Jurisprudence Commons^™

Misunderstanding Ability, Misallocating Responsibility, Jeffrey J. Rachlinski

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

In the Anglo-American legal tradition, people are responsible for damage caused by their failure to conform their conduct with that of the "reasonable person." With few exceptions, so long as one's conduct conforms to that of the reasonable person, then even if the conduct harms others, it does not create liability. Courts understand that the "reasonable person" is an idealized legal fiction but believe the construct to be a useful way to identify culpable conduct. For the reasonable-person test to be useful, courts must identify the characteristics of this reasonable person. As to cognitive and perceptual abilities, courts endow this …

Contingency And Contracts: A Philosophy Of Complex Business Transactions, Jeffrey Marc Lipshaw

ExpressO

In this article, I argue that the prevailing literature on contract theory does not adequately address the way real-world lawyers address uncertainty in complex business transactions. I attribute this to the constraints imposed by thinking in legal models, the dominant tendency to turn to economics for analysis and normative prescription, and the focus on adjudicative issues of hindsight interpretation. Commercial uncertainty, and the law’s response to it, is only a subset of the broader philosophical issue of contingency. As an alternative to prevailing thought, I trace philosophical approaches to contingency, utility and morality that have come down to us since …

The Bewitchment Of Intelligence: Language And Ex Post Illusions Of Intention, Jeffrey Marc Lipshaw

ExpressO

Lawyers who negotiate and litigate over complex deals have an intuitive notion of the value of what they do in connection with the contract. The arguments around technical contract language often are a lawyers’ game; in most cases, what is clear would have been clear on a handshake; and what is tightly negotiated bears only a random relationship to the areas of future dispute. If they happen to have drafted tight and clear language around the particular matter in dispute, it is as much luck as foresight. Thereafter complex agreements can have binding effect for years, but most of the …

Defining Dicta, Maxwell L. Stearns, Michael Abramowicz

Faculty Scholarship

In recent decades, legal scholars have devoted substantially greater attention to studying the origin and nature of stare decisis than to defining the distinction between holding and dicta. This appears counterintuitive when one considers, first, that stare decisis applies only to holdings of announced precedents, and second, that beyond problematic and rudimentary intuitions, the legal system has failed to develop meaningful definitions of these terms. While lawyers, legal scholars, and jurists likely assume that they can identify dicta when they see it, a careful analysis that categorizes the range of judicial assertions in need of proper characterization reveals that defining …

Comparative Human Rights Jurisprudence In Azerbaijan: Theory, Practice And Prospects, Charles H. Martin

Florida State University Journal of Transnational Law & Policy

No abstract provided.

Can You Hear Me Now? Good. The Nextwave Of Options For The Fcc, In Light Of Fcc V. Nextwave Personal Communications, Inc., Susan K. Slam

Akron Tax Journal

This Note examines the competing interests involved when a company has personal communications services (PCS) and spectrum licenses granted by the FCC and reorganizes under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. Part II provides a framework of the FCC's distribution of spectrum and PCS licenses, the relevant provisions of the Bankruptcy Code, an analysis of the FCC's actions as both a regulator and creditor, and an overview of leading cases that have been decided in this area. Part III provides a statement of facts, including the procedural history and the Supreme Court's decision in FCC v. NextWave Personal Communications, Inc. …

Rethinking The Involuntary Confession Rule: Toward A Workable Test For Identifying Compelled Self-Incrimination, Mark A. Godsey

Faculty Articles and Other Publications

For more than a century, the Supreme Court has interpreted the Bill of Rights as prohibiting the police from obtaining involuntary confessions from suspects through the use of coercion. If asked whether this involuntary confession rule is an understandable and workable doctrine, however, a noticeable percentage of judges, prosecutors, police officers, criminal defense attorneys and law professors would answer with an unequivocal no.

Basic questions concerning voluntariness and free will - whether it exists, and if so, when it exists, etc. - have puzzled philosophers for centuries and represent one of history's Gordian knots. Not surprisingly, judges have fared no …

Canons Of Construction And The Elusive Quest For Neutral Reasoning, James J. Brudney, Corey Ditslear

Vanderbilt Law Review

Federal statutes, like the lawmaking enterprise itself, are seldom models of efficiency. Whether through inevitable laxity or conscious choice, Congress when legislating leaves a fair number of gaps in the meaning of its complex regulatory schemes. In filling those gaps with case-specific interpretive responses, federal courts perform an important policymaking function.

Such policymaking has lately generated increased concerns about the politicization of the judiciary. Scholars using social science techniques have contributed to the image of courts as policymakers, by establishing that judges' political party affiliation and ideological orientation are at times significant predictors of voting behavior. Presidents and senators have …

Federal Court Special Masters: A Vital Resource In The Era Of Complex Litigation, Mark A. Fellows, Roger S. Haydock

William Mitchell Law Review

This article is dedicated to all those who have served as special masters in federal court. After serving as a judicial master, it is easy to believe in the importance of the role in our grand system of justice. After reading this article, we hope it will be clear how vital masters are to everyone receiving fair, just, and expedient civil justice.

Introduction, Barbara J. Pariente

St. Thomas Law Review

Attorneys as collaborators and counselors. Judges who promote resolution of conflict. Law as a healing agent and court proceedings that minimize rather than exacerbate harm. Problem-solving courts. Restorative justice. Collaborative law.

Using Therapeutic Jurisprudence In Teaching Lawyering Skills: Meeting The Challenge Of The New Aba Standards, Bruce J. Winick

St. Thomas Law Review

At some law schools, existing courses already involve a simulation component. Some use a problem method approach whereby students are provided with written problems in advance and asked to come to class prepared to role play attorneys solving the problems or presenting opposing arguments concerning them. In the past, when I taught courses in Administrative Law and Federal Courts, I used a problem method approach that sought to blend skills training with doctrinal learning. For many years I have taught, and continue to teach, a course in Advanced Criminal Procedure using a variety of problems crafted over the years that …

Reflections On The Therapeutic Jurisprudence, Creative Problem Solving, And Clinical Education In The Transactional Curriculum, Edward A. Dauer

St. Thomas Law Review

No abstract provided.

Therapeutic Jurisprudence In An Interprofessional Practice At The University Of St. Thomas Interprofessional Center For Counseling And Legal Services, Jennifer L. Wright

St. Thomas Law Review

The Interprofessional Center for Counseling and Legal Services (the "Center" or "Interprofessional Center") is a joint effort by the School of Law, the School of Social Work and the Graduate School of Professional Psychology at the University of St. Thomas' in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In the Center, law, social work and psychology students gain practice skills by working with clients under the supervision of experienced supervisors. The Center provides pro bono professional services to low-income, working poor and other underserved populations who would otherwise have no access to such assistance. The same can be said of many clinical programs. In addition, …

Taking Hold Of The Elephant In Child Dependency And Neglect Cases, Christina A. Zawisza

St. Thomas Law Review

In order to place this article in context, I will first describe Tennessee's practice rule for attorneys representing children as Guardians ad Litem. It is an example of the "Elephant," the many component parts of a child's life that the child's lawyer is required to bring together to represent the child holistically. In Part II, I will describe and apply three developing jurisprudential movements that embrace the techniques I utilize: interdisciplinary practice, creative problem-solving and Therapeutic Jurisprudence. In Part III, I will provide an overview of ecomaps and genograms as they are commonly used in the social sciences. In Part …

George's Story: Voice And Transformation Through The Teaching And Practice Of Therapeutic Jurisprudence In A Law School Child Advocacy Clinic, Bernard P. Perlmutter

St. Thomas Law Review

In recent years, the Therapeutic Jurisprudence and preventive law model has begun to penetrate legal education. As this article attempts to show, this model has much to offer clinical legal education and child advocacy clinics, in particular. This article describes how Therapeutic Jurisprudence and the Therapeutic Jurisprudence/preventive law model are used in the Children & Youth Law Clinic, and demonstrates their value in the context of representing one foster care client of the Clinic. Specific examples of our activity are rewound to analyze the strategies or techniques the Clinic used or, in retrospect, should have used, to address or prevent …

Therapeutic Jurisprudence And The Rehabilitative Role Of The Criminal Defense Lawyer, David B. Wexler

St. Thomas Law Review

In the present article, I will identify the potential rehabilitative role of the attorney from the beginning stages-possible diversion, for example through sentencing and even beyond-through conditional or unconditional release, and possible efforts to expunge the criminal record. This article has two principal purposes; first, to call for the explicit recognition of a TJ criminal lawyer, and to provide, in a very sketchy manner, an overview of that role; second, to propose an agenda of research and teaching to foster the development of the rehabilitative role of the criminal lawyer. While much of the proposed research would discuss the rehabilitative …

Validation Through Other Means: How Immigration Clinics Can Give Immigrants A Voice When Bureaucracy Has Left Them Speechless, Evelyn H. Cruz

St. Thomas Law Review

To better frame this discussion, I will first describe the immigration process and its anti-therapeutic effects on immigrants in some detail. I will then proceed to discuss the use of community presentations and contextual representation practices to preserve a client's voice and validation in the immigration process. Throughout this article, and more specifically in my conclusion, I will examine how students who understand the need to address "psycho-legal soft spots" naturally gravitate to client-centered representation, thereby becoming empathetic and competent practitioners.

Must We Bankrupt The Spirit Also: The Benefits Of Incorporating Therapeutic Jurisprudence Into Law School Bankruptcy Assistance Programs, Michael L. Stines

St. Thomas Law Review

This paper will examine the psychological effects associated with filing for consumer bankruptcy and techniques that can be learned by law students and young lawyers to help soften the blow for those who will inevitably experience those effects. First, the progression of bankruptcy will be discussed, tracking changes from its origins to modem times and the effect those changes may have had on those attempting to take advantage of the system's benefits. Second, the actual process of filing for bankruptcy will be examined, pointing out the aspects that cause damage to an individual's mental health. Third, this paper will analyze …

Stemming The Tide Of Stem Cell Research: The Bush Compromise, 38 J. Marshall L. Rev. 1061 (2005), Patrick Walsh

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Access To Justice For A New Century: The Way Forward, Julia H. Bass, W. A. Bogart, Frederick H. Zemans

Books

This book is a timely addition to the literature on access to justice. The book's essays address all aspects of the topic, including differing views on the meaning of access to justice; ways to improve access to legal services; litigation and its role in achieving social justice; and the roles of lawyers, citizens, and legal insitutions.

Access to Justice for a New Century is based on papers given at an international symposium presented by the Law Society of Upper Canada, sponsored by the Law Foundation of Ontario.

Symposium: Introduction To A Symposium Celebrating The Twentieth Anniversary Of The Feminism And Legal Theory Project, Pamela Bridgewater

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

No abstract provided.

Symposium: Institutions And The Development Of Legal Theory: The Significance Of The Feminism And Legal Theory Project, Ann Shalleck

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

No abstract provided.

Symposium: Feminist Legal Theory, Martha Albertson Fineman

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

No abstract provided.

Symposium: A Broader Vision Of The Reproductive Rights Movement: Fusing Mainstream And Latina Feminism, Angela Hooton

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

No abstract provided.

Symposium: Feminist Theory And The Erosion Of Women's Reproductive Rights: The Implications Of Fetal Personhood Laws And In Vitro Fertilization, Lisa Mclennan Brown

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

No abstract provided.

Symposium: Latinas In Legal Education - Through The Doors Of Opportunity: Assimilation, Marginalization, Cooptation Or Transformation?, Antoinette Sedillo Lopez

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

No abstract provided.

Symposium: Toward A Feminist Revision Of Torts, Jennifer B. Wriggins

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

No abstract provided.

Symposium: An Experiment In Integrating Critical Theory And Clinical Education, Margaret E. Johnson

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

No abstract provided.

Pharmaceutical Tort Liability: A Justifiable Nemesis To Drug Innovation And Access?, 38 J. Marshall L. Rev. 987 (2005), Paula Jacobi

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

"Who's The Boss?": An Analytical And Practical Approach To Determine The "Employer" In A Defined Contribution Qualified Retirement Plan, 38 J. Marshall L. Rev. 1011 (2005), Megan Mccoy

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.