As I wrote in more detail last year, since 1849 Kentucky has required every new legislator, public officer and member of the bar to take an oath stating that, among other things, [I] have not fought a duel with deadly…
According to a study reported in the ABA Journal, lawyers under stress are tense, overly critical, cautious and emotionally distant. In a related story, lawyers not under stress are tense, overly critical, cautious and emotionally distant. The data for the study…
"I've been involved in the criminal justice system for 30 years," said Ontario Attorney General Chris Bentley, "and I can't say that I've heard of a similar circumstance." The circumstance was an assistant prosecutor "making strange faces" at jurors, which ultimately resulted…
From today's ABA Journal: A South Carolina lawyer known for his TV commercials and billboards has turned over $994,000 in cash kept in a closet of his Myrtle Beach law office after a court-appointed bankruptcy investigator stressed the importance of…
I just finished a book that I recommend very highly: On Lawmanship by Bullstrode Whitelocke, K.C. Bullstrode, who I consider a close personal friend even though he is fictional, is the greatest practitioner of the law Australia has yet produced,…
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that an attorney who works with "The Heavy Hitter" Glen Lerner has been sued for allegedly hitting somebody in the face at a charity golf tournament. Brian Walsh alleges that associate Benjamin Lund "sucker punched"…
On Monday, a federal judge denied William Lerach's request to teach a law-school class to satisfy a community-service requirement, saying that he was not convinced that Lerach had been truthful when he expressed remorse at his sentencing hearing. According to the…
According to the people at the ThinkGeek blog, they got a cease-and-desist letter recently from lawyers telling them they would have to stop using the phrase "the new white meat" in connection with one of their products, because it could…
Convicted terrorist and murderer Carlos Ilyich Ramirez Sanchez, also known as "Carlos the Jackal," is still upset about how he is portrayed in the new movie, "Carlos," which premiered at Cannes in May. Ramirez is fuming about the movie from…
Tempers do flare from time to time when practicing law, and sometimes conflict is unavoidable. But there are still a few basic rules that you really must observe: In modern-day practice, engaging in fisticuffs is generally considered unprofessional. If you are…