Analysis And Headlines

Friday's Three Burning Legal Questions Here are today's three burning legal questions, along with the answers provided by the blogosphere. 1) Question: Is there a speed limit for skateboarders in New Zealand? I could use a quick answer on this, as I am about to pass a truck. Answer: Slower than you are going, mate! (YouTube, Longboarding the Bombay Hills, Auckland, NZ) 2) Question: Yes, I see that stupid piece of tape on the ground in the grocery store, but I'm supposed to be on break! I'll just pick it up 15 minutes from now when I clock back in. What's the worst that could happen? Answer: Well, a woman could fall when her foot gets stuck on the piece of tape on the floor in the store, causing her to then step on a piece of plywood which then moves out from under her, causing her foot to fall in a hole and the rest of her to fall into a display rack. (Lowering the Bar, From the Docket: A Trip-and-Fall-and-Slip-and-Fall-and-Fall Case) 3) Question: I'm not going to lie, I'm way too drunk to drive my truck. The responsible thing to do here is to let me grandson serve as designated driver, right? Answer:...

Law Firm Cassels Brock Rolls Out Original, Engaging Student Site Based on the hundreds of "bad news" articles and blog posts I've read over the past months about the state of the legal market for law students, I didn't realize that there were any entry-level attorney jobs out there. And I certainly didn't realize that in some places, at least, law firms are still pouring money into things like multimedia "student" sections of their websites to impress and attract students to join their firms. Via the Precedent blog, I've been set straight on this point and came across the terrific student site put together by Toronto law firm Cassels Brock. I've never even heard of this law firm but it has pulled out all the stops to create a student site that is engaging, interesting and even quite amusing. As described by Precedent, it "includes social media components, a student blog, videos, plenty of photos, events listings and, most notably, an interactive office tour set up like a game with 'secret' content hidden throughout." Cassels Brock's Leigh-Ann McGowan, who is responsible for professional development and student programs, told Precedent that, "We weren't interested in emulating another law firm recruitment website. Young professionals are looking for a site that is different...

Taking the 'Do Not Call' List to the Next Level: 'Do Not Knock' Eric Lipman noted yesterday that a whopping 200 million people have now signed up for the Federal Trade Commission's "Do Not Call" list. Now, the residents of tony Rye, N.Y. are ready to take it to the next level with a new "Do Not Knock" list of their own. In short, many Rye residents don't want solicitors, non-profit workers or any other strangers darkening their doorstep, and they are ready to take action. "People come knocking at my door and I don't know if it's legitimate or not. It's an inconvenience when it's dinner time," Rye's Bridget Vavasour told ABC News.The Do Not Knock registry under consideration in Rye would put solicitors on notice that they may not visit addresses on the list. ABC reports that several Midwest suburbs like Parma, Ohio already have "no knock" lists (Parmanian readers can register here), but Rye would be the first municipality in the New York area to pass such a law.

LBW Quote of the Day: The Challenge of Teaching (and Learning) Good Legal Writing I liked this quote I ran across today at the Legal Writing Prof Blog. Having taught (and taken) several legal writing courses, I think it is pretty accurate. “Teaching legal writing is like dropping someone in the middle of China and telling them to learn Chinese, and, by the way, no one around you is speaking it correctly.”- Terri Pollman I recall going off to law school as a what I believed to be a decent writer. After reading 1,000 cases as a first year law student -- most of which were written in the stuffiest, densest legalese imaginable -- my writing started to morph into what I was seeing everyday: passive voice, unnecessary Latin phrases, way-too-long sentences, etc. It took an intervention in the form of a really good legal writing course to get me writing like a real person again.

How not to Celebrate Easter in Center Line, Michigan No, it's not exactly seasonally appropriate, but when you come across one of those "Really? That's a law?" laws, sometimes you can't help but talk about it. Via Legal Juice, a link to Section 10-4 of the Municipal Code of Center Line, Mich.: Sec. 10-4. Artificially coloring birds. It shall be unlawful for any person to artificially color, spray or paint any bird or fowl or to sell, offer for sale, or otherwise dispose of any such colored bird or fowl. (Code 1962, § 7-504) Duly noted. Good thing this guy lives in Connecticut. Seriously, though, if it's about animal cruelty, why does the prohibition extend only to coloring for the purpose of sale or other disposition? The first reader who can track down the legislative history that answers this question will get a free "Legal Blog Watch" t-shirt.* *Read: A plain white t-shirt on which I have illegibly scrawled "Legal Blog Watch" with a blue Sharpie.

Tax Professor Casts Ray of Sunshine on Yard Sale Bargain Hunters Since federal income taxation is not covered on the bar exam (at least as far as I can recall), few aspiring lawyers were likely thinking about it this week. Luckily, Paul Caron at the TaxProf Blog was. Because, you know, that's his job. This morning he analyzes the tax consequences of what he calls the "mother of all yard sale bargains." Some dude named Rick Norsigian was yard sale shopping in California about 10 years back and bought two boxes of glass photographic plates. He bargained the seller down from $75 to $45. Good haggling, Rick. As it turned out, these plates were apparently the work of Ansel Adams. Yes, that Ansel Adams. Norsigian hired experts to authenticate the plates, and, as reported by Norsigian's lawyer (natch), they concluded that the plates were, indeed, Adams's work and might be worth $200 million, though the famed photographer's heirs aren't convinced. Anyway, back to tax. Caron raised and answered the question: Does this guy have to report $199,999,955 in income, assuming his claims as to authenticity and value hold up? Luckily for him, that's a negatory: The leading case [on the IRS's "treasure trove" regulation] is Cesarini v. United States, 296 F.Supp....