Over here at The Estrin Report, we love new ideas. That's why we are launching The Entitled Opinion - a new sporadic column featuring guest bloggers with definite opinions. We encourage you to write in. Tell us what's on your mind; what peeves you have; what success stories you've witnessed; changes you'd like to see and...
One of our favorite guest bloggers is back!Barbara Haubrich-Hass, ACP/CAS on:
WITNESS STATEMENTS
It is important to memorialize the sequence of events in any given incident. One way to accomplish this is to obtain statements from the percipient witnesses. Nailing down a witness’ version of how an incident occurred early in a case can be one of the most important components...
This most gratifying article in the Jackson Hole Star-Tribune details how Wyoming paralegal students are showing fifth-graders how the U.S. legal system works:"With a polite but stern tone, fifth-grader Jacob Colman interrupted Robert Novak, reminding him to just answer yes or no."Dressed in a dark blue suit like a miniature lawyer, Colman again asked the question to Novak on the...
After a hard-fought legislative battle, independent paralegals in in Ontario will become a regulated profession on May 1. This Toronto Star article outlines why licensing is needed:"In recent years, the need for regulating paralegals has been the subject of considerable comment by Ontario judges and in two Ontario government reports. The most recent comment occurred in a Superior Court...
Have to point to this very smart blog post about Judge Seidlin, of "judging on TV" fame: "In 1933, Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis advised, 'Sunlight is the greatest disinfectant.' True to this notion, Florida is known as the Sunshine State not only for its weather -- it has long been a leader in open government. But when it comes to cameras in the courtroom, does openness...
Bad behavior from lawyers who have no excuse. But I've seen this kind of news before: "A law firm specialising in sexual harassment cases has itself been proven to have practised sexual harassment and ordered to pay $368,000 to a Roseville woman who worked at the firm as a paralegal."The Martinez-Senftner Law Firm, Roseville, CA, handles a variety of civil and criminal work, including...
Very interesting survey about litigation trends in the U.S. Number of lawsuits...ouch! "Here's a sample of the findings:Large U.S. companies face an average of 305 pending lawsuits. For the largest U.S. companies, those with $1 billion or more in annual gross revenue, the number of lawsuits soared to 556 cases, with an average of 50 new disputes emerging each year for close to half of...
Yep, the answer to this question totally depends on the firm! Plaintiff: Amy Seiler Defendants: Harry J. Mulry Jr.; Gregory G. Shaub, doing business under the firm name Mulry & Shaub L.L.P. Accusation: A paralegal toils for a small law firm and gets bouts of "stomach distress, headaches and disagreeable fits of temper." Oh, and don't forget those "digestive upsets."...
When does an aggressive interviewer go too far? Guess we'll find out with this wrongful death lawsuit: "Relatives of a mother who committed suicide after CNN's Nancy Grace aggressively questioned her about the disappearance of her son sued the network and the talk-show host Tuesday, accusing Grace of pushing the woman over the edge. "Melinda Duckett shot herself to death on Sept. 8, one...
Now this is both funny & smart news! "A federal judge, miffed at the inability of opposing attorneys to agree on even the slightest details of a lawsuit, ordered them to settle their latest dispute with a game of 'rock, paper, scissors.'" "The argument was over a location to take the sworn statement of a witness in an insurance lawsuit. "In an order signed Tuesday, U.S....