Cole-Frieman & Mallon 2025 Q2 Update

Dentons Dublin has acted as Irish counsel on the following two transactions for eir, the largest provider of fixed line telecommunications services in Ireland. Banking and Finance, Debt Capital Markets, Telecommunications, Dublin

Facing criminal charges in New Jersey can be an overwhelming experience. The criminal trial process involves several key steps, each crucial for ensuring a fair trial. Understanding these steps can help you prepare and alleviate some of the uncertainty that comes with navigating the legal system. Here’s an overview of what typically happens during a criminal trial in New Jersey. 1. Pre-Trial Motions and Plea Negotiations Before a trial officially begins, there are pre-trial motions and sometimes plea negotiations. Pre-trial motions are requests made by your attorney (or the prosecution) to the judge regarding issues that may affect the trial. These motions can include requests to suppress evidence, dismiss charges, or address other legal issues that might come up during the trial. During this time, plea negotiations can also take place. A criminal defense attorney Jersey City can help determine if a plea deal is in your best interest, potentially reducing the severity of…

Is this the year for associate raises?

Australia’s surrogacy laws remain inconsistent and outdated, varying widely between states and lacking a unified, national approach. In response to the Australian Law Reform Commission’s review, renowned family and fertility lawyer Stephen Page has submitted a detailed and passionate proposal for reform. Drawing from decades of experience, Stephen advocates for a surrogacy framework that is ethical, inclusive, and centred on the rights and well-being of all parties—particularly the children born through surrogacy. His submission highlights the urgent need for legal clarity, support for intended parents and surrogates, and a system that reflects modern Australian families. Download the full submission to read Stephen Page’s expert recommendations and learn why national surrogacy reform is not only necessary—but long overdue. DOWNLOAD THE PAPER The post A Call for National Reform: Stephen Page’s Submission on Surrogacy to the ALRC appeared…

Talia Roitberg Harmon (Niagara University), Michael L. Perlin (New York Law School), Maren Geiger (Niagara University, Department of Criminal Justice), Lea Roitberg (Niagara University), & Stacy Bielic (Niagara University) have posted "When the Death Count Gets Higher": An Empirical Examination of Whether the Federal Courts of Appeals Have Authentically Enforced Atkins v. Virginia on SSRN. Here is the abstract: The United States Supreme Court held in Atkins v. Virginia, 536 U.S. 304 (2002), that subjecting persons with intellectual disabilities to the death penalty violates the Eighth Amendment, as those with disabilities in areas of reasoning, judgment, and impulse control “do not act with the level of moral culpability that characterizes the most serious adult criminal conduct.” Here the Court added: “Some characteristics of mental retardation undermine the strength of the procedural protections that our capital jurisprudence…

Balboa Park attracts millions of visitors annually. But even Balboa Park is not immune to accidents, including trips, falls, and other accidents. Here is what you need to know if you get injured at Balboa Park in San Diego. What Should I Do After an Injury at Balboa Park? The steps you take in the moments and days that follow an injury at Balboa Park can significantly affect your health and legal rights. Your priority should always be your health.  Here is what you should do after an injury at Balboa Park: Seek medical attention immediately: Call 911 for emergencies or visit a nearby urgent care center or hospital. Prompt treatment is crucial for your health and creates a record of your injuries. Even if your injuries seem minor, symptoms can worsen over time. A medical professional can identify injuries and provide a treatment plan. Report the incident: Notify Balboa Park staff, employees, or event organizers after your injury. Ask to speak with a park…

Forming a new business requires addressing a number of principal issues and logistics, many of which draw on structure, liability, policy, tax, and related considerations. After picking the best entity form, the first threshold matter to address is determining the company’s preferred state of formation, and it may not be as simple of a decision as a new business owner may think. Businesses Historically Favor Delaware Whether a business looks to grow slowly to a small or mid-sized operation or the owners seek to raise significant investor capital, it would ordinarily be fair to predict the business would default to Delaware as its choice state for formation, oftentimes regardless of its location or where it will primarily transact business. After all, Delaware has customarily been the most common jurisdiction for formation given its well-developed, business-friendly corporate laws and judicial decisions. This Delaware preference has, not surprisingly, been a trend for…

A recent federal appellate ruling is likely a relief for some employers on the West Coast, and perhaps beyond. Although the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals’ opinion is only binding in several western states, it nevertheless represents the latest chapter in a growing trend among federal appellate courts. That trend suggests that, when employees undertake a Fair Labor Standards Act collective action lawsuit, the trial court must determine personal jurisdiction on a claim-by-claim basis, where each opt-in plaintiff must have sufficient ties to the employer’s business in that state. If you have questions about these types of lawsuits, it is advisable to consult with an experienced Atlanta collective action lawyer regarding your specific situation. The plaintiffs in the 9th Circuit case were a group of current and former tipped employees of the restaurant chain Cracker Barrel, who sued their employer for violating the FLSA. Specifically, the servers alleged that the…

The phone rings at 6 AM, and it’s your auto lender. Your stomach drops as you realize you’re behind on your car payment again. The stress of mounting debt keeps you awake at night, but you need your car to get to work, take your kids to school, and handle daily life. If you’re considering Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Oregon, you’re probably wondering: what happens to my car loan? The good news is that Chapter 7 bankruptcy doesn’t automatically mean losing your vehicle. You have several options for dealing with your car loan, each with different consequences for your financial future. As an Oregon bankruptcy attorney, I’ll walk you through exactly what happens to your car loan during Chapter 7 bankruptcy and help you make the best decision for your situation. How Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Affects Secured Debts Like Car Loans When you file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, your debts fall into two main categories: secured and unsecured. Your car loan is a…

Back when the debate about foreign law—including especially Islamic law—in U.S. courts was in the news, I blogged quite a bit about it. I also wrote two law review articles on the subject, see Foreign Law in American Courts and Religious Law (Especially Islamic Law) in American Courts. My basic view was that: American courts often rightly do consider foreign law and foreign judgments, because American law calls on them to do that; and it would generally be senseless for American law to categorically block American courts from doing that. That sometimes includes the judgments of religious courts, and judgments of foreign courts applying religious law that is part of the foreign legal system. In some situations, American courts should refuse to apply foreign or religious law, or enforce the judgments of foreign or religious courts—but existing American law already has the tools needed for that. Here's a recent illustration of this (especially item 3) from…

(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)If you were under the impression that the Attorney General of Missouri had a duty — legal, ethical, or even just cosmetic — to use his office to improve the lives of citizens in a state already losing the race in crime, health, education, economic opportunity… Andrew Bailey is here to disabuse you of such a quaint notion. The political striver who tried to leverage the state’s law enforcement apparatus to avenge Elon Musk’s hurt feelings is big mad with big tech and fired off a bunch of letters complaining that generative AI isn’t appropriately deferential to Donald Trump. “Today, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey sent a formal demand letter to Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Meta regarding biased and factually inaccurate responses produced by the companies’ artificial intelligence chatbots,” yesterday’s press release screeched. “The letters demand information on…

Johanna Aleria P. Lorenzo (Univ. of Amsterdam - Law) has published International Financial Institutions and Sustainable Development: Lawmaking and Accountability (Cambridge Univ. Press 2025). Here's the abstract:Balancing theoretical and practice-oriented elements, this book introduces researchers, teachers, and students in international sustainable development law to the IFIs' safeguard policies. It also scrutinizes the case law of independent accountability mechanisms that interpret those policies and afford recourse to individuals and communities adversely affected by development projects. The book's focus on the procedural and substantive features of IFIs' safeguard systems contributes to a more concrete understanding of these organizations' participation in the international lawmaking process on sustainable development. It puts IFIs in the spotlight and provides an international legal critique of their activities to match their notoriety in popular…

T-Mobile is ending DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) policies in an attempt to obtain the Trump administration's approval for two mergers. "As T-Mobile indicated earlier this year, we recognize that the legal and policy landscape surrounding DEI under federal law has changed and we remain fully committed to ensuring that T-Mobile does not have any policies or practices that enable invidious discrimination, whether in fulfillment of DEI or any other purpose," T-Mobile General Counsel Mark Nelson wrote in a July 8 letter that was posted to the Federal Communications Commission's filings website yesterday. "We have conducted a comprehensive review of T-Mobile's policies, programs, and activities, and pursuant to this review, T-Mobile is ending its DEI-related policies as described below, not just in name, but in substance." It's clear that T-Mobile was trying to influence the FCC's review of its pending transactions because the…

This post was co-authored by EFF legal intern Noam Shemtov We are in a constant dialogue with Internet search engines, ranging from the mundane to the confessional. We ask search engines everything: What movies are playing (and which are worth seeing)? Where’s the nearest clinic (and how do I get there)? Who’s running in the sheriff’s race (and what are their views)? These online queries can give insight into our private details and innermost thoughts, but police increasingly access them without adhering to longstanding limits on government investigative power. A Virginia appeals court is poised to review such a request in a case called Commonwealth v. Clements. In Clements, police sought evidence under a “reverse-keyword warrant,” a novel court order that compels search engines like Google to hand over information about every person who has looked up a word or phrase online. While the trial judge correctly recognized the privacy interest in our…

Getty ImagesEd. note: This is the fourth post in a series. In our previous articles, we’ve explored how to lay the groundwork for a compelling CLE, structure your content, incorporate humor, and engage your audience through interactivity. Now, we turn our attention to a specific type of CLE that carries particular significance in the legal profession: the Ethics CLE. Crafting an effective Ethics CLE is not just about fulfilling a requirement — it’s about addressing the profound ethical challenges that legal professionals face in their day-to-day practice. THE UNIQUE CHALLENGES Creating an Ethics CLE involves more than just covering the basics of legal ethics. It requires a deep understanding of the ethical dilemmas that your audience might encounter and providing practical guidance that they can apply in real-world situations. Key Considerations • Audience Analysis: Start by understanding who your audience is. If your attendees are…

The Ammons Law Firm has filed a lawsuit against 3B Dozer Service, LLC and other parties after a serious tractor-trailer collision allegedly caused burn injuries to a Texas motorist. The crash occurred on State Highway 6 in Falls County, Texas, and involved a 2016 Freightliner semi-truck reportedly owned and operated by 3B Dozer Service. According to the complaint, the truck driver attempted to merge onto Highway 6 in an unsafe manner, causing a multi-vehicle collision. One of the vehicles allegedly caught fire, resulting in second-degree burns to the plaintiff’s feet and ankles. The injuries reportedly affected 10 to 19 percent of the plaintiff’s body surface and required emergency treatment. The lawsuit alleges that the driver failed to maintain a proper lookout, did not merge safely, and failed to yield the right of way as required under Texas Transportation Code Section 545.061. Claims are brought against 3B Dozer Service under the legal doctrine of respondeat…

The Ammons Law Firm has filed a lawsuit against M.W. Rentals & Services, Inc. and DOS Oilfield Services, LLC following the death of a worker who was electrocuted at a remote oilfield worksite. According to the lawsuit, the worker suffered fatal injuries while performing maintenance on a generator powering a cooling shack. The complaint alleges the decedent was electrocuted while attempting to install a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) on a generator unit. The equipment was allegedly being used to supply electricity to a cooling area intended for use by DOS Oilfield Services employees. The lawsuit claims that the worksite lacked appropriate safeguards, and that the generator system was not managed in accordance with accepted safety practices. The filing raises multiple claims against M.W. Rentals & Services, Inc., including failure to provide proper safety training related to electrical work and failure to ensure workers had access to personal protective equipment…

James M. Anderson (RAND Corporation), Maya Buenaventura (RAND Corporation), Amy Mahler (RAND Corporation), & Nicholas M. Pace (RAND Corporation) have posted Empirical Tort Law (and Theory)-An Essay in Honor of Deborah Hensler on SSRN. Here is the abstract: In this essay to honor Deborah Hensler, we summarize an update to her classic study on claiming behavior and explore its policy implications. More specifically, we empirically document how those with significant medical conditions utilize the civil liability system, particularly in terms of making claims against others, seeking the advice of legal professionals, and initiating litigation. We find that few who are injured or fall ill believe that another party is responsible, and even among that group, relatively few seek compensation against that party. Still fewer contact attorneys or file a lawsuit. Our findings have implications for the social welfare system, the role of tort law, and the way the selection of…