The California 4th District Court ruled that Jessica's Law, a law that prohibits sex offenders from living within 2,000 feel of a school or park constitutes "banishment under another name."
I'm not sure I agree with the conclusion. If I did, I'm not sure I would find this to be a bad thing.
You can click here for the article.
Above the Law has an interesting blog post on why some firm keep associate bonuses down: to impress clients.
I personally don't think clients see the world this way. But if you are looking to rationalize being a cheapskate, this is as good of place as any to start.
We added on the Miller & Zois website the internal list that our lawyers keep of arbitrators and mediators in Maryland who we believe mediate or arbitrate personal injury cases.
As we make clear, this is not a list our our recommended mediators or arbitrators, just a collection of those that are doing the work. We refer to the list if arbitrating or mediating a case so it occured to me that others might want to have the same option, be it another personal injury lawyer or even an insurance company.
The Maryland Daily Record reports today that the Maryland July 2008 bar examination pass rate rose 10% from last year to 82% percent this year. Students from the University of Baltimore School of Law taking the exam for the first time saw their pass rate skyrocket from 77% last year to 87% in July.
There was a lot of talk linking the rise of the Univerity of Baltimore Law School to new Dean Phillip T. Closius' gaming of the U.S. News and World Report rankings. Well, folks, you can't game a 10% rise in the bar passing rate. UB's law school is really on the rise. I have taught at UB for the last 11 years and the best class I have ever had academically was this year.
All good stuff. Congratulations to everyone that passed the exam. (If you did fail, remember you can take it as many times as you like!) If you are getting ready to take the exam and are Googling the Maryland bar passage rate is, remember that 82% is pretty high. A lot of people who are a lot dumber and did not work as hard as you are going to pass.
(Belated note, a reader tells me the "you can take the Maryland bar as many times as you want" speech to reassure you is not true. But you can take it again in February.)
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Godwin, Erlandson, MacLaughlin, Vernon & Daney has announced in a large Maryland Daily Record ad the formation of its law firm and that Allan H. Kittleman, the minority leader of the Maryland Senate and Richard T. LaFata, a former Workers' Compensation Commissioner, have joined the frim as of coursel. You can review their website here.
Good luck!
WJZ-TV reports that a Washington County man was convicted of two counts of felony animal cruelty for fatally shooting two of his neighbors' dogs who breifly wandered onto his property.
The upside to the Michael Vick debacle is that it opened the minds of a lot of people on the issue on animal cruelty.
NuvaRing
The NuvaRing (often misspelled as Nuva Ring or Newva Ring) is a low-dose hormonal, contraceptive device manufactured by Organon, a Dutch pharmaceutical company that was purchased last year by Schering Plough (which sells well known products such as Dr. Scholl’s and Coppertone)The NuvaRing is a small inter-vaginal device inserted by the user once a month to prevent pregnancy. Proponents of the NuvaRing advocate the ring’s low hormone dosage as well as its easy use, in comparison to the pill’s daily regimen.
Risks Associated with the NuvaRing
There are two main hormones used in birth control devices; progesterone and estrogen. Both of these hormones are capable of thickening the blood in the body. Thick blood increases the risk of a thrombotic incident such as a stroke, infarction, blood clot, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism or even in extreme cases death.
Unlike the pill which is ingested before the hormones that it contains are released into the body, the ring releases its hormones directly into the bloodstream. By ingesting the pill, it is estimated that up to 30% of the hormones it contains are absorbed in the digestive process rather than being released into the bloodstream. By releasing the hormones directly into the bloodstream, the hormones in the NuvaRing do not lose any potency causing a thrombotic event to be 30% more likely with the use of the ring as opposed the pill.
Lawsuits Involving the NuvaRing
Currently, our NuvaRing lawyers are reviewing potential lawsuits for users of the NuvaRing who suffered a thrombotic incident similar to those described above. Lawsuits are currently pending in the NuvaRing MDL class action lawsuit (for discovery). The NuvaRing’s manufacturer and related companies are the defendants: Organon USA, Inc., Organon Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., and Organon International, Inc. are being sued for not taking into account the higher level of hormone transference that occurs for users of the NuvaRing, and therefore not properly explaining the risk of using the NuvaRing in comparison to other methods of birth control such as the pill. That contention is an umbrella for the negligence and consumer fraud that are also promulgated by Organon’s lack of disclosure on the potential dangers of the ring.
Take Action
There are a number of NuvaRing class action lawsuits currently pending. Our lawyers are reviewing NuvaRing injury cases around the country involving claims that NuvaRing can cause cardiac problems in women such as strokes, heart attacks, blood clots, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolisms, and in some extreme cases, even death. If you believe that you or someone you know may have suffered a serious injury as a result of using the NuvaRing, then please call one of our NuvaRing lawyers at 800-553-800 to discuss the potential settlement and/or lawsuit of your NuvaRing case or click here for a free confidential Internet NuvaRing lawsuit consultation.
The jury said the union owed the retirees $7.1 million in actual damages for failing to include them in lucrative marketing deals with Electronic Arts Inc., the maker of the popular "Madden NFL" video games, sporting card companies and other sponsorship agreements.
Herb Adderley, 69, played cornerback for the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys, playing in four of the first six Super Bowls. He was the class action’s representative. He came to court everyday wearing his yellow "NFL Alumni" sports jacket. He cried after the verdict and provided the quote of the month: "I won three Super Bowls and this feels better than all of them combined," Adderley told reporters. "I always felt I had one big play left."
I just love that line.
Bloomberg has a good article pointing out that President Bush appointed young Supreme Court justices and the more liberal wing of the Supreme Court is coming up for retirement over the next four years. Justice Stevens is 88 years-old and still going strong but even if his health holds up is he going to want to continue for much longer? Justice Ginsburg is 75 years-old. These justices are arguably the two most liberal judges. Justice Souter, who has been a relatively moderate justice, is 69-years-old and reportedly wants to return home to New Hampshire at some point soon.
Accordingly, we should not expect a huge shift in the Supreme Court under President Obama but his picks may solidify the liberal wing of the Court, reducing the likelihood of a conservative shift down the road in the same way that Bush's picks secured a reasonably conservative Supreme Court during an Obama administration. It is the circle of life.
Who might Obama pick?
1. Cass Sunstein
2. Eric Holder Jr.
3. Deval Patrick
4. Merrick Garland
5. Sonia Sotomayor
6. Kim McLane Wardlaw
7. Diane Wood
8. Elena Kagan
9. Hillary Clinton
10. Bill Clinton
11. Merrick Garland
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If this question was asked six months ago, I think we would guess John Edwards would be the next Attorney General. Absolutely no chance now. Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano seems to be the most obvious choice. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is also a real possibility. Reportedly, Patrick and Obama are close friends. Former deputy attorney general Eric Holder, the co-chair of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, is also a possiblity but he does not seem to want the job nor does it sound like his wife, a doctor, wants him to take the Attorney General job if it was offered to him. I would also include Hillary Clinton's name in there somewhere although I don't think she would take the job either.
For my money, I think being a governor sounds like a better job than Attorney General but, reportedly, both Patrick and Napolitano would take the job if offered.
Interesting days ahead....
