From Incidents With Rattlesnakes to Broken Jaws, Texas Public Schools Are Immune from Lawsuits

From Houston Press, authored by Margaret Downing, dank image (pun intended) by Daniel Kramer:

“Attorney Holly Griffith Terrell of Pearland, who is “of counsel” for Martin Cirkiel, got into this kind of law after finding out 12 weeks along in her pregnancy that her daughter, now five, had special needs.

‘When I was a kid, all the special-needs kids went to one room and you never saw them. I saw this as a niche area of law.’

Terrell is frequently involved in a school’s administrative process. If they can mediate the case, she says, they can get the student back in school more quickly. ‘Litigation is not fun for anyone.’ But they do go to federal court if they can’t work things out.

Recently she took on a case in a Houston-area school district in which her client, a 12-year-old African-American boy with ADHD, says…”

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Meet the First Lady of Texas Cannabis Law

From Houstonia authored by Sarah Rufca Nielsen (killer image by: Robert G. Gomez):

“SOME DAYS ARE LONGER AND MORE TRYING THAN OTHERS for attorney Lisa L. Pittman. One of those was May 2, when the Texas House of Representatives held its first hearing on HB 2107, which would, she says, improve and expand the state’s fledging medical marijuana initiative, known as the Compassionate Use Program (CUP).

Scheduled at 9:30 p.m., the hearing didn’t adjourn until nearly 2 a.m. as dozens of people from across the state—mothers of sick children, adults suffering from multiple sclerosis, and veterans with PTSD, among them—testified about the need for improved access to potential treatments.

‘They put the hearing last, which is just further disrespect for all these patients who are in a lot of agony,’ says Pittman. Petite and soft-spoken, the Houston native and Austin resident is the first civil business attorney in Texas to specialize in cannabis issues, representing investors and businesses interested in growing medical marijuana in Texas.”

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Memphis law firm names first African-American female partner

From Memphis Business Journal authored by Michelle Corbet:

“Tannera Gibson has been with the firm for eight years.”

Read the full story by FOLLOWING THIS LINK (which will then require you to be a subscriber to really get the whole story – and if you don’t live in TN, probably not gonna happen – but, regardless, I could not resist sharing this with EVERYONE).

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Five Decades of Courtroom Artists Capturing What Cameras Can’t

From Hypoallergic authored by Allison Meier:

 

“The Library of Congress selected examples from its collection of 10,000 courtroom drawings to show how artists are essential to public understanding of American trials.

Camera use has gradually been allowed in state and federal courts since 1977. Although the role of the courtroom sketch has diminished, the practice endures, such as at the recent trials of Bill Cosby and Dylann Roof, during which photography by the media was not permitted. Drawing Justice: The Art of Courtroom Illustration at the Library of Congress (LOC) in Washington, DC, features 98 examples dating back to 1964. The exhibition considers how courtroom artists visualize the trial narratives for the public, and also process emotional moments and pivotal testimonies beyond simple documentation.”

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Nobody wants to fail the bar exam, but it happens – even to Kamala Harris

From Before the Bar authored by Adam Music:

“This week, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions testified in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Russia and possible ties to the presidential campaign of Donald Trump. Some of the more memorable exchanges came between Sessions and Sen. Kamala Harris of California.I won’t go into the merits of the back-and-forth between the two. But the merits of the some of the responses on social media showed a lack of appreciation for what some very famous attorneys have gone through to practice their craft.

A number of users on social media have pointed out that Harris failed the California bar exam on her first try.”

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Legal Career Clarity Course: TEN DAYS [at most] and counting!

You like being a lawyer but…you don’t love your current job?

Yes? You’re curious whether there are better options within the profession…. THERE ARE.

You invested SO MUCH to get where you are today. Don’t stop short of reaching – actual satisfaction – (JOY even!) from a day’s work. It IS actually possible.

Let Heather help you – help yourself!

❤️, SCC

P.S. Sign up today before there’s no more space!! Also, more good news, a portion of all course purchases goes directly to support this Community! Do it now before your day….your week…your month gets the better of you (plus, registration closes in TEN days – or sooner if it fills up). Go get it, GIRL!

FIND OUT MORE or sign right the heck up by FOLLOWING THIS LINK.

 

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Justice Sonia Sotomayor – Part 1 of Law360’s Exclusive Interview

From Law360 authored by Ed Beeson:

 

“The solicitor general from Utah had just started his argument when he uttered the words ‘an objectively reasonable miscalculation.’

Almost on a dime, Justice Sonia Sotomayor stopped him.

‘Tell me what was objectively reasonable about it,’ she said, referring to an unlawful police stop at the heart of a case, Utah v. Strieff, before the U.S. Supreme Court.

It was Feb. 22, 2016, the first day of arguments after Justice Antonin Scalia unexpectedly died. A mere 45 seconds had passed since Chief Justice John Roberts cued the start of the second oral argument of the day, and Justice Sotomayor, who had deep concerns about the case’s implications for the right against unreasonable search and seizure, quickly dominated the crossfire.”

Read the full story (you will need to create an account with Law360…but IMO it is absolutely worth it) by FOLLOWING THIS LINK.

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Attorney Gloria Allred Will Take On Bill Cosby in California Civil Case

From Vulture authored by :

“‘You don’t know what a jury is going to do,’ said Gloria Allred, a civil-rights attorney representing 33 women who have accused Bill Cosby of sexual assault. Allred, who’s perhaps best known for taking on high-profile cases involving women, has been watching Cosby’s sexual-assault trial closely from the benches of the Montgomery County courthouse outside of Philadelphia.

It’s a homecoming of sorts for Allred, a native of Philadelphia who splits her time between New York and California. “I’m here for them,” she said.

She’s referring, of course, to the accusers she represents, the women who have been instrumental in reshaping the public perception of the famous entertainer. Allred and her clients are asking important questions about who the public ultimately thinks Bill Cosby is — the beloved TV dad who visited our living rooms once a week for years as Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable or a lecherous man who’s admitted to providing women with Quaaludes under the most questionable of circumstances. If you believe his accusers, Cosby’s been assaulting women with the help of drugs for more than four decades. If you side with the defense, he’s just a famous person who is being wrongly accused.

Whether Cosby is found guilty of the three felony counts of indecent assault or not will have a bearing on Allred’s upcoming civil case later this month in California.”

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Venus Ramey, War Bond-Selling, Gun-Toting Miss America Of 1944, Dead At 92

From The Huffington Post:

“Venus Ramey, who used her victory as Miss America in 1944 to sell war bonds and make appearances on the vaudeville stage, has died at the age of 92, a funeral home in her native Kentucky said on Sunday.

Ramey, at age 82 in 2007, thwarted an attempt to steal equipment at her Kentucky farm by balancing with a walking stick and shooting out the tires of the suspects’ vehicle, local news reports at the time said.

After the incident, she appeared on national TV programs including “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” where she quipped that she liked to start things with a bang.”

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Self-Care for Women of Color At Work

From Ms. JD authored by Alnisa Bell:

“’Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.’  — Audre Lorde

The unfortunate reality for many women working outside of the home is that dynamics within the home still require that many women shoulder the burden of household chores and caregiving responsibilities, including, caring for children and elderly relatives and contributing/managing household finances. Most women are essentially working at least two jobs — one that is paid and another one unpaid within the home (and the latter usually doesn’t come with pay increases, bonuses, days off or promotions; hopefully it does come with some gratitude!). Between navigating law firm culture, networking, and professional development, all while tackling an increasing workload, it’s easy to see how lawyers, particularly women, can tire pretty quickly. Both jobs require an inordinate amount of time and leave very few hours for women to take care of themselves.

As Audre Lorde notes in her oft-cited quote above, self-care is a particularly radical concept for black women. Historically, black women have been taught to put the well-being of others before themselves, whereas a focus on self-care requires women to place their own needs above the needs of others. What many women fail to realize is that not making space for self-care not only affects peace of mind, but can have drastic health consequences, as well.”

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