Law Commons^™

(Re)Constructing Judicial Ethics In Canada, Richard F. Devlin

McGeorge Law Review

No abstract provided.

Unconscious Influences On Judicial Decision-Making: The Illusion Of Objectivity, John F. Irwin, Daniel L. Real

McGeorge Law Review

No abstract provided.

Understanding Caperton: Judicial Disqualification Under The Due Process Clause, Dmitry Bam

McGeorge Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Danger To Confidential Communications In The Mismatch Between The Fourth Amendment's "Reasonable Expectation Of Privacy" And The Confidentiality Of Evidentiary Privileges, Robert P. Mosteller, Kenneth S. Broun

Campbell Law Review

In May 2009, a bare majority of the Supreme Court of North Carolina decided State v. Rollins, making a serious mistake in privilege law that if applied generally will undermine the valued protections of evidentiary privileges. Ordinarily, few might criticize a ruling admitting statements like those made by the defendant, Mickey Rollins, who indicated his guilt for a homicide. However, Rollins' statements were made to his wife, and under established precedent, those conversations should have been ruled a privileged marital communication.

Matthew S. Weinert On Hegel’S Laws: The Legitimacy Of A Modern Legal Order. By William E. Conklin. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2008. 381pp., Matthew S. Weinert

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A review of:

Hegel’s Laws: The Legitimacy of a Modern Legal Order. By William E. Conklin. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2008. 381pp.

Necessary Fictions: Indigenous Claims And The Humanity Of Rights, Peter Fitzpatrick

Human Rights & Human Welfare

To begin, not propitiously. When checking whether my title ‘Necessary Fictions’ was being used elsewhere, Google revealed that it was going to be used in a future talk, and by me. It transpired mercifully that this use was going to be quite different to the present which suggested the prospect of a new academic genre: same title, different paper; rather than the standard combination of same paper, different title. Fortuitously, that contrast gave me the leitmotiv for this talk – that things ostensibly the same can be different, and that things ostensibly different can be the same.

© Peter Fitzpatrick. …

If One Is Good, Two Must Be Better: A Comparison Of The Texas Standards For Appellate Conduct And The Texas Disciplinary Rules Of Professional Conduct., Edward L. Wilkinson

St. Mary's Law Journal

The Supreme Court of Texas and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals adopted the Standards for Appellate Conduct (Standards) on February 1, 1999. The Standards are intended to “give practitioners a valuable tool to use with clients who demand unprofessional conduct” by imposing “an affirmative duty to educate the client about the Standards of Appellate Conduct.” The Standards further state they do not “alter existing standards of conduct under the Texas Rules of Disciplinary Procedure, or the Code of Judicial Conduct.” Under the Rules of Disciplinary Procedure, sanctionable conduct includes “acts or omissions…which violate one or more of the Texas …

How Should The Icc Prosecutor Exercise His Or Her Discretion? The Role Of Fundamental Ethical Principles, 43 J. Marshall L. Rev. 553 (2010), Brian D. Lepard

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Behavioral Psychology Of Judicial Corruption: A Response To Judge Irwin And Daniel Real, The, W. Bradley Wendel

McGeorge Law Review

No abstract provided.

Waving Goodbye To Waiver? Not So Fast: Inadvertent Disclosure, Waiver Of The Attorney-Client Privilege, And Federal Rule Of Evidence 502, Elizabeth King

Campbell Law Review

Waiver of the attorney-client privilege due to inadvertent disclosure is an important issue that courts and litigants have grappled with for a long time. With electronic discovery becoming increasingly common, and with electronic privilege reviews replacing paper reviews, the issue takes on greater importance. The risk of inadvertently disclosing privileged or protected information is heightened in electronic discovery because of the very nature of electronic information. For example, although a party makes an effort to segregate and delete privileged information from a computer drive prior to producing the electronic documents to the opposing party, the deleted files may still be …

Shari'ah And Choice: What The United States Should Learn From Islamic Law About The Role Of Victims' Families In Death Penalty Cases, 44 J. Marshall L. Rev. 1 (2010), Susan C. Hascall

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Neither Reasonable Nor Remedial: The Hopeless Contradictions Of The Legal Ethics Measures To Prevent Perjury , Susan E. Thrower

Cleveland State Law Review

Analyzing the inherent conflict posed by the use of an undefined mandate-“reasonable remedial measures”-leads to analysis of the even deeper, unresolvable conflicts in the primary steps prescribed by commentary: the client's narration of his own story, the lawyer's withdrawal from representation, and the lawyer's disclosure of the client's false evidence. Not all of the reasonable remedial measures protect both the client's confidentiality and the court's insistence on honesty, and none of them protects the lawyer from charges of impropriety. In the face of the utter failure of the Model Rules to accomplish their conflicting goals, the ABA's rules drafters should …

The Company Of Scoundrels, Ronald J. Bacigal

Washington and Lee Law Review

My initial reaction to Brett Shockley's Note, Protecting Due Process from the PROTECT Act: The Problems with Increasing Periods of Supervised Release for Sexual Offenders, was to admire his courage. Not many people would undertake a discussion of possible injustice to child pornographers, who surely rank with terrorists and drug dealers as the most reviled and least sympathetic claimants for fair treatment. Shockley puts aside the moral condemnation these people deserve, and focuses on the morality of Procedure-the rule of Law if you will-divorced from the worthiness, or lack thereof, of particular defendants. As students of criminal Procedure come to …

Sports Agents: Ethical Representatives Or Overly Aggressive Adversaries, Stacey B. Evans

Jeffrey S. Moorad Sports Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Unequal And Unfair: Why Texas Should Require Mandatory Sales Price Disclosure To Reconcile The Texas Property Tax Code With The Texas Constitution., Nathan Morey

St. Mary's Law Journal

Appraisal districts in Texas are implementing a system of taxation that is unequal and unfair. Texas counties, cities, and school districts depend on local ad valorem property taxes for revenue. Under the Texas Property Tax Code, the Code establishes appraisal districts to determine the value of taxable property. There is, however, a discrepancy between the cash value of the land and its appraisal value, especially when compared to commercial property and residential property. Commercial property and high-end residential real estate are often undervalued by appraisal districts throughout the state. Because commercial properties are under-appraised, the tax burden is being unequally …

Through Gritted Teeth And Clenched Jaw: Court-Initiated Sanctions Opinions In Bankruptcy Courts., Nancy B. Rapoport

St. Mary's Law Journal

Bankruptcy courts see too many incompetent bankruptcy lawyers, and the courts have few options for dealing with them. A court can rule against the lawyer, but this strategy punishes the lawyer’s client, who may be an innocent bystander. Alternatively, nothing prohibits a judge from deciding to hand down a sanctions opinion. Sanctions opinions arise when one party makes a request, or the court believes a lawyer’s behavior is serious enough to merit a written order. These instances include flouting the law—either bankruptcy law or the ethical rules—or being unaware of the fundamentals of bankruptcy practice and policy. In the instance …

Deliberately Defrauding Investors: The Scope Of Liability Comment., Andrew R. Simank

St. Mary's Law Journal

Since the Enron debacle, shareholders have increasingly filed suit in state and federal courts to recoup financial losses resulting from fraudulent representations made by failing corporations. These shareholders have advanced common law misrepresentation claims against publicly traded companies for alleged fraudulent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings. Originally, the scope of liability for common law fraud was very narrow. This scope was later broadened in an attempt to provide protection to individuals commonly victimized by fraudulent behavior. Texas courts have gone to great lengths to ensure the “expectation of influencing conduct” requirement for common law fraud requires more than …

The National Conference Of State Legislatures’ Attempt To Reform The Initiative Process: What Nevada Needs To Do To Heed The Ncsl’S Advice, Miranda Mahe

Nevada Law Journal

This article examines the initiative process. Currently, twenty-four states utilize the initiative process in one form or another as a popular way for their citizens to directly voice their opinion on what laws they want passed. Unfortunately, the process is somewhat prone to fraud. A petition’s proponents usually pay circulators for each signature they obtain, whether or not the Secretary of State ultimately validates it.

In Part II, this Note looks at the history of the initiative process, the initiative process in Nevada, in particular, and the National Conference of State Legislature’s recommendations. Part III analyzes which recommendations Nevada has …

Leaks, Lies, And The Moonlight: Fiduciary Duties Of Associates To Their Law Firms., Susan Saab Fortney

St. Mary's Law Journal

This symposium article examines the fiduciary duties of law firm associates. After applying agency principles to the firm-associate relationship, the article analyzes specific duties and discusses cases involving alleged breaches of fiduciary duties by associates. It explores associate duties in the current legal, organizational, and socio-technological environment in which associates practice. The article closes with observations on the importance of firm principals considering the effect of firm culture on associate attitudes and conduct.

Hall's Standards Of Review In Texas Foreword., Wallace B. Jefferson

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Technical Problem: How City Of Dallas V. Dallas Morning News, Lp Exposed A Major Loophole In The Texas Public Information Act Comment., Alexander J. Yoakum

St. Mary's Law Journal

The Texas Public Information Act (TPIA) grants everyone a statutory right to access records of a governmental body unless disclosure would violate the law. Generally, TPIA is construed broadly to favor disclosure, but the rise of modern technology like email and text messaging reveals how dated TPIA truly is. According to the recent City of Dallas v. Dallas Morning News, LP, a governmental body is not required to release any business-related electronic communications sent via personal devices. This means governmental employees can conduct official business via personal email or cell phone without being subject to disclosure provisions, unless the requester …

Hall's Standards Of Review In Texas., W. Wendell Hall, O. Rey Rodriguez, Rosemarie Kanusky, Mark Emery

St. Mary's Law Journal

Standards of review distribute power within the judicial branch by defining the relationship between trial and appellate courts. These standards “frame the issues, define the depth of review, assign power among judicial actors, and declare the proper materials to review.” Standards of review are the cornerstones of appeals. These standards must be woven into the discussion of the facts and substantive law in a manner which persuades the appellate court that the trial court erred. Litigants must measure their factual and legal arguments against the appropriate rubric to write an effective and persuasive brief. Appellate judges agree that mechanical recitation …

New Law Complicates Foreclosure Sales In Texas., Katherine A. Tapley

St. Mary's Law Journal

A new law that recently took effect has changed the way non-judicial real property foreclosure sales work in Texas. The new law, known as House Bill 655 (HB 655), relates to foreclosure sales in Texas. HB 655 amends the language of Texas Property Code section 51.0075(f) dealing with when the purchase price is due at a foreclosure sale. The amendment, however, complicates foreclosure sales in Texas. The purchase price at the foreclosure sale is no longer due immediately. Instead, if a purchaser at a foreclosure sale requests additional time to deliver the purchase price, the trustee—the person conducting the foreclosure …

A Critical Survey Of The Law, Ethics, And Economics Of Attorney Contingent Fee Arrangements, Adam Shajnfeld

NYLS Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Power To End War: The Extent And Limits Of Congressional Power., Adam Heder

St. Mary's Law Journal

Congress has several options in limiting the execution of war, however, Congress has no implied constitutional authority to terminate a war. Congress may limit the scope at the outset of the war, dissolve the army, or use its appropriation power. Congress may also impeach the President. Domestic statutes, the Court’s strong protection of essential liberties, and the democratic process further check the President’s power. Short of these, however, neither the Constitution nor subsequent case law gives Congress any definitive power to end or effectively limit the President’s ability to conduct a war. Congress gets its “bite at the apple” at …

Capteton V. A.T. Massey Coal Co.: The Texas Implications., Catherine Stone, Wendy Martinez

St. Mary's Law Journal

In Caperton v. A.T. Massey Coal Co., the United States Supreme Court addressed whether the Due Process Clause of the United States Constitution was violated by the denial of a motion to recuse. The motion sought to recuse a Supreme Court of Appeals Justice from West Virginia. The justice received an extraordinary campaign contribution from the chief officer of a corporate party to a case pending before the court. Several Texas courts addressed whether recusal was necessary based on campaign contributions prior to the decision in Caperton. Texas courts have universally held that recusal was not required. The United States …

What Does It Mean To Do The Right Thing?, Ran Kuttner

Nevada Law Journal

This Article will explore how the practice of mindfulness and the cultivation of wisdom as understood in the Buddhist philosophy can help develop a mindset that will assist lawyers and conflict resolution specialists to make conscious ethical decisions and to do the “right thing” in different situations. It will draw a distinction between the two central terms, “mindfulness” and “wisdom,” clarify the philosophical underpinnings of “wisdom,” introduce foundational concepts in Buddhist philosophy, and suggest that in order to cultivate the aforementioned mindset, it is important to go beyond “mindfulness” and meet the challenges that the cultivation of “wisdom” pose. Part …

Lawyers In Character And Lawyers In Role, Katherine R. Kruse

Nevada Law Journal

This essay explores the possibilities that Leonard Riskin's call for the development of the trait of mindfulness offers for the discussion of lawyers' roles and lawyers' characters in legal ethics. First, the article explains three ways that the problems associated with legal professionalism have been framed within legal ethics, and critique the underlying assumptions that animate the dominant framing of the problems of professionalism in legal ethics. Next, it expounds the work of the two most prominent legal ethicists who have proposed the development of distinctively lawyerly character traits: Anthony Kronman's call for the revival of a “lawyer-statesman” ideal in …

Ethical Issues Associated With Multidisciplinary Practices In Texas., Michael Kelly

St. Mary's Law Journal

In 2000, the American Bar Association House of Delegates voted to uphold the ban on multidisciplinary practices (MDPs) set out in Rule 5.4 of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct (Model Rules). In 2009, the ABA announced the creation of the Ethics 20/20 Commission to review the Model Rules in the context of globalization. The Commission announced it was looking into alternative business structures, including MDPs. In an MDP a client can seek the advice of several professionals with experience in different disciplines working in a single business. Under Rule 5.4, a lawyer is prohibited from sharing legal fees with …

Danger Or Resort To Underwear: The Safford Unified School District No. 1 V. Redding Standard For Strip Searching Public School Students., Joseph O. Oluwole

St. Mary's Law Journal

Safford Unified Sch. Dist. No. 1 v. Redding (Redding III) represents a pivotal decision in school search and seizure jurisprudence, specifically regarding strip searches of students. Redding III establishes constraints specific to strip searches on the search and seizure authority of school officials. Redding III is intended to provide a uniform test for the judiciary and school officials when evaluating the reasonableness of strip searches of students. The Court explicitly interposed a “reliable knowledge” element requiring: (1) the degree to which known facts imply prohibited conduct; (2) the specificity of the information received; and (3) the reliability of its source. …