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2014

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Articles 10351 - 10380 of 12633

Full-Text Articles in Law

Safety Over Semantics: The Case For Statutory Protection For Domestic Violence Asylum Applicants., Spencer Kyle Jan 2014

Safety Over Semantics: The Case For Statutory Protection For Domestic Violence Asylum Applicants., Spencer Kyle

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Women and children make up the vast majority of the world’s refugee population. However, in the United States, the majority of successful applicants are men. Asylum seekers who assert claims of domestic violence are largely unsuccessful. The current immigration laws do not take gender into account when determining societal factors for obtaining asylum. People often misinterpret most foreign domestic violence allegations as differences of religion or cultural practices. Many believe domestic violence against women is solely a private issue and not the product of a political or social system designed to make women inferior to men. This dichotomy allows people …


The Slow, Yet Long-Anticipated Death Of Doma And Its Impact On Immigration Law., Figueroa Laura, Angelica Jimenez Jan 2014

The Slow, Yet Long-Anticipated Death Of Doma And Its Impact On Immigration Law., Figueroa Laura, Angelica Jimenez

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Following the Supreme Court’s rulings in United States v. Windsor and Hollingsworth v. Perry, it is expected that current federal laws concerning immigration, as it pertains to binational same-sex married couples, will be affected. In Windsor, the Court struck down Section Three of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The Court held the federal government could not treat same-sex couples differently from heterosexual couples. In Perry, however, the Court dismissed the case due to a lack of standing. As a consequence, Section Two of DOMA, which permits states to not recognize same-sex marriages performed in another state, remains valid. In …


Effective Plea Bargaining For Noncitizens, Craig Estlinbaum Jan 2014

Effective Plea Bargaining For Noncitizens, Craig Estlinbaum

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Abstract Forthcoming.


Yearning To Be Free: Advancing The Rights Of Undocumented Children Through The Improvement Of The Special Immigrant Juvenile (Sij) Status Procedure., Jared Ryan Anderson Jan 2014

Yearning To Be Free: Advancing The Rights Of Undocumented Children Through The Improvement Of The Special Immigrant Juvenile (Sij) Status Procedure., Jared Ryan Anderson

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Abstract Forthcoming.


Consensual Police-Citizen Encounters: Human Factors Of A Reasonable Person And Individual Bias., Evan M. Mcguire Jan 2014

Consensual Police-Citizen Encounters: Human Factors Of A Reasonable Person And Individual Bias., Evan M. Mcguire

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable government intrusion. The government must establish probable cause and obtain a warrant to search a particular location. However, there are minute Fourth Amendment distinctions at various levels of police-citizen interaction which act as exceptions to the general rule. Officers may approach a citizen for any reason as long as a reasonable person in their place would feel able to escape the officer’s advances. Ultimately, abuse of this exception to Fourth Amendment protections occurs frequently, especially when it comes to minority populations. The police can conduct a search without a warrant if there is reasonable …


Toward A Transformative Equality: A Comparison Of South Africa's And The United States' Constitutional Equality Doctrines., Christina Lee Jan 2014

Toward A Transformative Equality: A Comparison Of South Africa's And The United States' Constitutional Equality Doctrines., Christina Lee

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Abstract Forthcoming.


A Decade's Legacy: Dashed Hopes For Gender Equality And The Status Of Afghan Women In Light Of The Ensuing Drawdown., Meredith B. English Jan 2014

A Decade's Legacy: Dashed Hopes For Gender Equality And The Status Of Afghan Women In Light Of The Ensuing Drawdown., Meredith B. English

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

This Comment addresses the legal structures which need to be supported in order to ensure substantial gender equality after allied forces withdraw from Afghanistan. After 2013, justice for abused women in Afghanistan stalled. Research suggests women’s rights and peace in Afghanistan are directly related. The presence of the Taliban and their restrictive rules has many Afghan women fearing for their lives and for the loss of decades of progress in the women’s rights movement. Leaders in Afghanistan must acquire a more liberal interpretation of Sharia law, while staying within the boundaries of the religious and ethnic traditions of the culture. …


Citizen Suits And The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: An Assessment Of Multidistrict Litigation And The Fifth Circuit Court Of Appeals' Decision In Center For Biological Diversity, Inc. V. Bp America Production Co., Johnathan Ashton Jan 2014

Citizen Suits And The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: An Assessment Of Multidistrict Litigation And The Fifth Circuit Court Of Appeals' Decision In Center For Biological Diversity, Inc. V. Bp America Production Co., Johnathan Ashton

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 brought numerous environmental lawsuits in the United States as a result of the destruction of local economies whose livelihood relied on the now damaged ecosystems. Due to negligence by two of the highest-ranking supervisors, BP pled guilty to criminal charges brought against them. Their actions resulted in the deaths of eleven men working on the rig when it exploded, as well as the resulting oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico. This plea resulted in four billion dollars of fines and penalties. However, this case proved that private citizens need a way to …


Avoiding The Catch-22: Reforming The Renewable Fuel Standard To Protect Freshwater Resources And Promote Energy Independence, Leah Stiegler Jan 2014

Avoiding The Catch-22: Reforming The Renewable Fuel Standard To Protect Freshwater Resources And Promote Energy Independence, Leah Stiegler

Law Student Publications

Part I presents background on the ethanol industry and the implementation and development of the RFS. It also gives a brief overview of the non-water-related reasons that have led various sectors of the economy to oppose ethanol. Part II provides an overview of ethanol production (from cornfield to refinery) and the impact each stage of the process has on freshwater resources in the United States. Given the harm that the current RFS has caused by failing to consider the impact of the ethanol production process on our nation's freshwater resources, a policy change needs to happen. Yet there are some …


Administrative Law, John R. Mohrmann Jan 2014

Administrative Law, John R. Mohrmann

Law Student Publications

This article is a report of certain developments during the last two years relating to the Virginia Administrative Process Act ("the VAPA''), which governs rulemaking and adjudication of cases by state agencies as well as judicial review of both.


Extrinsic Evidence, Parol Evidence, And The Parol Evidence Rule: A Call For Courts To Use The Reasoning Of The Restatements Rather Than The Rhetoric Of Common Law, Timothy Archer, Shalayne Davis, David G. Epstein Jan 2014

Extrinsic Evidence, Parol Evidence, And The Parol Evidence Rule: A Call For Courts To Use The Reasoning Of The Restatements Rather Than The Rhetoric Of Common Law, Timothy Archer, Shalayne Davis, David G. Epstein

Law Student Publications

This article is an example of what Professor Richard Epstein would call "Contracts small." According to Professor Richard Epstein, "'Contracts small' relates to contract law at the doctrinal level; it focuses on the rules of contract formation and performance; the everyday 'stuff of lawyer's law.' "This article looks to the Restatement of Contracts (hereafter "Restatement") and the Restatement (Second) of Contracts (hereafter "Restatement Second") for answers to the questions raised by the two problems. The Restatements generally have both been praised and condemned for their focus on doctrinal issues-on what Richard Epstein calls the "everyday stuff of lawyer's law." As …


It's Time For Revenge Porn To Get A Taste Of Its Own Medicine: An Argument For The Federal Criminalization Of Revenge Porn, Taylor Linkous Jan 2014

It's Time For Revenge Porn To Get A Taste Of Its Own Medicine: An Argument For The Federal Criminalization Of Revenge Porn, Taylor Linkous

Law Student Publications

This comment analyzes the various potential legal approaches to dealing with revenge porn and posits that a federal law criminalizing the dissemination of revenge porn is necessary to combat this growing trend. Part II provides background information on revenge porn and further analyzes how the successful relationship between technology and pornography led to the rise of revenge porn. Part III analyzes the different civil remedies currently available to revenge porn victims and argues these are not practicable solutions. Part IV discusses the current state laws criminalizing revenge porn and the legal challenges faced by those affected by revenge porn and …


Lighting A Fire Under Free Speech: The Fda's Graphic Attempts To Reduce Smoking Rates, Ashley Peterson Jan 2014

Lighting A Fire Under Free Speech: The Fda's Graphic Attempts To Reduce Smoking Rates, Ashley Peterson

Law Student Publications

This article explores whether a graphic warning is possible or preferable in the government's fight against tobacco. Part II outlines a brief history of tobacco regulation in the United States. Part III turns to the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (FSPTCA) and the FDA's initial rulemaking process. Part IV outlines the doctrine of commercial free speech, and Part V discusses why the Rule faced insurmountable challenges under this jurisprudence. Part VI explores how the FDA may overcome these hurdles in its future rulemaking, while Part VII discusses alternative methods through which the government can pursue its anti-tobacco agenda …


A Recount Of The Recount: Obenshain V. Herring, Maggie Bowman Jan 2014

A Recount Of The Recount: Obenshain V. Herring, Maggie Bowman

Law Student Publications

Because of the infrequency of recounts and the lack of judicial institutional knowledge, a plain-English guide is needed to assist judges and attorneys involved in recounts. The purpose of this essay is to provide such a guide as a resource for future Virginia recounts. Part I outlines the process of a recount and discusses how a recount differs from an election contest. Part I also briefly discusses the history of election recounts in Virginia, highlighting the two most recent state-wide recounts, Deeds and Obenshain. Part II delves more deeply into the primary issues encountered by the three-judge panel in Obenshain, …


Adr Cases, Jacob Glasser Jan 2014

Adr Cases, Jacob Glasser

Law Student Publications

Description of recent case law regarding alternative dispute resolution.


Why Lawyers Do What They Do (When Behaving Ethically), James Moliterno, John Keyser Jan 2014

Why Lawyers Do What They Do (When Behaving Ethically), James Moliterno, John Keyser

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

Since the early 1990s, when David Wilkins published his influential paper “Who Should Govern Lawyers” in the Harvard Law Review, legal ethics scholars and professors have paid attention to the range of processes and devices that govern lawyer behavior. This Article will report on the results of a study currently underway that seeks to provide empirical evidence to answer the question posed in this Article’s title: Do lawyers train staff in confidentiality preservation because they fear bar discipline? Because they fear malpractice liability? Because they must comply with malpractice liability carrier demands? Because they honor client confidences for their own …


The Role Of Ethics Audits In Improving Management Systems And Practices: An Empirical Examination Of Management-Based Regulation Of Law Firms, Susan Saab Fortney Jan 2014

The Role Of Ethics Audits In Improving Management Systems And Practices: An Empirical Examination Of Management-Based Regulation Of Law Firms, Susan Saab Fortney

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

For decades, legal malpractice experts have urged lawyers to implement risk management measures. To assist law firms in doing so, legal malpractice insurers have provided audit services and self-audit materials. Under the Australian regulatory regime, incorporated legal practices are required to complete a self-assessment process and to report on the firm’s compliance with ten objectives of sound law practice. Using management-based principles, this Article discusses steps to take to encourage ethics audits “to merge good ethics and good business” in the U.S.


Is Litigation Counsel Who Also Engages In Competitive Decision-Making Wrong For The Part?, David Hricik Jan 2014

Is Litigation Counsel Who Also Engages In Competitive Decision-Making Wrong For The Part?, David Hricik

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

In-house counsel wear different hats, and are often involved in business decisions regarding products, marketing, and other strategic issues. It was in this context that courts began to adopt protective orders that precluded in-house counsel who provided their clients advice with “competitive decision-making” from having access to information from a competitor disclosed in discovery. Prosecution bars present numerous issues for courts and counsel. It may be that because of prosecution counsel’s knowledge of the technology that her service as trial counsel would lead to cost savings and other benefits to her client. However, due to the myriad problems that arise …


Navigating The Pitfalls Of Implicit Bias: A Cognitive Science Primer For Civil Litigators, Nicole E. Negowetti Jan 2014

Navigating The Pitfalls Of Implicit Bias: A Cognitive Science Primer For Civil Litigators, Nicole E. Negowetti

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

Cognitive science has revealed that past experiences and prior assumptions, even those of which we are not conscious, greatly influence how humans perceive the world. Emerging research has demonstrated that attorneys and judges, like everyone else, are the products of their gender, ethnicity, race, and socioeconomic status. As a consequence, legal decision-making is susceptible to the subtle influences of implicit bias. Effective and ethical client advocacy requires an attorney to understand how her own implicit biases will affect her interactions with clients. An attorney should also acknowledge that implicit biases may affect a judge’s interpretation of her client’s story and …


The Corporate Attorney As “Internal” Gatekeeper And The In Pari Delicto Defense: A Proposed New Standard, Kevin H. Michels Jan 2014

The Corporate Attorney As “Internal” Gatekeeper And The In Pari Delicto Defense: A Proposed New Standard, Kevin H. Michels

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

This Article begins by proposing a distinction between the corporate lawyer’s “internal” and “external” gatekeeping role in order to focus on the special challenge posed by the former. As internal gatekeeper, the corporation lawyer is charged with the restraint of the corporation’s executives and other employees to prevent harm to the lawyer’s corporation client. The external gatekeeper, by contrast, restrains the client to prevent harm to third parties. While each gatekeeping role presents challenges in defining the duties and liability of attorneys, the internal-gatekeeping role is subject to a special defense that can insulate attorneys from liability. Attorneys can interpose …


Disqualifying Defense Counsel: The Curse Of The Sixth Amendment, Keith Swisher Jan 2014

Disqualifying Defense Counsel: The Curse Of The Sixth Amendment, Keith Swisher

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

Lawyer disqualification—the process of ejecting a conflicted lawyer, firm, or agency from a case—is fairly routine and well-mapped in civil litigation. In criminal cases, however, there is an added ingredient: the Sixth Amendment. Gideon, which is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary, effectively added this ingredient to disqualification analysis involving indigent state defendants although it already existed in essence for both federal defendants and defendants with the wherewithal to retain counsel. Once a defendant is entitled to counsel, the many questions that follow include whether and to what extent conflicts of interest—or other misconduct—render that counsel constitutionally ineffective. Most cases and commentary …


“Payability” As The Logical Corollary To “Collectibility” In Legal Malpractice, Daniel D. Tostrud Jan 2014

“Payability” As The Logical Corollary To “Collectibility” In Legal Malpractice, Daniel D. Tostrud

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

The collectibility requirement as part of the legal malpractice plaintiff’s affirmative case is well-established and regarded by most courts as a critical part of the plaintiff’s proof of proximate causation. Conversely, where the legal malpractice plaintiff was the defendant in the underlying lawsuit, to be successful in the malpractice suit, the plaintiff must prove that it had a meritorious defense that would have made a difference to the outcome of the case had the lawyer properly asserted and pursued the defense. Prompted by the conflicting opinions of two federal courts on this issue, courts have begun to discuss whether the …


Online Legal Advice: Ethics In The Digital Age, Paige A. Thomas Jan 2014

Online Legal Advice: Ethics In The Digital Age, Paige A. Thomas

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

The rise of the Internet changed the way initial interactions between lawyers and prospective clients happen. Unfortunately, a host of problems concerning privacy rights and consumer usage have emerged. In this digital age, where immediacy and response time are driving factors in an attorney’s online presence, the approach to establish an attorney-client relationship is far more informal. Due to the quick rise of the Internet and social media, the Model Rules of Professional Conduct do not offer a clear answer for attorneys using social media. An inherent danger lies in off-the-cuff remarks, made on the Internet—a platform generally associated with …


Intra Law Firm Communications Regarding Questionable Attorney Conduct., Evan King, Jeffrey A. Parness Jan 2014

Intra Law Firm Communications Regarding Questionable Attorney Conduct., Evan King, Jeffrey A. Parness

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

When questions are raised regarding a law firm attorney's representation of a firm client, the questioned attorney often wishes to seek legal counsel. A conferral will often benefit the attorney, the firm, and the client. Conferences regarding questioned conduct should be encouraged, not discouraged. To encourage these beneficial conferrals, a broad attorney-client communication privilege and a broad work-product protection (or privilege) should be available. Availability should not be dependent upon whether in-house, outside, or other legal counsel is employed. While earlier federal precedents were split regarding the availability of the attorney-client communication privilege in the in-house counsel setting, increasingly therein …


The Agony Of Modern Legal Ethics, 1970-1985., Michael Ariens Jan 2014

The Agony Of Modern Legal Ethics, 1970-1985., Michael Ariens

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

When the American Bar Association (ABA) adopted its Code of Professional Responsibility at its annual meeting in August 1969, the American legal profession was a publicly respected and economically vibrant body. Lawyers, though always more feared than loved, became increasingly important in post-World War II America. The demand for their services exploded for a quarter-century, and lawyers assumed an increased role in the economic and political life of the United States. During the 1950s and early 1960s, the Cold War led American lawyers and other public figures to re-emphasize the rule of law as defining the difference between the United …


Avoid Being A Defendant: Estate Planning Malpractice And Ethical Concerns., Gerry W. Beyer Jan 2014

Avoid Being A Defendant: Estate Planning Malpractice And Ethical Concerns., Gerry W. Beyer

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

An estate planner may become a defendant in a case involving an estate he or she planned in two main ways. First, the attorney may have performed his or her services in a negligent manner potentially creating exposure to malpractice liability. Second, the attorney's conduct may have lapsed below ethically acceptable standards. This Article reviews the exposure an estate planner may have to malpractice liability with emphasis on Texas law and then focuses the reader's attention on ethical issues that may arise while preparing or executing the plan. The author hopes that by pointing out potentially troublesome areas, the reader …


Characterizing Ghostwriting., Debra Lyn Bassett Jan 2014

Characterizing Ghostwriting., Debra Lyn Bassett

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

It is well known that legal services are costly and that existing pro bono services are inadequate to help every individual who would benefit from legal assistance. Compounding this unmet need are various restrictions on the types of clients and types of cases that qualify for pro bono services. For example, Legal Services Corporation lawyers may not represent undocumented individuals, and may not undertake a representation in an abortion, desegregation, or assisted suicide matter. One attempt to mitigate this unmet need is ghostwriting. Analogous to presidential speechwriting, ghostwriting in the legal context occurs when a lawyer drafts a pleading or …


Controversial Defenses To Legal Malpractice Claims: Are Attorney-Experts Being Asked To Be Advocates?, David S. Caudill Jan 2014

Controversial Defenses To Legal Malpractice Claims: Are Attorney-Experts Being Asked To Be Advocates?, David S. Caudill

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

Attorney-experts in legal malpractice litigation are like many other experts. Although easily distinguishable from experts offering science based testimony, attorney expertise is similar to that of witnesses offering experience-based testimony, and very much like the expertise of a physician in a medical malpractice case. An attorney-expert is, however, somewhat unique among experts in terms of the type of expertise offered, the inherent risk that the expert's testimony will invade the province of the judge or jury, and, I believe, the risk of over-testifying. First, there is a problem of defining the attorney-expert's "expertise" to ensure that the expert is not …


A Professional (Lack Of) Courtesy: The Emergence Of Expert Testimony In Legal And Medical Malpractice Cases., Jeffrey I.H. Soffer Jan 2014

A Professional (Lack Of) Courtesy: The Emergence Of Expert Testimony In Legal And Medical Malpractice Cases., Jeffrey I.H. Soffer

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

This Article investigates the role of expert testimony in legal malpractice and medical malpractice cases; analyzing similarities and differences between the two and the evolution of case law in this context. The Article also examines numerous challenges potential expert witnesses face, including harsh backlash from their colleagues and repercussions from their professional organizations. Finally, the Article discusses the future of the legal malpractice and medical malpractice landscape as it pertains to expert testimony and what we should look for moving forward.


Is My Case Mandamusable: A Guide To The Current State Of Texas Mandamus Law., Marialyn Barnard, Lorien Whyte, Emmanuel Garcia Jan 2014

Is My Case Mandamusable: A Guide To The Current State Of Texas Mandamus Law., Marialyn Barnard, Lorien Whyte, Emmanuel Garcia

St. Mary's Law Journal

It is important for all Texas lawyers to be knowledgeable about mandamus relief. Unfortunately, there is no bright line rule in terms of mandamus relief. The general rule for when mandamus relief may be granted is when the trial court clearly abused its discretion, and there is not an adequate remedy available from a court of appeals. A clear of abuse of discretion is determined if no other trial court would have come to the same conclusion. In deciding if mandamus relief is proper, appellate courts apply a balancing test. The appellate court considers several factors including: preserving relator’s substantive …