Access-to-Justice Donations You Should Be Making

If you are making charitable donations this year, consider organizations that increase access to justice. Organizations that work to improve access to justice work with people to improve communication tools, transportation and more. From internet access, to transportation, to housing. There are many organizations out there doing great work and ensuring more people have access to the services they need.

This article from Lawyerist.com outlines many of the different options you have when making a charitable donation. You can read the full article here.

Their suggestions range from organizations helping with internet access such as Equitable Internet Initiative and Foundation for Rural Service, groups focusing on transportation like Neighbor Ride and Wheels of Success and groups who focus exclusively on keeping the doors of America’s Public Libraries open.

Even providing housing to individuals improves access to justice. If you don’t know where you are going to sleep, legal issues take a backseat. Government resources for housing are stretched thin and many private organizations have stepped in to fill the need for individuals with month-to-month or even day-to-day housing needs.

Jim Allen is our latest Featured Speaker

Jim Allen is our latest Featured Speaker!

Jim is a retired Assistant County Attorney for Miami Dade County and has been sharing his experience with our attendees since 2014, when he first spoke at our Circuit Court Boot Camp in Ft. Lauderdale. Since then, Jim has been a frequent speakers at many of our litigation programs. Most recently, he spoke at Mastering the Deposition and Brief Writing in Ft. Lauderdale. Next year, Jim will join us again for our 5th Annual Circuit Court Boot Camp in Ft. Lauderdale.

In addition to providing excellent tips and litigation strategies, Jim always provides thorough handouts and additional materials that attendees rave about.

Jim Allen
Former Assistant County Attorney, Miami-Dade County

Jim was Chief of Training and Development, while continuing to maintain a full caseload in state personal injury and federal civil rights actions.

As a litigator, Jim has practiced extensively in federal and state court at both trial and appellate levels. He has litigated and tried numerous cases involving serious wrongful death and civil rights allegations, including a taking action claiming in excess of 100 million dollars in damages. Jim has also handled numerous state and federal appeals, including a case filed in the U.S. Supreme Court.

After law school, Jim clerked for the Honorable James R. Jorgenson, Florida Third District Court of Appeals.  Jim is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, J.D., Cum Laude, 1980.

Harry Chamberlain is our Newest Featured Speaker

Harry Chamberlain of Buchalter Nemer P.C. is our latest Featured Speaker!

Harry is another Appellate Specialist who will be speaking at the upcoming Advanced Appellate Conference in January.

Harry first spoke for us back in 2012. Harry was a joy to work with and attendees loved his presentation. He has been back to speak at multiple appellate seminars, including our 2016 and 2017 Advanced Appellate Conferences and our 2017 Exam Prep course in Appellate law.

Harry Chamberlain II
Buchalter Nemer P.C.

Harry Chamberlain co-chairs the Appellate and Complex Litigation Practice Group at Buchalter Nemer, P.C. with regional offices across California. Harry is an experienced litigator who has represented Fortune 500 companies, public and private sector clients in complex litigation for 35 years. His trial and arbitration practice focuses on the representation of business, professional and public entity clients with special concentration in post-trial remedies, writs and appeals.

He is certified as an Appellate Specialist by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization, having argued hundreds of appeals in state and federal courts around the country, including numerous cases before the California Supreme Court and the highest courts of other jurisdictions.

Before joining Buchalter Nemer, Harry’s experience included in-house corporate practice as general counsel, and managing the law department of major market U.S. liability insurers and financial service companies.

Harry serves on the Board of Trustees of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and is past president of the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel and California Defense Counsel, preeminent regional associations of civil defense trial attorneys.

Robin Meadow is our Newest Featured Speaker

Robin Meadow of Greines, Martin, Stein & Richland LLP is our latest Featured Speaker!

Robin first spoke at one of our appellate seminars in 2008 and has been a regular ever since. Seminar attendees continually rave about his teaching style and the excellent handouts he provides.

In addition to being a Certified Appellate Specialist, Robin is also well-versed in the use of technology during an appeal. Attendees always appreciate his discussion about technology during our seminars. Robin has spoken at The Complete Appeal and the Advanced Appellate Roundtable multiple times. Coming up in January, Robin will be at our Third Annual Advanced Appellate Conference, where he has spoken each year.

Robin Meadow
Greines, Martin, Stein & Richland LLP

Few appellate specialists have successfully tried a jury case. Robin Meadow tried jury cases for over 20 years at a major commercial firm, while also handling appeals, in many fields of law. Over time, he realized that it’s nearly impossible to excel at both trials and appeals, because the skill sets and practice rhythms differ completely and often clash. Concluding that his greatest strengths lay in appellate work, Robin joined GMSR in 1994, handling his last trial late that year.

Robin’s trial-court experience gives him a unique perspective on appellate work. He understands the demands and pressures trial lawyers face and the many ways that things can go wrong in the trial court. And he is very much at home consulting with trial lawyers during trial, helping them protect their appellate record so they’re well positioned to either preserve a victory or overturn a defeat.

Robin’s practice at GMSR continues the substantive focus he developed in his earlier years business disputes, real estate, partnerships, and probate and entertainment law.  But, like most appellate lawyers, he is a generalist and at GMSR has also handled multiple significant appeals involving healthcare, family law, personal injury and bankruptcy.

He is also an expert in technology for appellate lawyers and courts. A pioneer in the use of electronic records and briefs, Robin co-authored the California Second District Court of Appeals first protocol for electronic briefs (since adopted by other California Courts of Appeal), and he filed the first electronic brief ever accepted by a California appellate court.

When he isn’t practicing law, he enjoys spending time with his family, reading about history and playing bass guitar in a rock band.

 

California Bar Exam Results July 2017

California Bar Exam Results

Nearly half of all prospective lawyers who took the California Bar Exam in July passed this year. 49.6% of test-takers passed the exam, up from 43% last year, which was the lowest pass rate in about 30 years, according to The Recorder. 62% of first-time applicants and 28% of repeat applicants passed the exam.

In total, 8,545 people took the exam and 63.2% were first-time applicants. The July 2017 exam was the first time the test has been administered in a two-day format. Exams are held in February and July each year.

A pass list from the exam was published on the CA Bar’s website yesterday. More detailed statistics about examination results will be available in approximately three weeks. If you’d like more information about the passage rates and statistics of this year’s exam, please CLICK HERE to see the published results from the California Bar.

Congratulations to the 4,236 applicants who passed the exam this year!!

 

Don’t Miss the Chicago Bar Foundation Fall Benefit

The annual Chicago Bar Foundation Fall Benefit is taking place this Saturday, November 18th. This casual, family-friendly event is the CBF’s biggest annual event. Taking place at the Museum of Science and Industry, this event includes exhibits and activities for kids and a silent auction. There is also delicious comfort food, an open bar and free parking.

Proceeds from this event will help CBF in their mission to ensure that the justice system is fair and accessible to everyone. You can find more information and purchase tickets here.

Also, don’t miss out on the silent auction. It is one of the best yet and you don’t have to come to the event to bid. Register yourself on the auction website and you will have the chance to bid on premier packages like:

  • Become a trainer for a day at the Shedd Aquarium
  • Travel down to St. Louis to watch the Cubs take on the Cardinals with a weekend package that includes watching the Cardinals’ batting practice on the field and visiting the dugout with Adam Wainwright! Hotel and dinner included.
  • Enjoy an in-home catered dinner for eight guests
  • Live it up in a skybox for a Blackhawks game against the LA Kings
  • Plus many more awesome sports tickets, restaurants, alcohol, and entertainment packages! There’s something for everyone here, so get the bidding started early!

    *Note: When you register, you can choose to receive text messages which will alert you to when you’ve been outbid so you don’t have to monitor the page on Saturday night – this is highly recommended for bidders who will not be in attendance!

Virtual Copyrights – how will the government respond?

Virtual copyrights. What will the law do with the virtual, augmented and mixed realities coming to your smartphone soon? Jack Russo and Mike Risch don’t answer that question but they do provide a roadmap on how the intellectual property laws (and particularly federal copyright law) will adapt and adjust to provide protection for these new innovations at a recent paper entitled “Virtual Copyright” (which is a chapter in a soon to be published VR/AR legal treatise) now available here.

Further commentary is also available at Professor Michael Risch’s blog and at Computerlaw Group LLP, Jack Russo’s law firm website.

Jack Russo is the managing partner at Computerlaw Group LLC and a repeat speaker.

Mr. Russo is a frequent speaker on computer law issues and has given presentations to the American Bar Association, the Practicing Law Institute, the Computer Law Association, and the San Francisco Bay Area Intellectual Property American Inn of Court.

Mr. Russo serves as an arbitrator, mediator, and early neutral evaluator for the U.S. District Court (N.D. California), the Santa Clara County Superior Court, and the American Arbitration Association, as well as a Judge Pro Tempore of the Santa Clara County Superior Court.

Mr. Russo specializes in Internet, computer law, and intellectual property litigation. In addition, Mr. Russo is in charge of the Firm’s entrepreneurship practice.

California Supreme Court will not lower passing score for bar exam

Last Wednesday, the California State Supreme Court announced that it will not be lowering the passing score for the state’s bar exam.

While lowering the passing score has been the trend across the country, Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye told lawmakers this past spring that the court would need a “fully developed analysis with supporting evidence” to justify a reduction.

California currently has the second highest cut score just behind Delaware. Law school deans, students and Democratic lawmakers have been pressing the court to lower the cut score for a while now. A California State Bar committee recommended in August that the Supreme Court reduce the passing score. You can read more about that on one of our previous blog posts.

You can get the full article from The Recorder here.

Now you can get a college degree in Marijuana Studies

Northern Michigan University is now offering a Marijuana Studies degree. This work intensive course of study also covers other aspects of plant chemistry. According to Brandon Canfield, Associate Chemistry Professor, this program, while it may speak to a certain crowd, involves serious work and commitment on the part of the student to be successful.

And with the exponential growth of the cannabis industry, it’s right on time. We would be surprised if other universities, especially in California and Nevada, didn’t go down this road soon as well.

It’s a serious industry worth teaching and studying – both the science of cultivation and the business and marketing side of it as well. In fact, plants are being patented left and right – just like roses.

Currently, about a dozen students are enrolled in the program. In addition to courses in chemistry, biology, botany and horticulture, students will also study marketing and finance. You can find the full article here.

With changing laws surrounding cannabis this may be a degree perfectly suited to jobs in the future. It was recently reported that 2016 saw a 30% increase in sales from the prior year, growing to an astounding 6.7 billion in North American sales.

And, as more and more states legalize marijuana for both medicinal and legal adult use, the Cannabis industry is the new dot.com – and probably without the bubble.

Currently, at Pincus Pro Ed, we have several programs focused on marijuana law for attorneys who are interested in expanding their practice into this area of law. In June we held our first cannabis focused program in California and it is available as an audio package.

Just this month we held a fantastic program in Chicago, focusing on the recent changes in the state of Illinois (where it is legal for medicinal use only, but adult use legislation has been introduced). You can find more information on the audio package, as well as testimonials, here.

There are updated programs in the works for 2018 as well. Be sure to stay tuned for more information on that.

11th Circuit Rules that Jurors Can Be Asked About Anti-Gay Bias

The 11th Circuit Court rules that jurors can be asked about anti-gay bias. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit overturned a verdict because the judge refused to allow jurors to be questioned about bias against homosexuals. According to the per curiam opinion released Thursday the court said:

“The district court abused its discretion by failing to inquire about prejudice on the basis of sexual orientation during voir dire.”

Gay rights advocates are cheering this opinion. “LGBT individuals facing trial have the same right to a jury of their peers, free from prejudice, as every other American,” D’Arcy Kemnitz, executive director of the National LGBT Bar Association, said in a news release Thursday. “Today’s decision goes a long way in ensuring that these rights are granted. No one should ever face a jury filled with potential animus, and it is time that members of the judiciary recognize sexual orientation and gender identity as legitimate classes in need of protection.”

Read more from The Recorder here.