The Constitution of the United States has been amended multiple times since it was written to expand the franchise of voting from the original beneficiaries, white male landowners. But the story of voting rights in the United States is not just one of expansion; there have been periods (such as after Reconstruction) where voting rights that had once been exercised were blocked off, extinguished and suppressed.
Feb 5, 2020 9:30 AM CST
A lawyer’s duties do not begin and end at the courtroom door. They extend beyond the courtroom to the proverbial court of public opinion. In this era of instantaneous exchanges, there should always be an effective litigation communications plan in place before a case is filed, or worse, it goes awry.
Jan 22, 2020 6:00 AM CST
When considering our New Year’s resolutions, we all want to be more resourceful with our time, especially with our workdays. We don’t realize how much time meetings can take up if they are conducted in an inefficient manner.
Jan 8, 2020 6:00 AM CST
If you're traveling this holiday season—or just enjoying some end-of-year downtime—you might be in need of some good book recommendations. With that in mind, in this episode of the Modern Law Library, the ABA Journal's Lee Rawles brings you a glimpse at what we've been reading around the ABA offices. Staff recommendations run the gamut from romance to horror to self-help to historical fiction.
Dec 18, 2019 10:02 AM CST
We rarely hear how a judge determines an appropriate sentence for a person who has been convicted of a crime. This process is invisible to the lawyers in a case, the public and even to the criminal defendant being sentenced.
Dec 4, 2019 6:00 AM CST
One year after Brett M. Kavanaugh's tumultuous nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, questions that arose during the nomination hearings still linger.
Nov 27, 2019 11:38 AM CST
The jury selection process can be one of the most challenging aspects of jury trial, and it is often the least-known trial lawyer skill. During this important process, trial lawyers…
Nov 6, 2019 6:00 AM CST
Tens of thousands of people worked at ground zero after the World Trade Center attacks in 2001—looking for survivors, sifting for human remains, and breathing in the dust of the pulverized buildings. Their actions were heroic and lauded at the time. But as the months and years passed, many began to become gravely ill.
Oct 30, 2019 6:00 AM CDT
According to the World Economic Forum, “In the next 10 years, the ‘internet of things’ revolution will dramatically alter manufacturing, energy, agriculture, transportation and other industrial sectors of the…
Oct 9, 2019 6:00 AM CDT
Ed Scott was the first-ever nonwhite owner and operator of a catfish plant in the nation. The former sharecropper-turned-landowner was part of a class action lawsuit that resulted in one of the largest civil rights settlements in U.S. history. With the settlement of Pigford v. Glickman in 1999, almost $1 billion has been issued to more than 13,000 African American farmers to date.
Sep 25, 2019 6:00 PM CDT
We often associate the #MeToo movement with the entertainment industry, but sexual harassment is a widespread problem in all industries. The hierarchical nature of the workplace influences victims’ fear that reporting harassment will result in retaliation, and they do not feel protected by the very systems that are in place to protect them.
Sep 11, 2019 6:30 AM CDT
In 2009 and 2010, two ships packed with refugees fleeing the Sri Lankan civil war arrived on the shores of Canada. Those refugees inspired Sharon Bala's debut novel, The Boat People, which won the 2019 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction.
Aug 28, 2019 9:46 AM CDT
When it comes to working with an expert or expert witness, there can be a lot of moving parts to keep track of. You have to determine how an expert…
Aug 8, 2019 1:16 PM CDT
When Simon Tam booked the first gig for The Slants, there was a major obstacle to overcome: The band did…
Jul 24, 2019 7:00 AM CDT
There's no denying that law firms have gone through significant changes in the last decade. These changes continue to create unprecedented challenges for modern law firms today. So, what's next?
Jul 11, 2019 12:00 PM CDT
The good news for anyone aspiring to a life of crime is that you may be a multiple offender of federal criminal laws without even being aware of it.
Jun 20, 2019 4:12 PM CDT
For new law graduates and associates going into the world of BigLaw, the stakes have never been higher—and neither have the expectations.
Jun 5, 2019 6:30 AM CDT
For every lawyer who thinks they have oral presentations down pat, there’s another who has anxiety about talking in front of a crowd. And they both need help. May 22, 2019 6:00 AM CDT
The finalists for the 2019 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction have been announced, and now readers will have a chance to weigh in. The books nominated for the ninth annual award are The Boat People, by Sharon Bala; Class Action, by Steven B. Frank; and The Widows of Malabar Hill, by Sujata Massey.
May 14, 2019 10:00 AM CDT
A series of suspicious deaths; a murder at a victim’s funeral; a minister whom locals suspected was dabbling in voodoo; a gregarious Alabama lawyer and politician called Big Tom; and…
May 8, 2019 7:35 AM CDTA curmudgeon’s tips for making it in BigLaw
Public speaking skills every lawyer should master
Help select the winner of the 2019 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction
The strange tale of the ‘Voodoo reverend’ and Harper Lee’s lost true-crime book
