For the Public

pill mill

Pill Mill Litigation 101

The first time I handled a pill mill case I was 20 pounds thinner, had big permed hair and wore polyester. Back in the day, people didn’t understand much about pill mills, so this type of litigation was a true novelty. However, at long last, the prescription drug epidemic is taking its rightful place in the news and now almost

Read More »
Supreme Court

Hats Off to the Texas Supreme Court

Once in a blue moon, the Texas Supreme Court issues an opinion that addresses an issue that is purely family law related. By that standard, there was a blue moon June 24, 2016. That is the day the Supreme Court issued the opinion in Ochsner v. Ochsner. This opinion potentially impacts tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people paying

Read More »
actions

Class Actions in the Employment Law Context

Over the last two months, we have talked about different types of class actions and how to recognize them in your everyday practice. Those articles focused mainly on consumer protection cases. However, there’s one type of case that warrants its own discussion given its idiosyncrasies and importance. This is the wage and hour class action. Wage and hour class actions

Read More »
conspiracy

Utilizing the Safety Valve as a Safe Haven in Federal Drug Conspiracy Prosecutions

Federal drug conspiracy charges can be daunting for defense attorneys and their clients. These cases are often the product of covert investigations spanning years. The quantity of narcotics and the conduct of the conspirators will dictate the potential penalties that can – and will – be imposed. The Mandatory Minimum Sentence Unlike a typical criminal prosecution, the defendant’s conduct and/or

Read More »
support

Divorce Coaches: Providing Support for Attorneys and Their Clients

During the very difficult process of divorce, coaching from a qualified professional can provide support and problem solving assistance to successfully augment legal representation. Attorneys practicing matrimonial law often complain that they spend a lot of time “handholding” their clients, which can distract the attorney from the primary functions of investigating and valuing assets and income, and preparing the financial

Read More »
leases

Of Landlords and Tenants: How Commercial Leases Can Go Awry

Robert Burns might as well have been writing about commercial leases. Commercial landlords and tenants can spend months negotiating and drafting comprehensive written lease agreements. No matter how much effort the parties and their attorneys invest in the contracting process, disputes often arise down the road. The following are common problems with commercial leases that can lead to litigation and

Read More »
wine

Minnesota’s Trust Decanting Provisions: What Trustees Need to Know

To get the most enjoyment and best flavor from a bottle of wine, connoisseurs sometimes recommend decanting – transferring the liquid to another container before serving, allowing the wine to separate from the sediment. With the recent overhaul of Minnesota trust law, trustees may now employ the same concept to the advantage of trust beneficiaries. As decanting a bottle of

Read More »
internet

The Wild West 2.0

The Internet was started by academicians as an information exchange program – a new frontier in communications. Initial users were pioneers; few in number and few rules were needed for conduct. Similarly, western expansion in the United States involved pioneers, specifically mountain men with few rules required to guide these self-sufficient individuals. In each case, as time passed the number

Read More »
nationals

Foreign Nationals and the Right to Counsel

The influx of minors from Central America into the United States has created reverberations in the country’s ongoing immigration debate and now occupies a position of important constitutional debate with the U.S. courts. In immigration removal proceedings, the scope of an alien’s right to counsel is a topic of recurring congressional and public interest. The Fifth Amendment to the U.S.

Read More »
Fair Pay Act

The Fair Pay Act and Related Wage Laws Within California’s Entertainment Industry

Recent headlines showcase a large number of combined pay-related and gender discrimination lawsuits. One of these was brought by a group of former female employees against Merck and Co., one of the largest U.S. pharmaceutical companies in the world. Last month, the former employees brought a $250 million lawsuit alleging violations of the Equal Pay Act and that the employer

Read More »
pill mill

Pill Mill Litigation 101

The first time I handled a pill mill case I was 20 pounds thinner, had big permed hair and wore polyester. Back in the day, people didn’t understand much about pill mills, so this type of litigation was a true novelty. However, at long last, the prescription drug epidemic is taking its rightful place in the news and now almost

Read More »
Supreme Court

Hats Off to the Texas Supreme Court

Once in a blue moon, the Texas Supreme Court issues an opinion that addresses an issue that is purely family law related. By that standard, there was a blue moon June 24, 2016. That is the day the Supreme Court issued the opinion in Ochsner v. Ochsner. This opinion potentially impacts tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people paying

Read More »
actions

Class Actions in the Employment Law Context

Over the last two months, we have talked about different types of class actions and how to recognize them in your everyday practice. Those articles focused mainly on consumer protection cases. However, there’s one type of case that warrants its own discussion given its idiosyncrasies and importance. This is the wage and hour class action. Wage and hour class actions

Read More »
conspiracy

Utilizing the Safety Valve as a Safe Haven in Federal Drug Conspiracy Prosecutions

Federal drug conspiracy charges can be daunting for defense attorneys and their clients. These cases are often the product of covert investigations spanning years. The quantity of narcotics and the conduct of the conspirators will dictate the potential penalties that can – and will – be imposed. The Mandatory Minimum Sentence Unlike a typical criminal prosecution, the defendant’s conduct and/or

Read More »
support

Divorce Coaches: Providing Support for Attorneys and Their Clients

During the very difficult process of divorce, coaching from a qualified professional can provide support and problem solving assistance to successfully augment legal representation. Attorneys practicing matrimonial law often complain that they spend a lot of time “handholding” their clients, which can distract the attorney from the primary functions of investigating and valuing assets and income, and preparing the financial

Read More »
leases

Of Landlords and Tenants: How Commercial Leases Can Go Awry

Robert Burns might as well have been writing about commercial leases. Commercial landlords and tenants can spend months negotiating and drafting comprehensive written lease agreements. No matter how much effort the parties and their attorneys invest in the contracting process, disputes often arise down the road. The following are common problems with commercial leases that can lead to litigation and

Read More »
wine

Minnesota’s Trust Decanting Provisions: What Trustees Need to Know

To get the most enjoyment and best flavor from a bottle of wine, connoisseurs sometimes recommend decanting – transferring the liquid to another container before serving, allowing the wine to separate from the sediment. With the recent overhaul of Minnesota trust law, trustees may now employ the same concept to the advantage of trust beneficiaries. As decanting a bottle of

Read More »
internet

The Wild West 2.0

The Internet was started by academicians as an information exchange program – a new frontier in communications. Initial users were pioneers; few in number and few rules were needed for conduct. Similarly, western expansion in the United States involved pioneers, specifically mountain men with few rules required to guide these self-sufficient individuals. In each case, as time passed the number

Read More »
nationals

Foreign Nationals and the Right to Counsel

The influx of minors from Central America into the United States has created reverberations in the country’s ongoing immigration debate and now occupies a position of important constitutional debate with the U.S. courts. In immigration removal proceedings, the scope of an alien’s right to counsel is a topic of recurring congressional and public interest. The Fifth Amendment to the U.S.

Read More »
Fair Pay Act

The Fair Pay Act and Related Wage Laws Within California’s Entertainment Industry

Recent headlines showcase a large number of combined pay-related and gender discrimination lawsuits. One of these was brought by a group of former female employees against Merck and Co., one of the largest U.S. pharmaceutical companies in the world. Last month, the former employees brought a $250 million lawsuit alleging violations of the Equal Pay Act and that the employer

Read More »

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