Pro Bono Work Can Be Helpful To Law Firms

A serious all-terrain vehicle (ATV) accident in Clayton left three people injured on Thursday evening, with two victims requiring emergency airlift transportation to local hospitals. The incident highlights the ongoing safety concerns surrounding recreational ATV use and the importance of proper safety precautions when operating these vehicles. Emergency Response to Oak Hill Lane Incident Firefighters with the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District responded to reports of a four-wheel all-terrain vehicle accident with multiple injuries on Oak Hill Lane just before 6 p.m. on Thursday. The swift emergency response was crucial given the severity of the injuries sustained in the crash. Emergency medical personnel quickly assessed the scene and determined that two of the three injured victims required immediate airlift transportation due to their critical conditions. The rapid deployment of air medical services demonstrates how serious ATV accidents can result in…

Abdi Aidid (University of Toronto - Faculty of Law; Yale Law School) has posted Juridification and Regulating the Modern Lawyer (Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics, Volume 37, No. 3) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: To say that lawyers are everywhere is only a slight exaggeration, yet the legal ethics regimes tasked with regulating the profession do not contemplate most of what modern lawyers do. As this Article explains, a major reason for this is juridification, a process describing (i) the sheer growth in the volume and increasing specificity of new laws, (ii) the increase in the authority and reach of judicial dispute resolution, and (iii) the proliferation of law-like procedures and legalistic decision-making in non-juridical organizations. Interestingly, this expansion of lawyer influence occurred against the backdrop of a countertendency in lawyer regulation. Legal ethics regimes self-consciously moved away from expansive, aspirational rule-setting to-with the advent of…

Throughout the month of May, the Law Library received alerts for full-time TTU Law Faculty publications and news. Below is a compilation of those daily alerts for May 1st to May 31st, 2025. Articles, Books, and More Gerry W. Beyer, Drafting Wills to Prevent and Diminish Contests, Est. Plan. Dev. for Tex. Prof., Mar. 2025, at 1. Gerry W. Beyer, ed., Keeping Current—Probate, Prob. & Prop., May/Jun. 2025, at 27. Gerry W. Beyer, Potpourri, 63-2 Real Est., Prob., & Tr. L. Rep., at 4 (2025). Gerry W. Beyer, Intestacy, Wills, Estate Administration, and Trusts Update, 63-2 Real Est., Prob., & Tr. L. Rep., at 5 (2025). Geoffrey S. Corn, [Chapter Within] The Law on Nuclear Weapons (2025). Richard Murphy, Federal Practice and Procedure (May 2025 Update). Richard Murphy, Administrative Law and Practice (May 2025 Update). Stephen t. Black, Weaponizing AI, 16 UC L. Sci. & Tech. J. 177 (2025). Blogs, Op-Eds, and Newsletters Prof.…

[The Trump Administration returned the illegally deported migrant from imprisonment in El Salvador after repeatedly claiming they could not do so.] Kilmar Abrego Garcia. (NA)  Salvadoran immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia—illegally deported by the Trump Administration to imprisonment in El Salvador without any due process—is now back in the US. After the Supreme Court ruled that the Administration had to "facilitate" his return, the administration repeatedly insisted they had no power to do so, and otherwise verged on defying court orders. But as Trump admitted, in reality the administration could have secured his return any time they wanted to. Salvadoran President Nayeb Bukele was  keeping Abrego Garcia in prison only because of arrangement with Trump, under which the US paid him to detain Garcia and hundreds of other migrants deported without due process, in violation of the Fifth Amendment. The Venezuelans deported under the Alien Enemies…

Law firms across the country are investing heavily in digital marketing. They’re running SEO campaigns, producing video content, launching PPC ads, and posting on every social media platform imaginable. And yet, many of these same firms report the same frustrating outcome: “We’re not getting enough clients.” The assumption? The marketing isn’t working.  Let me say the quiet part out loud: The marketing is working. The leads are coming in. They’re just slipping through the cracks. Welcome to the quiet crisis of law firm lead conversion. Marketing Isn’t Broken, Your Intake Is Tough love. Most law firms believe the first place to look when revenue is stagnant is the marketing funnel. Maybe the agency isn’t delivering enough traffic. Maybe the ad creative needs a refresh. Maybe the blogs aren’t ranking. Sure, all of those things can be true. But in a significant number of cases, the real culprit is much…

A medical malpractice deposition is a critical step in a lawsuit. It requires doctors, expert witnesses, and other medical professionals to provide sworn testimony under questioning from attorneys. Though depositions take place outside the courtroom, they are legally binding, and anything said can be used at trial. Understanding how to prepare for a deposition can make a significant difference in the outcome of a case. This guide will explain what to expect, how to answer questions, and which legal strategies can help protect your rights.   What Is a Medical Malpractice Deposition? Purpose of a Deposition A deposition is a formal legal proceeding where a witness provides testimony under oath before a trial. Attorneys use depositions to gather information, clarify facts, and assess witness credibility. In medical malpractice cases, depositions help attorneys determine whether a doctor’s actions met the standard of care. The plaintiff’s attorney may try to…

Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Trivia Question of the Day! According to data from the 2025 NLJ 500, which five U.S. cities have the most lawyers, and which five firms have the largest offices in those markets? Hint: These are the hottest legal markets in the country, where some of the most profitable Biglaw firms are headquartered. See the answer on the next page. Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn. The post The Cities With The Most Lawyers In America appeared first on Above the Law.

How are legal professionals and law firm managers adapting to rapid advances in artificial intelligence? Justin Cary of Drummond Woodsum in Portland, Maine, joined host Jared Correia in this recent episode of “Adventures in Legal Tech” to explore AI upskilling in the legal industry. Here are some takeaways from the discussion. How to Get Started What are the first steps in training your lawyers and staff to realize the benefits of AI tools? Here, Justin weighs in. The ‘Red Herring’ of AI Training Where does AI upskilling go wrong? Justin takes a look at the problem of data. A Human Trust Gap While building trust with AI products creates its own challenges, you shouldn’t overlook the need for trust among human stakeholders. Here, Justin explains why. Hear the Full Conversation Curious to learn more? Check out this episode below. The post ‘Adventures In Legal Tech’: The Challenges Of AI…

[No, says a magistrate judge.] From a decision by Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui (D.D.C.) in In re: Search of One Device and Two Individuals (decided last month but just released Tuesday): The videos [of the arrest] showed the defendant and [Redacted] on top of each other, falling down the stairs while being tackled by police officers. While they all were tumbling down, a gun fell from their area. Defendant's [Redacted] exclaimed right away that the gun was [Redacted]. The gun was in fact registered to [Redacted] and [Redacted] had a license to carry it. The defendant was prosecuted on the theory that he was the one possessing the gun, which would be a crime because the defendant (but not the man he was fighting, whose gun this was) was a felon. Among other things, the court rejected the request for a warrant to search defendant's phone: The affidavit here does not "demonstrate that [[Redacted]] was engaged in [illegally possessing a firearm] and keeping…

From a decision by Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui (D.D.C.) in In re: Search of One Device and Two Individuals (decided last month but just released Tuesday): The videos [of the arrest] showed the defendant and [redacted] on top of each other, falling down the stairs while being tackled by police officers. While they all were tumbling down, a gun fell from their area. Defendant's [redacted] exclaimed right away that the gun was [redacted]. The gun was in fact registered to [redacted] and [redacted] had a license to carry it. The underlying criminal prosecution of the defendant was for that defendant's allegedly possessing a firearm as a felon, but the government applied for a search warrant seeking, among other things, [redacted]'s DNA, which in context appears to be the DNA of the person who was fighting with defendant. (As is often the case with opinions that contain multiple redactions, one needs to guess at what each redaction relates to.) [Redacted] has lived,…

The Trump administration came to the Supreme Court on Friday morning asking the justices to temporarily pause an order by a federal judge in Massachusetts that requires the Department of Education to reinstate nearly 1,400 employees who were fired as part of a reduction in force in March. U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer urged the Supreme Court to intervene, arguing that U.S. District Judge Myong Joun “is attempting to prevent” the Department of Education “from restructuring its workforce, despite lacking the” power to do so “several times over.”  The Supreme Court directed the challengers in the case – including a group of blue states, led by New York, as well as the District of Columbia, public school districts, and teachers’ unions – to respond to the Trump administration’s request by 4 p.m. on Friday, June 13.  The dispute has its roots in the March 11 announcement by the…

Recently, lawsuits alleging violations of the quiet hours restrictions of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) have been filed with increasing frequency.  One law firm which has been among the most frequent filers of this category of lawsuit has been The Law Offices of Jibrael S. Hindi. What Are the TCPA’s Quiet Hours Restrictions? Readers will be familiar with the guidelines addressing telemarketing during particular times of day.  Specifically, the TCPA’s applicable implementing regulations, found at 47 C.F.R. § 64.1200(c)(1), provide, in pertinent part: “[n]o person or entity shall initiate any telephone solicitation” to “[a]ny residential telephone subscriber before the hour of 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. (local time at the called party’s location).” 47 C.F.R. § 64.1200(c) further states that these restrictions are “applicable to any person or entity making telephone solicitations or…

We trust doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals with our lives, but what happens when that trust is broken by a preventable mistake? While not every negative medical outcome is grounds for a lawsuit, some errors cross the line into medical malpractice. This legal term can have profound implications for both patients and providers. In this post, we’ll explain what legally qualifies as medical malpractice, how it differs from general medical mistakes, and what you can do if you or a loved one has been harmed by negligent care. ⚖️ What Is Medical Malpractice? Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare provider deviates from the accepted standard of care, and that deviation causes injury or harm to the patient. To have a valid malpractice case, four legal elements must generally be proven: Duty – The medical provider had a legal obligation to treat the patient. Breach – They failed to meet the standard of care expected in their field. …

Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Quote of the Day. The biggest change to our training is we have two separate AI trainings for summers. It’s a very hot topic these days. Our attorneys have been starting to implement [AI] into their daily practices … attorneys are requesting more and more resources [on this] for summer associates, so we moved up the second of the trainings earlier in the summer so associates can use AI throughout the entire summer they’re here. — Kelsey Rowan, senior manager of attorney recruiting at Blank Rome senior manager of attorney recruiting, in comments given to the Legal Intelligencer, on the new artificial intelligence training that’s been added to the firm’s summer associate programming. Other Biglaw firms, including Saul Ewing, Stradley Ronon, and Troutman Pepper Locke, have also increased generative AI training for their summer associates. Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law,…

Dennis J. Wieboldt III (University of Notre Dame) has posted Our Natural Law Moment(s) (Georgetown Journal of Law and Public Policy (forthcoming)) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: To both its sharpest critics and strongest proponents, natural law increasingly appears to be enjoying a "moment" in American legal discourse. The 2024 Herbert W. Vaughan Lecture at Harvard Law School, in fact, took as its subject "The Natural Law Moment in Constitutional Theory." Following the publication of Adrian Vermeule's Common Good Constitutionalism, among other works on natural law in the last half-decade, Alicea's 2024 Vaughan Lecture raises two important questions for those interested in the United States' contemporary jurisprudential debates: is there something unique about today's natural law moment, and, if so, what might understanding previous natural law moment(s) portend for contemporary debates about natural law? This Article assumes the…

["Unsealing the May 6 Order is essential for the public to see the government's overreach in searching cellphones without probable cause and [is essential for] publishing precedent as courts unpack future such requests."] From the introduction and conclusion of a decision by Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui (D.D.C.) in In re: Search of One Device and Two Individuals (decided last week but just released Wednesday): The government has moved to seal seemingly forever an order of the Court. But this is the Court's order, not the Executive's order. So the Court, not the Executive, decides unsealing. For the reasons stated below, the Court DENIES the government's attempt to muzzle the Court…. No secret courts. This means no forever sealed judicial decisions—including warrants—as they are the foundation for secret courts. Without visibility, the public cannot hold courts or the government accountable. The Framers knew this. Thomas Jefferson…

A devastating two-vehicle crash near Reedley claimed one life and left another person critically injured on Thursday morning, June 5, 2025. The tragic incident is a stark reminder of the dangers at intersections and the importance of understanding your legal rights following a serious traffic accident. Details of the Fresno County Accident The fatal crash occurred at the intersection of American and Buttonwillow avenues, just north of Reedley in Fresno County. According to the California Highway Patrol, a woman driving a Toyota Prius pulled out in front of a northbound white sedan traveling on Buttonwillow Avenue, resulting in a devastating collision. The male driver of the sedan was pronounced dead at the scene. In contrast, the female driver of the Prius sustained critical injuries requiring emergency airlift to Community Regional Medical Center in downtown Fresno. Authorities have confirmed that no other individuals were involved in the crash, and preliminary investigations…

Two people sustained injuries in a serious head-on collision involving two vehicles in Patterson on Wednesday afternoon, June 4, 2025. The crash occurred during daylight hours on a busy stretch of road, prompting an immediate emergency response. Details of the Patterson Accident According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the collision occurred at approximately 2:10 p.m. on East Las Palmas Avenue near Sycamore Avenue. The intersection area is known for moderate traffic flow, particularly during afternoon hours when commuters and residents frequently travel through the corridor. Emergency responders arrived on the scene shortly after receiving initial reports of the crash. Radio dispatch communications confirmed that two individuals were injured in the collision, though authorities have not yet disclosed the specific extent of their injuries. Emergency Response and Investigation The California Highway Patrol is thoroughly investigating the circumstances surrounding the…