A Florida man has attracted an empathetic ally in his fight for his freedom. Ted Cruz reportedly asked President Obama to pardon a Florida man, Gary Jones, who was convicted for murder in 2002. Jones has just lost his last appeal this week and Senator Cruz is very eager to “end this flagrant miscarriage of…
Why Corporate Law is a Total Scam
But I can’t really blame the corporate attorneys for what they are doing.
48 Hours in the Mind of a Trial Attorney
The following post takes place in real time, from two days before a trial until the dust has settled.
Zealous Advocacy: Five Types of Advocates and How it Can all go Terribly Wrong
I can hear my law professor screaming about that title right now. She hated the term ‘zealous advocacy.’ As an attorney in training, I only had some very vague idea of why ‘zealous advocacy’ might not be the best possible term. The preamble to the Model Rules of Professional Conduct (MPR) does mention zealous advocacy.…
Dating Tips for the 1L
So, you decided to go law school and you just happen to be single as well. You are excited for your first year. You are about to be thrown into a small community of really smart people just like yourself and you are confident that at least 1 or 10 of them will be really…
Zimmerman & Anthony: Juries are Actually Pretty Good at What They Do
Make your story very simple! Don’t confuse the jury! We repeat these mantras over and over again. To our colleagues, we say things like “Well, yeah, but do you think a jury would understand that?” The trial attorney is constantly worrying that the poor uneducated peons on his or her jury just won’t understand his…
Bully Porn Addict Sues Apple
Don’t get me wrong, I generally applaud anyone suing Apple. I think they are pushing intellectual property law to the point where it limits healthy competition and will eventually destroy America’s competitive edge. (And, hey, republicans if you are looking to get more youth in your ranks, this might be a good issue for you.…
How to Land 10 Year Old Sally in Jail for Chalking
In San Diego, California a man is on trial for writing on the sidewalk with chalk. Apparently, he was writing such clever and inflammatory things as “No Thanks, Big Banks” and “Shame on Bank of America” on public sidewalks outside a few Bank of America branches in San Diego. You might wonder how something like…
Dear Proponents of Prop 8: A Lesson on Standing
In sympathy for the Prop 8 proponents, we take a look at the basic elements of standing, and how to litigate the issue next time.
