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Author Archives: The Legal Reformer
What Legal Consumers Can Learn From Apple
A jury recently awarded Apple just shy of $120 million in its latest patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung. In the first lawsuit, Apple was awarded $1.1 billion. But as Jay Yarow of the Business Insider implies in his article, Samsung’s Lawyer Absolutely … Continue reading
Posted in Tips
Tagged Apple, Jay Yarow, John Quinn, Judgement proof, Lawsuit, Legal, Legal Consumer, Litigation, News, Patent Infringement, Samsung
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It’s Not Just The Lawyers And Judges . . .
When we blog about the legal system needing reform, we tend to focus on issues involving lawyers and judges, but the whole system needs reform. Illustrating this is the revocation of a New Jersey psychologist’s license after being found to have influenced … Continue reading
Posted in Reform
Tagged Conflict of Interest, Disciplinary Action, Judges, Lawyers, Legal, Legal Reform, Litigation, Marsha Kleinman, News
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Can Judges Reduce Litigation Costs?
It’s a familiar scenario – a lawsuit on the evening of trial suddenly settles after years of litigation and seemingly innumerable dollars spent preparing the case. Most clients wonder whether anything could have been done along the way to settle the case earlier … Continue reading
Posted in Reform
Tagged Clients, E-discovery, Judges, Lawsuit, Lawyers, Legal, Legal Reform, Litigation, Patrick Lamb, Project management
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One Judge’s Take on “The Secret Life of Judges” and Judicial Bias
In 2006, former Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, Dennis Jacobs delivered a lecture at Fordham Law School titled “The Secret Life of Judges.” In his lecture, Judge Jacobs described “the judicial mentality,” as “a habit … Continue reading
Posted in Reform
Tagged Dennis Jacobs, Judges, Judicial Bias, Justice, Lawyers, Legal, Legal Practices, Legal Reform, Self-Regulation, The Secret Life of Judges
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“Is Your Lawyer’s Bill Too High?”
We have written about HALT.org (Help Abolish Legal Tyranny) in previous posts and its work for transparency in attorney discipline and reporting on state bar associations’ secrecy in the handling of attorney ethics complaints. HALT also has a number of self-help brochures … Continue reading
Posted in Tips
Tagged Advice, Billing Fraud, False Billing, Fee Disputes, Fraudulent Billing, HALT, Legal, Legal Reform, Over Billing
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Judge’s “Cautionary Tale” About Online Legal Forms
Last week the Supreme Court of Florida issued an opinion interpreting a will prepared using an online form. The opinion specifically addressed how property acquired after the will was signed was to be distributed in the absence of a residuary clause (a catch-all provision) … Continue reading
Posted in Tips
Tagged Awareness, Cautionary Tale, Judges, Last Will and Testament, Legal, Legal Consumer, Legal Forms, News, Pro Se, Probate
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Should Clients Start Acting Like Consumers?
On this blog, we often refer to clients as legal consumers. Clients who are paying for services provided by attorneys are consumers of legal services. Hence the term “legal consumers.” Inherent in that terminology is the concept that the legal industry is … Continue reading
Posted in Reform
Tagged AARP, Advice, Attitude, Attorneys, Awareness, Chris Hobbs, Clients, Lawyers, Legal, Legal Consumer
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“Rake” TV Show – Surprisingly Accurate
One of LPR’s followers suggested we watch last week’s episode of Rake, a new legal drama on Fox. In last Friday’s episode, “Staple Holes,” the lead character, Keegan Dean, leaves his solo practice to join his best friend’s white shoe … Continue reading
Posted in Vetting
Tagged Conflict of Interest, Courtroom, Experience, Fox TV, Greg Kinnear, Judges, Keegan Dean, Law Firm, Lawsuit, Legal, Legal Consumer, Legal Practices, Litigation, Over Billing, Rake
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Finally . . . A Legal Reality Show!
For some time we have been lamenting around the water cooler that there is no reality show to educate legal consumers by showcasing different legal situations and ways to resolve them, much like the show The Doctors. What a great resource … Continue reading
Posted in Tips
Tagged Advice, Attorneys, Awareness, Clients, Gary Bell, GRB Entertainment, Jean Shi, Justice, Lawsuit, Legal, Legal Consumer, Legal Practices, News, The Legalizer, Water Cooler
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Legal Consumer Tip #6 – Contract Terms Are Binding
Read all contract terms — you will be bound to them. While this oft-stated advice seems simple enough, many legal consumers don’t read all contract terms before signing, and even fewer stop to think about how the terms will play … Continue reading
Posted in Tips
Tagged Advice, Awareness, Bottom Line, Contract, Divorce Agreement, Legal, Legal Consumer
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