Suited Gladiators

David Boies is the chairman of the law firm Boies, Schiller & Flexner .  Mr. Boies was recently chosen for a lead role in consumer complaints against air-bag maker Takata Corp.  Mr. Boies has racked up victory after victory.  He has defended IBM, CBS and even George Steinbrenner. In Bush v. Gore , Mr. Boies represented Vice President Al Gore in litigation involving the 2000 presidential election.  He also represented the U.S. Department of Justice in its successful antitrust suit against Microsoft.  Mr. Boies and Ted Olson represented gay couples to overturn Proposition 8, California's ban on gay marriage.

A jury decided in favor of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in a gender bias lawsuit filed by former junior partner Ellen Pao.   According to FindLaw , a jury issued a partial verdict Friday, clearing the venture capital firm of gender discrimination.  Ellen Pao, a former partner at the firm, claimed that she was not promoted because of her gender and that her working environment was hostile to women. The case mesmerized Silicon Valley with its salacious details while amplifying concerns about the lack of diversity in the technology industry.  Despite Ms. Pao's loss, the suit succeeded in prompting debate about women in technology and venture capital.  In a post-trial tweet, Pao states, "If we do not share our stories and shine a light on inequities, things will not change."

Italy's Supreme Court overturned Amanda Knox's murder conviction in the 2007 death of her roommate.  Knox can now attempt to live her life again.  It only took 8 years.

The ruling out of Italy on Amanda Knox's conviction has been delayed by the Italian court.    According to TalkLeft , the Supreme Court in Italy will rule Friday on yet another appeal in the Amanda Knox case.  Many questions still remain: If she loses, will she be extradited? Will Italy file the request? In Italy, if you speak against the prosecution, you can be prosecuted. Amanda Knox claims that she was struck from behind by a police officer, she was denied food and water and police asked her to dream up what had happened.  For those of you who have not been following the case, in 2009, Amanda Knox grew up in West Seattle, WA and studied linguistics at the University of Washington,  In early 2007, Knox made the university's dean list, when she decided to move to Italy to study abroad.  She moved into a house that she shared with 3 other girls.  Her three roommates included two young Italian trainee lawyers and a British student named Meredith ...

According to The Volokh Conspiracy , the FTC decided not to sue Google for alleged anti-trust violations in 2012 based on documents that were inadvertently disclosed by the FTC as part of an open-record request. According to the report, Google threatened websites with removal from its search engine if they did not let Google use their content.  A consumer advocacy group is calling on the FTC to reopen its investigation into Google. Truth on the Market explains that complainants allege Google's is anticompetitive because it forecloses alternate search platforms.  The site explains that the FTC staff did not exactly recommend a case as numerous media outlets led readers to believe.  It would be more accurate if the headlines read: "FTC staff recommends no case against Google, except on a couple of minor issues we will be immediately settled.

Authorities have reached a $20 million settlement with a man who spent 20 years in prison before he was cleared by DNA of the rape and murder of an 11 year-old girl. The ABA Journal reports that Rivera was exonerated in a 1992 child-murder case after being tried and convicted three times.  The amount that will be paid to Rivera may be the largest ever for an individual in a wrongful conviction case in Illinois.  "No amount of money could ever sum up to 20 years in prison," stated Rivera who was only 19 when he was forced to confess to a crime that he did not commit. According to The National Registry of Exonerations , ten weeks after 11-year old Holly Staker was raped and murdered in Waukegan, IL, a tip from an informant led investigators to focus on Rivera, a former special education student.  At the time, Rivera was on electronic home monitoring due to a burglary conviction.  In October 2012, Rivera filed a federal wrongful conviction lawsuit against Lake Co...

Blogging: Unique Opportunity Above the Law recently published an article on just how powerful blogging has become for lawyers.  Blogging has created many opportunities for numerous attorneys.  Blogging creates a modest opportunity for lawyers to change the world.  Through blogging, attorneys have the opportunity to reach more people and ultimately achieve more. LexBlog reports that over 80% of the Am Law 200 law firms are blogging.  In the last few years the number of new blogs has jumped by over 50%.  This means that nearly four out of every five of the top 200 law firms in the world have blogs or lawyers blogging.  Blogging is now a critical part of any firm's marketing arsenal. The Wisconsin Bar Association reports that legal blogging is no fad.  Lawyers have been blogging since the late 1990s.  Attorneys use blogs to discuss topics of interest to existing and potential customers.  Attorneys often counsel other attorneys on particu...

Blurred Lines According to the Wall Street Journal's Law Blog , singers Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams must pay nearly $7.4 million to Marvin Gaye's family after finding the duo's 2013 song "Blurred Lines" copied parts of Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up".  After the verdict, Nona Gaye, daughter of Marvin Gaye, stated that she felt "free from, honestly, free from Pharrell William's and Robin Thicke's chains. Howard King, said that his client's were disappointed and surprised by the verdict.  "Nothing detracts from the facts as we know it that the track "Blurred Lines" came from the heart and soul of Pharrell Williams," King said. Suited Gladiator: Richard Busch Lawyer for the Gaye family, Richard Busch , stated that the case was not about songwriting inspiration, it was about copying.  Mr. Busch is a partner at Nashville firm King & Ballow.  Richard Busch gained a substantial amount of attention in 2...

There are many 30-something, would-be lawyers that are currently employed in different fields because of the LSAT.  A few years back these individuals attempted to take the LSAT and they failed to earn the scores that they desired so most settled into different careers.  The LSAT is $170 and many people pay for very expensive prep courses.  The additional pressure that the LSAT places on people is not worth it and law school enrollment has decreased due to this additional stressor. In August, the ABA changed its policies to allow law schools to fill up to 10 percent of their class with students who have not taken the LSAT as long as they were at the top of their college class and scored highly on the SAT.  It is well known that many students that would otherwise do fine in law school struggle with standardized tests.  Many law schools have remained loyal to the test arguing that it offers the strongest clues about whom to admit.  Research has shown that th...