Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 15 of 15
Full-Text Articles in Law
Testing Privilege: Coaching Bar Takers Towards “Minimum Competency” During The 2020 Pandemic, Benjamin Afton Cavanaugh
Testing Privilege: Coaching Bar Takers Towards “Minimum Competency” During The 2020 Pandemic, Benjamin Afton Cavanaugh
The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice
Abstract forthcoming.
Ezra, Rehnquist, And St. Mary’S University, Lance Kimbro
Ezra, Rehnquist, And St. Mary’S University, Lance Kimbro
St. Mary's Law Journal
Abstract forthcoming.
Picking The Lock: A Proposal For A Standard Fee Waiver In Texas For Identification Documents, Gregory Zlotnick
Picking The Lock: A Proposal For A Standard Fee Waiver In Texas For Identification Documents, Gregory Zlotnick
The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice
Abstract forthcoming.
The State Of Texas Recognizes The 50th Anniversary Of The St. Mary’S Law Journal, Greg Abbott
The State Of Texas Recognizes The 50th Anniversary Of The St. Mary’S Law Journal, Greg Abbott
St. Mary's Law Journal
The Honorable Greg Abbott, Governor of the State of Texas, issued a certificate in 2019 recognizing the 50th Anniversary of the St. Mary's Law Journal and their contribution to the legal profession.
St. Mary's Law Journal Fiftieth Anniversary, John Cornyn
St. Mary's Law Journal Fiftieth Anniversary, John Cornyn
St. Mary's Law Journal
Senator John Cornyn of Texas congratulates the St. Mary's Law Journal on its fiftieth anniversary.
The Strange Case Of Lieutenant Waddell: How Overly Restrictive Rules Of Engagement Adversely Impact The American War Fighter And Undermine Military Victory., Jeffrey F. Addicott
The Strange Case Of Lieutenant Waddell: How Overly Restrictive Rules Of Engagement Adversely Impact The American War Fighter And Undermine Military Victory., Jeffrey F. Addicott
St. Mary's Law Journal
A rules of engagement (“ROE”) Review Board should be created in order to provide an impartial review process for service members facing adverse administrative action for violations of ROE. Politicians defining the ROE, rather than military experts, create rules that are so restrictive and confusing that they ultimately run counter to the military objective of victory. A violation of a ROE can be a criminal offense under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, but violations are issued arbitrarily, and often the military does not charge the service member with a crime, instead using adverse administrative measures to impose punishment. While …
Taking Limited Representation To The Limits: The Efficacy Of Using Unbundled Legal Services In Domestic-Relations Matters Involving Litigation., Michele N. Struffolino
Taking Limited Representation To The Limits: The Efficacy Of Using Unbundled Legal Services In Domestic-Relations Matters Involving Litigation., Michele N. Struffolino
St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics
The use of unbundled legal services is nothing new in this country, and it is often preferable to no representation at all. The Model Rules of Professional Conduct expressly permit attorneys to provide limited representation to their clients. Domestic-relations attorneys, in particular, have tried to ease the burden on litigants by offering unbundled legal services. However, the use of unbundled services in domestic[1]relations matters has caused difficulties for litigants, attorneys, and the courts. For these domestic-relations cases in particular, full service representation is crucial. To provide full satisfaction for their clients and to fulfill their ethical duty, domestic-relations attorneys must …
Reinventing The Wheel: Constructing Ethical Approaches To State Indigent Legal Defense Systems., Bill Piatt
Reinventing The Wheel: Constructing Ethical Approaches To State Indigent Legal Defense Systems., Bill Piatt
St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics
Indigent defense remains in a state of crisis. Almost fifty years after the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Gideon v. Wainwright, lack of funding, favoritism, inefficiency, and poorly-designed indigent[1]defense plans plague the system, which can best be characterized as being in a state of disrepair. As a result, accused indigent individuals, a vulnerable population, suffer from a lack of adequate representation. This Article reviews the history and implementation of various indigent-defense systems and examines the ethical issues arising from their operation. It offers a guide to reconstructing a model system, including the suggestion that attorneys first recommit the profession to …
Civility And Collegiality—Unreasonable Judicial Expectations For Lawyers As Officers Of The Court?, Lonnie T. Brown Jr.
Civility And Collegiality—Unreasonable Judicial Expectations For Lawyers As Officers Of The Court?, Lonnie T. Brown Jr.
St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics
It is a well-settled and often-recited fact that lawyers are "officers of the court." That title, however, is notoriously hortatory and devoid of meaning. Nevertheless, the Eleventh Circuit recently took the somewhat unprecedented step of utilizing the officer-of-the-court label to, in effect, sanction an attorney for the purportedly uncivil act of failing to provide defendant attorneys with pre-suit notice. While the author applauds the court's desire to place greater emphasis on lawyer-to-lawyer collegiality as a component of officer-of-the-court status, the uncertainty the decision creates in terms of a lawyer's role will potentially force litigators to compromise important client-centered duties. This …
Malpractice Liability Related To Foreign Outsourcing Of Legal Services., Vincent R. Johnson, Stephen C. Loomis
Malpractice Liability Related To Foreign Outsourcing Of Legal Services., Vincent R. Johnson, Stephen C. Loomis
St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics
The outsourcing of client-related tasks to service providers in other countries is likely to generate malpractice claims against American law firms. This Article discusses the wide range of theories under which an outsourcing American law firm may be liable for its own negligence or for the actions of outsourcing providers. These theories include negligence by the outsourcing law firm, vicarious liability for the conduct of firm principals and employees, vicarious liability for the conduct of independent contractors, and vicarious liability for the conduct of business partners.
Why Your Secretary Is Really Worth A Million Dollars: Exploring The Harsh Penalty For Not Proofreading Your Fee Agreements In Anglo-Dutch Petroleum V. Greenberg Peden., James M. Parker Jr., J.K. Leonard
Why Your Secretary Is Really Worth A Million Dollars: Exploring The Harsh Penalty For Not Proofreading Your Fee Agreements In Anglo-Dutch Petroleum V. Greenberg Peden., James M. Parker Jr., J.K. Leonard
St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics
This Article examines the Texas Supreme Court's decision in Anglo-Dutch Petroleum International, Inc. v. Greenberg Peden, P.C. Next, this Article discusses the decision in light of other cases dealing with attorney-client contract issues. Then, an explanation of why the court's decision is inconsistent with other opinions is provided. This Article next analyzes the long-term effects of the Anglo-Dutch decision and the lessons to be learned from the case about drafting contracts and lawyers' obligations to inform clients of material terms. Finally, this Article suggests that the court's decision decreases the legal protection extended to lawyers and holds them closer to …
First, Do No Harm: The Consequences Of Advising Clients About Litigation Alternatives In Medical Malpractice Cases., Katerina P. Lewinbuk
First, Do No Harm: The Consequences Of Advising Clients About Litigation Alternatives In Medical Malpractice Cases., Katerina P. Lewinbuk
St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics
This Article addresses whether a lawyer's possible duty to inform and advise his client of potential alternative dispute resolution (ADR) options actually leads to better results for doctors in medical malpractice cases. This Article first explains different theories supporting a potential duty and then argues that all such theories praising ADR rely on the assumption that "valuable" alternatives to litigation always exist and are available to all litigants. That notion is arguably not always true for a physician defending against malpractice complaints; thus, the duty becomes almost meaningless in such cases. With the adoption of the National Practitioner Data Bank …
The Roles Of Attorneys As Courtroom Experts: Revisiting The Conventional Limitations And Their Exceptions., David S. Caudill
The Roles Of Attorneys As Courtroom Experts: Revisiting The Conventional Limitations And Their Exceptions., David S. Caudill
St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics
This Article examines whether attorneys should be allowed to testify as legal experts, especially in the legal malpractice context. This Article starts by addressing the unclear distinction between questions of law and fact and reviews several recent cases that prohibited expert legal testimony. Next, this Article addresses some general exceptions to the prohibition against expert legal testimony, such as questions of complex and uncertain law. Finally, this Article examines the use of legal experts in legal malpractice cases.
The Storm Between The Quiet: Tumult In The Texas Supreme Court, 1911-21., Michael S. Ariens
The Storm Between The Quiet: Tumult In The Texas Supreme Court, 1911-21., Michael S. Ariens
St. Mary's Law Journal
The Texas Supreme Court from 1911–1921 is best known not for the law it made or the opinions it wrote, but for its failure to decide cases. Although the supreme court’s difficulty in clearing its docket existed before 1911, the number of outstanding cases exploded during the second decade of the twentieth century. Arguably, the issue of statewide prohibition and the divergent views held on that issue by members of the Texas Supreme Court was the driving force behind the disharmony and dysfunctionality of the court during this decade. Statewide prohibition explains why elections of candidates to the court were …
Law School Branding And The Future Of Legal Education., Michael Ariens
Law School Branding And The Future Of Legal Education., Michael Ariens
St. Mary's Law Journal
It is too early to determine if law school branding will have a positive or a negative effect on legal education. A recent shift in legal education has led law schools to consciously brand themselves, claiming an educational distinctiveness in selling their services to consumers. Branding is an attempt to create a desire in targeted prospective students to join the branded law school. Although a law school may brand itself by claiming it delivers an excellent legal education, branding is about distinctiveness, not quality. Law schools have used a number of approaches to attract students, including aggressive marketing of a …