The Lawyers USA blog (Dicta) has an interesting piece today previewing the oral arguments on an interesting death-penalty case that the U.S. Supreme Court was scheduled to hear today.
The case calls into question Kentucky's use of lethal injection, with defense lawyers claiming it constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. The defense lawyers are making the argument that because the drugs used paralyze the person being being executed, he or she cannot indicate whether he or she is suffering excessive pain. Click here for more.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Kersten bids adieu to Paulose
Katherine Kersten has a farewell piece to U.S. attorney Rachel Paulose in today's Strib worth checking out.
Not surprisingly, it's a positive look at some of the high points Paulose's tenure. Given that a lot of the press Paulose got here was unduly negative, I cannot begrudge her this one tribute piece. I have no doubt that taxpayers will get more than their money's worth out of Paulose in her new post in Washington, D.C. Whatever managerial issues she might have had locally, she is unquestionably a dedicated, hardworking and highly talented individual.
Vaya con Dios!
Not surprisingly, it's a positive look at some of the high points Paulose's tenure. Given that a lot of the press Paulose got here was unduly negative, I cannot begrudge her this one tribute piece. I have no doubt that taxpayers will get more than their money's worth out of Paulose in her new post in Washington, D.C. Whatever managerial issues she might have had locally, she is unquestionably a dedicated, hardworking and highly talented individual.
Vaya con Dios!
Minnesota Lawyer names its 'Attorneys of the Year' for '07
Minnesota Lawyer has released the names of its "Attorneys of the Year for 2007." It's a great group of folks who have done everything from tried a major case to handled a major appeal to excelled at the transactional side of practice. Click here to see who they are.
We have also singled out five individuals for their outstanding service to the profession.
An upcoming special section of Minnesota Lawyer will highlight the accomplishments of these individuals, and a dinner celebration will take place on Feb. 21, 2008, at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis.
We have also singled out five individuals for their outstanding service to the profession.
An upcoming special section of Minnesota Lawyer will highlight the accomplishments of these individuals, and a dinner celebration will take place on Feb. 21, 2008, at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Lavender Bar to hold regional conference
The Minnesota Lavender Bar Association is holding its Regional Lavender Law conference on Jan. 26 at William Mitchell College of Law.
The all-day conference has been held annually since the early 1990s, and has grown substantially over the years. It’s hoped that this year’s conference will draw between 75 and 100 attendees.
In 2004, the National Lavender Law conference was held in Minneapolis. MLBA board member Phil Duran said that since that time, the MLBA has endeavored to include a national speaker at each regional conference. This year that is Amber Hollibaugh, senior strategist of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, who will give the opening plenary on “GLBT Aging and Public Policy.”
Other topics to be examined at the conference include advocating for transgender clients, marketing your practice to the GLBT community, medical disability planning and asset protection of same-sex couples, and community reactions to the Larry Craig “debacle.”
“The complexity of the program has grown,” said Duran. “We’re excited. We’ve got a record number of sponsors this year.”
The impressive list of sponsors includes the Minnesota AIDS Project, Thomson West, the National Lesbian and Gay Law Association, OutFront Minnesota, William Mitchell College of Law and the law firms of Lindquist & Vennum, Faegre & Benson, Dorsey & Whitney and Maslon Edelman Borman & Brand.
MLBA members, as well as others interested in GLBT issues, are invited to attend. For more information on the event, go to www.mnlavbar.com.
The all-day conference has been held annually since the early 1990s, and has grown substantially over the years. It’s hoped that this year’s conference will draw between 75 and 100 attendees.
In 2004, the National Lavender Law conference was held in Minneapolis. MLBA board member Phil Duran said that since that time, the MLBA has endeavored to include a national speaker at each regional conference. This year that is Amber Hollibaugh, senior strategist of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, who will give the opening plenary on “GLBT Aging and Public Policy.”
Other topics to be examined at the conference include advocating for transgender clients, marketing your practice to the GLBT community, medical disability planning and asset protection of same-sex couples, and community reactions to the Larry Craig “debacle.”
“The complexity of the program has grown,” said Duran. “We’re excited. We’ve got a record number of sponsors this year.”
The impressive list of sponsors includes the Minnesota AIDS Project, Thomson West, the National Lesbian and Gay Law Association, OutFront Minnesota, William Mitchell College of Law and the law firms of Lindquist & Vennum, Faegre & Benson, Dorsey & Whitney and Maslon Edelman Borman & Brand.
MLBA members, as well as others interested in GLBT issues, are invited to attend. For more information on the event, go to www.mnlavbar.com.
Access-to-clients issue
The newly revamped Minnesota Lawyer website has an interesting article on it about what restrictions can imposed on meetings between inmates and their lawyers. A local attorney has been in a tussle with Scott County officials over jailhouse access to her client. Scott County has been apparently requiring 24 hour notice be given for such meetings.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
AP: Magill to serve as interim U.S. attorney in Minnesota
The Associated Press is reporting that First Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Magill has been chosen to serve as interim U.S. attorney for Minnesota. Rachel Paulose announced her resignation from from the U.S. attorney's post last November to take a job with main Justice in Washington, D.C.
Magill strikes me as particularly good choice. He is experienced, respected and somehow managed to stay above the fray during all the upheaval in the office.
Magill strikes me as particularly good choice. He is experienced, respected and somehow managed to stay above the fray during all the upheaval in the office.
Wisconsin bracing for another Supreme Court showdown
Should you tire of the Iowa caucus-fest, here's some regional news with a bit more relevance.
Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Louis B. Butler Jr. will face a challenger this spring in what is expected to be another expensive slugfest, similar to last year's contest that saw Annette Ziegler defeat Linda Clifford.
That race spurred close to $2 million in campaign contributions — the most for a supreme court seat in state history.
At stake once again is the ideological balance of the court, the Associated Press reports.
Butler is generally viewed as one of the three liberal members of the court. His opponent, Circuit Court Judge Michael J. Gableman, was appointed by Republican Gov. Scott McCallum and is positioning himself as a conservative alternative.
Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Louis B. Butler Jr. will face a challenger this spring in what is expected to be another expensive slugfest, similar to last year's contest that saw Annette Ziegler defeat Linda Clifford.
That race spurred close to $2 million in campaign contributions — the most for a supreme court seat in state history.
At stake once again is the ideological balance of the court, the Associated Press reports.
Butler is generally viewed as one of the three liberal members of the court. His opponent, Circuit Court Judge Michael J. Gableman, was appointed by Republican Gov. Scott McCallum and is positioning himself as a conservative alternative.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
A new look for the new year
Minnesota Lawyer today unveiled its newly revamped website. It's got a much fresher, cleaner look. I suspect there will be some initial glitches, but it will ultimately be much more user-friendly for visitors. Let us know what you think. You can reach me by e-mail at mark.cohen@minnlawyer.com.
Speaking of Top Ten lists...
With the new year still very new, it’s a good time to consider which legal issues will be most discussed in the media during 2008.
Legal marketing firm Legal Expert Connections has come up with a list of which practice areas will be most sought after for comment and expertise by mainstream print and broadcast outlets during the coming year.
They are:
1. Real estate
2. Government
3. Intellectual property
4. International law
5. Privacy/data security
6. Immigration
7. Trusts/estates
8. Environment
9. Employment
10. Health care
Not too many surprises on that list, but to name one, I wouldn’t be shocked to see legal issues surrounding trusts and estates to get more and more attention as the next few years pass.
With Baby Boomers reaching retirement age in droves, a lot of people will need solid legal advice about not just retirement planning, but also how to handle their estates best distribute assets to their heirs. Those are legal issues that affect everyone once they reach a certain age, and they’ll continue to garner media attention long after the mortgage mess becomes yesterday’s news.
Legal marketing firm Legal Expert Connections has come up with a list of which practice areas will be most sought after for comment and expertise by mainstream print and broadcast outlets during the coming year.
They are:
1. Real estate
2. Government
3. Intellectual property
4. International law
5. Privacy/data security
6. Immigration
7. Trusts/estates
8. Environment
9. Employment
10. Health care
Not too many surprises on that list, but to name one, I wouldn’t be shocked to see legal issues surrounding trusts and estates to get more and more attention as the next few years pass.
With Baby Boomers reaching retirement age in droves, a lot of people will need solid legal advice about not just retirement planning, but also how to handle their estates best distribute assets to their heirs. Those are legal issues that affect everyone once they reach a certain age, and they’ll continue to garner media attention long after the mortgage mess becomes yesterday’s news.
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