The recent emphasis on lawyer well-being is not limited to private law firms. Corporate legal departments, the public sector and other legal employers are embracing some of the wellness initiatives being implemented at many law firms.
The viability of theories of liability for shippers, freight brokers and other parties in the distribution chain in trucking accident litigation is now being tested across the country.
The “gig” economy has brought increased attention to the use and meaning of independent contractors in America. With increased focus comes a change in how states attempt to define the work status of independent contractors, and if paternal protections should be offered to such workers.
Police body-worn camera footage is becoming more prevalent in transportation personal injury lawsuits, but there are some key considerations regarding admissibility.
In recent years, prenuptial, postnuptial and cohabitation agreements have become increasingly common in the United States. The increase in interest can be traced in part to the shifting of societal norms surrounding marriage, cohabitation, and divorce among the country’s different age demographics.
For those who are legal counselors to families, you have heard objections many times when the parents have told their adult daughter (or son) that they need to have a premarital agreement. The child is in love. She has found the person with whom she will spend the rest of her life. The person with whom she will raise a family. There is no possible way they would ever divorce, so why does she need a premarital agreement? The simple answer — she needs one!
Movie review Robert Hammerle finds very different kinds of Hollywood magic and Oscar-worthy performances in “Mary Poppins Returns” and “Vice.”
Movie reviewer Robert Hammerle comes away with conflicting views about two period pieces focusing on royalty.
I was recently asked to facilitate an IP videoconferencing deposition with an ophthalmologist. He was located close to our office, so the plan was for him to come to us. However, his schedule was so tight that the plan changed. Could we do the videoconference from his office? With Zoom and a laptop, yes, we could. I packed up a camera, microphone and computer and went to his office to perform a test.
My pitch to you this week is simple. Let’s all break out of the daily routine in which we do things the same way every day. Instead, let’s be mindful of our niche in the law and resolve to practice law better. Let’s resolve to make our profession and our communities better.
In reviewing the most recent edition of “Business and Commercial Litigation in Federal Courts,” John Maley writes that no other book gives such practical and integrated treatment to procedural and substantive law in areas frequently encountered by federal commercial litigators.
In this season of reflection, I hope you’ll think about friends and colleagues who live up to and exceed the legal profession’s loftiest ideals. Think of those who embody the very best of what it means to be a great lawyer. Those are the people we seek to honor in Indiana Lawyer’s 2019 Leadership in Law Awards.
Movie reviewer Bob Hammerle recommends the knockout performances in “Creed II” and the powerful “Green Book.”
How does the legal community at large continue to provide and expand high-quality legal services to all Indiana communities? What role should law practice succession planning play in ensuring that people, businesses, governmental and nonprofit organizations’ legal needs are competently addressed?
I was reminded recently of a client who came to see me with drawings of a chair he had designed, and he wanted to protect it. As we looked at the design and mulled over the possible ways others might find value in it, it became clear that the chair might fit into multiple IP buckets — or perhaps none at all.
The law surrounding a key patent statute, 35 U.S.C. § 101, is “a real problem” that is “almost impossible to apply consistently and coherently” and “needs clarification by higher authority.” When federal appellate judges make statements like these, the issue is worth further exploration.
Because there is “no one size fits all” analysis to determine whether something qualifies as a trade secret — including whether its owner took reasonable measures to protect it — a lawyer tasked with protecting a client’s trade secrets must be intimately familiar with the client’s protectable interests.
As we complete a long, complicated year, my great judge journey leads me to a wish list. While wish lists are not uncommon for gift-giving season, or the start of a new year, this one is intended for regular rumination.
Foster parents are invaluable assets and partners in child welfare. Foster parents’ input in team meetings and on an ongoing basis provides valuable insight into the child’s needs. However, giving foster parents party status presents many problems.
In his article, “The Disappearance of Civil Trial in the United States,” Yale Law School professor John H. Langbein explored the factors leading to civil trials having all but “vanished.” He concluded that the largest single cause of the decline in the number of jury trials was the robust and extensive fact discovery promoted, if not mandated, by the adoption of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.