Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility Commons^™

Foreign Investment In Mexico From The Perspective Of The Foreign Investor., Hope H. Camp Jr., Jaime Alvarez Garibary, C. Lee Cusenbary Jr.

St. Mary's Law Journal

A factor contributing to the continuation of the economic revolution in Mexico has been, and will continue to be, foreign investment. The liberalized foreign-investment regulations and the positive attitude of the Foreign Investment Commission (FIC) in approving foreign investment proposals promote a more favorable environment for foreign investors. The Mexican government recently completed negotiating the NAFTA, a proposed free-trade agreement with the United States and Canada. The government is now considering what additional actions may be required to compete successfully with those other nations trying to attract scarce investment funds. Opportunities for foreign investors in Mexico are brighter than they …

Contracting In Mexico: A Legal And Practical Guide To Negotiating And Drafting., Rona R. Mears

St. Mary's Law Journal

This Article is intended as a primer in contracting for the United States attorney counseling clients doing business in Mexico. Thus, this Article begins by surveying the legal foundations of contracting in Mexico. This includes basic contract principles in Mexico’s civil-law system, the distinction between civil and commercial contracts, and procedural formalities applicable to contracts in Mexico. Following the introduction is a discussion of successful contract negotiations in Mexico, including certain cultural factors and Mexican business customs which can affect negotiations. This section includes suggestions for preparing for negotiations and managing the negotiation process to obtain the best result. Next, …

Amendments To The General Law Of Business Associations., Raul S. Moreyra

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

The Brain Gets Sick, Too - The Case For Equal Insurance Coverage For Serious Mental Illness., Brian D. Shannon

St. Mary's Law Journal

Recent brain research has revealed that the major mental illnesses are organic diseases of the brain. Like other organs of the body, the brain can become ill. Dr. E. Fuller Torrey, a psychiatrist whose sister suffers from schizophrenia, has commented that "[t]he evidence that serious mental illnesses are diseases is now overwhelming..." Notwithstanding recent medical findings regarding the organic underpinnings of mental illnesses, private insurers generally do not provide health insurance coverage for the treatment of these brain diseases at the same coverage levels as for other physical illnesses. In fact, "[m]ost private insurers require larger co-payments and set lower …

Framing A Texas Bill Of Rights Argument., James C. Harrington

St. Mary's Law Journal

As federal courts have allowed individual rights to diminish, the Texas judiciary nurtures state constitutional jurisprudence. Texas has a unique history requiring special care in approaching the construction and presentation of arguments utilizing the Texas Constitution or Texas Bill of Rights. The state constitution evolved over six revisions resulting with the eventual ratification of the final version in 1876. A confluence of goals ultimately resulted in a document where the bill of rights appears in Article I and by specifically framing individual liberties as affirmative rights rather than restrictions of government power. Four modes of interpretation are typically employed when …

Expert Witness Fees In Federal Diversity Cases., Wade P. Webster

St. Mary's Law Journal

Even with the increasing complexity of litigation and the increased utilization of expert witnesses to provide expensive evidence on narrow scientific and technical issues, Congress still limits compensation of expert witnesses to only forty dollars per day, the same rate as ordinary fact witnesses. The justification for the low rate is that the witness fee statute was not intended by Congress to compensate witnesses fully for their lost time and income. Presumably this same reasoning also applies to expert witnesses. The problem with this reasoning, unlike law witnesses who may be compelled by subpoena, individual litigants must pay the fees …

Comments On The Law On Property In The Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic., Larisa Krasavchikova

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Property And Small-Scale Privitization In Russia., Richard C. Schneider Jr.

St. Mary's Law Journal

Knowing who owns what suddenly became important in Russia because of dramatic economic and market reforms of the Yeltsin government. The transfer of property, from the state to the private sector is at the heart of the reforms. It is generally recognized the “foundations of a market-based economic system are property rights and private ownership.” The purposes of this article are to (1) summarize reforms which successfully introduced a scheme of private ownership in Russia, as demonstrated by the Nizhny Novgorod experiment, and (2) discuss those property rights which remain unclear. Accordingly, the second and third parts of the article …

The Filing Of An Indictment Against A Criminal Defendant Activates His Sixth Amendment Right To A Speedy Trial, Notwithstanding The Fact That The Defendant Had No Knowledge Of The Indictment Until The Time Of His Arrest., Ronna A. Laidley

St. Mary's Law Journal

In Doggett v. United States, the Supreme Court held the filing of an indictment against a defendant activates his Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial, notwithstanding the defendant not knowing of the indictment until his arrest. The right to a speedy trial serves to vindicate the rights of individuals who have incurred impediments to their personal liberty because of governmental negligence. The Court stated the Speedy Trial Clause aims to prevent undue and oppressive pre-trial incarceration, limit the anxiety accompanying public accusation, and diminish delays that might cripple a defendant’s ability to prepare an adequate defense. Since Doggett suffered …

The Meat And Potatoes Of The North American Free Trade Agreement., Ruth K. Agather, Timothy N. Tuggey

St. Mary's Law Journal

Agricultural trade has always been particularly susceptible to governmental intervention and imposition of protectionist barriers. This Article explores the evolution of agricultural trade regulation between the United States and Mexico culminating in the proposed North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). First, the Article reviews the existing regulatory framework governing United States-Mexico agricultural trade. The Article then highlights major, proposed revisions to this regime under the NAFTA and offers perspectives on the effect of these revisions upon the United States’ agricultural industry sectors. This analysis includes a commodity reference guide, which highlights specific commodity trade sectors and the NAFTA treatment of …

The North American Free Trade Agreemet And United States Employment., Roger W. Wallace, Max Scoular

St. Mary's Law Journal

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) will create new opportunities for United States firms and workers while simultaneously protecting United States workers over a 15-year timeframe. The benefits of NAFTA include eliminating conditions that currently encourage or require United States firms to invest south of the border, establishing free trade in services, and eliminating non-tariff barriers which impede United States merchandise exports to Mexico. Furthermore, NAFTA would provide an improved and expanded regional trade and investment base resulting in a boost to the global competitiveness of US products. NAFTA would also increase trade liberalization with Mexico and maintain Mexico …

Justice Thurgood Marshall In Memoriam., Gabrielle Kirk Mcdonald

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Judging In The Quiet Of The Storm., Shirley S. Abrahamson

St. Mary's Law Journal

Justice Benjamin Cardozo evaluates the elements he believes motivate judges in deciding cases in The Nature of the Judicial Process. Judge Cardozo focuses primarily on common-law courts deciding common-law cases. Although state-court dockets cover a wider variety of topics today and the legal landscape has changed, The Nature of the Judicial Process remains influential. The basis of Judge Cardozo’s approach is to first extract principles from past cases and apply them to new fact situations. Cardozo refers to this process as the method of philosophy. As precedent cannot readily solve all new disputes, this process may require judges select from …

Revisiting Standards Of Review In Civil Appeals - Foreword Foreword., Nathan L. Hecht

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

The Great Speech Perspective., Jon Larsen Shudlick

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Revisiting Standards Of Review In Civil Appeals., W. Wendell Hall

St. Mary's Law Journal

Applying and defining the accurate standard of review determines how likely an appeal will be successful. While the proper standard of review may be easy to identify, applying the standard of review to a case is often problematic. The standards define the interactions between trial and appellate courts by distributing the power of review throughout the judicial branch. The standards of review also limit a court’s authority to determine an error by a trial court, and whether the error warrants reversal. The standard sets the requirements of substantive law and provides a means for appellate judges to weigh arguments. This …

Transracial Adoption In Texas: Should The Best Interests Standard Be Color-Blind., Jo Beth Eubanks

St. Mary's Law Journal

Legislative amendments must go further than limiting race from being a primary factor in adoptions; amendments must eliminate race as an acceptable factor. Diverging opinions of “race matching” in foster care and adoption exist. Administrative policies regulating adoption hold that same-race placement, between the adoptive parent and child, is a primary consideration when awarding custody in Texas. Basing child placement on the race or ethnicity of the parties involved raises serious constitutional concerns. The best interest standard is the predominant method in determining child placement, for both custody and adoption proceedings. The premise of the best interest standard is prioritization …

Jurors May Not Pose Written Questions To Witnesses In Criminal Cases., Mark C. Robertson Ii

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

A License To Kill: The Categorical Exemption Of The Mentally Retarded From The Death Penalty., David L. Rumley

St. Mary's Law Journal

This Comment will show there is no merit to the argument the Eighth Amendment prohibits the imposition of capital punishment on all persons considered mentally retarded. This Comment begins with an overview of the historical treatment of mental disabilities, articulating the levels of mental deficiency required for exculpation of criminal responsibility. Next, this Comment discusses the characteristics of persons with mental retardation. This Comment will also discuss the recently enacted statutes’ use of I.Q. tests for determinations of mental retardation. In analyzing these statutes, it becomes apparent a person’s I.Q. should not be prima-facie proof of mental retardation, although state …

Two Cheers For Authority: Should Officials Obey The Law?, Georgetown University Law Center

Philip A. Hart Memorial Lecture

In 1992, Professor Frederick Schauer of Harvard University, delivered the Georgetown Law Center’s twelfth Annual Philip A. Hart Memorial Lecture: "Two Cheers for Authority: Should Officials Obey the Law?."

Frederick Schauer is a David and Mary Harrison Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Virginia. Previously he served for 18 years as Frank Stanton Professor of the First Amendment at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, where he has served as academic dean and acting dean, and before that was a Professor of Law at the University of Michigan. He is the author of The Law …

Freedom Of Speech And The Press

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Ineffective Assistance Of Counsel

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Right To Be Present

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Self-Incrimination

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Maquiladoras: Will The Program Continue., Cheryl Schechter, David Brill Jr.

St. Mary's Law Journal

This Article will discuss the industry and relevant aspects of the legal framework which evolved into the modern maquiladora operation. It will also analyze the possible impact of the ongoing North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations on the Mexican maquiladora industry. In the late seventies and early eighties, Mexico plunged into an economic crisis brought on in part by its almost exclusive dependence on oil exports. The extreme drop in the international oil market forced the country to restructure its economy with a greater emphasis on manufacturing for export. Mexico’s maquiladora program played a key role in this aspect …

United States Customs Law Affecting The Movement Of Goods Into And Out Of Mexico., Robert T. Givens, Rayburn Berry

St. Mary's Law Journal

Trade between the United State and Mexico rose dramatically over the past decade. Several factors account for this increase in trade. These factors include the relative weakness of the Mexican currency, growth of the maquiladora industry, and increased Mexican production of exportable products generally. Other factors include Mexico’s 1986 accession to General Agreements Tariff and Trade (GATT), the resultant lowering of Mexican customs duties, and a good long-term working relationship between the two countries. If ongoing negotiations culminate in a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) the trend will accelerate.

Laws regulating the importation of merchandise into the United States …

The Case For A Texas Compulsory Unitization Statute., Paula C. Murray, Frank B. Cross

St. Mary's Law Journal

Compulsory unitization of oil and natural gas reservoirs would substantially enhance the welfare of the United States and of Texas in particular. The present regulated free market for oil production produces both inefficiencies and inequities. Consequentially, oil exploration is discouraged, oil production is unnecessarily costly and wasteful, and the private distribution of oil revenues can be arbitrarily unfair. Compulsory unitization would remedy many of these shortcomings which result from extant structures. Unitization means the cooperative development of an entire reservoir of oil or gas. Compulsory unitization in most states also contains a variety of substantive and procedural prerequisites to unitization …

Transborder - Road Transportation., H.N. Cunningham Iii

St. Mary's Law Journal

This Article is intended to serve as a primer for attorneys representing clients engaged in shipping, receiving, and transporting merchandise between points in the United States of Mexico (Mexico) and the United States of America. A “crazy quilt” of laws and regulations govern the rights, duties, and obligations of persons engaged in these activities. These laws include not only the constitutions and statutes of two independent nations, but also the laws and regulations of their various political subdivisions as well. Due to the breadth of this material, this Article’s treatment of the subject is general, providing an overview of the …

Admissibility Of A Rape Victim's Prior Sexual Conduct In Texas: A Contemporary Review And Analysis., James A. Vaught, Margaret Henning

St. Mary's Law Journal

The treatment of rape victims in criminal prosecutions has become and remains a matter of intense public and legal interest in America. The conventional use of evidence of a rape complainant's prior sexual history in rape prosecutions was a major focus of the rape reform movement. A major consequence of the movement for reform is the federal government and forty-nine states enacting rape shield laws limiting the admissibility of evidence concerning the complainant’s sexual history in rape prosecution. This article analyzes the admissibility of evidence of a rape complainant’s prior sexual conduct from its common law origins concentrating on the …

Unpublished Opinions Shall Not Be Cited As Authority: The Emerging Contours Of Texas Rule Of Appellate Procedure 90(I)., David M. Gunn

St. Mary's Law Journal

In Texas, worries of judicial overproduction have persisted throughout the twentieth century. Although the Texas Supreme Court began to use per curiam opinions more frequently around 1925, the flood continues. Texas now has more courts and judges than ever before, and history offers no reason to expect retrenchment. The present scheme in Texas creates two classes of judicial opinions, published and unpublished. Unpublished opinions are not supposed to count for purposes of stare decisis, while published opinions do. Texas Appellate Rule 90 regulates the issuance of opinions from the courts of appeals. Part (a) requires intermediate courts to issue written …