Understanding Your Rights When Facing Criminal Charges

Background In Rafiyev v Azerbaijan [2025] ECHR 171, Mr Rafiyev was a follower of the Nurism sect of Islam [5]. In 2017, after attending a funeral, he and others visited a friend, TA, at his house and, at around 1 pm, several police officers raided the house and arrested Mr Rafiyev and twenty-one others. They were ultimately charged with violating the rules on holding religious meetings, contrary to Article 515.0.2 of the Code of Administrative Offences [6&7]. He was found guilty; the court accepted the police evidence that, following the funeral ceremony, he had gone to TA’s house and had prayed, though he had not known that praying at TA’s house had constituted “a religious meeting” [9]. His appeal was unsuccessful [10&11]. Before the ECtHR, he complained of breaches of Article 5 (liberty and security), Article 6 (fair trial) and Article 9 (thought, conscience and religion).  The arguments On the complaints under Article 5, the Government…

On June 23, 2025, Nip & Tuck Plastic Surgery, LLC (“Defendant”) was sued in the Northern District of Georgia for allegedly violating the Do Not Call (“DNC”) provisions of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”). DNC compliance means that, in general, companies cannot place telemarketing calls to consumers who have registered their telephone numbers on the DNC registry. As we know, however, the DNC provisions comprise only one small part of what makes up the TCPA. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Facebook v. Duguid, telemarketing plaintiffs have been exploring new avenues to sue for failure to observe proper TCPA compliance procedures. Even if some recent TCPA lawsuit allegations seem novel, it is important to take them seriously, including those claims involving state TCPA equivalents.  A Few of the Most Common Post-Facebook TCPA Allegations  The telemarketing regulatory landscape…

The silence in the fields of Potočari near Srebrenica is louder than any noise. Thousands of white marble gravestones stand in eerie rows, each a monument to a life that was violently cut short. Today’s peaceful valley stands in stark contrast to the chaos of July 1995, when the same area, inside and around the base of a Dutch United Nations battalion, was the scene of unspeakable horror, displacement, and the beginning of an industrial-scale massacre — 8,372 names of innocent victims are engraved on a memorial. Yet this sacred ground is not just a place of remembrance. It is still a place of struggle against the denial and glorification of the internationally recognized genocide against Bosniaks in and around Srebrenica during the 1990s wars in the former Yugoslavia. The 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide is not only a historical point, but also provides a roadmap to this ongoing war – the war against the deniers, not only of that atrocity but…

On today’s episode of Ad Nauseam, Amy and Daniel are back with national treasure, and all-around great person, Lesley Fair, a legal expert, distinguished law professor and former Senior attorney at the Federal Trade Commission. In their series, “You Have Lesley Fair Notice,” Amy and Daniel interview Lesley about her experiences at the FTC and what she thinks of the current challenges attorneys are facing. Questions & Comments: amudge@bakerlaw.com or dkaufman@bakerlaw.com Download Episode Transcript View All Episodes Subscribe to BakerHosts® Apple Podcast | iHeartRadio | Spotify | YouTube

A truck accident can permanently alter your life in a moment. Often resulting in major injuries, increasing medical bills, and long-term financial difficulty, these catastrophic events. Claims for truck accidents are not like those for standard car accidents. They call for federal and state rules, several accountable parties, and big trucking firms with formidable legal teams. The best truck accident lawyers are aware of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR), logbook infractions, driver tiredness, and inappropriate loading techniques; they also grasp this complexity.  The best truck accident lawyers know how to create a strong case and find the underlying cause of an accident. Experience with Litigation of High Stakes Regarding truck accidents, insurance firms understand the stakes and should you as well. Traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, amputations, and other life-altering injuries abound among victims.  The best truck…

Today’s blog post is an interview with a foreign law intern at the Law Library of Congress, Raksmei Dara. She works with Foreign Law Specialist Sayuri Umeda in the Global Legal Research Directorate.  Describe your background. My name is Raksmei Dara, but people call me Mei. I was born in the heart of Phnom Penh city, Cambodia. I have an older brother, and I am the youngest one in my family. What is your academic/ professional history? I have a bachelor’s degree in law from the American University of Phnom Penh and a Bachelor of Arts in law from the University of Arizona. I interned at the Fraud Prevention Unit in the U.S. Consular Affairs Office at the United States Embassy in Cambodia during my undergraduate program. Shortly after, I was offered a scholarship from Pennsylvania State University for an LL.M. program, where I earned my concentration in international, foreign, and comparative law. While at Penn State, I was chosen and coached as a competitor for…

National sporting organisation, the Australian Sporting Alliance for People with Disability (ASAPD), has renewed its strategic partnership in Australia with Dentons for 2025. Corporate Governance, Corporate, Corporate in Australia, Corporate Governance in Australia, Intellectual Property and Technology, Intellectual Property and Technology in Australia, Consumer, Media, Media, Entertainment and Sports in Australia, Not-for-profit and charities in Australia, Nonprofit Entities, Sports, Technology, Media and Telecommunications, Technology in Australia, Australia, Asia Pacific, Australasia

Dentons has advised bp on its agreement to sell its mobility & convenience and bp pulse businesses in the Netherlands to Catom. The sale is part of bp’s previously announced $20 billion divestment programme and is expected to complete by the end of 2025, subject to regulatory approvals. Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions, Energy, United Kingdom, Europe, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich, Amsterdam, London

Global law firm Dentons has advised premium food retailer Carpo on a franchise agreement with Americana Restaurants, granting Americana exclusive rights to operate Carpo stores in Kuwait and Qatar, with further expansion planned across Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Franchising and Distribution, Food and Beverage, Hospitality and Leisure, Dentons Franchise Advisory, Europe, Middle East

Contemplating separation or divorce can be one of the most challenging and emotionally taxing experiences in life. If you find yourself at this crossroads, it’s vital to approach the situation with foresight and preparation. Bruce Provan, Managing Director of Page Provan Family & Fertility Lawyers, offers crucial insights and practical advice for anyone considering separation. This guide aims to equip you with the knowledge and tools to navigate this difficult transition with confidence, protecting your interests and well-being every step of the way. Understanding the Separation Process Separation often follows the breakdown of a relationship, but it doesn’t have to be a chaotic or rushed decision. Many people seek legal advice before officially announcing their intention to separate, which can make a significant difference in how smoothly the process unfolds. It’s important to understand that separation is not just about ending a relationship; it involves…

[The diversity and quality of the briefs opposing Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs speaks for itself. ] NAYesterday, the Liberty Justice Center and I  filed our appellate brief VOS Selections, Inc. v. Trump, the case challenging Trump's massive "Liberation Day" tariffs on behalf of five small businesses. We are working with Neal Katyal and Michael McConnell, both leading constitutional law scholars and appellate litigators. The case is before the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, consolidated with a related case filed by 12 state governments, led by Oregon. We are defending a unanimous ruling in our favor by the US Court of International Trade. The key issue, as before, is that the government claims the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA) grants the president unlimited power to impose tariffs on any nation, in any amount, for any reason, for any length of time. We contend IEEPA grants no such authority, and…

A consequential legislative proposal emerged from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, led by Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), in June 2025, threatening to reform the inheritance of American public lands. Tucked into a broader budget reconciliation bill, Mike Lee’s proposal allows for the potential sale of over 250 million acres of land within the Western states of the U.S. managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS). Although marketed as a strategy to address housing shortages and reduce the federal budget deficit, critics contend that the bill prioritizes corporate interests and tax breaks for the wealthy over environmental protection, recreation, and Indigenous sovereignty.  What sets this bill apart from others developed before is not simply the acreage at stake but the sweeping authority it grants to federal Secretaries within federal entities the ability to select lands for sale without Congressional oversight or the…

Try estate law for a practice with work-life balance, says ‘Lifestyle Lawyer Revolution’ author

For many years, data brokers have existed in the shadows, exploiting gaps in privacy laws to harvest our information—all for their own profit. They sell our precise movements without our knowledge or meaningful consent to a variety of private and state actors, including law enforcement agencies. And they show no sign of stopping. This incentivizes other bad actors. If companies collect any kind of personal data and want to make a quick buck, there’s a data broker willing to buy it and sell it to the highest bidder–often law enforcement and intelligence agencies. One recent investigation by 404 Media revealed that the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), a data broker owned and operated by at least eight major U.S. airlines, including United Airlines and American Airlines, collected travelers’ domestic flight records and secretly sold access to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Despite selling passengers’ names, full flight itineraries, and…

Jack Kieffaber (Harvard University - Harvard Law School), Kimo Gandall (Harvard University, Harvard Law School), Steven M. Foster, Jr. (U.S. Army), & Kenny McLaren (Harvard University - Harvard Law School) have posted LLMs Are Bad Judges. So Use Our Classifier Instead on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Large Language Models suffer from prompt variance—meaning they'll give you totally different legal answers depending on how you phrase your question. Jonathan Choi demonstrated this recently when he asked ChatGPT five legal questions, each rephrased 2,000 times, and watched as the bot spat out different answers every time. When you tell somebody that AI is going to replace the judge, the lawyer, and the legal system in the next twenty years, Choi's article has become the go-to rebuttal; it's the crown jewel of the "AI bad" genre. Choi's absolutely right that LLM's are bad judges. And, if every AI was an LLM, your biglaw job…

Shortly before 6 a.m. on Thursday, a tractor-trailer reportedly collided with another vehicle on Route 45 near Agee Lane in Cumberland County, Virginia. Both lanes of the highway were shut down for several hours due to the crash, a fuel spill, and complications from the tractor-trailer’s cargo. The truck driver sustained minor injuries, while the driver of the other vehicle was taken to the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Authorities have not yet released details about the cause of the crash. Whenever a crash involves a semi-truck and sends someone to the hospital, I want to understand exactly how and why it happened. Could Distraction or Fatigue Have Played a Role? Truck drivers often operate on tight schedules and long shifts, which can lead to fatigue and delayed reaction times. Even a few seconds of distraction, such as checking a GPS or using a phone, can make it impossible to avoid a crash. Investigators should examine the…

On the morning of July 8, 2025, a crash involving a semi-truck and a white pickup truck occurred on westbound Highway 58 at Bealeville Road. According to the California Highway Patrol, the semi-truck reportedly overturned, and one of the vehicles went down an embankment. Authorities reported the incident as a major injury crash, though it’s unclear who was injured. When I see a report like this, especially one involving an overturned semi, I want to understand whether something went wrong beyond driver error. Could a Mechanical Defect or Maintenance Issue Be Involved? Any time a semi-truck rolls over during a collision, it raises concerns about possible mechanical failures. Tire blowouts, brake failures, and suspension issues can all compromise a truck's ability to maintain stability, especially during evasive maneuvers or collisions. If a component failure contributed to this crash, the manufacturer or maintenance provider could share some responsibility. …

The Trump administration notched another victory this week when U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington granted a motion to dismiss a case brought by five organizations to stop the cancellation of more than 360 grant awards by the Justice Department. However, in reaching this relatively straightforward conclusion, Judge Mehta opted to follow a pattern set by other judges in adding his own personal commentary on the wisdom of the policy change. Judge Mehta easily found that he lacked jurisdiction over such questions. However, he then vented his own personal views on the policy: “Defendants’ rescinding of these awards is shameful. It is likely to harm communities and individuals vulnerable to crime and violence. But displeasure and sympathy are not enough in a court of law.” Actually, neither the court’s displeasure nor sympathy should be part of the decision of a court of law. With all due respect to Judge Mehta, some of us find it shameful that…