Tuesday, March 23, 2010

The Grammar Police: "A Bit About ‘That’"

The New York Times recently ran an interesting article by Philip B. Corbett on grammar which talked about the word "that." For those students and lawyers who wish to polish their writing skills, it's a great article.

My colleague Ken Paul notes that we often stumble in deciding whether to use or omit the conjunction “that” after a verb like “said.”

Here’s the relevant entry in The Times’s stylebook:

that (conj.). After a verb like said, disclosed or announced, it is often possible to omit that for conciseness: He said he felt peaked. But if the words after said or any other verb can be mistaken for its direct object, the reader may be momentarily led down a false trail, and that must be retained: The mayor disclosed that her plan for the rhubarb festival would cost $3 million."


To read the rest of the article, go here.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Touro and Other Area Law Schools Participating in Lobby Day to Repeal "Don't Ask Don't Tell"

Touro Law Center is participating in the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network Washington, D.C. Lobby Day, Friday, March 19, 2010. Students, faculty, and staff are invited to join a group from area law schools to travel to D.C. to lobby members of Congress to repeal "Don't Ask Don't Tell." Fordham Law is coordinating a bus (air conditioned, reclining seats, toilet, sound system, dvd player) which accommodates 54 passengers (free of charge for the passengers from participating law schools) on a first-come first served basis. The bus leaves Fordham Law, 140 West 62 St, NYC, on Friday, March 19 at 6 a.m. sharp and returns to Fordham Law the same day by about 6 p.m.

Participants will join teams from SLD and will pay short lobbying visits to members of Congress for repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell."

To reserve one or more seats, promptly email achapin@law.fordham.edu your name, class year, law school, and cellphone number. Andrew will be there in DC with you to lobby to end this discrimination.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Recession-Proof Practice Areas: A Program for Law Students and Recent Law School Graduates

A New York City Bar Association Program:

This tough legal market demands that you think outside the box, be creative, and consider a variety of practice areas. Attend this program and hear a panel of attorneys discuss several practice areas that concentrate on assisting clients with everyday legal issues. Panelists will also discuss how they have maintained successful law practices in this economy, their diverse career paths, and how you can start or transform your own legal career.

WHEN: Tuesday, March 16, 2010; 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
A reception will follow and light refreshments will be served.

WHERE: The New York City Bar Association
42 West 44th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues)

PROGRAM CHAIR AND MODERATOR:

Rose-Vony Duroseau, Esq.,
New Jersey Managing Attorney, Liberty Credit Law, P.C.

PANELISTS:

Midwin Charles, Esq.,
Managing Principal, Midwin Charles & Associates, LLC (Criminal Law)

Lori Anne Douglass, Esq.,
Partner, Moses & Singer, LLP (Trusts & Estates)

Roy Locke, Jr., Esq.,
Principal, The Law Offices of Roy Locke, Jr. (Personal Injury)

Lauren Mallin, Esq.,
Associate, Raoul Felder & Partners, P.C. (Family Law)

The program is open to all. No fee required. Please RSVP at lsprsvp@yahoo.com

Sponsored by the Committee on Law Student Perspectives (Jodi Savage, Chair) and Practicing Attorneys for Law Students, Inc. (Paula Edgar, Executive Director).

New York City Bar's Thurgood Marshall Fellowship Program

The New York City Bar Association has announced this year's Thurgood Marshall Fellowship Program. This program provides an opportunity for second and third year minority law students from New York area law schools to work with the Association on community legal services or civil rights projects that are the legacy of Justice Marshall. One student from participating schools will be selected as a Fellow for the 2010-2011 academic year. The Fellow will be required to make a commitment to work an average of ten hours per week in our City Bar Justice Center and with our Civil Rights Committee and will receive a stipend of $3,000 for the year.

Anyone interested in applying must submit a resume, a one page essay outlining your interest in becoming a Thurgood Marshall Fellow and a writing sample (no more than 5 pages) to Erica Edwards-O’Neal in the Career Services Office no later than Thursday, March 25.

Friday, March 5, 2010

"Walk Through the Supreme Court" Program with the Nassau County Bar Association

The Nassau County Bar Association invites you join them, as their guest, at an Orientation and Cocktail Party on Monday, March 15, 2010 at 5:15 p.m., so that you can have a tour of Domus, the beautiful, 75-year old home of the Association, and to learn about the benefits of belonging to this organization. In addition, you will be introduced to some members of our Executive Committee, Board of Directors, and Association Membership committee. Several of their more than 20 staff members will be available to answer your questions, and Quartz Caterers, our on-site dining establishment, will be providing hors d’oeuvres.

In addition, if you choose, you can participate in “Walk Through Supreme Court,” an informative program that will introduce you to court procedures, as well as the judges and staff of the courts. The program begins at 3:30 in the Central Jury Room and ends at our doorstep at 5:15. There is no charge for either program, but reservations are required for both.

We hope to see you on the 15th. Please contact a member of our Special Events staff at 516-747-4070 or events@nassaubar.org to RSVP.

Monday, March 1, 2010

"Turnaround: Solos seek advice to survive a struggling economy"

The ABA Journal Magazine online recently published an article by G. M. Filisko entitled "Turnaround: Solos seek advice to survive a struggling economy." Anyone in solo practice or interested in pursuing this avenue of legal employment should read this article, a portion of which is reproduced below:

"Andrea Goldman, Leanna Hamill and Fred Bauerlein are alone, but they’re not unique. Like thousands of their colleagues across the country, they are solo practitioners struggling to make ends meet.

Bauerlein’s criminal defense practice and Goldman’s construction law specialty took huge hits from the economy, and by the late summer of 2009 their efforts to rebuild hadn’t borne fruit. Hamill, who specializes in estate planning and elder law, hadn’t been able to comprehend her practice’s month-to-month battle for profitability.

To help these solos understand where they’ve gone astray and get their practices on track, we asked practice management consultants Jerry Schwartz, Dennis McCue and John Olmstead to analyze their business and financial records and conduct telephone consultations. Then the consultants gave a no-holds-barred assessment.

And six months later, we checked in with the lawyers to see what had changed for them."

To read the rest of the article, go here.