcase Advanced Bankruptcy Searching Webinar for NACBA, June 23rd

Posted on June 22, 2009
Attention all NACBA members, register today to attend our special Advanced Bankruptcy Searching webinar. Find out more about your member benefit and learn everything there is to know about finding the bankruptcy case law you're looking for. Click here to register for your webinar at 1pm on June 23rd, 2009...

Salinger Lawsuit Gets Underway

Posted on June 19, 2009
Infamous author and recluse, JD Salinger has received encouraging news regarding his lawsuit against fellow author, Fredrik Colting, for plagiarism. Colting, under the pen name John David (JD) California, wrote "Sixty Years Later", a work that follows Holden Caulfield, the legendary character from Salinger?s most popular work "The Catcher in the Rye", in his old age...

DOJ Commits to Harsher Hate Crimes Penalties

Posted on June 19, 2009
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has made it clear that, going forward, one of the primary goals of the Justice Department will be to fight not only terrorism abroad but the growing number of domestic threats as well. In statements before both the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs and the Senate Judiciary Committee, Holder asked Congress to enact new legislation that would implement harsher penalties for those guilty of hate crimes...

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Buying the Right Smartphone

Posted on June 17, 2009
Check out Gizmodo's guide for buying the best Smartphones. Here's what they rated: iPhone 3G S iPhone 3G Palm Pre Android G2 BlackBerry Storm   Additionally, Above the Law surveyed attorneys to find out what kind of devices they are using...

Blogger Goes to Court in the UK

Posted on June 17, 2009
The 100 million strong English language blogosphere is now missing one of its more popular residents from the UK. A High Court ruling in London this week determined that blog anonymity could be no more. A detective from Lancashire County, who has maintained a blog outlining his work and experiences in the department, was uncovered recently despite attempts to remain unknown...

American on Trial in Italy Speaks Out

Posted on June 16, 2009
A study abroad trip, intended to last one semester, could turn into a lifetime commitment for Amanda Knox, American citizen and student of the University of Washington. Knox arrived in Italy during the fall of 2007 to study and improve her Italian, but faced rather different circumstances after becoming a prime suspect in the murder of her roommate, Meredith Kercher...

Attorney E-Filing Mistakes Result in Dismissals

Posted on June 11, 2009
 Last week, two different federal appellate courts dismissed cases where attorneys did not comply with e-filing rules.  Here are some tips based on the rulings in those cases: 1. Make sure you're filing the right document. In the first case, the plaintiff filed what it thought was a notice of appeal on December 26, five days before the deadline on December 31...

Free Book of the Month: The Lives of the Chief Justices of England

Posted on June 10, 2009
Click here to download. Source: Google Books

Coleman is Still Running for Senate

Posted on June 10, 2009
Norm Coleman will continue his legal battle with Al Franken for the U.S. Senate seat on the Minnesota ballot back in November.  When Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty announced that he would not be seeking a third term, there was speculation that Coleman might gracefully back out of the race and make a run for governor...

Notable Morning Stories ...

Posted on June 10, 2009
Uncertainty in Law Circles Over New Rules for Judges ~ The New York Times Organized theft up against retailers ~ Reuters Top judge assassinated in S. Russia ~ Ria Novosti DOJ steps up Google Books settlement probe ~ Cnet

Inside Look at a Justice's Lifestyle

Posted on June 09, 2009
U.S. Supreme Court Justices are notorious for their unobtrusive lifestyles, keeping themselves out of the press, for the most part, and refusing to disclose information regarding their decision-making or feelings about a case. As they attempt to maintain a certain level of secrecy regarding their position as the most powerful judicial interpreters in the country, there is one aspect of their personal lives that has been difficult to keep quiet...

Notable Morning Stories ....

Posted on June 08, 2009
A decade after it launched, a look at Napster's legacy~ BBC NewsSuper Chirp: Making it simple for people to get paid for their tweets~ gaurdian.co.ukSome DOJ Lawyers Who Questioned Waterboarding Agreed it Was Legal~ ABA JournalSweden's Pirate Party captures Euro seat~ Reuters

Today At the Supreme Court

Posted on June 08, 2009
On a busy Monday in the high court, the Justices issued a number of opinions and granted cert to a few more, but failed to do so in one case that would have drawn monumental attention. We'll highlight just a couple of the stand-out moments below:In the case of Caperton v...

Notable Morning Stories...

Posted on June 05, 2009
Apple Planning to Introduce Affordable iPhone -Financial Times LPGA Golfers Won't be Twittering From the Course -Mashable DOJ Admits Evidence Withheld in Alaska Corruption Cases -Blog of Legal Times -NPR

Would GPS have made a difference?

Posted on June 05, 2009
With the most recent airline tragedy still puzzling officials from around the globe, analysts in the U.S. are looking towards options that will make this type of occurrence easier to handle and even more rare. The possibility of replacing the relatively ancient radar systems with satellite controlled GPS devices is hardly a new topic as the U...

Woman Suing Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) For Injuries Sustained in Bingo Struggle

Posted on June 05, 2009
Richelle Olson is suing Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) for $25,000 for injuries she sustained in the filming of his new movie, Bruno (due for release July 10, 2009).   Cohen's fashion pundit alter-ego, Bruno, was participating in a bingo fundraiser for nursing students when he begin using obscene language while calling a bingo game...

True Stories About Social Media Saving the Day

Posted on June 05, 2009
Twitter Network Critical for Disaster Recovery Operations      A Twitter network helped Dr. Maurice Ramirez (ER physician and disaster preparedness consultant) and his partners (Red Cross and Loews Emergency Response Team) find supplies like water, gasoline, food, and electricity...

Notable Morning Stories ...

Posted on June 04, 2009
Interested in a Palm Pre? Check out Engadget's Review ~ Engadget 2 U.S. Journalists on Trial in N. Korea ~ The New York Times What makes a good search engine name? ~ BBC News Facebook eliminates regional networks ~ Facebook Blog

Webinars from Fastcase: Ask about CLE Credits for your State

Posted on June 04, 2009
In Depth Electronic Legal Research - A Fastcase Webinar for Everyone! (1 hour Free CLE for MO, IA, FL) Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at 1:00pm Eastern Thursday, July 9, 2009 at 1:00pm Eastern Tuesday, August 11, 2009 at 1:00pm Eastern Tuesday, September 22, 2009 at 1:00pm Eastern Thursday, October 15, 2009 at 1:00pm Eastern Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 1:00pm Eastern Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at 1:00pm Eastern State Bar of Arizona Thursday, June 11, 2009 at 12:00 Pacific Thursday, June 25, 2009 at 12:00pm Pacific Wednesday, July 15, 2009 at 12:00pm Pacific Tuesday, July 28, 2009 at 12:00pm Pacific Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at 12:00pm Pacific Thursday, August 20, 2009 at 12:00pm Pacific Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 12:00pm Pacific Thursday, September 24, 2009 at 12:00pm Pacific Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at 12:00pm Pacific Tuesday, October 20, 2009 at 12:00pm Pacific Monday, November 2, 2009 at 12:00pm Mountain Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 12:00pm Mountain Thursday, December 3, 2009 at 12:00pm Mountain Monday, December 28, 2009 at 12:00pm Mountain The Florida Bar (Approved for 1 hour of Free CLE) Tuesday, June 9, 2009 at 1:00pm Eastern Friday, June 19, 2009 at 1:00pm Eastern Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 1:00pm Eastern Wednesday, June 24, 2009 at 1:00pm Eastern Monday, July 6th, 2009 at 1:00pm Eastern Monday, July 13, 2009 at 1:00pm Eastern Friday, July 24, 2009 at 1:00pm Eastern Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 1:00pm Eastern Illinois State Bar Association (Earn ...

Congress on Sotomayor: A Very Brief History

Posted on June 03, 2009
Mitch McConnell: "I opposed her nomination yeas ago...I'm taking a fresh look." Diane Feinstein: She has respect for abortion precedent. Harry Reid: She has "an underdog appeal." Jeff Sessions: Looking to push the confirmation hearings back to September...

Fastcase Webinar for the Illinois State Bar Association, June 4th

Posted on June 03, 2009
Attention all ISBA members, register today to learn all about your member benefit along with some great how-tos, tips, and tricks for using Fastcase. Click here to register for your webinar at 12pm EST on June 4th, 2009. By attending our quick and informative webinar covering a wide range of legal research topics on the 4th, you will earn ...

Starbucks Wins Dismissal of $86 Million Labor Law Verdict

Posted on June 03, 2009
Starbucks shift supervisors rejoice! A California appeals court has ruled you can keep your tips. Starbucks also will avoid an $86 million dollar judgement against them for allowing shift supervisors to collect a portion of the days tips. Starbucks policy is to allow an equal distribution of the tips to all those working that day...

Notable Morning Stories....

Posted on May 28, 2009
Abkhazia's vice president resigns over dispute with leader~ RIA Novosti Is the new Microsoft Search ready to rumble?~ guardian.co.ukGoogle Reader widget brings RSS to the desktop~ Cnet U.K. Firms Begin Reporting 2008-09 Financials~ Law.com

Case Spotlight: California Supreme Court Opinion Upholds Prop. 8 Same-Sex Marriage Ban

Posted on May 28, 2009
The California Supreme Court has upheld the same-sex marriage ban of last year's Proposition 8 in a 6-1 decision. The Court unanimously agreed to let stand marriages that predated the proposition.To read the full text of the opinion on Fastcase, click here (Fastcase Subscription orFree 24 hour trial required).

California debate is far from over

Posted on May 28, 2009
The California Supreme Court may have made their decision on same-sex marriage but no one thought it would be the end of the debate. Bringing the California ban on same-sex marriage into the federal court system is no longer a question of if it will happen but when...

Notable Morning Stories ....

Posted on May 27, 2009
N. Korea: No longer bound by 1953 truce~ CNNChinese public outraged over case of Deng Yujiao~ The Times OnlineFour states' DMVs frown on smiling~ CnetSide by side: UI changes from Windows 7 beta to Windows 7 RC~ Ars Technica

Fastcase Research Tip: Save Time With Your Print Queue

Posted on May 27, 2009
You don't have to get up an run to the printer every time you print a document on Fastcase.  Instead, use your print queue to store up to 20 cases that you want to print, and you can print them all at once.  For example, when you want to print a series of cases cited in opposing counsel's brief: 1...

Updated:Obama to Announce Supreme Court Pick at 10:15 AM EST

Posted on May 26, 2009
Obama to Announce Supreme Court Pick at 10:15 AM EST~ The Washington PostWho do you think the nominee will be? Write your selection in the comments!Update 8:42 AM: Looks like the news has come out earlier than we expected. Obama has Choosen Judge Sonia Sotomayor as his Supreme Court Nominee~ The New York Times

Vista Service Pack 2 Released (SP2)

Posted on May 26, 2009
Micorosoft has released a standalone installer for their second service pack update to the Vista operating system. For more information, check out Engadget. Source: EngadgetTo download all the updates and enhancement click on your version of Vista below:Windows Vista 32-Bit Operating SystemWindows Vista 64-Bit Operating Sytem

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