Menu
Blog Archives
Spite Houses: 15 Obnoxious Homes That Were Built Just To Annoy The Neighbors
August 1, 2015
The ultimate way to show your contempt for an enemy may be by building a "spite house." Spite houses are homes built to annoy the neighbors, often by cutting off access to a road or obstructing their views. "They probably wouldn't get much attention if they looked like normal houses, but spite houses have a reputation for being kind of odd looking, since they're usually built on narrow parcels of land," columnist John Kelly wrote in The Washington Post. Spite houses have a long history in the U.S....
August 1, 2015
The ultimate way to show your contempt for an enemy may be by building a "spite house." Spite houses are homes built to annoy the neighbors, often by cutting off access to a road or obstructing their views. "They probably wouldn't get much attention if they looked like normal houses, but spite houses have a reputation for being kind of odd looking, since they're usually built on narrow parcels of land," columnist John Kelly wrote in The Washington Post. Spite houses have a long history in the U.S....
Are Lawyers Ready for Artificial Intelligence?
August 1, 2015
Here’s the show summary: “Artificial Intelligence is a means of designing a system that can perceive its environment and take actions that will maximize its success.” -Tom Mighell Developments in Big Data, machine learning, IBM Watson, and other advancements in technology have brought back the cyclical discussion of what artificial intelligence might mean for lawyers. Has anything really changed, or have we just reached another round of the AI debate? In this episode of The Kennedy-Mighell...
August 1, 2015
Here’s the show summary: “Artificial Intelligence is a means of designing a system that can perceive its environment and take actions that will maximize its success.” -Tom Mighell Developments in Big Data, machine learning, IBM Watson, and other advancements in technology have brought back the cyclical discussion of what artificial intelligence might mean for lawyers. Has anything really changed, or have we just reached another round of the AI debate? In this episode of The Kennedy-Mighell...
Law 2023: A Look Ahead for the Legal Profession
August 1, 2015
The future of the legal industry isn’t what it used to be. Or so says a report issued by Law2023.org, a group of industry...
August 1, 2015
The future of the legal industry isn’t what it used to be. Or so says a report issued by Law2023.org, a group of industry...
Three More Resources Relating to Judge Profiling
July 31, 2015
In a post yesterday, In Litigation and Legal Research, Judge Analytics is the New Black, I wrote about three websites that provide data and analytics about judges. Thanks to sharp-eyed readers, I have learned of three other sites with similar missions. Two of the sites were just this week awarded start-up funding through the Knight News Challenge. Both are focused on using data to provide greater transparency about judges and judicial elections. Each received $35,000. * * * In a blog post...
July 31, 2015
In a post yesterday, In Litigation and Legal Research, Judge Analytics is the New Black, I wrote about three websites that provide data and analytics about judges. Thanks to sharp-eyed readers, I have learned of three other sites with similar missions. Two of the sites were just this week awarded start-up funding through the Knight News Challenge. Both are focused on using data to provide greater transparency about judges and judicial elections. Each received $35,000. * * * In a blog post...
The Hierarchical Influence of Courts of Appeals on District Courts
July 31, 2015
What factors explain when federal trial court judges will be influenced and constrained by their direct superiors in the judicial hierarchy? To empirically test this hierarchical relationship, this study utilizes an original database of cases terminated in 29 federal district courts from 2000 to 2004 and a research design that naturally incorporates hierarchical interactions through a focus on cases that were appealed to the U.S. courts of appeal and later reversed and remanded. After controlling...
July 31, 2015
What factors explain when federal trial court judges will be influenced and constrained by their direct superiors in the judicial hierarchy? To empirically test this hierarchical relationship, this study utilizes an original database of cases terminated in 29 federal district courts from 2000 to 2004 and a research design that naturally incorporates hierarchical interactions through a focus on cases that were appealed to the U.S. courts of appeal and later reversed and remanded. After controlling...
2014 Report Shows Fewer Debtors Filing for Bankruptcy, But More Repeat Filers
July 31, 2015
Bankruptcy petitions filed by individuals with consumer debt were down in 2014 when compared with 2013; more individuals filed for bankruptcy protection under plans that included installment payments to creditors; and for more individuals, this wasn’t the first time they’d filed for bankruptcy in the last 8 years. These bankruptcy statistics are included in a report required by the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BAPCPA) to be submitted annually by the federal...
July 31, 2015
Bankruptcy petitions filed by individuals with consumer debt were down in 2014 when compared with 2013; more individuals filed for bankruptcy protection under plans that included installment payments to creditors; and for more individuals, this wasn’t the first time they’d filed for bankruptcy in the last 8 years. These bankruptcy statistics are included in a report required by the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BAPCPA) to be submitted annually by the federal...
In Negotiations with Ben Affleck, No Appealing BATNA
July 30, 2015
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. got into trouble by caving into the actor's request In negotiation, your best source of power is typically your best alternative to a negotiated agreement, or BATNA. Having a strong outside alternative enables you to walk away from a deal that doesn’t meet your needs or that would compromise your vision or ethics. But when you are dealing with a negotiating partner who seems irreplaceable, your BATNA can seem hopelessly weak. In such cases, you may be tempted to make...
July 30, 2015
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. got into trouble by caving into the actor's request In negotiation, your best source of power is typically your best alternative to a negotiated agreement, or BATNA. Having a strong outside alternative enables you to walk away from a deal that doesn’t meet your needs or that would compromise your vision or ethics. But when you are dealing with a negotiating partner who seems irreplaceable, your BATNA can seem hopelessly weak. In such cases, you may be tempted to make...
Advanced Attorney-Mediator Training: Be The Best Mediator You Can Be
July 30, 2015
What Users Want – A View of Mediation from the Corner Office Bill Lemons, San Antonio, TX – Co-Facilitator Don...
July 30, 2015
What Users Want – A View of Mediation from the Corner Office Bill Lemons, San Antonio, TX – Co-Facilitator Don...
Data Analytics Gaining Ground, But Bold Promises Need Validation
July 30, 2015
Every year, lawyers file litigation claims said to be worth hundreds of billions of dollars, and yet few lawyers have embraced...
July 30, 2015
Every year, lawyers file litigation claims said to be worth hundreds of billions of dollars, and yet few lawyers have embraced...
Agreement to Arbitrate Upheld after LLC Converted to Corporation
July 29, 2015
An arbitration clause in a limited liability company (LLC) agreement controls in a dispute involving a shareholder, despite the fact that the LLC had converted to a corporation that did not have a similar dispute resolution mechanism in its incorporation documents. 3850 & 3860 Colonial Blvd., LLC v. Griffin. Section leaders consider the Delaware case an interesting decision because of the court’s strict contractual reading of an LLC agreement requiring arbitration and ignoring a defendant’s alleged...
July 29, 2015
An arbitration clause in a limited liability company (LLC) agreement controls in a dispute involving a shareholder, despite the fact that the LLC had converted to a corporation that did not have a similar dispute resolution mechanism in its incorporation documents. 3850 & 3860 Colonial Blvd., LLC v. Griffin. Section leaders consider the Delaware case an interesting decision because of the court’s strict contractual reading of an LLC agreement requiring arbitration and ignoring a defendant’s alleged...
