December, 2020

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Russia passes laws to restrict US social media influence

JURIST

According to Reuters, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed multiple laws Monday to restrict the influence of US social media companies, like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. The first law signed allows for Russia to block internet sites that allegedly discriminate against Russian media, while the second law imposes a substantial fine for social media companies that fail to remove content banned by Russia.

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North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper Gives a Pardon of Innocence to Ronnie Long

EvidenceProf Blog

Today, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper issued a Pardon of Innocence for Ronnie Long, whose case we covered on the Undisclosed Podcast: So, why is this a big deal? On August 26th, the United States Court of Appeals for the.

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7 Steps for Turning Uncertainty into Transformative Opportunity

The Estrin Report

"Once there was a young woman who heard that an old wise woman had the secret of wisdom. The young woman was determined to track the old woman down. After traveling many months, the young woman found the old woman in a cave. She entered and addressed the old woman: "Old Wise Woman, I hear you have The Secret of Wisdom. ".

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Problems Paying Your Mortgage During COVID? – Check Out the Options

Diane Drain

Are you financially stressed right now? What to know about options, from debt negotiation to bankruptcy. This short video from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau “CFPB” is actually very informative and goes over the various options for homeowners who have received a forbearance. If the homeowner is not in Chapter 13, contacting their servicer or discussing their options with a HUD approved counselor is their best course of action.

Finance 211
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Trial Prep: What Attorneys Really Want (And How to Deliver It)

Speaker: Joe Stephens, J.D., Attorney and Law Professor

Get ready to uncover what attorneys really need from you when it comes to trial prep in this new webinar! Attorney and law professor, Joe Stephens, J.D., will share proven techniques for anticipating attorney needs, organizing critical documents, and transforming complex information into compelling case presentations. Key Learning Objectives: Organization That Makes Sense 🎯 Learn how to structure and organize case materials in ways that align with how attorneys actually work and think.

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7 Reasons Web Accessibility Should Be Your Top Priority for 2021

LegalReader

If people find your site inaccessible, you could land yourself in the midst of legal actions for noncompliance. Renowned brands such as Sears, Target, and Nike have had to pay hefty fines, and with the turbulent economic conditions, you can’t afford this.

Legal 145

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Pennsylvania Supreme Court rules police officers can no longer search vehicles without a warrant

JURIST

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Article 1, Section 8 of the Pennsylvania Constitution offers greater protection to citizens from warrantless searches of their vehicles than does the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Prior to the ruling, Pennsylvania precedent held that the federal automobile exception to the warrant requirement of the Fourth Amendment applied in Pennsylvania without exception.

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Undisclosed Mega-Update Thread 7

EvidenceProf Blog

On December 17, 2020 North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper issued a Pardon of Innocence for Ronnie Long. And yesterday, a settlement was reached, pursuant to which Chester Hollman III will be awarded $9.8 million for his 28 years of wrongful.

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Guyana: A First Step Towards Climate Litigation

ClimateChange-ClimateLaw

Georgetown, Capital of Guyana (Credit: amanderson2 ). By Melinda Janki*. In a climate litigation win, the High Court of the Supreme Court of Guyana accepted a settlement between a scientist, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Guyana, and Esso (a subsidiary of ExxonMobil) to limit the company’s environmental permits to produce oil from more than 23 years to five years.

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Is Someone Trying to Collect On a Debt You Already Paid or is Not Yours?

Diane Drain

Have you received a demand that you pay a debt you don’t owe, or already paid? Reprint of an article from the Federal Tradc Commission “FTC.gov”, September 29, 2020. Nobody likes getting debt collection calls. But have you ever gotten one for a debt you already paid — or you know isn’t yours? Or have you been threatened and harassed by a debt collector until you paid up?

Education 197
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Less Stress, More Success: Accounting Best Practices & Processes for 2025

Speaker: Amanda Adams, Fractional CFO, CPA

Are you ready to elevate your accounting processes for 2025? 🚀 Join us for an exclusive webinar led by Amanda Adams, a seasoned fractional CFO and CPA passionate about transforming back-office operations for finance teams. This session will cover critical best practices and process improvements tailored specifically for accounting professionals.

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Holiday Wellness Gift Ideas for Lawyers

MyCase

2020 has been a difficult year for all of us. If you’re at all like me, you’re undoubtedly ready for it to end and are hoping that 2021 will prove to be a far less turbulent year. But before we reach the end of 2020, we’ve got the holidays to look forward to – and presents to buy. So if you’re a lawyer or have a lawyer on your gift list, you may be looking for gift ideas.

Lawyer 138
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Justices allow execution of Alfred Bourgeois to proceed

SCOTUSBlog

Alfred Bourgeois became the 10th person to be put to death by the federal government this year, after the Supreme Court on Friday evening denied his application for a delay of the execution. Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor indicated that they would have granted the application. Federal law and Supreme Court precedent ban the execution of someone who is mentally disabled.

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Chinese court sentences COVID-19 whistleblower to four years in prison

JURIST

Rights organizations decried the four year prison sentence handed down to Zhang Zhan, a citizen-journalist, by a Chinese court on Monday. She was found guilty of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” charges sometimes used by authorities to quell dissent. Zhang, a 37-year-old former lawyer, had reported on the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan beginning in February.

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My First Post on the Changes to Federal Rule of Evidence 404(b)

EvidenceProf Blog

Federal Rule of Evidence 404(b) has been amended, effective December 1, 2020. Here's the new version of the Rule (with markups from the old Rule): In the next few posts, I will go through the changes to Rule 404(b).

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Paralegal Power Move: Your Guide to Getting the Tech Tools That Maximize Your Time

Your time is valuable—and you know the right technology could help you do even more. From document management to client communication, modern tools can transform how you track deadlines, manage cases, and support your legal team. This practical playbook shows you how to: Compare and evaluate technology vendors Understand all costs and ROI potential Build a compelling presentation Handle common objections Pitch your solution like a pro Created by legal technology experts who understand how pivota

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Find the Best Customer Success Software & Grow Lifetime Customers

The Process Street

Have you ever typed out a full message on your phone, only to realize that you’ve misspelled something at the very beginning? It can often take you longer to navigate the teeny- tiny cursor back to fix your mistake than it did to write the message in the first place, right? I’ve got a little trick that will make correcting your texts 10x easier. If you slide your finger over the spacebar, you can move the cursor around quickly, easily, and accurately, letter by letter.

Contract 132
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Former Washington state bar leader remembered as a champion for legal innovation

ABA Journal

Paula Littlewood, a champion for legal industry innovation who led the Washington State Bar Association for more than a decade, died of cancer Monday.

Legal 141
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Summary Judgment Satisfies Justice

Patently O

by Dennis Crouch. Super-Sparkly Safety Stuff v. Skyline (Fed. Cir. 2020). Apart from the Plaintiff’s fabulous name, this case involves the defendant’s catch-phrase “bling-it-on!”; photos of celebrity models; personal weapons (pepper spray); AND a design patent! Both of these companies take the approach that a can of pepper-spray should be a fashion-accessory.

Court 127
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Court to take on student-athlete compensation, class action cases

SCOTUSBlog

The justices on Wednesday added three new cases , for a total of two hours of argument time, to their list of cases slated for oral argument this term. The announcement that the justices would tackle significant issues relating to antitrust protection for the National Collegiate Athletic Association and class-action lawsuits came just two days after the justices released their second set of orders from their private conference on Dec. 11.

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Case Study: Maximize Client Compensation by Unlocking the Power of Diminished Value

Your auto accident clients don’t realize that they have lost value in their vehicle because the insurance company covered their repairs and gave them a rental to drive until their vehicle was “brand new.” When they realize that loss in value is when they go to trade or sell their car.

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Saudi Arabia detaining migrants in degrading conditions: report

JURIST

Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported Tuesday that Saudi Arabia is detaining hundreds of migrants, mainly Ethiopian, in degrading conditions at a deportation center in Riyadh. Migrants alleged to HRW that authorities are keeping them in overcrowded rooms for extended periods. Migrants also alleged that guards have beaten and tortured them with rubber-coated metal rods, which has led to three deaths.

Legal 245
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Court of Appeals of Maryland Finds Rap Lyrics Were Admissible Against Defendant Charged With Murder

EvidenceProf Blog

Should a defendant's rap lyrics be admissible against him at a murder or attempted murder trial?

Court 246
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4 Legal Issues E-commerce Businesses Need to Be Aware of Before Launch Day

LegalReader

The world of online selling is constantly evolving - and so are its laws. Staying abreast of rising issues in the online retail arena can help you make the right moves to protect your eCommerce venture and its reputation.

Legal 121
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How Smart Contracts are Changing Legal Contracts

LawTechnologyToday

While a world free of lawyers will most likely never come to fruition (to many parties’ chagrin), new technology in the form of smart contracts is changing how legal matters are drafted. Evidenced by increased adoption for major industrial applications with the OOC Oil & Gas Blockchain Consortium , a powerful network of 10 major oil and gas players; alongside the Construction Industry Institute at The University of Texas’ recent Operating System 2.0 (OS2) initiative, a collaborative research

Contract 121
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Enhance Your Legal Document Translations with The Ultimate Comprehensive Checklist

Are you a paralegal professional aiming to elevate your practice and ensure impeccable translation of every legal document you handle? Cesco’s Legal Document Translation Checklist is your ultimate guide to achieving excellence. Learn how to prepare for translation by identifying your audience and selecting qualified translators. Simplify and review documents to ensure clarity and consistency.

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Federal Circuit: User Experience is not Computer Functionality

Patently O

by Dennis Crouch. Simio, LLC v. FlexSim Software ( Fed. Cir. 2020 ) (opinion by Chief Judge Prost and joined by Judges Clevenger and Stoll). In this case, the Federal Circuit has affirmed the lower court’s summary dismissal of Simio’s infringement lawsuit on eligibility grounds. The appellate panel also upheld the lower court’s refusal to permit the patentee to amend its complaint — seeing the proposed amendment as “futile.” Dennis Pegden has received many aw

Court 124
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A decade-long surge in amicus briefs

SCOTUSBlog

Since 2011, there has been “an explosion” of amicus briefs at the Supreme Court, according to Arnold & Porter’s Anthony Franze and R. Reeves Anderson, who study the issue and recently wrote an article examining the decade-long trend. Franze and Anderson join SCOTUStalk host Amy Howe for a look at how amicus briefs have evolved. They examine what type of amicus brief is likely to influence the court, how the justices interact with the briefs and, most importantly, how to correctly pronounce “

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LDS Church sued in Arizona for alleged role in Boy Scouts sexual abuse

JURIST

Seven lawsuits were filed Monday in Arizona against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for allegedly covering up sexual abuse in church-sponsored Boy Scouts of America (BSA) troops. The allegations span more than 30 years, ranging from 1972 to 2009. The lawsuits claim that church officials were told about instances of abuse but did not report them to law enforcement.

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What it’s like to argue before the Supreme Court during COVID-19

ABA Journal

Jeffrey L. Fisher has argued more than 40 U.S. Supreme Court cases, and he relies heavily on the justices’ body language during arguments.

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Transforming eDiscovery: Document Summarization, Sentiment Analysis, And Chatbots Take Center Stage

A Synergistic Approach to eDiscovery In the space of eDiscovery, the convergence of document summarization, sentiment analysis, and chatbots represents a significant change in how legal professionals navigate and manage electronic information. These technologies not only expedite the review process but also empower legal teams with deeper insights into the emotional context and key information within electronic documents.