Month: <span>May 2023</span>
Month: May 2023

Month: May 2023

ATTORNEY

The Jailhouse Lawyer Initiative | NYU School of Law

JLI Website Graphic

The Jailhouse Lawyer Initiative (JLI) was founded by Jhody Polk, a formerly incarcerated jailhouse lawyer from Florida and 2018 Soros Justice fellow. The JLI invests in jailhouse lawyers – incarcerated justice advocates – as a core strategy in ending the cycle of incarceration and is housed at NYU School of Law’s Bernstein Institute for Human Rights. 

Who are Jailhouse Lawyers

Jailhouse lawyers are incarcerated individuals who generally have no formal legal training, but teach themselves the law to advocate for themselves and the rights of their peers. They conduct legal writing, research, and analysis on a host of legal issues from civil rights actions to habeas corpus petitions, administrative grievances, parole/probation, and family law matters, among others. Because of their justice work, these advocates are often retaliated against and silenced by the very institutions they attempt to hold to account. They continue to toil without recognition of their personal growth and rehabilitation, without their names being attached to the legal victories they fought for, and without connection to others doing the work or those standing in solidarity with them on the outside. We believe that breaking the cycle of incarceration requires building bridges between inside and out communities.  Jailhouse lawyers are an essential part of reforming and abolishing the broken carceral system. We see jailhouse lawyers as incarcerated advocates who are THE bridge builders.

What do we do

The JLI fuses legal education, movement building, participatory research, and advocacy to bring visibility to jailhouse lawyers and ensure they have the resources to know, use, and shape law. The JLI works under the framework of legal empowerment—shifting power, knowledge, and resources to directly affected communities so they can activate systems, lead justice struggles, and become the authors of their own liberation.

The JLI advances three main goals:

  1. build and
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Senator Cynthia Villar says feud with BF Resort Village behind ‘malicious’ viral video of her

‘I was talking to them to remove the gate because that composting facility is for the public. And they didn’t want to,’ she explains the video showing her berating the guards

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Cynthia Villar has this to say about the viral video showing her berating security guards at BF Resort Village (BFRV) in Las Piñas: “That’s the price you pay for being a public official.”

On Wednesday, April 26, Villar faced the media to answer questions about the video, where the senator can be seen repeatedly telling the guard to remove the gate at the composting facility of the village.

“I was talking to them to remove the gate because that composting facility is for the public. And they didn’t want to, and they were arguing with me. They have plenty of security guards, and I was alone,” Villar told reporters.


Senator Cynthia Villar says feud with BF Resort Village behind ‘malicious’ viral video of her

Asked if she felt there was a malicious intent in posting the video, Villar said, “yes,” but declined to give further comments since she was in consultation with her lawyers for possible legal action.

The senator said the video that had gone viral was spliced and didn’t give the whole picture of why she was lashing out at the security guards there.

“We were there for a long time. We were waiting and sitting,” she said.

Villar also addressed the apparent homophobic slurs in the viral video, although, she didn’t apologize to the LGBTQ+ community who got offended by her remarks.

In the viral video, the president of the BFRV Homeowners Association can be heard pleading with the senator not to hurt the security guards.

“Ang laki-laki niya eh. Alangan naman saktan ko siya (He is so big. I couldn’t just hurt him). There’s something wrong with him. He is a security guard.

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Female Lawyers Face Widespread Gender Bias, According To New Study

It’s not just less pay and fewer promotions. According to a recent survey of 2,827 lawyers, female lawyers, and especially women of color, are more likely than their male counterparts to be interrupted, to be mistaken for non-lawyers, to do more office housework, and to have less access to prime job assignments. The research was recently completed by the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession and the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. Here are some of the depressing results of the study along with suggestions provided by the study’s authors on how to get the bias out of your organization.

Female Lawyers Mistaken For Janitors, Administrators Or Court Personnel

Female lawyers of color were eight times more likely than white men to report that they had been mistaken for custodial staff, administrative staff, or court personnel, with 57% reporting mistaken identity. Over 50% of white women had also experienced this type of bias, while only 7% of white male lawyers were mistaken for non-lawyers. One female lawyer reported, “I have frequently been assumed to be a court reporter. In my own firm, I’ve been asked if I am a legal administrative assistant on multiple occasions, even after making partner.”

Female Lawyers Relegated To Do Office Housework           

Not only are female lawyers mistaken for non-lawyers, but female lawyers end up stuck with more of the non-legal office housework. Office housework is made up of tasks like scheduling meetings, planning parties, and doing actual housework like cleaning up the food after a meeting. And the present study finds female lawyers are far more likely than their male counterparts to bear the brunt of this office housework.

Why do women

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LAW

Rachel Berry Runs for Delaware County Court of Common Pleas

Candidate: Rachel Ezzell Berry

Court: Delaware County

Party: Democrat

The following has been edited lightly for length and style.

The Legal Intelligencer: Tell us about your background, where you went to law school, what firms you have practiced at, and areas of law you focus on.

Rachel Berry: Rachel graduated magna cum laude, Order of the Coif from the University of Michigan Law School where she was the book review editor of the Michigan Law Review. She then clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan. She has also served as law clerk to Judge Stephanie Klein of the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas. She has judicial experience in criminal, civil and family law across various courts and is a highly qualified candidate for the bench. She also worked as a complex commercial litigator at Dechert, one of the largest law firms in the United States, handling matters ranging from mass torts to antitrust actions to product liability. She is experienced in all stages of litigation, from pleadings to appeals. She has also worked as counsel to a family business headquartered in Delaware County, advising on regulatory, procedural and legal liability issues. Her career has focused on civil litigation, particularly complex commercial litigation and more recently, on all areas of estate litigation, including fraud, undue influence and forgery.

The Legal: What is one major thing about your career experience that most qualifies you for this position, and why?

Berry: Rachel’s years of judicial experience, in addition to her years as a litigator and law clerk, most qualifies her for this position. Judges should be learned in the law, follow the Constitution and protect the rights of all peoples against government overreach. As the Delaware County

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Insurance Law & Risk Management

For visitors looking for insurance coverage laws, litigation, risk management, or compliance issues, the National Law Review has up-to-date content on insurance and reinsurance-related matters.

Insurance Coverage in a Variety of Situations

Coverage includes different types of insurance policies companies require when doing business with clients, or professionals in the medical/legal field require, to protect themselves (licenses) against lawsuits. Malpractice insurance for legal and medical professionals, professional liability insurance for a store-owner, environmental liability, business interruption insurance coverage for companies, and commercial general liability (CGL) insurance, for large corporations, are among the different cases and stories visitors to the National Law Review will find, when visiting the site. Additionally, following major catastrophic events, such as flooding, hurricanes, or other loss of income, which causes a business to shut its doors, property loss, and business interruption insurance coverage is available to businesses. Cyber insurance is another major area of insurance law today, given cyber-attacks, fraud, data breaches, and security issues online. The National Law Review covers the basics as it relates to these, and other forms of insurance, requirements for businesses, and how it will protect them from lawsuits in their niche industry.  We also report on coverage/lack of coverage as it relates to insurance agreements involved in construction defects. This can be a major issue, especially in dealing with government contracts, and we provide detailed information about procedures, risks, and what companies should do, in the event they don’t have a policy (lapse), when working on certain contracts.

Insurance Litigation

Visitors to NLR can also read about insurance disputes as they relate to bad-faith claims, extra-contractual liability, or fiduciary arrangements between companies/clients. Insurance fraud, toxic torts, class actions, and other premium situations are frequently covered online. Additionally, insurance litigation at the district court and state court level is analyzed by

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LAW

Will RFK Jr.’s campaign hurt Biden, or help him?

Kennedy campaign

Kennedy campaign Scott Eisen/Getty Images

President Biden officially launched his re-election campaign this week, but he isn’t the only candidate for the 2024 Democratic nomination. democratic” data-ylk=”slk:Robert F. Kennedy Jr.;elm:context_link;itc:0″ class=”link “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — son of a presidential candidate and senator, and nephew of President John F. Kennedy, both of whom were assassinated in the 1960s — has also thrown his hat in the ring, as has best-selling author and spiritual adviser Marianne Williamson.

Kennedy and Williamson are long shots, to say the least. Biden led RFK Jr. by 60 percentage points in a kennedy-jr-biden-polling-2024/” data-ylk=”slk:Morning Consult poll;elm:context_link;itc:0″ class=”link “Morning Consult poll taken earlier this month. Williamson is even farther behind the president. But Kennedy did get the backing of 10 percent of the survey participants, a bigger share than some of former President Donald Trump’s rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination have received in polls of the GOP race. The first poll after Kennedy announced his bid showed him with 14 percent of the Democratic vote.

Kennedy says he’s out to lead “a new revolution to resurrect American democracy.” But his reputation as an anti-vaccine advocate has limited appeal among Democrats, and even some of the party’s most prominent members — his own relatives — reportedly don’t plan to vote for him. “Most of the Kennedys are disgusted with his attitude,” said Kennedy family biographer Laurence Leamer, referring to Robert’s anti-vax activism, according to the New York Post. “They still care about him, but he’s an embarrassment.”

RFK Jr. only shows Democrats how lucky they are with Biden

Neither RFK Jr. nor Marianne Williamson poses a serious challenge to President Biden, williamson-biden-primaries-20230423.html” data-ylk=”slk:said Will Bunch in The Philadelphia Inquirer;elm:context_link;itc:0″ class=”link “said Will Bunch in The Philadelphia

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Dysfunctional treatment of Indigenous Australians will continue unless voice exists, Ken Wyatt says | Indigenous voice to parliament

Australian governments still have a “missionary zeal” of wanting to “deal with Aboriginal people” that hasn’t changed, and unless there is an Indigenous voice advising governments the present dysfunction will continue, the former minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt has told a parliamentary committee hearing in Perth.

Wyatt, a Yamatji man, said the dysfunction has led to what he called “a futility syndrome” among Indigenous young people, who feel despair that they have no future in the nation because they are never listened to.

“And what do you do, if you are not listened to? You rebel,” Wyatt told the joint committee on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice referendum.

matters relating to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, including its composition, functions, powers and procedures.</li></ul><p><strong>How would it work?</strong></p><p>The voice would be able to make recommendations to the Australian parliament and government on matters relating to the social, spiritual and economic wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.</p><p>The voice would be able to table formal advice in parliament and a parliamentary committee would consider that advice. But the voice co-design report said all elements would be non-justiciable, meaning there could not be a court challenge and no law could be invalidated based on this consultation.</p><p><strong>How would it be structured?</strong></p><p>The co-design report recommended the national voice have 24 members, encompassing two from each state, the Northern Territory, ACT and Torres Strait. A further five members would represent remote areas and an additional member would represent Torres Strait Islanders living on the mainland.</p><p>Members would serve four-year terms, with half the membership determined every two years.</p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/dec/05/what-is-the-indigenous-voice-to-parliament-referendum-australia-how-would-it-work-why-should-we-have-it-explainer?CMP=cvau_atom">For more detail, read our explainer here.</a></p>","image":"https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/3f4ecb2112db6f08a6fc70b8f6fe593d9bdb02b4/0_191_4222_2534/4222.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=10944b10d1e732ddbace73d627aa86da","credit":"Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP","pillar":0}”
Quick Guide

What is the Indigenous voice to parliament and how would it work?

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What has happened already?

The Albanese government has put forward

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Side Hustles for Lawyers | Airtasker AU

You may already be leading a busy life as a legal professional. Still, if you’re seeking ways to earn some extra income, you can choose from various secondary or side jobs that you can take up in your spare time. Thanks to the gig economy, it’s easier to find quick jobs that let you use your experience. 

Are you looking to pay off law student debt or simply want to support your expenses? These ideas for the best side hustles for lawyers may come in handy.

1. Take up legal writing jobs

If you’re skilled in writing, you might want to consider taking up legal content writing for legal publications, firms, websites, government institutions, and companies. You can use your knowledge in the legal industry to research, draft, and edit content—whether it’s briefs, pleadings, reports, opinions, letters, or contracts. 

2. Try grant writing

Another writing-related gig for lawyers to make extra money is grant writing. Provide your services to companies or organisations needing legal expertise—this may entail looking for new sources of funding, research, documentation, and drafting the grant application. 

3. Offer freelance notary services

notary stamp on a table

Get appointed to become a notary public and start practising on the side. To be eligible, you need to hold a current unrestricted practising certificate and be competent and of good character. Check the Australian Business Licence and Information Service (ABLIS) for more information.

4. Do transcription

Legal transcription is one side job for lawyers that can be done remotely. With your familiarity in writing legal documents, you’ll be able to successfully convert audio or video recordings of pleadings, depositions, or other court materials into text documentation.

5. Work as a legal editor/proofreader

As a lawyer, you’re well-equipped to navigate the nuances of legal documents. In

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Pretoria Attorneys | Pretoria Lawyers

Adele van der Walt Medical Law & Attorneys
Brooklyn | Business | Business & Finance | Business Services | Legal
Adele van der Walt Incorporated is an authority on personal injury and medical law and serves clients on a national and international base.

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Location: 337 Brooklyn Road, Brooklyn, Pretoria (Tshwane), 0181 | Brooklyn | Pretoria
Tel: +27(0)124603668

AK Nkhumise Attorneys
Business | Business & Finance | Business Services | Ga-Rankuwa | Legal
All Aspects of commercial law, company registration, estate planning, commercial and general litigation, debt collections, human resources and more.

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Location: 1393 Kgware Road, Ga Rankuwa, Pretoria (Tshwane) | Ga-Rankuwa | Pretoria
Tel: +27(0)127003720

Akeme Ivan Wallace
Business | Business & Finance | Business Services | Legal
We are global-owned company which specialize with law- attorney.

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Location: | | Pretoria
Tel: +27(0)719505836 Mobile: +27(0)719505836

Alan Kissoon Attorneys
Business | Business & Finance | Business Services | Hatfield | Legal
Attorneys

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Location: 1002 Pretorius Street, Hatfield, Pretoria (Tshwane), 0083 | Hatfield | Pretoria
Tel: +27(0)123427383 Mobile: +27(0)848806270

Alex May Attorneys
Business | Business & Finance | Business Services | Legal
AMI developed a niche specialty in commercial law and litigation over the past 17 years and is known for resolving complex commercial issues.

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Location: 109 Lynnwood Street, Brooklyn, Pretoria, 0181 | Brooklyn | Pretoria
Tel: +27(0)120040145

Anders Inc
Business | Business & Finance | Business Services | Legal | Menlo Park
Legal services.

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Location: 304 Brooklyn Road, Menlo Park, Pretoria (Tshwane), 0081 | Menlo Park | Pretoria
Tel: +27(0)124607626

Andre De Klerk Attorneys
Business | Business & Finance | Business Services | Legal | Lynnwood
I am an admitted Attorney, Conveyancer and Notary.

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Location: 341 The Rand Street, Lynnwood,

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LAW

Ketchikan city manager nixes plans for Pride Month drag queen storytime at public library

A display at the Ketchikan Public Library celebrating Pride Month in June 2022. (Eric Stone/KRBD)

The Ketchikan Public Library will not host another drag queen storytime as part of its Pride Month programming. That’s according to Ketchikan’s city manager, who recently reversed course and canceled the event, citing the public’s response to last year’s reading.

Ketchikan City Manager Delilah Walsh told the mayor and City Council in an email dated April 17 that drag queen storytime would not return for a second year.

“As the chief administrative officer for the City, I am ultimately responsible for all operations of the organization and I am directing that the Library not program a drag queen story time,” Walsh wrote in an email obtained by KRBD through a public records request. “I apologize for the change and appreciate the opportunity for me to dig a bit deeper; I am now very firm in my resolve moving forward.”

The city of Ketchikan has a council-manager system of government, meaning the city manager acts as the city’s chief administrator, subject to direction by the City Council.

The decision is the latest development in a long-running debate over LGBTQ programming at Ketchikan’s library. Last June, the Ketchikan Public Library held its first-ever storytime with a drag queen to celebrate Pride Month and promote inclusivity. 

The drag queen Luna, portrayed by high school drama teacher Tommy Varela, read a picture book to dozens of children and guided them through a series of simple dance moves alongside a children’s librarian.

The event was wildly popular: Luna had to read the book three separate times to accommodate all the attendees. The library director said it was the biggest storytime on record. 

But the runup to the drag queen event was marked by controversy. The issue dominated two Ketchikan City

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