PACCAR Recalls Over 55,000 Defective Kenworth and Peterbilt Trucks for Risk of Crash and Injury

Carolyn Elefant is a renewable‑energy litigator, founder of MyShingle and longtime advocate for solo and small‑firm lawyers. In this conversation Kevin digs into her idea of “owning your talent,” the 20‑year journey of MyShingle and how generative AI is opening new doors for lawyers who practice on their own terms. They also explore Carolyn’s niche work in renewable‑energy regulation and her vision for a nationwide solo network. Watch the episode Listen and subscribe You can subscribe to Real Lawyers with Kevin O’Keefe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Episode outline 00:00 — Introductions and Carolyn’s mission to help solos 02:00 — Leaving big law and building a niche practice 06:30 — What “own your talent” means for lawyers today …

Curtis Bradley (University of Chicago - Law School) & Neil Siegel (Duke University School of Law) have posted The Supreme Court Under Threat: Early Lessons in Judicial Self-Protection on SSRN. Here is the abstract: This Essay explores how the U.S. Supreme Court, despite being vulnerable to defiance of its decisions and political retaliation, has developed tools of judicial self-protection to preserve its institutional authority as well as the Constitution and the rule of law. Arguing that the Court performs not only a legal role that requires interpretation of the law but also a political one that demands institutional preservation, the Essay examines how the Court has historically navigated political threats by using a range of tools—including avoidance, delay, narrow rulings, strategic dicta, and rhetorical appeals. The Essay focuses on three nineteenth-century episodes: the Jeffersonian backlash following the election of 1800, Georgia’s defiance in…

Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Quote of the Day. [The fact that this topic has remained in the news] reminds firms that if they settle, people will not forget quickly. I am guessing that the firms that settled never anticipated the extent of the blowback or how long the settlements would continue to be front-of-mind for many people. The fact that the settlements happened at all was extraordinary. The amount of free legal work that was extracted was extraordinary. Every time there is a new development that seems remotely related to those settlements, some people become incensed all over again. Those settlements never should have happened. — Leslie Levin, a legal ethics professor at the University of Connecticut School of Law, in comments given to the American Lawyer, on the lasting impact of the pro bono payola deals that the notorious nine Biglaw firms — including Kirkland & Ellis; Latham & Watkins; Skadden; Simpson…

A recent Wall Street Journal headline caught my eye. The gist of the article, entitled CEOs Start Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud: AI Will Wipe Out Jobs, is what it sounds. It quotes a number of CEOs to the effect that AI is going to massively impact white collar jobs. The article further points out that these leaders have until recently sugarcoated the impact AI will have, particularly on white collar jobs. That view is now evolving as AI becomes increasingly capable. (These realities were recently brought home to me as I watched two very fine and knowledgeable people at Microsoft get laid off.) Lawyers aren’t immune and are mentioned by one industry leader in the article as being ripe for downsizing. Suffice it to say that at best, AI is going to significantly disrupt white collar work either by reducing the workforce or by requiring that the nature of white collar work change. A More Optimistic View A second article I saw, one by Akshay Verma, is more…

When accidents happen and someone else is at fault, it’s important to know our rights and options. A personal injury lawyer in Missouri can help us get compensation for medical bills, lost income, and other expenses after an accident. Many people in Missouri have questions about the legal process, how to file a claim, and what to expect from working with an attorney. We see cases involving car accidents, slip and falls, workplace injuries, and more. With so many law firms and attorneys available, it helps to understand what personal injury lawyers do, how they work, and how to choose the right one for our needs. By learning the basics, we can make informed decisions that protect our interests and lead to better outcomes. What Is a Personal Injury Lawyer in Missouri? Personal injury lawyers in Missouri work to help people who have been hurt because of someone else’s actions or carelessness. They guide clients through the legal system, fight for…

Pix credit here  I have been following the work of the  Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) for some time.  Essays HERE: CECC. CECC serves as an important venue for the dissemination of official positions of the United States on its relationship with China.  Its prior leaders includes current Secretary of State Rubio.  It is also an official space in which debates or positions that might be taken by the State, or what may serve as encouragement for private action, might be developed.   CECC has a fairly comprehensive range of issues on which it focuses.  CECC issue areas include Access to Justice; Business and Human Rights; Civil Society; Criminal Justice; Developments in Hong Kong and Macau; Ethnic Minority Rights; Freedom of Expression; Freedom of Religion; Freedom of Residence and Movement; Human Rights Violations in the U.S. and Globally; Human…

by Joshua Walker, CodeX Co-Founder and Fellow In the context of our 20+ anniversary at CodeX—CONGRATS!—Roland and I got to talking about global challenges we could take on: Problems to be solved over the NEXT 20 years (or—ideally but not realistically—over the next two . . . years or months). In essence, this is our way of talking to the future, for the succor of today. The set of Ten CodeX Challenges was inspired by David Hilbert’s challenges to the mathematics community. In 1900, Hilbert ultimately published 23 problems to the global mathematics community. Not all have been solved, as of this afternoon, and some only “partially”. Hilbert’s precision varied. But his questions / problems served to catalyze and focus a vast enterprise over time, with both abstract (i.e., fun) and humanity-serving advances. We are not Hilbert, but we can be inspired and focused by his example—and his questions. And since we are quintessential…

Recently, major technology companies, Anthropic and Meta each secured landmark victories in separate copyright lawsuits. The companies had been sued by authors and their publishers, regarding claims that these companies’  AI models were trained on copyrighted materials without claimant’s permission, in violation of U.S. copyright law. These are the first major decisions in a series of similar copyright suits and could signal a potential significant impact on the AI industry. The decisions are generally good for the industry, but the details still leave room for plaintiffs to succeed. To train large language models, AI companies have collected extensive amounts of data and fed them into their systems. Generally, the more data a model is trained on, the more accurate its responses become. This data includes movies, articles, social media posts, and — central to the lawsuits in question — books. The data is often copyrighted, yet several…

SPEARFISH, S.D. – Three people from Rapid City were seriously injured Wednesday morning in a rollover crash on Interstate 90 just east of Spearfish. Officials say the crash occurred when the front tire of a westbound 2002 Ford F-150 failed. The driver, a 30-year-old man, lost control of the vehicle, which struck a cable guard rail, went airborne, and rolled. All three occupants were transported to a nearby hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. No further information is currently available. The tire in this crash has to be examined for possible defects Sudden tire failure is a frightening experience for any driver. These crashes happen without warning, and in seconds, the person can lose control of their vehicle. What’s even more frightening is the fact that some tires should never have made it on our roadways. Not all tire failures are due to poor maintenance or bad road conditions. Sometimes, they’re caused by a defective tire. This is why,…

AirLife and manufacturer Vyaire Medical have issued a recall of specific infant heated wire breathing circuits due to a risk that certain accessory adapters may disconnect unintentionally during use, posing a serious safety hazard to neonatal and infant patients. The affected devices, identified as AirLife Infant Heated Wire Circuit dual-limb dual-heat, high-flow circuits (model AH165), are used to warm and deliver breathing gases from ventilators to infants requiring respiratory support. The recall includes units distributed under both the AirLife and Vyaire brands. According to the manufacturer, the problem occurs when the breathing circuit reaches operating temperature, potentially causing the accessory adapter to detach from the system during setup or use. This disconnection can interrupt the flow of respiratory gas to the patient. Use of the recalled product may lead to life-threatening complications, including insufficient oxygen (hypoxia), elevated carbon dioxide levels…

Google’s latest core algorithm update began on June 30th, and as of the writing of this blog, is still rolling out, with Google predicting it would take approximately three weeks to complete. Each time a core algorithm update is announced, websites of all types take notice. This is especially true of law firm websites, where search engine rankings and visibility are keys to success. At PaperStreet, we understand the importance of ranking on Google, and our SEO services are designed to help our clients compete in their given area of legal expertise and remain visible to potential new clients who may be searching for an attorney. With any Google core update, there are a few important things to keep in mind to ensure continued growth and success within the search engine rankings. Don’t Panic The first, and perhaps most important, thing to remember is don’t panic! It’s easy to react abruptly to a Google core algorithm update, especially since it’s…

Disability A Clarion Call for Public Health: Sustain Non-Partisan Federal Service My fourth guide dog, Izzie, was the final dog partner in my particular federal agency’s building when I recently retired from service as a health care lawyer with expertise in public health. Published July 17, 2025 Author Gary Norman Share Share on LinkedIn Share on X Share on Facebook Share on Reddit My fourth guide dog, Izzie, was the final dog partner in my particular federal agency’s building when I recently retired from service as a health care lawyer with expertise in public health. As I review my career, from my start as a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF) at the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), to what I have observed since the winter of 2025, including the termination of the PMF program, I am deeply troubled. As a lawyer and law professor with a…

Trump is on a rampage. He has big plans for a mass repeal of existing regulations; he’s trying to use emergency declarations to short circuit normal environmental protections; and he’s savaging environmental agencies. He’s also at war with the rule of law, dodging court orders, ignoring statutes, and punishing lawyers and law firms that have dared to challenge him. In area after area, Trump has tried to sweep aside legal constraints.  Part of the point of Trump’s “shock and awe” campaign has been to overwhelm the ability of opponents and the courts to keep up with his legally questionable actions. Trump’s attack on the bureaucracy is also an attack on the rule of law, because one of the key functions of bureaucrats is to ensure that the government follows the rules. Trump has also tried to impede access to the courts by demanding that opponents of Administration decisions provide expensive bonds to get injunctions.  Judges who…

The European Accessibility Act (“EAA”) (Directive (EU) 2019/882) introduces new accessibility requirements that will apply to a wide range of products and services when they are accessible in the EU, aiming to enhance access for persons with disabilities and improve the functioning of the EU single market. What Does the EAA Seek to Achieve?The EAA recognizes that the demand for accessible products and services is high, and that the number of persons with disabilities is increasing. An environment where products and services are more accessible has a number of key advantages, not least allowing for a more inclusive society and facilitating independent living for persons with disabilities. Until now, accessibility rules varied across Member States, creating legal fragmentation and increased compliance burdens for businesses operating cross-border. The EAA seeks to address this by establishing consistent requirements across the EU, allowing companies to scale…

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor On Tuesday the Justice Department filed a writ of Quo Warranto against three individuals having served as board members of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting who were fired by President Trump yet allegedly continued to hold and exercise their office. The complaint states “[s]ince April 28, 2025, Defendants Laura G. Ross, Thomas E. Rothman, and Diane Kaplan have been usurping and purporting to exercise unlawfully the office of board member of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (the “CPB”)… President Donald J. Trump lawfully removed each Defendant from office on April 28, 2025. As recent Supreme Court orders have recognized, the President cannot meaningfully exercise his executive power under Article II of the Constitution without the power to select—and, when necessary, remove—those who hold federal office. Personnel is policy, after all.” According to Defendants, they “received an…

Content Reviewed by: Michael F. Bonamarte, IV Content Reviewed by: Michael F. Bonamarte, IV display:none; Accordion Content READ BIO Since 2005, Michael Bonamarte IV has been a passionate advocate for victims of negligent conduct, corporate malfeasance, and medical malpractice. He has won numerous awards and recognitions, including Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers’ Rising Star. He has presented for the American Association for Justice, the AAJ Nursing Home Litigation Group, the John Marshall Law School, and numerous other legal associations. He regularly lectures at Chicago-area aging organizations about nursing home abuse. His writings have been published by the American…

By Carla Rydholm | Lex Machina General Manager and Head of Product The ability to leverage data-driven insights has become common practice for litigators to craft winning case strategies. A new survey from Lex Machina ®, the LexisNexis® Legal Analytics® platform, provides compelling evidence that incorporating data-driven litigation strategies and business development evolved from important to essential. Incorporating Data-Driven Litigation Strategies and Business Development Litigation analytics offer lawyers a valuable resource for improving their decision-making and delivering superior outcomes for their clients. Our proprietary technology and AI-assisted attorney review convert raw legal documents into comprehensive data sets, filling gaps in court records and delivering unique case insights that are not available from any other platform. This enables legal practitioners to paint an accurate portrait of their case landscape for clients to rely upon, knowing that…

A lot of people want to save a buck during contract negotiations. These folks usually do not not use a lawyer for drafting term sheets or other initial matters. Sometimes, this can work out well. For bigger or more complicated deals, or for deals with a difficult opponent, this can be a bad idea. Let’s look at why. What is the point of a cannabis deal term sheet? A term sheet (also referred to as a letter of intent or LOI) is an outline of key deal points that the parties sign before negotiating a final contract. You won’t see them in all deals. They are used frequently in bigger, more complex deals like M&A or finance transactions. They can be binding contracts, but this is usually a very bad idea. A non-binding document can be very useful, as the parties will have a roadmap for the deal and will have hammered out key points before undertaking the expense of diligence and drafting. Why do people try to draft term sheets without a lawyer? Money is the #1 answer.…