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Showing posts from December, 2014

One Last Wacky Legal News Story, and It's not set in Florida!

Florida is my home state, and I know it has a reputation for producing strange news stories. So it's nice when another state brings a wacky news story, and this time---apologies---it's Ohio (from Deadline Hollywood ): A  Cincinnati -area man named Jason Best thought he could make some money re-selling tickets to  The Interview  when he heard it was playing at the Esquire Theater in Clifton, Ohio, the only location in the region carrying the controversial film after its release was reinstated early last week. Best spent $650 on 50 tickets, $13 each plus service fees, according to Cincinnati TV station WCPO. But Sony enabled viewers to download the movie online for less than the cost of a movie ticket, and now Mr. Best wants his money back. Is he an enterprising capitalist or ruthless scalper? Can he sue for his money back? Does it depend on whether what he did (or attempted) was a crime? Helpfully, the Cleveland Law Library includes in it's "Frequently Asked Que

The Moritz Legal Information Blog in 2014

In 2014, we wrote 136 blog posts for your reading enjoyment. Here are the top categories we've covered this year along with a few posts you might consider revisiting: General Legal Research Cheap Airfare Printing Wikipedia Chat/IM with a Law Librarian The Supreme Court Siri, Can You Be Searched? Cartooning at the Supreme Court Tracking Changes in Supreme Court Opinions Ohio Law Free Beer and Wine Tastings Coming to Ohio Soon Celebrate Graduation Responsibly Criminal Law Everything You Never Knew About Miranda Warnings Convicted of a Crime You Didn't Commit...because No Crime was Committed Jobs Career Resources Research Guide Job Prospects: Beer and Wine Law Pop Culture Better Call Bob Odenkirk for Career Advice Which U.S. Representative Are You? I Got Peter Russo!

The 12 Awesome Law Blogs of 2014

Law blogs (blawgs) are a great way to get real-world insights into a practice area and stay current. If you're still trying to figure out an area in which you'd like to practice, read through Above the Law's collection of The 12 Awesome Law Blogs of 2014 . The cover energy law, privacy law, advertising, and---believe it or not---cruise ship law. See, there are a number of ways to succeed as an attorney. Find the valuable thing everyone prizes and be the absolute best at it or find your own specialty niche and be the best at it. And being "the best" is relative, so why not give yourself a better shot at excelling by being only one of a handful of supremely knowledgeable attorneys in a field? What's more, you'll have more success as an attorney if you're doing something you truly love . Love horses? Become an equine law expert. Love football ? Become an agent . Love the beach or skiing? Find your niche in tourism law . Your career options are only as

Paseo Returns!

Paseo is an extraordinary restaurant in Seattle; they have the best Cuban sandwiches, two locations, and a line around the block at all times. Honestly, I've waited in line for 30 minutes just to place an order and wait another 30 for my food. It's that good. Tragedy struck when the place shut down overnight. Rumors swirled about bankruptcy, employee mistreatment, and the mysterious owner, Lorenzo Lorenzo. Yes---his first and last names are identical. No---he is not a bond villain. The place was cash-only and would shut down over the winter. The sudden permanent closure left Seattlites bereft. They actually lit candles at the restaurant in mourning. But a holiday miracle has occurred! Lawyers are saving the day. Well, kind of. As part of the bankruptcy proceedings, the restaurant (including its recipes) were put up for auction, and one man purchased the business. Paseo returns . Hurray for bankruptcy judges. Here's the more interesting twist: "Lorenzo filed an o

The Right Stuff

Got what it takes to work for Big Law? The answer may surprise you as it's not grades alone that ensure "success." Am Law 250 and NLJ 350  firms are becoming more cautious in hiring in part because their smaller budgets require their new hires stay. They want to hire for the long-term, not for a few years, so "fit" and firm culture are more significant than ever. Assessing Lawyer Traits & Finding a Fit for Success , a white paper from JD Match and The Right Profile, found High law firm turnover (caused in large part by hiring decisions based upon little more than the law school attended, grades in school, a short unstructured interview process and, in the case of lateral attorneys, an uncorroborated book of business) coupled with high recruiting and replacement costs create a staggering annual cost of more than $25 million for a 400 attorney firm. So being "the smartest" in law school might not be enough. Law firms are now asking themselve

Human Rights 365

On this day in 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights .  Secretary-General Ban-Ki moon proclaims : "Let us respond to the cries of the exploited, and uphold the right to human dignity for all." Human rights have been central to much response to yesterday's release of the Senate Intelligence Committee report on the CIA's detention and interrogation program.  Many have renewed calls for prosecution, including UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism Ben Emmerson .  Assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights, and labor, Tom Malinowski,  avers  “the test for any nation committed to this Convention and to the rule of law is not whether it ever makes mistakes, but whether and how it corrects them.”  If you'd like to think more deeply about this issue, consult recent titles like U.S. Human Rights Conduct and International Legitimacy and Criminal Law and Human Rights  or search for human rig

Study Break Ideas

Fall exam season begins here at Moritz tomorrow.  Last week, we shared tips on studying like a pro . Already feel like you need a study break?  Here are a few ideas to combat stress during the next week. Pause for Paws :  the University Libraries will be hosting animal visits December 10-14. Art Appreciation :  Visit the exclusive Transfigurations exhibit at the Wexner Center now through December 31 -- free for students. Move Your Muscles :  This Wednesday, reading day for the main campus, enjoy activities like sunrise yoga and pilates (or a free movie, if you'd rather conserve energy). Best of luck!

An Easy (and Fun) Way to Improve Writing Skills

An easy and fun way for you to improve your writing skills is to read good writing.  Below you'll find a list of  recommendations from Moritz professors and links to items included on the Green Bag annual lists of exemplary legal writing .  Stop by the display near the reference desk to select a book to check out or pick up a treat.  Many of the books are also available from libraries around the state.  Use the OhioLink catalog to search for items.  With your Ohio State credentials, you can borrow books from any OhioLink member library and have them delivered to any OhioLink library in the state (including, of course, the law library).  Books Carol Berkin, A Brilliant Solution: Inventing the American Constitution (2002). Professor Anne Ralph calls this book "[a]n enjoyable, well-written account of the 1787 Constitutional Convention that gave birth to the U.S. Constitution and our American form of government."  James B. Stewart, Den of Thieves (recommended

How Many Scholarly Papers are on the Web?

A professor at Penn State University posed the question “How Many Scholarly Papers are Available on the Web?” and the related question “How many are freely available?” By "the Web," the Penn author means the "public Web" as assessed via Google Scholar and Microsoft Academic Search . By scholarly documents, they refer to journal and conference papers, dissertations and master’s degree theses, books, technical reports and working papers. Google Scholar is a freely accessible Web search engine that indexes the full text of scholarly literature across an array of publishing formats and disciplines. Microsoft Academic Search is a free public search engine for academic papers and literature, developed by Microsoft Research for the purpose of algorithms research in object-level vertical search, data mining , entity linking  and data visualization . So what's the answer? at least 114 million English-language scholarly documents are accessible on the Web,

Study for Exams Like a Pro

We often bring you resources to improve your chances of exam success. Today's post is a little different because instead of recommending a book , online resource , or audio study aid, we're bringing you the best of the best: a blog post from noted faculty member Katherine Kelly on how to stay sane during exams. Staying sane isn't just about being happy---it's directly correlated to being successful during exam time.