Law Commons^™

Legal Process Outsourcing: Analyzing And Managing The Prospective "Make Or Buy" Decision By Ontario Law Firms, Brandon Keshen

Major Papers

This paper examines the costs, risks and benefits associated with law firms outsourcing some of their core business activities to legal process outsourcers (“LPOs”). Similar to other outsourcing operations, LPOs supply services for a fraction of the cost of what law firms charge for similar services. Common in manufacturing industries, the decision to outsource, or keep work in-house (also referred to as a “make or buy” decision), has become more prevalent in the area of business services, including client service industries such as consulting and financial management. With respect to legal services, recent and rapid changes to the legal profession ...

Pre-Report Review Of Body-Worn Camera Footage: An Examination Of Stakeholder Beliefs, Laypeople’S Judgments Of Officer Credibility, And The Consequences For Memory, Kristyn A. Jones

All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Aim: This dissertation examines people’s beliefs about police officer access to body-worn camera footage, people’s judgments of officer credibility as it relates to video footage, and the consequences that review of footage has on reporting accuracy.

Rationale: With escalating police-civilian tensions in 2014, American police departments adopted body-worn camera programs. A majority of departments have policies allowing officers unrestricted access to camera footage. Because officers fear that inconsistencies between reports and videos could result in suspicion of officer deceit, they argue that officers should have access to footage before writing their reports to ensure reports match the footage ...

When Does A Major Outbreak Become A Public Health Emergency Of International Concern?, David N. Durrheim, Lawrence O. Gostin, Keymanthri Moodley

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The process of determining whether a Public Health Emergencies of International Concern (PHEIC) exists and should be declared has drawn increasing criticism over the past few years with allegations that it is more political than technical. Delaying declaration, where appropriate, means that the opportunity of garnering international solidarity and necessary resources in the early phases of epidemics, when public health measures may be more effective, is lost. A reform agenda aimed at enhancing WHO/Emergency Committee transparency and objectivity for the PHEIC declaration process is required.

Comprehensive Review Of Telehealth Law And Literature: Implications For Future Policy And Patients, Morgan Kristensen

Capstone Experience

PURPOSE: The purpose of this Capstone is to determine whether telehealth is effective at producing positive health outcomes, and what the current status of state telehealth law is in the United States and how can the law be changed to improve the implementation and use of telehealth services. METHODS: A literature review of PubMed was used to find articles relating to telehealth and its effectiveness. A law review of each state’s telehealth and telemedicine laws was conducted using Westlaw. RESULTS: The literature review uncovered that telehealth has the potential to produce positive health outcomes for a variety of conditions ...

An Examination And Critique Of The Compatibility And Coherence Of Brian Leiter’S Naturalized Jurisprudence With The American Legal Framework, Michael L. Keck

Masters Theses

In this thesis I argue Brian Leiter’s vision for a naturalized jurisprudence stands in problematic tension with critical facets of objective morality presupposed by the American legal system. Leiter makes the case for the naturalization of jurisprudence through adherence to his version of a naturalistic epistemology. Though Leiter explicitly rejects moral realism—and embraces elements of legal positivism—he acquiesces to the notion that judges sometimes utilize non-legal, “moral reasons,” when deciding cases. Leiter suggests that any moral “knowledge” that may influence the process of adjudication should be delivered by the hard sciences. I suggest Leiter’s epistemological naturalism ...

Youth Homelessness - State Policy Review, Adam Mercer

Student Research Projects

This project was sponsored by Waypoint within their runaway and homeless youth continuum. Waypoint is a private non-profit operating in New Hampshire and supporting homeless youth statewide. The objective of the project was to review state policies affecting youth for the purpose of increasing Waypoint’s ability to advocate for legislative changes that can prevent and bring an end to youth homelessness.

The rights and freedoms of minors in unsafe situations are often limited and tied to another person’s guardianship, which may not be the best option for them. Expanding their rights through new policy could improve their safety ...

The Legal Authorities Framing The Government’S Response To The Global Financial Crisis, Scott G. Alvarez Esq., Thomas C. Baxter Jr., Esq., Robert F. Hoyt Esq.

Journal of Financial Crises

The 2007–09 global financial crisis required that the Federal Reserve, Treasury Department and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation survey their various legal authorities and consider how they might be used to mitigate the meltdown of the United States financial system. This essay explores the range of legal authorities and procedural issues presented by key facilities implemented during the crisis, many of which were new and creative. This essay also provides valuable examples of how such authorities were used and describes how, in some instances, agencies worked together to design innovative interventions that no separate agency could have achieved alone.

Spring 2020 Newsletter: The Docket, Emma M. Wood

Law Library Newsletter

Copy of the Spring 2020 issue of the UMass Law Library Newsletter, The Docket.

Celebrating The Work Of Professor Bob Cochran: An Introduction, Derek T. Muller

Pepperdine Law Review

No abstract provided.

Silver And Old: How Emtala's Outdated Appropriate Medical Screening Standard Impacts The Aging Population, Madisyn Uekawa

Seattle University Law Review

With the U.S. elder population on the brink of booming, attention to the ramifications of legal standards that affect them is a must. In 2018, the Sixth Circuit split from its sister circuits and solidified an interpretation of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act’s (EMTALA) “appropriate medical screening” standard that will adversely affect aging individuals. Since older adults are the most likely demographic to use emergency care services, laws that impact emergency care will inevitably trickle down to this group of people. To protect already vulnerable older adults, EMTALA should be modified in such a way that ...

2011 Inamori Ethics Prize Speech: Democracy And Freedom Under Law: The Obligations Of Lawyers, Beatrice Mtetwa

The International Journal of Ethical Leadership

transcript

Criminal Justice Bias : Fact Or Fiction, Hiba Mobarak

Quest

Objective Analysis

Research in progress for CRIJ 1301: Introduction to Criminal Justice

Faculty Mentor: Stefanie LeMaire

The following paper represents work produced by a student in an Introduction to Criminal Justice course at Collin College. The paper is an objective analysis of prominent research regarding potential police biases and how officers’ decisions may be influenced by a suspect’s race. The topic of racial bias within policing is quite controversial, as evidenced by the community protests, media coverage, and destruction that has ensued after officer-involved shootings. This assignment asks students to objectively review scholarly research on police bias and constructively ...

Testing The First Amendment Validity Of Laws Banning Sexual Orientation Change Efforts On Minors: What Level Of Scrutiny Applies After Becerra And Does A Proportionality Approach Provide A Solution?, Clay Calvert

Pepperdine Law Review

This Article examines the standard of scrutiny courts should apply when testing the validity of laws banning speech-based sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) against First Amendment challenges. Justice Clarence Thomas’s 2018 opinion for a five-justice conservative majority of the United States Supreme Court in National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra casts considerable doubt on whether a level of inquiry less stringent than strict scrutiny applies. The article analyzes how lower courts after Becerra that have reviewed anti-SOCE laws disagree on the issue. And yet, as the Article explains, the Supreme Court refuses to clarify the muddle ...

Empowered Women Empower Women, Anne S. Douds

Public Policy Faculty Publications

Good afternoon and thank you for your determination to hold this important event today regardless of the weather. When Jenny said that we would go forward rain, sleet, or snow, I did not anticipate that we would have all three in the same day!

Maybe your determination derives from the residual spirit of a group of women who gathered here 100 years ago, also determined, but that time they were determined to ensure that their community acknowledged their right to vote. They were empowered, excited, and ready to act because, five years prior, in 1915, Katherine Wentworth of the Pennsylvania ...

Liability Of The Structural Engineer: Establishing, Quantifying, And Managing Risks, Justin Thomas Ittmann

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Liability is an important topic to all practicing professionals—including practicing engineers. However, the topic of liability does not receive the necessary attention required relative to other professions. Further, engineers that desire to learn more about liability in relation to their practice do not have many university options within an engineering curriculum or from outside materials available to a non-legally trained engineer. The goal of the study is to provide a comprehensive overview of liability directed towards an intelligent practicing engineer, while avoiding unnecessary over-simplification of the material. This study initially provides an in depth survey of the legal standard ...

Complicated Lives: A Look Into The Experience Of Individuals Living With Hiv, Legal Impediments, And Other Social Determinants Of Health, Margaret B. Drew, Jason Potter, Caitlin Stover

Faculty Publications

Those living with HIV continue to have challenges that extend well beyond their medical needs Public misconceptions surrounding HIV transmission and treatment have resulted in systemic and pervasive discrimination against those living with the disease. Common misconceptions include overly optimistic perceptions of the modern state of medical treatment, leading the uninformed to conclude that people living with HIV are minimally impacted by the disease, and misunderstandings regarding how the disease is transmitted from person-to-person, leading to stigma and social prejudice. Because of these misconceptions, three professors from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth formed a community partnership to determine the unmet ...

The Bar Exam And The Covid-19 Pandemic: The Need For Immediate Action, Patricia E. Salkin, Eileen Kaufman, Claudia Angelos, Sara J. Berman, Mary Lu Bilek, Carol L. Chomsky, Andrea A. Curcio, Marsha Griggs, Joan W. Howarth, Deborah Jones Merritt, Judith Welch Wegner

Scholarly Works

The novel coronavirus COVID-19 has profoundly disrupted life in the United States. Schools and universities have closed throughout much of the country. Businesses have shuttered, and employees are working from home whenever possible. Cities and states are announcing lockdowns in which citizens may leave their homes only for vital errands or exercise.

Medical experts advise that at least some of these restraints will continue for 18 months or more—until a vaccine is developed, tested, and administered widely. It is possible that localities will be able to lift some of these restrictions (such as lockdowns and school closures) intermittently during ...

Masthead, Editorial Board

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Law Of Obscenity In Comic Books, Rachel Silverstein

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Another Quest For The Holy Grail Of Law: Ius Generis - Law As A Countermovement To Human Cognition, Norbert Altvater

Washington University Jurisprudence Review

In hopes of providing some possible further insight into the nature of law in all contexts, this Article contributes another layer to the discussion respecting an evolutionary ontology of law. It advances a preliminary sketch of the possible genesis of norms as a countermovement to human cognition, with law, as a type of norms thereby integrally interwoven into humanity itself. With this understanding of its origins, law, whether considered from the positive law, natural law or systems theory perspective, may be understood more clearly and its applications perhaps anticipated. This Article analyzes whether this proposed countermovement theory might provide common ...

The Perfect Opinion, Andrew Jensen Kerr

Washington University Jurisprudence Review

In my Article, "The Perfect Opinion," I collate favorite judicial opinions to inductively derive an archetype of perfection. The question of which opinions we like the most is decidedly subjective, but it also reveals implied preferences for creative judging that might not register on citation counts or be prioritized when editing casebooks. Importantly, our choice of a favorite reflects something about us. So why do judges often select non-authoritative opinions (alternative concurrences or dissents) or no- citation opinions (that don’t cite to prior case law) when asked of their favorite opinion? We might predict that most judges would select ...

My Genetic Child May Not Be My Legal Child? A Functionalist Perspective On The Need For Surrogacy Equality In The United States, Rachel I. Gewurz

Washington University Jurisprudence Review

While assisted reproductive technology, and surrogacy in particular, may appear to be a straightforward solution to infertility, the legal field is extremely complex. The patchwork of laws across the United States leaves intended parents at risk for a court to deny legal rights to their biological child. This Note will examine the complexities of surrogacy agreements and the need for a federal, uniform surrogacy law under the sociological functionalist theory of society.

Paternalism As A Justification For Federally Regulating Advertising E-Cigarettes To Children, Alyssa N. Sheets

Washington University Jurisprudence Review

How the federal government should regulate e-cigarette advertising targeted towards children generates unique jurisprudential questions regarding the potential for infringement on children’s liberty and autonomy. While it would seem unethical to restrict e-cigarette advertisements to adults, children are in a different category because they lack the maturity and decision-making skills to discern advertising falsehoods from reality. This is especially problematic with e-cigarette advertisements because long-term public health outcomes for children are at stake. This Note assesses the historical and modern regulatory measures used by Congress, the FDA, and the judiciary to regulate how the tobacco industry may advertise to ...

Law In The Time Of Covid-19, Katharina Pistor

Books

The COVID-19 crisis has ended and upended lives around the globe. In addition to killing over 160,000 people, more than 35,000 in the United States alone, its secondary effects have been as devastating. These secondary effects pose fundamental challenges to the rules that govern our social, political, and economic lives. These rules are the domain of lawyers. Law in the Time of COVID-19 is the product of a joint effort by members of the faculty of Columbia Law School and several law professors from other schools.

This volume offers guidance for thinking about some the most pressing legal ...

Corporate Rights And Moral Theory: The Need For A Coherent Theoretical Justification Of Corporate Rights, Ryne T. Duffy

Washington University Jurisprudence Review

Corporations are the primary engine of economic activity in the United States and they are provided with legal rights primarily to facilitate their productive activity. As economic actors, corporations must inevitably interact with other corporations and natural persons within the legal system. Corporations must be allowed to invoke legal rights in order to operate within the American legal system. Traditionally, the American legal system has classified corporations as legal “persons” to allow them to seamlessly integrate into the existing legal system. This Note tackles the question of corporate personhood utilizing an approach inspired by social contract theory and seeks to ...

Introduction: The Rise Of Fintech, Andrew F. Tuch

Washington University Journal of Law & Policy

The use of technology has long accompanied the provision of financial products and services. In the late 1950s, financial institutions turned to information technology to help settle and record transactions, a burden that had grown with the surging volume of securities trades. These changes have only accelerated in recent years. Technology giants—the likes of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google—are entering financial services, beginning to offer credit cards and currencies as they attempt to push more fully into retail banking. This volume of the Washington University Journal of Law and Policy examines fintech, focusing on the regulatory and other ...

The Nature Of The Fintech Firm, Howell E. Jackson

Washington University Journal of Law & Policy

The title of this essay is an homage to Ronald Coase’s classic work, The Nature of the Firm. For years, Professor Coase’s article has inspired corporate theorists and earned a place in the pantheon of corporate law scholarship. In this essay, I return to The Nature of the Firmto explore the fintech revolution and the supervisory challenges that aspects of this revolution have posed for regulatory authorities. Several of the examples I discuss concern the distinction between activities located within a firm and those arranged through market transactions often supplied through new and specialized fintech entities. Two ...

Dealing With Disruption: Emerging Approaches To Fintech Regulation, Saule T. Omarova

Washington University Journal of Law & Policy

“Fintech” refers to a variety of digital assets, technologies, and infrastructure that deal with the operation of today’s financial markets. The regulation of this presents both legal and regulatory challenges. This article examines the regulatory responses to fintech disruption; specifically, the “experimentation” approach, the “incorporation” approach, and the “accommodation” approach. These approaches provide a baseline for further discussion and policy analysis in response to “Fintech.”

Building Fintech Ecosystems: Regulatory Sandboxes, Innovation Hubs And Beyond, Ross P. Buckley, Dougles Arner, Robin Veidt, Dirk Zetzsche

Washington University Journal of Law & Policy

Around the world, regulators and policymakers are working to support the development of financial technology (FinTech) ecosystems. As one example, more than fifty jurisdictions have now established or announced “financial regulatory sandboxes.” Others have announced or established “innovation hubs,” sometimes incorporating a regulatory sandbox as one element. This article argues that innovation hubs provide all the benefits that the policy discussion associates with regulatory sandboxes, while avoiding most downsides of regulatory sandboxes, and that many benefits typically attributed to sandboxes are the result of inconsistent terminology, and actually accrue from the work of innovation hubs. The paper presents, as the ...