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28 ABA Journal Puerto Rico articles.

Suit is ‘almost a word-for-word carbon copy’ of prior complaint filed by different lawyers, federal judge says

Updated: A federal judge in Puerto Rico has said she is considering sanctions for a San Juan, Puerto Rico, lawyer who filed a lawsuit that is “almost a word-for-word carbon copy” of a suit filed by different lawyers representing different plaintiffs.

Apr 15, 2025 8:53 AM CDT

Where have all the lawyers gone? 25% are in these 2 states with higher pay than $176K average

Twenty-five percent of all lawyers live in California and New York, states that include five of the top 10 metropolitan areas for attorney pay.

Nov 19, 2024 11:01 AM CST

Lawyer’s RICO suit seeks to force fossil fuel companies to pay for hurricane damage

A small-town Illinois lawyer who once sued oil companies over contaminated land has turned her attention to climate change and the companies allegedly fueling the problem.

Jul 19, 2023 3:40 PM CDT

Federal judge’s ‘people like you’ comments don’t require sentence reversal, 7th Circuit says

A federal judge’s comments about “people like you” weren’t the kind of inflammatory remarks that would require resentencing of a man who pleaded guilty to unlawful gun possession by a felon, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Jul 6, 2023 10:31 AM CDT

As Biden obtains confirmation of 100th federal judge, focus turns to red state vacancies

President Joe Biden obtained confirmation of his 100th judge with approval of Gina Méndez-Miró to the federal district court in Puerto Rico. Nominations will get tougher for Biden as he begins to focus on nominees in states with two Republican senators.

Feb 15, 2023 2:45 PM CST

Top 10 news stories of 2022

Every year, we like to take a look back at the news events and stories that most resonated with our online readers. This year, the financial state of the legal industry dominated the list, accompanied by disciplinary cases, law school rankings and the bar exam.

Dec 23, 2022 8:37 AM CST

2 of Puerto Rico’s 3 law schools will get more time to meet bar pass standard

Following repeated failures to show compliance with Standard 316, which requires a bar passage rate of at least 75% within two years, the ABA has given an extension of up to three years to two Puerto Rican law schools.

Sep 9, 2022 2:10 PM CDT

‘Shameful’ insular cases should be overruled, Gorsuch says, as SCOTUS rules against Puerto Rico resident

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 Thursday that the United States doesn’t violate the equal protection clause by denying disability benefits to residents of Puerto Rico.

Apr 21, 2022 10:42 AM CDT

Weekly Briefs: Trump business misrepresented assets, New York AG says; judge apologizes for weed scolding

Trump testimony sought in business probe New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a motion to compel the testimony of former President Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump in her civil probe of the family business. James said she has evidence that the Trump Organization made misleading…

Jan 21, 2022 2:23 PM CST

Denying disability benefits to Puerto Rico residents violates equal protection rights, ABA amicus brief says

The ABA filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday arguing that denying disability benefits to residents of Puerto Rico violates the equal protection clause.

Sep 8, 2021 12:40 PM CDT

ABA legal ed section finds Puerto Rico law school back in compliance with accreditation standard

The University of Puerto Rico School of Law has taken “concrete steps” to demonstrate compliance with an accreditation standard regarding academic support, according to a decision recently posted online by the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. The section’s council considered the matter when it met…

Mar 29, 2019 9:22 AM CDT

Congress should exempt Puerto Rico from shipping law, ABA House says

A nearly century-old shipping regulation is hampering Puerto Rico's economic and physical recovery in the wake of Hurricane Maria last year, and Congress should enact legislation to permanently exempt the island, the ABA House of Delegates declared in a vote on Tuesday.

Aug 7, 2018 1:06 PM CDT

Proposed Florida law resurrects the debate around the legal duty to help someone in distress

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.

Jun 1, 2018 1:50 AM CDT

Florida nonprofit legal clinic hires Puerto Rican attorneys displaced by Hurricane Maria

The Puerto Rican Bar Association of Florida has opened a nonprofit legal clinic focused on providing legal services to Puerto Ricans who have settled in Florida after fleeing Hurricane Maria—and the clinic is employing displaced Puerto Rican attorneys.

Mar 8, 2018 9:51 AM CST

It’s difficult to describe lawyers’ situations in Puerto Rico, but hurricane damage was ‘extreme’

The impact of the hurricanes over the island was not uniform, with some areas suffering extreme devastation. There was greater havoc in the eastern and central parts of the island, so many lawyers in those communities are still without power in their offices.

Feb 1, 2018 12:03 AM CST

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