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Articles 181 - 210 of 402
Full-Text Articles in Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility
Summary Of Recent Developments In Texas Legal Malpractice Law Symposium: Legal Malpractice And Professional Responsibility., Steve Mcconnico, Robyn Bigelow
Summary Of Recent Developments In Texas Legal Malpractice Law Symposium: Legal Malpractice And Professional Responsibility., Steve Mcconnico, Robyn Bigelow
St. Mary's Law Journal
Although the number of malpractice suits may not be increasing, the way plaintiffs are pleading these suits is changing dramatically and resulting in increased potential for attorney liability. Recent changes in the nature of liability led to increased potential for damages and a trend of high dollar settlements in malpractice cases. These changes may significantly impact the ability of lawyers in Texas to avoid liability while representing clients and preserving client confidences. Texas law generally limits malpractice claims to clients against their attorneys; but non-clients are increasingly succeeding in creatively pleading causes of action by alleging fraud, conspiracy, and negligent …
Toward A More Effective Standard Of Review: The Potential Effect Of Burdine V. Johnson On Legal Malpractice In Texas., Rebecca A. Copeland
Toward A More Effective Standard Of Review: The Potential Effect Of Burdine V. Johnson On Legal Malpractice In Texas., Rebecca A. Copeland
St. Mary's Law Journal
If the presence of a sleeping attorney is so egregious as to result in a reversal of a criminal conviction, it is surely enough to warrant the imposition of civil damages upon the same attorney. A recent trend of cases in which criminal defendants alleged ineffective assistance of counsel—due to sleeping attorneys—resulted in courts being unable to create a uniform analysis for ineffective assistance of counsel. The Sixth Amendment protects a criminal defendant’s right to effective assistance of counsel, and the Supreme Court has devised a two-prong analysis by which claims of ineffective assistance must be reviewed. Burdine v. Johnson …
Appeals From Pleas Of Guilty And Nolo Contendere: History And Procedural Considerations., Kevin Yeary
Appeals From Pleas Of Guilty And Nolo Contendere: History And Procedural Considerations., Kevin Yeary
St. Mary's Law Journal
The changing history of appeal rights—made through decisional interpretation by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals—highlights the importance of staying current on interpretations of procedural and substantive rules. Lawyers owe their clients a duty to understand the history of the right to appeal from a conviction following a guilty plea. Additionally, they owe their clients a duty to understand substantive and procedural requirements for maintaining such appeals, as well as to stay abreast of changes affecting these appeals. Recently, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals handed down several opinions drastically reshaping the landscape for appeals following pleas of guilty and …
Ethics: Lawyering And Professionalism., Broadus A. Spivey
Ethics: Lawyering And Professionalism., Broadus A. Spivey
St. Mary's Law Journal
Because public perception is a major issue that confronts the legal community, Texas encourages lawyers to maintain a civil, professional, and courteous environment. The work of lawyers may be divided into three parts: first, a lawyer must consider several factors when communicating with a potential client; second, a lawyer must attend to the creation of the lawyer-client relationship; and third, a lawyer must effectively manage the lawyer-client relationship. The rules of ethical deportment for attorneys are contained in the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, which specifically address barratry and similar offenses related to the improper solicitation of potential clients. …
Shoot Out At The Not-O.K. Corral Or Privileged Client Communications - Lost And Found In Texas., Walter W. Steele Jr.
Shoot Out At The Not-O.K. Corral Or Privileged Client Communications - Lost And Found In Texas., Walter W. Steele Jr.
St. Mary's Law Journal
Texas’s solutions to inadvertently disclosed privileged material are unworkable. Confidentiality of client information is a bedrock of the legal profession. Nonetheless, some confidential information invariably leaks out. The most common leak occurs when a lawyer inadvertently includes privileged material in boxes of documents produced in response to a legitimate discovery request. After the opposing lawyer finds the “hot documents” in the box, the problems begin. The Texas Supreme Court adopted what amounts to the reasonable precautions test in Granada Corp. v. First Court of Appeals. The cornerstone of the Granada holding is the involuntary nature of the production of the …
Proposed Conflict Of Interest And Confidentiality Rules., Luther H. Soules Iii
Proposed Conflict Of Interest And Confidentiality Rules., Luther H. Soules Iii
St. Mary's Law Journal
The Texas Supreme Court and the State Bar of Texas should fully adopt the proposals to the Rules of Professional Conduct 1.05–1.13 addressing attorney confidentiality and conflicts of interest. Historically, the Rules of Professional Conduct have set a floor which a lawyer may be subject to discipline, the Rules, however, do not offer bright lines for deciding questions of law, ethics, or fairness. Because the rules of professional responsibility in the legal industry are ambiguous in nature and often encumber a lawyer’s ability to effectively represent clients, the Texas Disciplinary Rules Committee recommends modification to the Rules of Professional Conduct …
In The Interest Of The Client: Why Reform Of Texas's Rules Regarding Referral Fees Is Necessary., Samuel V. Houston Iii
In The Interest Of The Client: Why Reform Of Texas's Rules Regarding Referral Fees Is Necessary., Samuel V. Houston Iii
St. Mary's Law Journal
Texas needs to reform its policy concerning referral fees. In Texas, an attorney is permitted to receive a fee for providing a referral to another attorney. In Brewer & Pritchard, P.C. v. Johnson, for example, the forwarding attorney received a referral fee for $3 million dollars. Proponents of referral fees argue that clients are better represented because referring attorneys have a greater economic incentive to seek out more capable attorneys. On the other hand, referring attorneys may also have the incentive to seek out attorneys who pay higher referral fees rather than those most qualified. In the end, the referred …
Doctrine Of Equivalents: Is Festo The Right Decision For The Biomedical Industry., Faith S. Fillman
Doctrine Of Equivalents: Is Festo The Right Decision For The Biomedical Industry., Faith S. Fillman
St. Mary's Law Journal
The doctrine of equivalents, which Festo Corp. v. Shoketsu Kinzoku Kogyo Kabushiki Co. threatens to overturn, is an equitable doctrine and should therefore provide patentees and competitors equal and fair protection. Prior to Festo, the Federal Circuit used two approaches: the complete bar rule and the flexible bar rule. Under the complete bar rule, the author must completely copy the patented art for infringement to occur, this is otherwise known as literal infringement. In contrast, under the flexible bar rule, infringement can occur if the product is closely related to the prior art. Federal Circuits have officially adopted the complete …
Vultures And Lambs: A Journey Through Protective Services For The Texas Elderly., Christopher J. Pettit
Vultures And Lambs: A Journey Through Protective Services For The Texas Elderly., Christopher J. Pettit
St. Mary's Law Journal
The Texas system leaves the elderly and disabled vulnerable to financial vultures. Despite guardianship and pre-planning processes meant to empower elderly and disabled Texans to choose who shall manage their affairs, the Texas system may give a financial vulture access to the elderly or disabled’s accounts. Texas agencies such as Adult Protective Services’ purpose is to stop the abuse of the elderly, however, the agency is sometimes used as a tool to circumvent the stated wishes of an elderly person. For example, a person seeking to exploit an elderly person may do so by simply filing charges with Adult Protective …
Does The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Exclude Gifted And Talented Children With Emotional Disabilities - An Analysis Of J.D. V. Pawlet., Laura Ketterman
Does The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Exclude Gifted And Talented Children With Emotional Disabilities - An Analysis Of J.D. V. Pawlet., Laura Ketterman
St. Mary's Law Journal
Disabled children benefit from federal legislation which guarantees a free, appropriate education. While no federal mandate requires providing special education for gifted and talented children, the government encourages schools to offer gifted and talented programs. Gifted and talented children with emotional disabilities, however, often fall between these two groups and do not qualify for special education under any legislation. Unfortunately, in many gifted and talented children with disabilities the gift hides the disability—or the disability hides the gift. To compound the problem, legislation and recent court decisions fail to recognize that gifted and talented children have unique needs which should …
Has The Fog Cleared - Attorney Work Product And The Attorney-Client Privilege: Texas's Complete Transition Into Full Protection Of Attorney Work In The Corporate Context., Fred A. Simpson
St. Mary's Law Journal
The following discussion in this Article fills the gaps in the substantive rules surrounding the attorney work product doctrine and the attorney-client privilege, thereby encouraging practitioners to utilize these tools more freely. Initially, the attorney-client privilege contemplated application only to individuals. As the rule developed in the United States, however, the scope of the privilege broadened until it included corporations. Since 1982, Texas has provided for the attorney-client privilege in Texas Rule of Civil Evidence 503.149. Notably, the Rule defined client in such a way as to include a corporation. Unlike the attorney-client privilege, the work product doctrine developed much …
Religion In Public Schools: Let Us Pray - Or Not., Carolyn Hanahan, David M. Feldman
Religion In Public Schools: Let Us Pray - Or Not., Carolyn Hanahan, David M. Feldman
St. Mary's Law Journal
This Essay addresses judicial interpretation and application of the religious protections of students in public schools. Part II addresses the evolution of the law governing prayer in public schools, including the creation of judicial tests utilized in determining whether a school district has impeded the rights of students in the area of religion. Part III examines the application of these tests to various activities, including a discussion of the disparity in judicial interpretation with respect to the permissibility of prayer at public school functions. This Essay concludes with a discussion analyzing the effect of the recent United States Supreme Court …
Class Dismissed: The Conservative Class Action Revolution Of The Texas Supreme Court., Russell T. Brown
Class Dismissed: The Conservative Class Action Revolution Of The Texas Supreme Court., Russell T. Brown
St. Mary's Law Journal
Historically, Texas plaintiffs enjoyed tremendous flexibility in gaining certification for class action lawsuits because of a liberal approach employed by Texas trial courts. Because certification assignment occurred early in the judicial proceedings, Texas case law encouraged trial courts to grant certification of a class. Putative classes chose to seek relief in state court because of the state’s lax view regarding class actions, particularly when compared to federal courts. Concerns arose throughout Texas about the growing liberal methodology courts used to evaluate putative classes during certification. Federal influence, state lobbies, and legislative pressure led the Texas judiciary, through application of the …
Taas And Gi Forum V. Texas Education Agency: A Critical Analysis And Proposal For Redressing Problems With The Standardized Testing In Texas., Blakely Latham Fernandez
Taas And Gi Forum V. Texas Education Agency: A Critical Analysis And Proposal For Redressing Problems With The Standardized Testing In Texas., Blakely Latham Fernandez
St. Mary's Law Journal
Texas’s use of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) test as an accountability program has had numerous negative and far-reaching effects on minorities. Today, students in Texas public schools first take the TAAS test in the third grade. Students continue to take a form of the TAAS test each year, with the exit-level assessment initially given in the eleventh grade. Students must pass all four sections–Mathematics, English, Science, and Social Studies–in order to graduate and receive their high school diploma. Although devised to effectively motivate students, schools, and teachers with the goal of enhancing educational standards, the TAAS test …
Fair Labor Standards Act And Sovereign Immunity: Unlocking The Courthouse Door For Texas State Employees., Melinda Herrera
Fair Labor Standards Act And Sovereign Immunity: Unlocking The Courthouse Door For Texas State Employees., Melinda Herrera
St. Mary's Law Journal
Unless Texas expressly waives its Eleventh Amendment sovereign immunity, its state employees will not have similar legal recourse and protection as those available to private employees. As in many other states, a party may not sue the State of Texas without its consent. Thus, in the absence of constitutional or statutory provisions to the contrary, a state may claim sovereign immunity against any suit brought by a private party in both federal and state court. As a result, the Eleventh Amendment effectively precludes private individuals from suing a state in both federal and state court for violating a federal statute …
Regulation Fd: Sec Reestablishes Enforcement Capabilities Over Selective Disclosure., John P. Jennings
Regulation Fd: Sec Reestablishes Enforcement Capabilities Over Selective Disclosure., John P. Jennings
St. Mary's Law Journal
This Recent Development focuses on the potential effects Regulation Fair Disclosure (FD) will have on the participants in the American capital market and on the stock markets themselves. Congress and the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) seek to achieve confidence in the integrity and fairness of the American stock market and protection of investors from fraud by promoting equal opportunities for investors. In order to maintain a competitive edge, vis-à-vis its foreign counterparts, the United States must continually refine its financial systems to maximize fairness and integrity. This Recent Development focuses on selective disclosure—allowing a limited segment of investors access to …
Heci V. Neel: Application Of The Discovery Rule To Damages Arising Out Of Oil And Gas Leases., L. Melanie Martin
Heci V. Neel: Application Of The Discovery Rule To Damages Arising Out Of Oil And Gas Leases., L. Melanie Martin
St. Mary's Law Journal
Texas landowners face a heavy burden in bringing claims for damages arising out of inherently undiscoverable damages to mineral estates because the statute of limitations starts at the time of injury rather than the time of discovery. Previously, courts adopted the discovery rule as an exception to the statute of limitations, effectively stalling the starting point of the statute of limitations. A two-pronged threshold inquiry is held before the application of the discovery rule. First, the court must determine if the injury is inherently undiscoverable or not detected despite the use of due diligence. Secondly, there must be objectively verifiable …
Texas Workers' Compensation: A Ten-Year Survey - Strengths, Weaknesses, And Recommendations., Phil Hardberger
Texas Workers' Compensation: A Ten-Year Survey - Strengths, Weaknesses, And Recommendations., Phil Hardberger
St. Mary's Law Journal
The present Texas Workers’ Compensation system began development in January of 1989 and has been in effect since 1991. Texas is the only state in which workers’ compensation coverage is optional. Alternative benefits plans are provided in some cases; however, many injured workers receive less than they would under the Texas Workers’ Compensation system. The current system uses supplemental income benefits (SIBs), meaning injured workers can be cut off from benefits if they are less than 15% impaired, and the maximum time to appeal each case is ninety days (Rule 130.5(e)). The 71st Texas Legislature focused on decreasing attorney involvement …
Creative Sanctions For Discovery Abuse In Texas., Travis C. Headley
Creative Sanctions For Discovery Abuse In Texas., Travis C. Headley
St. Mary's Law Journal
Creative sanctions are necessary to deter litigants from abusing the discovery process. Under both the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, creative sanctions are allowed and within a judge’s discretion. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 37 and Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 215 provide judges a non-exhaustive list of available sanctions to deter abusive discovery practices. Nonetheless, discovery abuse has continued to escalate, and limited precedence exists in the field despite the increased use of sanctions. An unprecedented creative sanction was imposed by Judge Brotman of the District Court for the Virgin Islands. On …
Much Ado About Spam: Unsolicited Advertising, The Internet, And You., Scot M. Graydon
Much Ado About Spam: Unsolicited Advertising, The Internet, And You., Scot M. Graydon
St. Mary's Law Journal
Internet users need protection from unsolicited commercial emails (UCEs), and this protection should come from federal legislation. Despite seventeen states having passed some sort of legislation regulating UCEs, this is insufficient to protect Internet users from UCEs. State laws are not uniformed and UCEs frequently cross state lines. Internet advertisers prefer commercial emails because of the ability to market to millions of consumers at a low cost. Consumers, however, suffer delays to their Internet access because of the amount of data UCEs accumulate, and in some cases may have to pay additional fees if they exceed the data limits of …
A Holy Mess: School Prayer, The Religious Freedom Restoration Act Of Texas, And The First Amendment., David S. Stolle
A Holy Mess: School Prayer, The Religious Freedom Restoration Act Of Texas, And The First Amendment., David S. Stolle
St. Mary's Law Journal
In Employment Division, Department of Human Resources of Oregon v. Smith, the U.S. Supreme Court held the traditional compelling state interest standard for Free Exercise Clause jurisprudence should be replaced by a new test requiring a statute or government action to be facially neutral and generally applicable. In response to Smith, Congress, relying on its Enforcement Clause powers under the Fourteenth Amendment, attempted to resurrect the compelling state interest standard by passing the Religious Freedom of Restoration Act (RFRA). In June 1999, the Texas legislature passed the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act (TRFRA). This Comment argues the TRFRA is unnecessary …
The Constitution And Reconstitution Of The Standing Doctrine Comment., Laveta Casdorph
The Constitution And Reconstitution Of The Standing Doctrine Comment., Laveta Casdorph
St. Mary's Law Journal
The most effective response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s construction of Article III standards will be to revise citizen suit statutes to reaffirm its important role in giving the injured citizen a voice against the administrative state. With the rise of the administrative state in the late 1930s and 40s, the Court developed a conservative doctrine of standing to protect New Deal legislation from court-based attacks. As individual constitutional rights expanded, standing rules were liberalized, allowing litigants to challenge the actions and decisions of administrative agencies more easily. Congress passed numerous environmental statutes containing “citizen suit” provisions in the 1960s …
America's Preoccupation With Ethics In Government Essay., Vincent R. Johnson
America's Preoccupation With Ethics In Government Essay., Vincent R. Johnson
St. Mary's Law Journal
Many Americans today expect that the law can, should, and will be used to ensure a level playing field in public life. Americans expect the law to eliminate, insofar as possible, any unfair advantage that might be gained through the use of special connections to those who exercise the power of government. There are numerous rules applicable to judges, lawyers, and public officials that each seek to promote equal treatment for all persons by limiting the ability of persons to use special connections and privileged relationships to gain an advantage in public affairs. There were two threads of development in …
From Little Acorns Great Oaks Grow: The Constitutionality Of Protecting Minors From Harmful Internet Material In Public Libraries Comment., Kimberly S. Keller
From Little Acorns Great Oaks Grow: The Constitutionality Of Protecting Minors From Harmful Internet Material In Public Libraries Comment., Kimberly S. Keller
St. Mary's Law Journal
Congress should focus on the receiver's end of Internet transmissions to overcome the anonymity and transmogrification elements of the Internet to protect minors from harmful material. Throughout the years, librarians have struggled with monitoring minors’ access to the accumulating number of controversial texts in the library. The Internet’s unique infrastructure affords librarians virtually no opportunity for the pre-shelf review available with books and videos. Congress enacted the Communications Decency Act (CDA) in 1996 in an attempt to protect minors from the underbelly of the internet. The United States Supreme Court, in Reno v. ACLU, struck down the CDA ruling that …
Keeping The Promise: Establishing Nontransferable Election Systems In Jurisdictions Covered By Section Four Of The Voting Rights Act., Adam J. Cohen
Keeping The Promise: Establishing Nontransferable Election Systems In Jurisdictions Covered By Section Four Of The Voting Rights Act., Adam J. Cohen
St. Mary's Law Journal
Jurisdictions covered by the Voting Rights Act (VRA or the Act) need to impose multimember districting and non-transferable election systems. The VRA was enacted in 1965 to enforce the promise of the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution: the right to vote shall not be abridged on the basis of race. The Act requires any change in election procedures to be approved in advance so that states are not able to continuously disenfranchise voters based on race by simply changing election procedures. Either the District Court for the District of Columbia or the Attorney General of the United States …
Texas Rule Of Evidence 503: Defining Scope Of Employment For Corporations Comment., Craig W. Saunders
Texas Rule Of Evidence 503: Defining Scope Of Employment For Corporations Comment., Craig W. Saunders
St. Mary's Law Journal
The attorney-corporate client privilege should be regarded as encompassing only communications made to the corporation’s counsel by employees in the scope of their employment. The Supreme Court of Texas and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ordered the merger of the Civil and Criminal Rules of Evidence. The merger became effective on March 1, 1998 and is now known as the Texas Rules of Evidence. Although the civil and criminal rules often mirror each other, one monumental change is in the new version of Rule 503. This new version significantly alters the analysis used in a corporate context and determines …
Dead Man Talking: Competing Narratives And Effective Representation In Capital Cases Essay., Jeffrey J. Pokorak
Dead Man Talking: Competing Narratives And Effective Representation In Capital Cases Essay., Jeffrey J. Pokorak
St. Mary's Law Journal
As Karl Hammond’s case indicates, to serve justice, balance between the Kill Story and Human Story is necessary in a capital trial. This Essay seeks, through deconstruction of Karl Hammond’s case, to identify and illustrate the values of telling these combating stories. Part III describes the Kill Story and the Human Story in Karl’s case from the record of his trial, appeals, and petitions. Part III also demonstrates how the failure to tell one side of the story in either the guilt-innocence phase or the punishment phase can have a prejudicial effect on the jury’s decision. Part IV then discusses …
The Lautenberg Amendment: Congress Hit The Mark By Banning Firearms From Domestic Violence Offenders Comment., Polly Mccann Pruneda
The Lautenberg Amendment: Congress Hit The Mark By Banning Firearms From Domestic Violence Offenders Comment., Polly Mccann Pruneda
St. Mary's Law Journal
Immediate action is critical to preserve the goals of the Lautenberg Amendment to protect victims of domestic violence from future abuse and their abusers. Incidents of gun-related domestic violence are not uncommon in the United States. Statistics show that domestic violence takes one life every three days and the combination of guns and domestic violence cause more deaths than incidents which are not associated with guns. In 1996, Congress attempted to find a solution to this problem. The Lautenberg Amendment, enacted pursuant to Congress’ Commerce Clause power, seeks to protect individuals from gun related injury or death occurring within domestic …
Beyond Black And White: Selected Writings By Asian Americans Within The Critical Race Theory Movement Perspective., Harvey Gee
St. Mary's Law Journal
A new generation of progressive intellectuals has evolved, attempting to transform the manner in which law, race, and racial power are understood and discussed in America. The latter half of the twentieth century proved to be a time of profound demographic changes. Racial and political reform policies of the post-modern Civil Rights Movement failed to fully respond to these dramatic social changes. A theory was created to address social racism because the “color-blind” model posited by the Supreme Court of the United States perpetuated racism by supporting the existing hierarchy. Critical Race Theory attempts to tackle these dramatic social changes …
Splitting The Atom Or Splitting Hairs - The Hate Crimes Prevention Act Of 1999 Note., Andrew M. Gilbert, Eric D. Marchand
Splitting The Atom Or Splitting Hairs - The Hate Crimes Prevention Act Of 1999 Note., Andrew M. Gilbert, Eric D. Marchand
St. Mary's Law Journal
Problems of bias-motivated violence plague our nation and threaten to erase the progress made during the civil rights era. Recent statistical surveys conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) indicate the number of hate crimes has generally increased over the past few years. In 1996, over 11,000 individuals were victims of hate crimes—five percent more than reported the previous year. Hate crimes are not only injurious to the individual victim, but also fracture surrounding communities and create disharmony among citizens. As a result, some states implemented legislation in the 1980s to deter hate-motived crimes and a few states have …