Featured Articles

A More Sophisticated Jury Trial Puzzle: Employees Must Wash Hands

September 28, 2010 14:13

OK, OK, I have provided an update/answer to the riddle in the last post. Such an addendum is unnecessary for my first two commenters, who found the riddle beneath them. I hope they find this one slightly more challenging. At any rate, it’s more difficult than 2 + 0 = 2, which was the solution...

If By Whiskey Marijuana...

Jamie Spencer
January 03, 2011 16:20

William Safire popularized the phrase “if by whiskey…” in his columns, and defined it in his Political Dictionary as, “Taking both sides of an issue; equivocating; a political straddle”. The term originates from a speech given by Soggy Sweat, a 1950s Mississippi...

Hot Dog Lawyers And The Courthouse Scam

March 10, 2010 04:36

Greenfield posted this morning about lawyers advertising their services on hot dog stands outside the courthouse. Reminded me of a few things that only I would consider blawgworthy, but then I make the decisions around this place, so here goes. First, we used to have a Porfirio’s Tacos truck...

Deterrence, Retribution or Rehabilitation?

Jamie Spencer
June 15, 2009 01:41

From the New York Times: On Monday, Judge Ricardo M. Urbina of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, sentenced a former senior pharmaceutical executive to write a book. Earlier this year the executive had pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the federal government...

Rip Roaring Rarin' And Ready For Trial

October 13, 2010 15:41

I was set on a jury docket yesterday morning and the case was going to be reached. It was my day to go. Of course, as usual, there were probably 30-40 cases set, but mine was going to be the one. How did I know this? I had taken the case over from another lawyer, about a year after the arrest,...

I'll Dismiss Yours If You Dismiss Mine: Innovative Negotiating Tactics

Jamie Spencer
August 06, 2009 09:34

This excerpt from the ABA Journal speaks for itself, so I’ll just file it in the “don’t try this at home” category, and move on: A lawyer says his letter threatening to reveal a prosecutor’s alleged car registration violation was intended as a joke, but Gage County...

De Facto Legalization of Prostitution?

Jamie Spencer
June 10, 2009 08:34

Mike, of Crime and Federalism, reads an article about sex trafficking, “San Francisco Is A Major Center For International Crime Networks That Smuggle And Enslave”, and proclaims: I'd always said, gee, of course prostitution should be legal. I'm changing my mind. San Francisco has de...

Sign Of The Times: iCop, iLawyer, iJudge

February 08, 2010 16:47

From a recent PC affidavit: …The tin contained four marijuana roaches and 6 small round pills with 2530 on one side and the letter v on the other. [Jamie’s client] said that the pills were Klonopin. I asked [Jamie’s client] if she had a prescription for Klonopin and she said she...

A 1:1 Ratio For Crack/Powder Cocaine?

Jamie Spencer
April 29, 2009 23:19

Wall Street Journal: The Obama administration Wednesday asked Congress to end the disparity in penalties for use of crack- and powder-cocaine crimes, a stance sure to bring on contentious debate from the law-enforcement community. "The Administration believes Congress's goal should be to...

A Good Lawyer Is A (Very Very) Busy Lawyer

Jamie Spencer
May 28, 2009 08:55

Starting with a little free market theory, let’s assume that he who builds the best mousetrap will eventually dominate the mousetrap industry. (I don’t insist that this is so; just throwing it out there to start the post.) It follows therefore, that in the service industry, the better...