Justice Sharon Keller, through her Jackson, Walker lawyer, has filed a response to the claims pending against her at the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct. You can read it here.
And, you can read some very good arguments regarding Justice Keller's written response (especially her request that the State of Texas pay for her attorneys' fees) here:
Houston attorney Mark Bennett's Defending People
The New York Times' blog The Lede
3/29/2009
3/25/2009
It's Even Funnier When You Read It ....
Saturday Night Live has apparently scoured the internet, grabbing videos of its various sketches with all sorts of copyright claims, whereever it can.
So, tonight, when I stumbled upon the written script for Phil Hartman's Caveman Lawyer (remember him), I stopped to read it.
And, if you're a lawyer -- you gotta read the closing argument here. It's even funnier in print.
Here's the link:
http://snltranscripts.jt.org/91/91gcaveman.phtml
So, tonight, when I stumbled upon the written script for Phil Hartman's Caveman Lawyer (remember him), I stopped to read it.
And, if you're a lawyer -- you gotta read the closing argument here. It's even funnier in print.
Here's the link:
http://snltranscripts.jt.org/91/91gcaveman.phtml
3/24/2009
Jurors Google and Mistrials Are Happening: Here Come the IJuries
Have you seen this happening yet? According to the New York Times, jurors are using their IPhones and Blackberries to do online research about the cases that they are hearing, which I guess does mean that they're not falling asleep in their chairs (good thing) but may well mean more and more mistrials.
A Florida case just lost 8 weeks worth of trial time when the federal judge declared one of the nation's first Google mistrials because of a juror's IPhone efforts.
I mean, this is a much bigger deal than yesteryear's warning not to watch TV or read the newspaper. Apparently, jurors are investigating and researching details of the case. Double-checking what the experts are telling them, learning a bit more about the evidence as it's being admitted.
One has to wonder about the impact of shows like CSI on this sort of thing. You like your jury to be involved in the case, but this is scary, right?
Next thing you know, they'll start wanting to ask questions, do their own examinations ...LOL... and I don't know about you, but I bet there's a good many jurors out there who could do a pretty fine job of that task, given the opportunity.
For the full NYT article, go here.
To read the Las Vegas Sun's discussion of "ijuries," go here.
For the Financial Times discussion of "Google Mistrials" go here.
A Florida case just lost 8 weeks worth of trial time when the federal judge declared one of the nation's first Google mistrials because of a juror's IPhone efforts.
I mean, this is a much bigger deal than yesteryear's warning not to watch TV or read the newspaper. Apparently, jurors are investigating and researching details of the case. Double-checking what the experts are telling them, learning a bit more about the evidence as it's being admitted.
One has to wonder about the impact of shows like CSI on this sort of thing. You like your jury to be involved in the case, but this is scary, right?
Next thing you know, they'll start wanting to ask questions, do their own examinations ...LOL... and I don't know about you, but I bet there's a good many jurors out there who could do a pretty fine job of that task, given the opportunity.
For the full NYT article, go here.
To read the Las Vegas Sun's discussion of "ijuries," go here.
For the Financial Times discussion of "Google Mistrials" go here.
3/10/2009
3/09/2009
Anna Nicole Smith is an Estate Lawyer's Dream
My goodness. Let's go slow.
There's the Estate of Anna Nicole Smith who is in a big fight for money from the Estate of her dead husband (Howard Marshall) with the Estate of the dead husband's dead son (Pierce Marshall).
Three Estates, maybe four.
Three Estates. I guess we could throw in the Estate of Daniel, Anna's son, for good measure, as a beneficiary of Anna's Estate. Okay. Make that four Estates, really.
The latest fight: to lift the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Stay, back to the US Supreme Court.
Now, we're talking about these cases going up to the United States Supreme Court here -- is the fight to lift the stay placed by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upon the $88.5 million dollar award granted to Anna Nicole by a lower federal court.
Attorneys go their whole lives without an argument before a circuit court of appeals, much less the U. S. Supreme Court. How many times has Anna's case been up there?
Anna's Estate Wants to Lift the Stay to Stop Pierce's Estate
That $88.5 million has grown over time to around $125 million. But here's the problem: before his death, Pierce Marshall moved a lot of assets around, and Estate of Anna attorneys are arguing that if that stay isn't vacated, the IRS may end up with all the money left in Estate of Pierce's accounts.
IRS versus all those attorneys' fees. C'mon. We know what those fee statements are like.
You know, I can't help but think -- and this is so NOT a legal analysis -- that old Howard Marshall would kinda like cute little Dannilynn to have that cash. Maybe that's just me.
There's the Estate of Anna Nicole Smith who is in a big fight for money from the Estate of her dead husband (Howard Marshall) with the Estate of the dead husband's dead son (Pierce Marshall).
Three Estates, maybe four.
Three Estates. I guess we could throw in the Estate of Daniel, Anna's son, for good measure, as a beneficiary of Anna's Estate. Okay. Make that four Estates, really.
The latest fight: to lift the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Stay, back to the US Supreme Court.
Now, we're talking about these cases going up to the United States Supreme Court here -- is the fight to lift the stay placed by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upon the $88.5 million dollar award granted to Anna Nicole by a lower federal court.
Attorneys go their whole lives without an argument before a circuit court of appeals, much less the U. S. Supreme Court. How many times has Anna's case been up there?
Anna's Estate Wants to Lift the Stay to Stop Pierce's Estate
That $88.5 million has grown over time to around $125 million. But here's the problem: before his death, Pierce Marshall moved a lot of assets around, and Estate of Anna attorneys are arguing that if that stay isn't vacated, the IRS may end up with all the money left in Estate of Pierce's accounts.
IRS versus all those attorneys' fees. C'mon. We know what those fee statements are like.
You know, I can't help but think -- and this is so NOT a legal analysis -- that old Howard Marshall would kinda like cute little Dannilynn to have that cash. Maybe that's just me.
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