Opening Statements

Digital rights group asks US Copyright Office for car-owner exemptions

If you like to tinker with your car, you might want to consult with a copyright lawyer first. Digital rights groups are warning that all that software under the hoods of cars these days could lead to copyright violation claims against the home mechanic. The concern has led the San…

Mar 1, 2015 4:30 AM CST

Distillers are facing lawsuits over ‘small batch’ and ‘handmade’ labeling claims

What does handmade, small batch or even all-natural mean when it comes to liquors and spirits? That's the question pending in numerous courts around the country as some niche distillers are finding their labels under scrutiny.

Feb 1, 2015 6:00 AM CST

Legal minds differ on whether The Bluebook is subject to copyright protection

Controversy is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of The Bluebook, but the bible of legal citation is at the center of an increasingly nasty dispute over whether it is subject to copyright protection. Open-source advocates are contending that the style and citation manual…

Feb 1, 2015 3:40 AM CST

New project rewrites SCOTUS opinions from a feminist perspective

More than 50 law professors and lawyers are collaborating to analyze how U.S. Supreme Court jurisprudence would look if seminal cases had been adjudicated from a feminist perspective. The book Feminist Judgments: Rewritten Opinions of the United States Supreme Court will contain 24 rewritten decisions on topics such as reproductive…

Feb 1, 2015 3:30 AM CST

2014’s Blawg 100 top vote getters

After ABA Journal editors chose their 100 favorite law blogs for 2014, polls were open to the public. More than 10,000 votes later, the following blogs can claim bragging rights for winning the popular vote: Careers/Law School Best Practices for Legal Education bestpracticeslegaled.albanylawblogs.org Criminal Justice Defrosting Cold Cases defrostingcoldcases.com For…

Feb 1, 2015 3:20 AM CST

Florida company offers 3D printing for demonstrative evidence

Taking a break from law school wasn’t Josh Weinberger’s original plan. But after encountering academic problems, Weinberger found himself working at a 3D printing studio in Jacksonville, Florida, and he realized that there was untapped potential for 3D printing in litigation. Three-dimensional printers produce objects by following a complex computer-assisted…

Feb 1, 2015 3:15 AM CST

Have a $100 million estate to liquidate? Then you might want to talk to this lawyer

Alexander Forger has had one of those careers that make you wonder: How in the world did he do that?

Jan 1, 2015 6:10 AM CST

California judge empowers others to become fit and healthy

Eight years ago, San Jose, California, Judge Sharon Chatman weighed 255 pounds and had high blood pressure. During a medical exam, her doctor explained that if she didn’t do something, she had “a good chance of dying,” Chatman recalls. Immediately, she embarked on a weight loss quest that included limiting…

Jan 1, 2015 3:40 AM CST

New website explains IP to kids

Officials at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office are trying to convince children that learning about intellectual property protection is as hip as playing Minecraft. As part of its effort, the agency has redesigned its USPTO Kids website. “The old kid pages were done a really long time ago. They…

Jan 1, 2015 3:30 AM CST

UK lawyer creates online prenup for pets

While many people treat pets like family members, courts take a different view. Pets are considered personal property, meaning Fido has the same status as a household appliance. So when a relationship sours, custody disputes involving pets can turn particularly contentious. “There’s no precedent,” says Aleksandra Nejman, a Chicago-based animal…

Jan 1, 2015 3:25 AM CST

NYC lawyer and bar owner sues over cabaret licensing requirement

To Brooklyn bar owner Andrew Muchmore, New York City's 89-year-old cabaret law—which prohibits dancing in a venue that does not have a specific cabaret license—shows shades of Footloose-style censorship.

Jan 1, 2015 2:00 AM CST

Want to be the next Miss America? Then you might want to hire this lawyer

Bill Alverson has been practicing law in the small town of Andalusia, Alabama, for nearly a quarter of a century. Together with his son, William Alverson, they run a law practice that handles everything from personal injury matters to divorces and wills.

Dec 1, 2014 5:40 AM CST

Hackers wanted: DC wants to build an open-source legal platform

What if city governments had a way for citizens to view their legislative agenda in real time as committees and the city council hear, mark up and pass bills? What if attorneys had a way to link to legislative citations or judicial opinions as they wrote courtroom briefs? These coding…

Dec 1, 2014 3:10 AM CST

Law profs develop Supreme Court predictor to better understand court decisions

Think you know how the U.S. Supreme Court is going to rule on a case? You might want to test your accuracy against the Supreme Court predictor, a statistical model that, using only data available before the date of the decision, predicted 60 years of high court decisions (1953-2013) with…

Dec 1, 2014 2:50 AM CST

Do you have the skills, traits and values of a good lawyer? Take this quiz to find out

What makes a good lawyer? University of Missouri at Kansas City law professors Nancy Levit and Doug Linder sought to answer that question as a follow-up to their book The Happy Lawyer. They've found a mix of interesting skills, personality traits and values in their latest book, The Good Lawyer: Seeking Quality in the Practice of Law, published this summer.

Think you are a good lawyer? Take Linder and Levit's quiz and find out how much you really know.

Nov 1, 2014 5:10 AM CDT