The case of Polly Bodine is the subject of Alex Hortis’ new book, The Witch of New York. But a whodunnit is only part of the story that Hortis, the associate university counsel at the University of Maryland Baltimore, sets out to tell. The book’s subtitle shares the rest: “The cursed birth of tabloid justice.”
The word “nonlawyer” fails to acknowledge the wide range of contributions of all legal professionals and should no longer be used by the ABA, according to a petition posted on LinkedIn.
A setting in Microsoft Word is to blame for a failure to include footnotes in word counts for briefs filed on behalf of online casino provider High 5 Games, its lawyers told a federal judge in fighting a bid for sanctions.
In many ways, the new legal vocabulary reflects the time in which we live. As you look through the terms that have arisen over the last 24 years, you’ll see much of our recent history.
As many industries develop sustainable development practices, lawyers can play a role too. In a book released by ABA Publishing, Sustainability Essentials: A Leadership Guide for Lawyers, John Dernbach, with co-authors Irma Russell and Matthew Bogoshian, provide digestible how-to tips for proactively infusing a sustainable development framework into legal work.
Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer makes his case in Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism, scheduled for release on Tuesday. After 40-plus years as a judge, Breyer’s book is a logical capstone. “For better or for worse, it might be helpful to put down my approach how I go about interpreting difficult phrases, the Constitution or statutes.”
James Patterson has written bestsellers in many genres. But as he tells the ABA Journal's Lee Rawles in this episode of The Modern Law Library podcast, he has always been fascinated by legal thrillers, courtroom dramas and crime novels. He even considered becoming a lawyer—before his literary career took off.
From pretty much the moment that we start law school, we get advice on how to be better writers. Most of it is from lawyers (or ex-lawyers). That’s fine to start. Legal writing is a genre and has unique considerations that you have to master, if only because courts demand it, like The Bluebook.
Recent advances in technology, as well as a shortage of court reporters nationwide and the increased use of virtual depositions and hearings, has led to an opening for automated transcription tools.
In Her Story: The Resilient Woman Lawyer’s Guide to Conquering Obstacles, three women co-edited a compilation of first-person essays written by women sharing their thoughts, challenges and experiences in the legal field. One of the co-editors, a former president of the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations, spoke with the ABA Journal.
A partner with Weil, Gotshal & Manges apparently missed an opinion telling his law firm that incorporating an argument by reference can’t be used to exceed word-count limits in briefs, according to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Lawyers may be excellent when questioning on the stand, but when it comes to cross-examining artificial intelligence, they may need an assist. With generative artificial intelligence, it’s all about the search prompt.
During the second day of the ABA Techshow 2024 on Thursday, lawyers and legal technologists listened to legal academics discuss the future of their careers in a panel called “AI Transforming Legal Services: What’s Here, What’s Hype, and Preparing for What’s Coming.”
The ABA Journal and LexBlog, a global leader in legal publishing, have teamed up to present American Legal Blogger to bring together, in one place, blogs, podcasts and other insights and guidance from blogging lawyers worldwide.
The ABA is asking the federal judiciary to drop the term “court-appointed master” from the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure because it is “a very poor term and a very poor description.”
The ABA Journal wants to host and facilitate conversations among lawyers about their profession. We are now accepting thoughtful, non-promotional articles and commentary by unpaid contributors.
