Lawyers USA Your Business Partner

$85 million for fall into manhole 

Published: January 20, 2009
Tags: Top Ten Verdicts

In the largest premises liability verdict in Pennsylvania history, a 30-year-old former University of Pennsylvania medical school student who fell 20 feet into an uncovered manhole was awarded $85 million in compensatory damages.

Hurrying to catch the bus to his morning classes in June 2004, Marcus Gustafsson stepped into an uncovered manhole in Philadelphia and [...]

Mexican businessman wins $188 defamation suit 

By Justin Rebello - Published: January 20, 2009
Tags: Top Ten Verdicts

In what is believed to be the largest defamation verdict in our nation’s history, a New York City jury awarded $188 million to a Mexican contractor who claims the words of an American businessman severely damaged his reputation.

It was a case that involved a phony lawsuit, a national political magazine and a man who [...]

Texas businessman wins $316 million 

Published: January 20, 2009
Tags: Top Ten Verdicts

An Atlanta jury has ordered Turner Broadcasting System to pay $316 million to a Houston businessman who claimed that the media giant reneged on a deal to sell him the NBA Hawks and NHL Thrashers.

The unanimous Dec. 10 verdict by a 12-person jury capped 20 hours of deliberations following a seven-week trial.

Jurors awarded [...]

California scheming nets $388 M 

By Nora Lockwood Tooher - Published: January 20, 2009
Tags: Top Ten Verdicts

In the state’s largest verdict to an individual, a Nevada jury awarded $388 million to a 70-year-old inventor who claims he was hounded by California tax authorities for the past 15 years.

Gilbert P. Hyatt, an electrical engineer with more than 70 patents, was unanimously awarded $138.1 million in compensatory damages when a Las Vegas [...]

E-discovery challenges: The next generation  

By Correy E. Stephenson - Published: January 19, 2009
Tags: 20 things, e-discovery

Not that long ago, lawyers could hope for some slack from judges in coping with e-discovery demands.

But those days are numbered. Courts are growing impatient and cracking down on parties and lawyers who are unprepared or uneducated about electronically stored information.

“Because of the greater education of lawyers about e-discovery, it is much more difficult for [...]

Work-family balance: Maybe it’s not a myth after all  

By Nora Lockwood Tooher - Published: January 19, 2009
Tags: 20 things, work-life, Your Practice

Law firms are becoming more sensitive to work/life balance issues.

Well, some of them, anyway.

Long known for its long hours and intense career demands, the legal profession is finally loosening up a bit. An increasing number of law firms are offering part-time hours, flexible work schedules and telecommuting options.

Some are even welcoming back attorneys who have [...]

Not the retiring type: Lawyers fight back against mandatory retirement policies  

By Dick Dahl - Published: January 19, 2009
Tags: 20 things, employment, retirement

For a variety of reasons, law firms are changing their thinking about retirement policies.

Increasingly, partners are staying on after they turn 65, 70, and even older.

In part, the change reflects the baby boomer dominance in the profession. The American Bar Association estimates that 400,000 of the nation’s 1.1 million lawyers are boomers (those born from [...]

Should trial lawyers use online focus groups?  

By Sylvia Hsieh - Published: January 19, 2009
Tags: 20 things, focus groups, mock jurors, Trial Strategy

Online focus groups are more popular than ever as the Internet has made it cheaper and faster to get mock jurors to log on and cast their “verdicts” on cases.

Attorneys can upload information about their cases and request mock jurors from their geographic regions to read and answer questions.

The main advantages are speed and cost. [...]

New frontier in legal research: The specialized legal blog

Published: January 19, 2009
Tags: 20 things, blogs, research

The Internet has made legal research simpler, faster and mobile, and lawyers are increasingly turning to a new resource for knowledge: Legal blogs.

Blogs (short for web logs) operate like a portal for easily obtaining information in a specific area that before was unavailable, says Paul Caron, a professor at the University of Cincinnati Law School [...]

Getting a handle on your malpractice insurance  

By Sylvia Hsieh - Published: January 19, 2009
Tags: 20 things, legal malpractice

The mere mention of malpractice can make even the most seasoned attorney shudder.
Many lawyers don’t know everything they should about their malpractice insurance, and they are afraid to ask.

Below are questions to consider when buying, renewing or changing your policies.

What is a claims-made policy?

Many lawyers continue to mistakenly think their professional liability policies are “occurrence” [...]