For the Public

wedlock

Parentage Actions for the Unmarried

In this issue, I will be addressing parentage actions related to children born out of wedlock. Actions to establish paternity are controlled by Tenn. Code Ann. §36-2- 301 et seq. In Tennessee, most actions to establish paternity are brought in the juvenile court. However, a petition to establish parentage can be brought in the circuit or chancery court, as the

Read More »
Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo, Partisanship, and a Case for the Middle Path

Wells Fargo has come under immense pressure not only publicly, but politically and legally, for its scheme that caused over two million accounts to be opened in customers’ names without their consent. If you haven’t read about this, Wells Fargo had institutional goals and incentives in place that paid its retail banking employees substantial bonuses for opening new customer accounts.

Read More »
post-accident drug testing

How OSHA’s New Regulations Impact Post-Accident Drug Testing

The Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), issued new rules requiring employers to electronically submit injury and illness data to be posted to OSHA’s website. Under these rules, employers must establish a reasonable procedure for reporting this data, in a way that does not deter or discourage employees from disclosing work-related injuries and illnesses. This requirement axiomatically

Read More »
Rochelle

Making the Judge an Offer She Can’t Refuse

About a year ago, I received a call from a 24-year-old female who immediately said to me, “My friend said you are the only one who can help me.” We will call her Rochelle. She sounded very distressed and she met me the next day in my office. I asked her to tell me the story. The tears didn’t take

Read More »
premarital agreements

5 Reasons Your Client Should Have a Premarital Agreement

In recent past, the words premarital agreement or “prenup” admittedly held a negative connotation, implying the parties are contemplating their relationship’s inevitable end before they’ve entered the sacred bond of marriage. In this modern age, premarital agreements aren’t so much about planning for divorce, as they are a way of establishing the parties’ expectations during their marriage. For this reason,

Read More »
kill a patent

How to Kill a Patent

From 1836 (the start of the present patent numbering sequence) to the present, over 9 million patents have been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Of course, most of those patents are not “active.” Many have “deceased” naturally. Each patent has a lifetime, and until 1995 it was 17 years from the date of grant. Now, a

Read More »
patent infringement

Is All Patent Infringement Willful?

In June, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision that may fundamentally change the way damages are awarded in patent infringement lawsuits. In Halo Electronics, Inc. v. Pulse Electronics, Inc., 136 S. Ct. 1923, 1932 (2016), Chief Justice Roberts criticized a standard that allowed, “the ‘wanton and malicious pirate’ who intentionally infringes another’s patent” to avoid enhanced damages if

Read More »
visa

The Challenges of H-1B Visas

In my practice, I am frequently asked the question, “How can I get a work visa?” Technically, there is no such thing as a general visa to work in the United States. Each visa type is for a specific purpose, such as studying (F-1, M-1, J-1), tourism (B-2), marriage (K-1), or employment within certain limitations (E-1, E-2, L-1). H-1B is

Read More »
Medical Errors

The Prevalence of Preventable Medical Errors and Why You Should Care

We cannot ignore the truth. Spoiler alert: preventable medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States. The leading cause of death in the United States is heart disease. It claims in excess of 611,000 lives each year and accounts for 25 percent of all deaths each year. There are billions of dollars devoted to research

Read More »
wedlock

Parentage Actions for the Unmarried

In this issue, I will be addressing parentage actions related to children born out of wedlock. Actions to establish paternity are controlled by Tenn. Code Ann. §36-2- 301 et seq. In Tennessee, most actions to establish paternity are brought in the juvenile court. However, a petition to establish parentage can be brought in the circuit or chancery court, as the

Read More »
Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo, Partisanship, and a Case for the Middle Path

Wells Fargo has come under immense pressure not only publicly, but politically and legally, for its scheme that caused over two million accounts to be opened in customers’ names without their consent. If you haven’t read about this, Wells Fargo had institutional goals and incentives in place that paid its retail banking employees substantial bonuses for opening new customer accounts.

Read More »
post-accident drug testing

How OSHA’s New Regulations Impact Post-Accident Drug Testing

The Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), issued new rules requiring employers to electronically submit injury and illness data to be posted to OSHA’s website. Under these rules, employers must establish a reasonable procedure for reporting this data, in a way that does not deter or discourage employees from disclosing work-related injuries and illnesses. This requirement axiomatically

Read More »
Rochelle

Making the Judge an Offer She Can’t Refuse

About a year ago, I received a call from a 24-year-old female who immediately said to me, “My friend said you are the only one who can help me.” We will call her Rochelle. She sounded very distressed and she met me the next day in my office. I asked her to tell me the story. The tears didn’t take

Read More »
premarital agreements

5 Reasons Your Client Should Have a Premarital Agreement

In recent past, the words premarital agreement or “prenup” admittedly held a negative connotation, implying the parties are contemplating their relationship’s inevitable end before they’ve entered the sacred bond of marriage. In this modern age, premarital agreements aren’t so much about planning for divorce, as they are a way of establishing the parties’ expectations during their marriage. For this reason,

Read More »
kill a patent

How to Kill a Patent

From 1836 (the start of the present patent numbering sequence) to the present, over 9 million patents have been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Of course, most of those patents are not “active.” Many have “deceased” naturally. Each patent has a lifetime, and until 1995 it was 17 years from the date of grant. Now, a

Read More »
patent infringement

Is All Patent Infringement Willful?

In June, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision that may fundamentally change the way damages are awarded in patent infringement lawsuits. In Halo Electronics, Inc. v. Pulse Electronics, Inc., 136 S. Ct. 1923, 1932 (2016), Chief Justice Roberts criticized a standard that allowed, “the ‘wanton and malicious pirate’ who intentionally infringes another’s patent” to avoid enhanced damages if

Read More »
visa

The Challenges of H-1B Visas

In my practice, I am frequently asked the question, “How can I get a work visa?” Technically, there is no such thing as a general visa to work in the United States. Each visa type is for a specific purpose, such as studying (F-1, M-1, J-1), tourism (B-2), marriage (K-1), or employment within certain limitations (E-1, E-2, L-1). H-1B is

Read More »
Medical Errors

The Prevalence of Preventable Medical Errors and Why You Should Care

We cannot ignore the truth. Spoiler alert: preventable medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States. The leading cause of death in the United States is heart disease. It claims in excess of 611,000 lives each year and accounts for 25 percent of all deaths each year. There are billions of dollars devoted to research

Read More »

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