Lawyers complement their practice of law with knitting, sewing, woodworking and similar hands-on artistic endeavors. They say it helps them to relieve stress, refresh and refocus.

Of the 29 wrongful conviction rulings involving false confessions in the United States in 2017, 13 were in Cook County. Of the more than 260 false confession cases since 1989, about 25 percent have come from Cook County.

Florida would be in a distinct minority of states if it imposes a duty to rescue people in distress. The rule in the United States is you have no duty to rescue a stranger, and legal scholars are divided on whether that’s a good thing.

The Client Choice program in Comal County was organized by the Texas Indigent Defense Commission, a state agency dedicated to improving such defense without driving up costs. A year of data showed that it worked—clients had better outcomes and felt more listened to. The county liked the system enough that it still uses it today.

Court diversion programs are expanding in the opioid crisis, with judges increasingly an advocate on the sidelines. Local courts are pivoting from crime and punishment to carrot-and-stick, using more humane, interventional approaches to deal with the defendants with addictions who are overwhelming their dockets.

Child welfare agencies in Vermont, Minnesota and Ohio cite opioids as driving an increase in the number of children in foster care. A 2011 study found that opioid abuse was associated with increased domestic violence.

Employment lawyers say decreasing sexual harassment at work requires awareness that behavior may make colleagues uncomfortable and willingness to stop the conduct without resentment.

In some situations, confidentiality of arbitration can be a problem, as it makes corroborating claims more difficult. The Me Too movement has prompted some law firms to review human resources policies.

In a challenging job market for young lawyers, a specialized legal niche provides a marketing edge for solo practitioners and better advice to clients.

Advocates have dubbed New York’s discovery scheme the blindfold law, arguing that the lack of information requires defense counsel to prepare for trial, or advise clients about plea bargains, without ever seeing the evidence.